In an industry full of missteps and forced resignations, Hyundai is one company actually headed in the right direction.

First off, the economy is playing right into Hyundai’s hands. Long known as a maker of low-priced vehicles, Hyundai in an enviable position. The Sonata is priced roughly $2,000 less than a Toyota Camry, and the Santa Fe SUV is almost $10,000 less than a Toyota RAV4.

While still lagging far behind Toyota in sales, Hyundai does have one advantage: A full 55 percent of its sales come from countries in emerging markets, versus 31 percent for Toyota. And because those countries have withstood the worst of the global slowdown, this means the company can continue to see greater sales growth.

Also helping Hyundai is its product mix. Almost 65 percent of the automobiles it makes are small cars. In a world of rising gas prices, demand for these vehicles will increase, allowing the company to capture market share while other manufacturers re-tool their assembly lines.

Finally, the company introduced its AssurancePlus program, where it will make your payments for three months if you lose your job. And if you’re unemployed longer than that, Hyundai will buy back the vehicle. (This idea has proven to be so strong that GM and Ford recently announced similar programs to encourage people to buy.)

If you’re looking for an investment that could be on the upswing, Hyundai fits the bill.

[Ed. Note: Detroit native Christian Hill doesn't just follow the auto industry closely, he offers advice covering everything market-related in Investor's Daily Edge, ETR's sister publication. Sign up free here ]

Investing in automakers on the rise is just one investment you can profit from in 2009. This June, a group of financial experts will give you their top recommendations for making 2009 the best year ever for your portfolio. Find out more here.]

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My hometown of Detroit has been all over the news recently. Thankfully, it’s been for something other than the transgressions of our former mayor.

The rest of the country (and world, it seems) has realized that Detroit has incredibly cheap real estate, and plenty of it. Investors – some from as far as away as the U.K. – are buying up lots of houses (for as little as $10,000) to fix up and rent out.

While it might be tempting to buy an investment property for only $10,000, there are at least three reasons to be cautious:

• In comparison to other parts of the country, real estate taxes in depressed areas are high and could get worse. A shrinking population means a smaller tax base, so everyone left has to cough up more money.

• Take your rehab bill and double it. Not because of cost overruns but because your upgrades will walk out the door at night. Theft is a major problem.

• Don’t count on getting government-assisted renters. The easy days of the government sending you the rent check are long gone. According to a friend of mine who has a few rental properties in Detroit, the number of landlords looking for Section 8 renters far outstrips the supply.

With that being said, I believe investing in Detroit is worth considering… as long as you do your homework first. Where else can you buy a house for less than a new car and generate cash flow every month?

[Ed. Note: Whether you're interested in real estate, the stock market, or other investment opportunities, you can get Christian Hill's take in Investor's Daily Edge, Early to Rise's sister publication. Sign up for free right here.

Buying and renting out real estate is just one investment you can profit from in 2009. This June, 9 financial experts will show you exactly how you can make a fortune in today's market. Find out how you can get their top recommendations for making 2009 the best year ever for your portfolio right here.]  

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The last 12 months has been a bad time in the markets. Very few stocks have avoided the market-wide sell-off. And for a lot of stocks, as a result of their share prices being depressed, one measure of value – dividend yield – could be misleading. 

The dividend yield is calculated by dividing the dividends paid per share over the course of a year by the stock’s price – and this number is of paramount importance to income investors. Oftentimes, there is a minimum yield that they are willing to accept when they invest in a stock.

And this is where the current markets could send you down the wrong path. Let’s take DuPont (DD), for example. For the past three years, DuPont has traded in a range from around $40/share to $50/share. During this period, it has paid a consistent dividend between $0.37 and $0.41. That would give investors a dividend yield between 2.9 percent and 3.7 percent. 

A nice return, but perhaps too low to hit the radar screens of many income investors. 

But now let’s look DuPont’s dividend yield today: 6.2 percent. 

Your first assumption might be that the company has really fattened up its dividend. But that would be incorrect. What has occurred is that the stock price has fallen so much that the yield has been “artificially” driven up. 

DuPont is now trading for around $26/share – about half of what it was even three months ago. This means the denominator in the equation for calculating dividend yield is much lower… and that’s why DuPont’s yield is so high. 

When the market moves back up and DuPont’s share price follows, its yield will plummet back down.

[Ed. Note: Finding fundamentally strong companies is a good way to prosper despite the market's condition. But you can also make money on companies that are ready to crumble. Learn how to spot the "red flag" signals that could predict (with as much as 92 percent certainty) when a company's stock is going to tank.]

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With the markets getting clobbered over the last year, traditional methods for measuring the value of a stock have been thrown out of whack. That doesn’t mean you can’t rely on those indicators, but it does mean you need to keep certain things in mind.

Let’s take dividends as an example. Many companies have slashed or completely eliminated dividends to keep more cash on hand to weather the downturn. Does this mean their current dividends should be used to measure their future income streams? Of course not.

It’s better to isolate this period from your analysis and look, instead, at a company’s historical dividend payments. Take a look at what the company has paid out over the last five years or so. If it has a steady and/or increasing dividend – with the only blemish being the most-recent quarters – then it is probably safe to assume that once the economy gets turned around, its dividend stream will return to normal. 

Don’t forget that we are in the midst of the worst market in decades. Strange things are happening, but it will eventually return to normal. Don’t miss out on long-term investment opportunities by focusing too much on current conditions.

[Ed. Note: Finding fundamentally strong companies is a good way to prosper despite the market's condition. But you can also make money on companies that are ready to crumble. Learn how to spot the "red flag" signals that could predict (with as much as 92 percent certainty) when a company's stock is going to tank.]

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A few months ago, I wrote that, despite all the doom and gloom, I thought the domestic automakers would survive. Unfortunately, things have gotten even worse. Just recently, a Deutsche Bank AG analyst said that GM shares will likely be worthless in a year.

Even so, I’m sticking with what I originally said. I still think the government will step in and provide the automakers with the loans they need to survive. As a GM spokesperson has said, bankruptcy “creates more problems than it solves.”

GM is doing all it can to cut costs. It is laying off workers and closing plants. It is scrapping plans for some vehicles. It is going as lean as it can in the face of the worst auto market in 17 years. The company is not just sitting around, waiting for divine intervention.

How’s this for a reason for the government to step in: This year, the economy has shed approximately 1.2 million jobs. Should GM go under, it will cost 2.5 million jobs in the first year alone. I can’t help but think the government will do everything it can to avoid that disaster.

If things unfold as I expect and GM gets the loan it needs – and if you are the adventurous type – a LEAP option for the January 2010 calls could be a very lucrative play.

[Ed. Note: You may be surprised to hear it, but there are plenty of ways to make money in a down economy. You just need to be poised to take action as soon as the opportunities arise. Discover the simple steps you need to take to make money in any market condition right here.]

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With the recent turmoil in the markets, chances are you liquidated some of your holdings. Whether it was because they hit your pre-determined stop-loss point or you simply threw in the towel because you’d had enough, you still have some work to do.

Did you re-examine your portfolio mix after you sold those stocks? Most likely you didn’t, so do it now.

Selling at a loss is often an emotional and stressful experience. As a result, you aren’t necessarily focusing on what remains in your portfolio, and you could quickly become overweight in one stock or sector.

After any selling, take the time to make sure you have the mix you want. It may mean selling some additional holdings to bring everything back in line, but it is best to take care of that now, rather than get caught down the road.

[Ed. Note: Protecting your wealth is about more than getting in and out of the market at the right time. It means keeping your portfolio balanced.

Keep your money safe during these shaky times by making smart investment choices. Companies with strong fundamentals are best equipped to withstand major market changes. But don't be afraid of fluctuations in the market. These movements can offer you the perfect opportunity to profit .]

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The last 10 months in the market have been terrible. The Dow is down more than 30 percent, the S&P is down around 35 percent. One day we may look back on this year as the single greatest financial crisis ever, depending on how the next few months unfold. 

The individual investor has taken it square on the chin. Over $2 trillion has evaporated from retirement accounts in the last 15 months. Given the massive amount of lemons around, how can you make lemonade? 

You can start by either building or rebuilding your portfolio.

If you are just starting out in the market, value picks are plentiful. Now is the perfect time to pick up shares of industry leaders at deeply discounted prices. Sure, there may be some downside left, but no one can perfectly time any market.

And if you are one of the many who have seen their investments beaten up, now may be the time to buy into some industry leading companies that were too pricey for you in the past. Remember when Google was at $700 share? You can now buy it at half that.

If the price is right and you feel strongly about a company, you might as well buy it now. The market will rebound, valuations will return, and you will be wishing for the opportunity to go back and buy at today’s prices. 

[Ed. Note: Keep your money safe during these shaky times by making smart investment choices. Companies with strong fundamentals are best equipped to withstand major market changes. But don't be afraid of fluctuations in the market. These movements can offer you the perfect opportunity to profit.]

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Sustainable energy and “going green” have been and continue to be popular topics of discussion. The markets took note, and stock prices of many companies in this industry ballooned over the past 12 months. The air slowly leaked out of that balloon, though, and prices fell back to earth. 

Too much too soon? Perhaps. But as sources of sustainable energy develop and gain greater acceptance, the industry is sure to rise again. 

One of the companies poised to lead the field is a manufacturer of thin-film flexible solar laminate products for the commercial rooftop and building-integrated (integrating solar panels into architecture) markets. As companies look for ways to reduce their energy costs, this has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the solar market.

ECD (Energy Conversion Devices) Ovonics is just the type of company you want to own. In addition to its solar cell business, it is working on a new type of digital memory chip for cellphones, digital cameras, and computers. This means the company is diversified, and isn’t solely reliant on one technology.

Invest in ECD Ovonics (ENER) to take advantage of the exciting things this company is doing. As “green” energy grows in popularity, it has tremendous upside potential.

[Ed. Note: Going green with your investments isn't the only way to prosper in the next few years. Learn how to recognize "red flag alerts" and you could put yourself in the pathway of a raging tidal wave of cash. Learn how to prepare yourself for what could be the investment opportunity of your life.]

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Priceline built its business on the premise that people want to pay a lower price for travel services than what is advertised. The company started by targeting air travelers with good deals on flights. It has since expanded to include hotels, rental cars, and vacation packages.

With William Shatner in a campy role as spokesperson, the company’s commercials are at least memorable and keep it visible. Since peaking in May of this year at around $140 a share, its stock has slid back a bit, to the current $60 range. However, with the major holiday travel season looming on the horizon, I think the fortunes of Priceline could turn soon.

Traveling during the holiday season, unlike the rest of the year, is almost unavoidable, even with airfares climbing. And with shrinking wallets, consumers will employ every resource available to get the cheapest possible fares and accommodations. This leads me to believe that Priceline could see a nice bounce in earnings when it announces first-quarter 2009 results.

Of course, to take advantage of this, you want to buy Priceline well before the earnings announcement. And with the recent pullback in the stock price, you can now get in cheaper than you could have a few months ago. But before you buy, wait until the stock ends its current slide and starts to gain upward momentum again.

[Ed. Note: Keep your money safe during these shaky times by making smart investment choices. Companies with strong fundamentals are best equipped to withstand major market changes. But don’t be afraid of fluctuations in the market. These movements can offer you the perfect opportunity to profit.

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Video games were once the domain of children and “computer geeks.” But the industry has undergone a major transformation in the last 10 years and is now an integral part of the entertainment genre. Some video game players actually earn well over six figures by competing in tournaments.

One company is capitalizing on this trend, and should be a part of your portfolio. Activision Blizzard (ATVI) is a third-party developer of video games. This means it develops games for all game platforms, including Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

The company has the current best-selling video game franchise, Guitar Hero, as well as other popular franchises, including Call of Duty, James Bond, and the online goliath known as World of Warcraft. comes from a recent merger with Vivendi Games, completed in July. This merger will allow Activision to challenge Electronics Arts as the #1 third-party developer of video games.

With the current economic downturn, you might expect demand for video games to diminish. But I don’t think it will. Dollar for dollar, video games offer more than many other entertainment options, including movies. Games can be played over and over again, and the experience is different every time. Also, the demand for consoles – the machines the games are played on – shows no sign of slowing. In fact, demand for the Nintendo Wii is still outstripping supply.

All of this leads me to believe that there is still plenty of growth ahead for Activision. And with the holiday season right around the corner, sales should be even stronger.

Add Activision to your portfolio and get excited about video games. Maybe even pick up a copy of Guitar Hero and see what the fuss is about.

[Ed. Note: Despite the gloom and doom surrounding the economy, you can still find ways to make money in the markets. Discover a "long-lost" trading method that the wealthy use to get even richer - a system that's so simple, it's almost embarrassing.]