The banks and the government have succeeded in convincing people, with vocabulary, not facts, that things are fine. But they're not.

Rite Aid stock (RAD) is currently trading at a 52-week high. How did this drugstore stock get such a boost at a time when sales were dropping?

Palm (PALM) will announce its first-quarter fiscal 2010 earnings tomorrow. The Street forecasts a loss of 24 cents per share. Yet Palm owners are satisfied with the product. Is Palm a buy?

There are anywhere between one and 100 reasons the market may fall in October, but here are 10 that are worth careful consideration.

Google has a plan to help the newspaper business return to profitability, only this time it would be online. Can it work?

Smith & Wesson (SWHC) will announce earnings after the close today. With forecasts putting earnings at a spectacular 10 cents per share -- a 100% increase over the same quarter last year -- and the stock enjoying a 133% rise since the beginning of the year, the question is how much further can SWHC go?

In a very challenging environment for employment staffing firms, Korn/Ferry International managed to beat Wall Street's expectations for earnings. Although the company lost money, the earnings beat sent Korn/Ferry (KFY) stock soaring.

Pep Boys (PBY) got a nice boost in advance of its earnings release Tuesday, and the earnings statement did not disappoint. Pep Boys was able to post a 42% increase in quarterly year-over-year profit, largely due to cost-cutting.

Recent sales figures for Apple's iPod indicate that market saturation has been reached. The question now becomes: How will Apple improve earnings when the company's top-selling product line is losing its growth potential.

The tough economy has led to belt tightening in almost every area. You would think travel stocks would have been hit hard, given that fewer people are likely to vacation when they fear for their jobs. Yet online travel stocks like Expedia (EXPE), Orbitz Worldwide (OWW) and Priceline (PCLN) have enjoyed sharp gains in recent months. Why?

Global stocks have been on a slide lately as traders worry about the developing world's ability to grow without the U.S. consumer and about fallout from the Chinese government's decision to cut back on the massive expansion of credit that has kept its factories busy. Here are two ways to take advantage of the recent slide.

When Wal-Mart (WMT) releases its earnings this week, it will undoubtedly unleash a new set of jeers and jibes from Wal-Mart detractors. But if you look at WMT purely from an investment perspective, it truly is a paragon of virtue. Here's why.

In tough economic times, both corporations and consumers look to save every dime, and one way to do this is to book flights and hotels using online travel sites. As a result, online travel stocks are on fire.

Sprint's (S) Palm Pre is breathing new life into the company, but the question now is will it breathe enough life into Sprint shares?

We are dealing with a mad, mad market, but that shouldn't stop you from making money.

Freeport McMoRan (FCX) earnings were better than analyst expectations, but was it enough to send gold stocks soaring? More importantly, should you invest in gold stocks now?

When the market reverses against all odds, it's important to not be emotional, get back on the bullish bandwagon, and start making money.