Stocks fell hard over the past month, with the U.S. indexes are off around 25%, while London (EWU) is down 30%, China's market (FXI) is off 35% and Latin America (ILF) is down 45%. Yes, that's one month.

This past weekend I saw an increase in the number of institutional investors or researchers that I consider to be smart making forecasts that the 2008 bear market is either over, or nearly over.

David Kotok of Cumberland Advisors, whom I respect, is one of the veterans making the call that it's time to ease back in stocks. He makes the case that we've just suffered a secular bear market, but government has acted fast enough to avoid a devastating bear.

Long-only money managers are urging investors to play the coming bottom. Before you become a lemming, check out this S&P math.

Stocks pulled a U-turn on the road to oblivion this week, as the major indexes apparently decided it was not the right day for a total meltdown. Yet breadth was terrible, volume was poor and selling pressure was strong.

The "world's greatest investor" is out there buying stocks now. Should you follow his lead?

One of the most fascinating sectors right now are the oil and gas producers, who have been bucking the downward trend in crude oil.

One of the most fascinating sectors right now are the oil and gas producers, who have been bucking the downward trend in crude oil.

The tremendous volatility in recent weeks has befuddled and confused a lot of traders. There are a lot of benign explanations for it, but today I would like to throw one at you that is a bit more austere.

Stocks turned in their best performance in more than a month last week, leading many observers to believe at least an intermediate-term bottom is being formed, messily and noisily.

Benchmark bank rate is telling bank watchers that credit remains tight.

Whenever you see a massive move higher, is there any way you can be sure the market has made a bottom?

Stocks have fallen heavily this week as investors reacted with exasperation and distress to a growing number of signs that the U.S. and global economy are slowing dramatically.

At times like these, sometimes the goal is to just not do anything stupid.

Selling was so hard last week that it's almost inconceivable that there will not be a reaction in the opposite direction this week.

The scale of the declines of late are unprecedented, so we can throw out everything we think about how oversold markets behave. This one is different because the level of leverage that is coming unwound has never been seen in the history of the world.

An ugly end to the third quarter often leads to a nice rebound the next month.

Bill Gross, the bond king who manages a trillion-dollar fixed income portfolio out of offices in Newport Beach, California, made some very interesting comments this week in his monthly report to shareholders, and I'd like to share them with you.