It was quite a weekend for Apple (AAPL) and sales of its much-hyped tablet computer, the iPad. Despite its lampooned name, the iPad sold over 300,000 units the first day, a number which included pre-orders for the device. Though the official sales numbers for the opening weekend aren't yet in, industry analysts estimate that Apple sold between 600,000 and 700,000 iPads in just two days. If this figure holds up, it would easily best the 500,000 many pundits on Wall Street were hoping for in order to declare the iPad an opening weekend success.

The move by the world's three largest iron ore producers to shift from annual to quarterly prices has resulted in a doubling of iron ore prices for the April-June 2010 quarter. Chinese steelmakers feel this price rise most acutely because they lead the world in imports of iron ore.

A new 675-mile, 42-inch natural gas pipeline from the gas fields of Wyoming to a point in southern Oregon from where the gas will be fed to users in Oregon, California, and Nevada. El Paso Corp. (EP) received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to proceed with its Ruby Pipeline project.

The housing market is improving. Foreclosures are slowing. Sales are up, at least in middle income housing. BUt homebuilder stocks may be in a far different boat ahead. There is some comfort that those companies which have survived to date are likely to survive 2010 and beyond. That is why the gains have been exponential from the March 2009 lows in many stocks. But some recent analyst calls in the sector may only highlight some of the risks in remaining bullish in homebuilders despite the notion that the recovery news is now already happening.

Recent reports out of investor conferences and management updates make it look as if the first-quarter earnings reports will rock. Here are a few news items from Honeywell (HON), Ball Corp. (BALL) and Applied Materials (AMAT) in the past week that have already caught investors' imaginations:

Drug store chain Walgreen Co. (WAG) reported this morning that same-store sales for the month of March grew by 2.3% year-over-year, and 6.4% overall. An earlier Easter holiday contributed 0.7% to the chain's growth. The company also noted that it opened 52 stores during March, to bring the total number of stores to 7,720. CVS Caremark Corp. (CVS) and Rite Aid Corp. (RAD) are expected to report March sales later this week. Other major prescription drug sellers are Target Corp. (TGT) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT).

Outdoor clothing and footwear manufacturer Deckers Outdoor (DECK) has been a standout among beleaguered retail stocks. Shares are up nearly 250% since the March 2009 lows with no sign of slowing down. The secret to Deckers' success are trendy and durable Ugg brand boots that account for 87% of the company's revenue -- and consequently, the company's rapidly growing bottom line. But the 2007 collapse of Crocs (CROX) showed all too well that when it comes to cashing in on fashion, tastes change overnight.

After a disappointing February video game sales report, many analyst insiders are predicting a strong month in March for top video game makers Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Electronic Arts (ERTS), Sony (SNE) and Take Two Interactive (TTWO). Hardware makers like Nintendo (NTDOY) and Microsoft (MSFT), however, may still be feeling a bit of a crunch.

The U.S. unemployment rate for March remained unchanged at 9.7%. The economy added 162,000 jobs in March, of which 48,000 were temporary U.S. census workers. Private employers added 123,000 jobs in March.

The calendar has turned over to April and that means the first quarter has come to a close. The first three months of the year have been profitable for all the major indexes, with the Dow up 4.1%. Many component stocks like Boeing (BA), General Electric (GE) and Bank of America (BAC) performed significantly better -- but some like Alcoa (AA), AT&T (T) and Pfizer (PFE) fared significantly worse.

Denny's (DENN) is serving up a new "$2 $4 $6 $8 Value Menu." That positions DENN in a sweet spot as the cheapest casual dining option and a higher quality restaurant for families with only a few bucks to spend that typcially go to McDonald's (MCD), Burger King (BKC), Wendy's/Arby's (WEN) or Yum! Restaurants (YUM) brands like Taco Bell and KFC. DineEquity (DIN) chain Applebees has also tried to play the low end of the price game with its Pick'N Pair lunch combos that start at $5.99.

This market is just like the Energizer Bunny -- it keeps going, and going, and going. But at some point, even this uber-energized equity bunny will need to stop and recharge its battery. When this happens, we're likely to see a correction of anywhere from 7% to 10% nearly across the board. Now, there are three ways you can respond to a correction. First, you can sell your positions and head into the safety of cash. Second, you can just ride the pullback out and hope that it doesn't turn into a bear market of the sorts we witnessed in 2008 and early 2009. Or, you can do what the smart money does and use inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to collect big profits while stocks on are the retreat.

A Wall Street Journal report shows top companies are paying their top leaders almost 1% less in 2009 than the previous year. Leading the drop was Dish Network (DISH), where founder and CEO Charles Ergen suffered the harshest drop in pay across the entire WSJ survey -- a drop of 92.5% to $623,100 a year in total compensation.