Nine of the Best Stocks to Buy in October

Our new best stocks to buy now list: Last week we highlighted nine of the "best of the best" stocks for Money Morning readers to boost their portfolios in the fall months.

As the U.S. Federal Reserve moves closer toward policy changes, our chief investment strategist highlighted the importance of stocks that protect your wealth from rising interest rates. He recommended three to get you started.

Our defense & tech specialist gushed over a biotech company that's on the cusp of coming out with the first-ever Alzheimer's treatment. And our resource specialist has a play that takes advantage of Russia's and China's shift away from the petrodollar. The company's capital expenditures - an excellent gauge of its growth prospects - increased 600% between 2010 and 2014.

You can find all of last week's tips and recommendations here in our latest list of the best stocks to buy now.

Money Morning's Latest "Best Stocks to Buy" List

• The Fed is set to raise interest rates as soon as early 2015. And while that's scary to many investors, Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald views it as a profit opportunity. You see, stocks have historically rallied for nearly two full years following the shift to rate hikes, according to Sadoff Investment Management and Fed data. So instead of fleeing the markets, Fitz-Gerald recommends putting money into stocks that actually benefit from rising rates. He highlighted three picks to get readers started - each taps into global money flows that will continue unabated in the rate increase environment...

• Speaking of international companies, Fitz-Gerald's calling the gloom-and-doom stories surrounding McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD) an opportunity for investors. Mainstream media has focused on MCD's 2.5% decline in global sales in July and the meat-packaging scandal over the summer, but these are all external factors. At its heart, MCD's fundamentals are sound - and investors will cash in on this company's recovery and historic dividend payout...

• More than 5.3 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's - that's one out of every eight people. That means big bucks for any company that can come up with a way to cure, treat, or even slow down the disease's progress. And right now, there's one biotech company that's zooming ahead in the race for the cure - its drug is currently in late-stage phase 3 trials. Once the FDA approves it, Money Morning Defense & Tech Specialist Michael A. Robinson is anticipating the company's stock will pop 50% over two years...

• There are more signs of Russia and China moving off the petrodollar system. This month, it was reported that Russia's Gazprom - the largest extractor of natural gas in the world - plans to export 80,000 tons of oil to China. And it's accepting payment in yuan. The shift will roil the currency and stock markets - but it'll open up profit opportunities as well. "I've found the perfect stock to benefit from the petrodollar's demise," Money Morning Resource Specialist Peter Krauth said last week. This Canadian refinery's estimated to exhibit the strongest per share growth in its peer group over the next several years, and Krauth calls it a "triple-digit gainer"...

• While Alibaba captivated investors earlier this month with the largest IPO in U.S. history, it isn't the only tech company doing business in China with huge growth potential. The fact that millions do not yet have Internet access in the country - but soon will - means companies that can tap into its massive population will be richly rewarded. Last week, we recommended three Chinese stocks to buy that are set to benefit from a more connected China...

• In the second quarter, companies in the S&P 500 Index notched 10.3% earnings growth for the highest advance since 2011's Q3, according to S&P Capital IQ. It's no wonder so many dividend-paying stocks increased payouts over the last several weeks. In the week ending Sept. 19 alone, 24 companies hiked payouts - including an 11% boost from tech giant Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), and a historic 5% enrichment from fast-food king McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD). You can find the full list of 24 here...

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