Brazil's potentially massive Santos oil field discoveries in the deep waters off the South American country's coast could be a multibillion-dollar bonanza for the world's subsea companies who have the expertise to get at vast reserves of hidden oil under the ocean.

Smart investors know beer is not a get-rich quick industry.

If you haven't got the stomach to ride the roller coaster of emerging markets, take heart: You can get indirect exposure to countries such as China through common North American and European equities that you might already own.

Chinese stocks dropped half their value between November 2007 and March 2008. They have since rebounded, but still fell sharply again last week.

Monetary policy has decidedly shifted, with central bankers sounding more concerned about inflation than the credit contraction and economic growth.