Once in a lifetime events are piling up so fast that we are going to need several lifetimes to absorb them. Someday we'll look back at this period with awe, but for now we just need to figure out how to keep our heads low, our emotions in check, our wits sharp and our portfolios guarded.

Overall the tone of next quarter is setting up to be one where companies announce better-than-expected third-quarter numbers but then provide a sour forecast for the fourth quarter as well as for the first half of 2009. That is a recipe for a lot more volatility and not a lot of progress.

We can see misdirection everywhere we look today, as brokerage analysts talk up the strength of big financial firms even while we can clearly see that fund managers at those brokerages are feeding stock into the market on every rally. So it is times like this when we really need to understand how to keep our eye on the ball, and not look where the dealers want us to look.

It became apparent over the past two weeks that the only way to hit the reset button on the global economy is for Western capitalist governments to act like their socialist counterparts and recapitalize their financial systems. Here's how it would work.

Stocks have jostled around lately like rocks at the bottom of a paper bag, always threatening to break down but never quite developing the energy. This week's trading was brought to you by the letter E, for "entropy," which is a measure of disorder with a system.

It's no secret that this is an election year and that markets tend to favor elections. However, these are special times and you have to look at history to get a sense for what may be headed our way this year. I did some digging and have some very interesting results to share with you today.

Stocks have moved up and down violently over the last few months, but for all of their efforts, have gone nowhere. In fact, in the past three months the major indexes have moved a grand total of two points higher! The shorter-term view of the market looks like we're experiencing a bounce, but my advice to you is to stay skeptical.

Korea is one of our most important trading partners, and has in the past been a "canary in the coal mine" in terms of serving as an omen of more fragile economic conditions for the U.S. If the S&P 500 were to similarly lose a third of its value this year, it would be at 1,005. That's a long way down from here, so it's one more reason to continue to be extra cautious.

Stocks may have been quiet all week, but news out of Europe, Asia and the U.S. financial institutions continues to grab investors' attention as we transit toward autumn. Much of this news will likely have a long-term impact on U.S. share prices and is worth a long hard look for anyone trying to make money in this market.

Bear markets can slam your portfolio twice if you're not careful. You already know that a bear market can whack your portfolio on its way down, but did you also know that it can wipe out further gains if you get back into the market too soon?

Every now and then my hometown team, the Seattle Mariners, and the shares of large companies behave similarly. Volume has been light as the market is now acting like the financial equivalent of my beleaguered Seattle Mariners: dazed, morose and almost lifeless. Find out if there's hope for a playoff spot for the Mariners or the market.

Find out what this could mean for the U.S. dollar, oil and your investments.

The major indexes appear on the surface to be tracing out attractive uptrends from their mid-July lows, but there's no reason to start the celebration. The lack of a sharp contraction of selling is worrisome. It's time to prepare for a pullback.

If you want to make money in this market with a long-term strategy, it's time to bet against the market in general, as well as against financials and basic materials makers. Read on and I'll prove to you why this is the best investment strategy for the current market.

Global weakness has been a real shocker to folks who thought that Europe and other countries had strong economies that would insulate them from a U.S. recession. It just hasn't been so, and as a result of global market declines, the U.S. dollar is finally gaining strength. This is very bad news for commodity stocks and the huge runs they've had over the past few years. If you ask me, it's time to dump your commodity plays.

Find out which markets may be headed for bear country and which sectors are holing strong, despite global market concerns.

After what seems like a lifetime of declines, the U.S. dollar has finally staged a comeback. Before you put on your rally caps, though, this victory for the greenback sent commodities tumbling. Read on to find out what the dollar has to do with your stocks and which devastated industry has also shown some signs of life this week.

Historical data doesn't absolutely predict the future, but it sure does provide some excellent guideposts. Let's dig in to what history has to say about what we can expect from the market going forward.

August is often the turning point that could send the market into a two-decade bull run or drop 11% in 30 days. So which way is the market headed this August?