Right now, there’s more than $9.5 trillion in cash on the sidelines – or more than twice the amount of money currently invested in stock mutual funds, according to MoneyNet.inc and the U.S. Federal Reserve. Private equity firms alone are believed to hold as much as an additional $1.3 trillion.

Keith Fitz-Gerald says investors have the chance to profit from the contango phenomenon in oil markets. The implied higher future oil prices mean an opportunity to buy oil-related ETFs now at a bargain price. For a safer option, Keith picks two oil transportation companies that pay healthy dividends.

Natural gas could have a bright future as a clean and cheap alternative to fossil fuels in the auto industry, says David Fessler. Government efforts to promote the use of autos powered on natural gas could see gas production soar in the coming years. David says investors can play this ‘gas game’ with these six major producers and distributors.

Times are tough. But they are not so bad that we should abandon the quest for profits, says Louis Basenese. Buying US Treasury bonds with zero yields is idiotic. Louis gives six alternative investment options with big profit potential.

Global stocks are getting mauled again today. Wild market swings are making stock investing a risky business. But Floyd Brown says little-known Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) provide a steady dividend income and are extremely cheap right now. They have the tax benefits of a partnership, but the liquidity of a publicly traded stock. Floyd gives his three favourite MLP plays in the energy sector.