Just seven years after receiving the largest IMF bailout on record ($41 billion), which of these countries now has a $12 billion trade surplus and is one of the world's largest economies, offering a bevy of double-digit investment opportunities?

A.) Australia
B.) Brazil
C.) Cambodia
D.) Denmark
E.) Estonia

Published: July 17, 2009

The correct answer is      (B.) Brazil.

Several weeks ago, Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva unveiled plans to loan $10 billion to the International Monetary Fund. You can bet most Brazilians are savoring this dramatic reversal of fortune -- back in August 2002, the country was forced to accept a $30 billion emergency line of credit from the IMF. After years of adhering to strict conditions, Brazil's GDP growth is expected to be about +4.1% from 2011-2013, and Brazil will soon be shaping the rules rather than bowing to them. Of course, that's easy to do when you're sitting on $200 billion in foreign exchange reserves.

Just seven years after receiving that IMF bailout, a buoyant Brazil is now helping to keep others afloat. And as you might expect, this stunning economic makeover coincided with a powerful multi-year advance in the nation's Bovespa stock index. In fact, the country is the gem of Latin America.

Why? Brazil has been blessed with a bountiful supply of commodities. This agricultural powerhouse also produces 25% of the world's sugar supply, 80% of its orange juice, and mountains of coffee and soybeans. As you might expect in the lush rain forests of the Amazon, wood pulp and lumber are also plentiful. Roaming the pastoral regions are 170 million head of cattle -- easily the world's largest commercial herd. Elsewhere, vacationers frolic in Rio de Janeiro. And just off the coast, a series of game-changing oil discoveries has recently been made.

Last year, Brazil exported nearly $200 billion worth of goods overseas. The agricultural harvest alone netted $60 billion in trade surplus. And 2009 is shaping up to be even better. Brazil has a young, well-educated workforce and one of the highest per-capita income rates in Latin America. With annual GDP approaching $2 trillion, it boasts the world's ninth largest economy, and its middle class has swelled to over 20 million people.

All of this means there are plenty of attractive investment opportunities outside of Brazil's well-known commodity plays. That's why StreetAuthority editor Nathan Slaughter waded through a jungle of opportunities to find profitable, wide-moat leaders in the retail, banking, utilities and telecom sectors, among others. In the latest issue of the Half-Priced Stocks newsletter, Nathan presents nine top picks, all of which have price-appreciation potential of at least 20%, and offers in-depth profiles of two of his favorites. To learn the names of these stocks, and to learn more about the Half-Priced Stocks newsletter, please visit this link.

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