PowerShares BLDRS Emerging Markets 50 (Nasdaq: ADRE), for example, only holds a portfolio of 50 stocks; all large, highly liquid foreign ADRs. By comparison, Vanguard Emerging Markets (NYSE: VWO) has a sprawling portfolio of nearly 1,000 names, many of them in the small/mid-cap range. And WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Yield (NYSE: DEM) falls somewhere in between, but only devotes a microscopic 3% of assets to China, arguably the most explosive of all emerging markets.

Fears of a slowdown in consumer spending (and thus falling demand for retail space) have taken a toll on the stock lately, erasing more than one-fourth of Weingarten's market cap. However, I think any near-term threats have been overstated.

First, the basics. The fund will track the Stowe Coal Index, a modified, market-cap weighted benchmark of 60 companies engaged in various coal activities, ranging from mining and production to power generation and transportation. Like many sector funds, this one is rather top-heavy, as the top 25 names account for nearly 90% of the fund's assets.

The company is a leader in the non-asset-based freight business. In English, that means that it arranges to have goods transported, but doesn't actually own the planes, railroads, trucks, or ships that move those products. Essentially, it acts as a middleman, reserving cargo space on someone else's fleet and then filling that space with its customers' merchandise.

The company has delivered nothing but growth over the past decade, and sales have quadrupled from $933 million to $3.8 billion since 1996. More importantly, net income has raced ahead at a +17% annual clip over that same span.

Specifically, the fund is designed to provide approximately double the inverse of the daily return of the MSCI EM Index. For example, on a day when the underlying benchmark drops -2%, EEV shareholders can reasonably expect to see gains (before fees and expenses) of +4%.

Years ago, anyone who peeked into the flight deck of an aircraft typically found sophisticated GPS tracking and other indispensable navigation equipment on board. Today, the same technology that keeps pilots on track can be found almost anywhere: automobiles, sailboats, recreational vehicles -- even cell phones.

In short, mid-caps can offer greater upside potential than large-caps and less volatility than small-caps. According to Morningstar, mid-cap growth has been the single best performing corner of the domestic market over the past five years -- raking in average annual returns in excess of +19%.

Meanwhile, some developed markets in Europe have quietly put together an impressive winning streak of their own, but without all of the hoopla -- or the extreme volatility. For example, German stocks, as measured by the benchmark DAX 30 Index, produced impressive gains of around +65% between 2004 and 2006.

The fund mirrors the performance of the S&P Metals & Mining Select Industry Index. Over the past five years, the index has delivered sizzling annual returns of +29.8% -- and since inception, XME has done a good job of tracking this benchmark.

In the 1870s, the company developed the glass used in Thomas Edison's first light bulb. Around the time of World War I, it engineered "PYREX" -- a highly durable brand of heat-resistant cookware. And in later years, it was instrumental in advancements like the television cathode ray tube [CRT] and even designed the surface of the Hubbell telescope.

UPS is far more profitable, and its margins have consistently remained well above those at FedEx. In fact, the firm's margins and free cash flow generation are both at the top of the entire industry. That free cash flow has enabled UPS to maintain a rock-solid balance sheet, which has garnered a coveted AAA rating from leading credit agencies. Furthermore, UPS is simply more efficient, boasting much higher returns on equity [ROE], as well as solid returns on invested capital [ROIC] approaching 20%.

Today, the Texas-based company is the world's leading direct-marketer of personal computers [PCs], shipping approximately 36 million desktop and laptop systems around the world annually. Additionally, the firm supplies servers, storage systems, software, printers, high-definition televisions and other related products.

Dell is no longer the growth story it was a decade ago, and the PC market has grown increasingly commoditized and competitive. For the first time, the firm's PC unit shipments (i.e. the number of computers sold) have been growing at roughly the same pace as the overall industry (rather than exceeding it).

Perhaps the best way to describe Cadbury is this: take the candy operations of a firm such as Hershey (NYSE), add the chewing gum of a company like Wrigley ( WWY), and then throw in the beverage distribution of PepsiCo ( PEP).

With a growing assortment of mints, chocolates, jellybeans, and many other sugary treats [including the popular Cadbury Creme Egg], CSG is the world's largest confectioner. And following a key acquisition in 2003, the firm has jumped to the No. 2 spot in gum production, stocking retailers' shelves with brands such as Trident, Dentyne, and Bubblicious. Finally, a stable of thirst-quenching favorites like Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, 7 Up, A&W, Snapple, and Hawaiian Punch have made Cadbury the world's third-largest soft-drink maker.

Though sales in the traditional grocery business have been sluggish for years, Whole Foods has carved out a growing niche at the high-end of the market and has delivered impressive annual revenue growth of +20% over the past five years.

Last month, the shares were slammed after the company announced fourth-quarter results and near-term guidance that suggested a bit of a cool-down from the firm's red-hot pace of recent years. Earnings for the period quadrupled to $40 million [or $0.28 per share] on revenues that climbed +16% to $1.3 billion.

On the downside, business in the firm's key Las Vegas locals segment remains sluggish as the market slowly absorbs the added capacity of two new high-end resorts: Station Casinos Inc. (STN), Red Rock Station and Boyd Gaming Corporation's (BYD) former casino, South Coast [which was recently sold to former partner Michael Gaughan].

Despite heavy promotional spending, revenues generated by Boyd's local casinos slipped to $200 million from $214 million in the same period last year.