European shares touched a 10-month high on Friday on optimism for a global economic recovery and with Nokia and results from U.S. bellwethers boosting the technology sector.

European shares slipped back from a 10-month closing high on Wednesday, as investors took profits, even as German and U.S. economic data continued to point to recovery.

So far this year, three of the world’s safest blue chip stocks returned 58.5%, 85.2%, and 112.5%, but most investors weren’t even able to touch them. Today, I’ll show you how you can…

Check out this “megatrend”: 97% of global population growth over the next 40 years will occur in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, says the shiny new 2009 World Population Data Sheet. The headline data point was the total growth projection for the world population: 7 billion by 2011. That’s a 200 million extra people on this Earth in just two years.

Asia is poised to become the “new” Detroit.

The number of Chinese with Internet access is increasing at an astronomical rate – after all right now, the region’s penetration rate is only 17% compared with 75% here in the U.S. And along with that growth, opportunities are emerging for a select few investors to get in on tech growth in the Far East.

In the last 18 months, Strategic Short Report readers had the chance to make 432% when Lehman failed, 162% when Allied Capital (NYSE:ALD) came clean, and 220% on PNC Financial (NYSE:PNC)… This month my subscribers are poised to make money on the next bank drop.

If you want a stable dividend, focus on global companies. Dividends still matter. But you have to know where to look.

Eurozone consumers expect prices to continue to slide over the next few months, raising concerns about a deflationary spiral in the European bloc, the Financial Times reported. 

Investors who pay attention to Japan’s looming election can expect to be well-rewarded for their time.  Normally, we confess, Japanese elections don’t matter much, because the same guys always win. However, this one – set for Aug. 30 – looks different: It may actually bring about the first real change in Japan’s government in 55 years. That’s important.