The higher this rally goes, the more you’ll hear that another bull market has started, says underground investor Chris Weber. But Chris is warning investors not to be fooled.

Chris, who edits the Weber Global Opportunities Report, started investing while in high school and made so much money he hasn’t had a “real” job in his life. He’s an investor’s investor. And that means when he makes a call, we listen.

The problem is that the federal debt is rising – and will continue to rise – much faster than gross domestic product, which represents America’s ability to service it.

The federal debt was equivalent to 41% of GDP at the end of 2008. The Congressional Budget Office estimates it will rise to 82% of GDP in 10 years.

What sectors rise when the economy begins to emerge from an economic downturn? The answer may surprise you.

Unless we see a recovery in the housing market, we won’t really see a recovery in the economy. But is the housing market approaching a bottom? Or does it still have a ways to go?

The answer is critical to understanding the current economic depression.

Now that China has overtaken the U.S. as the world's biggest car market, investors should be asking themselves if China is simply a better place to put their money.

We've been cautioning readers against expecting any near-term returns in China under the current economic malaise. With unemployment at record highs, a 100-year drought crippling agriculture and exports at a mere trickle, China is not the place to be right now.

Irwin Greenstein, writing for Contrarian Profits, suggests that Repsol (REP), an oil major from Spain, could prove to be the sleeper oil play of 2009. With significant new oil finds, Repsol could put investors in a position to pocket gains.This from Irwin:

In one of the stealth oil developments this year, Cuban officials said last week that the Communist country is embarking on an aggressive exploratory drilling program to assess the potential offshore reserves.

A new labor report by an agency of the United Nations indicates that Asia could be the best place for investors to wait out the global recession. While the report does not indicate abundant opportunities in Asian regions, it does show that Asia could be more resilient and consequentially return potential longer term gains.

For investors in survivor mode, the report may be interpreted as an investment roadmap with a relatively safe course.

By Irwin Greenstein

No one really knows how long the global recession will last, but based on a recent article it may persist longer than predicted. The message to investors, therefore, is that bonds and gold may be the best way to ride out the storm instead of trying to cherry pick winners.

By Irwin Greenstein

New labor laws in China have forced the manufacturing sector into an ever-tightening vice, giving investors further pause for any significant rebound in the world’s fastest growing economy.

James Dale Davidson provides some essential tips for your investment strategy during this credit crisis. The government had admitted that we face trillion-dollar deficits for years to come. And who knows how much bigger the budget hole could grow with companies like GM lapping up Uncle Sam’s bailouts. But there are always way to protect your wealth… and even make a profit.

The dollar’s down, but it’s certainly not out.

By Irwin Greenstein

A small article in Friday’s China Daily reported a startling number that revealed the true depths of China recession - giving investors pause for any near-term recovery in the country’s blistering economic growth of years past.

By Irwin Greenstein

The trillions of dollars that Washington is throwing at beleaguered American industries could have unforeseen consequences in the longer term viability of domestic investment opportunities. Washington’s handouts may come at the expense of funding important R&D projects that could give the U.S. a long-term competitive edge that it appears to be losing to Asia.

By Irwin Greenstein

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

By Irwin Greenstein

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.

By Irwin Greenstein

One of our most reliable indicators about emerging markets shows that investors may have a real slog ahead of them in the coming years. In the past, we’ve used cell-phone sales in growing economies as means of measuring the prospects for investments. Cell phones show how much disposable income is available, in addition to reflecting the entrepreneurial spirit that creates a healthy middle class.

By Irwin Greenstein

While China made headlines with a historic interest rate cut last week, the World Bank weighed in with a gloomy prediction about China that received scant coverage. For emerging-market investors who missed the story, the World Bank’s assessment of China’s economic performance in 2009 could reshape their strategy for portfolio allocation.

By Irwin Greenstein

Mother Nature has its own beating in store for already battered solar energy stocks. As if the plunging price of oil wasn’t enough to bring solar stocks to their knees, the new report by the United Nations shows how China’s toxic pollution may hinder the development of the country’s burgeoning solar industry.

By Irwin Greenstein

After China unveiled plans for a $586-billion stimulus package on Sunday, the media was abuzz that it could re-start the flagging commodities market. But it may be premature to peg all your hope on a single massive infrastructure build-out.

By Irwin Greenstein

Energy investors may find themselves at odds in weighing whether to put their money into fossil fuels or green alternatives. Two separate articles in Friday’s Wall Street Journal provide a good backdrop for the current dilemma. Ultimately, we’re of the opinion that it’s still too early for alternative energy to make a convincing business case.

By Irwin Greenstein

Despite the historic trade agreement signed yesterday between Taiwan and China, Taiwan’s TSEC weighted index (^TWII) closed down 2.43%. It seems that fears of global recession trumped this historic economic breakthrough. This turn of events now presents investors with the question: Is it time to get into ^TWII?