Fund Manager Likes Alternative Energy Stock Plays

Is alternative energy in your investing future?

Kevin Landis, chief investment officer of Firsthand Capital Management and portfolio manager of its four-star Firsthand Technology Leaders Fund, likes the play.

He sees good things in store for a couple of tech companies with spotty recent records but good prices and strong potential.

One is Applied Materials.

"It gives you the chance to buy a blue-chip technology name with good exposure to the next big technology trend, which is alternative energy," he says.

Landis also likes Philips Electronics.

"Philips is quietly becoming the leader in solid-state lighting," he explains. "Not just the compact fluorescent bulbs that you see, but also LED lighting, which is potentially even more efficient, and therefore more of an energy saver."

	Price		Change	%Change
CSBF		---
PHIA		---

Landis is reluctant to make a trading call about oil -- but he does see even higher prices ahead. "Nobody's calling the top in global demand for energy globally, that's for sure."

Through his fund, Landis owns both Applied Materials and Philips Electronics.