It’s prime time for small cap investing, says Louis Basenese. Investors need to look for companies with little or no debt and a competitive advantage in their particular field. Louis says E-House Holdings (NYSE:EJ) and American CareSource Holdings (Nasdaq:ANCI) fit the bill, making them great buys right now.

It’s clear that 2009 is going to be grim in economic terms. Martin Denholm says investors should stick to sectors that fare better during recessions. The healthcare sector, discount retailers and utilities companies provide essential products and generate repeat business. Martin picks the strongest companies in these “safe haven” sectors.

In the darkest hours of the market, we need to be looking for the next bull. Louis Basenese says the lessons from history show that traditionally riskier small-cap stocks could actually be the smartest bet right now.

While most companies are bracing themselves for difficult times in 2009, Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE:YUM) is aggressively expanding its international operations. The fast food group has China at the core of its growth strategy for 2009. Mike Caggeso says this could make Yum! one of the most promising investment stories in the coming year.

Ecuador, Ghana and Tunisia are the only equity markets up in 2008. But Marc Lichtenfeld says there are still profit opportunities closer to home. Many undervalued US stocks are due a rebound in 2009. Marc picks seven proven survivors that are among the biggest and best in their fields. He also selects two small caps that are well place to lead a market recovery next year.