Best Trades Now: Healthcare, Growth Stocks & More

To give investors an edge, CNBC asked the experts for their best trades now.

Healthcare Equipment Plays

“Varian is the leader in oncology treatment and planning software.  They make large pieces of capital equipment that’s used for radiation therapy, but it’s a 3-D imaging platform, and it’s a very precise method for delivering radiation, which spares surrounding tissue…It’s become the gold standard in the radiation therapy market.  They also have new technology add-ons, a lot of pricing power, a lot of market share gains, both in the U.S. and overseas and in the recent quarter we’ve seen a lot of strength in their x-ray business.”

- Robert Gold, Standard & Poor's Director of Equity Research

Gold also likes: Intuitive Surgical , Becton Dickinson and St. Jude Medical .

Keys to Growth Investing

“Gartner Group …they’ve got about 60,000 subscribers today out of a total market opportunity of about a million, so we think that they can have 10 times as many subscribers as they have today.”

- Andrew Peck, Baron Asset Fund Portfolio Manager

Positioning for a Stronger Dollar

“Wabtec is a manufacturer of products to the rail industry.  This is something that has benefited from declining oil prices.  We think as oil prices start to decline, that’s going to be beneficial to transport companies, as companies start to need to move their product around the United States.”

- Nathan Rowader, Accessor Aggressive Growth Allocation Fund

Rowader also likes: iShares Cohen & Steers .

Bullish on Pharma

“[Merck] It’s cheap; it’s got cash; it has a better pipeline than Pfizer does. It’s a company that has a history of innovation and it’s got the balance sheet strength that I’m looking for.”

- Bernie McGinn, McGinn, McKean & O’Neill CIO

McGinn also likes: Pfizer .

Riding Transports

“We’ve been looking at the laggards of the group… Valuations can catch up for somebody like Canadian National [Railway] . It’s out of favor at the moment given its exposure to autos and construction. And I think the market already knows that and I think there’s room for upside surprise.”

- Kevin Kirkeby, S&P transportation analyst

© 2008 CNBC.com