Alternative-energy investors have pointed to China as the fastest way on the planet to make money in the green revolution. I guess they never went beyond the executive summary of a recent report titled “The Green Evolution – Environmental Policies and Practice in China’s Banking Sector.”

To show how far emerging markets have fallen, and where they are headed for 2009, look no further than the theory of ‘decoupling’, says Irwin Greenstein, writing for Contrarian Profits.

Investors interested in putting their money into China next year may want to look elsewhere for potential gains. It seems that 2009 will be a repeat of 2008, according to a story in today’s People’s Daily.

You’ve probably heard about China’s colossal $600-billion stimulus package intended to jump-start its economy. But chances are you didn’t hear about the new $40-billion initiative by China’s wireless carriers to modernize the national network…

An article in the New York Times last week about careers in solar energy revealed a shocking number – one that would certainly make me look elsewhere for job. As an investor, this particular number would also call into question the true growth of solar energy over the next few years.

Tech stocks are certainly not immune to the global downturn, but when Apple’s (Nasdaq:AAPL) sales decline the sector could be in for a dragged-out recession. Coupled with a surprisingly aggressive downturn in semiconductor sales for next year, it could be 2010-2011 before we see any significant opportunities for investors in anything digital.

With all this talk about bailouts here in the U.S., one name is conspicuously absent: Sovereign Wealth Funds. These trillion-dollar national funds made news earlier in the year as they dove headway into big U.S. banks when they began to teeter. The SWFs figured they were buying low, severely underestimating the bottom of the market. So rather than get a bargain, they took a beating – and are now making a hasty retreat from the West.

If there’s ever a reason why you should avoid investing in the electric-car revolution it’s a start-up called Better Place L.L.C.

Based in Silicon Valley, the company is negotiating with governments and car makers to set up networks of charging systems for electric-car batteries.

The New York Times ran a story today about how Hawaiian Electric Company endorsed the Better Place system of rechargeable stations and swappable batteries. Better Place already has garnered endorsements from Israel, Denmark, Australia, Renault-Nissan and a coalition of Northern California.

In essence, the endorsements constitute permission for Better Place to install its system.  Here’s how Better Place makes money for investors:

Drivers pay to access a network of charging spots and conveniently located battery exchange stations powered by renewable…

While China may blame the rest of the world for its dramatic decline in exports, Beijing has no one else to blame but itself for the steep drop in dairy exports.

Two of the top emerging markets are grappling with food production and costs – resulting in higher prices in the months to come. The outlook for China and Brazil could portend higher grain prices, giving investors a chance to cash in on a potential rebound.