Are we seeing a bottom to the bear market?

US stocks are heading for weekly gains. This despite big quarterly losses results from financials Citigroup (C) and Merrill Lynch (MER) and missed estimates from tech giants Google (GOOG) and Microsoft (MSFT).

Think of it this way, says Penny Sleuth editor Wayne Mulligan: “If you want to know whether or not we’ve reached a bottom, then all you need to do is think about the consumer.”

We’re standing on the tracks and the train is coming, says Wayne Mulligan. But that’s no reason for investors to not play the market. Wayne says going long on discount retailers is the best way to profit from low consumer confidence. And with fuel prices on an unsustainable uptrend, investors should look to the alternative energy market. Meanwhile, the auto industry is facing ruin. A clear opportunity for shorting, says Wayne.

Someone just e-mailed me…How exactly do you go about finding stocks to buy? And after I read it, I really began to think about how my investing process works. How do I go about identifying, researching and ultimately buying a stock?

Editor’s Note: Wayne Mulligan, founder and CEO of TickerHound.com is traveling in China. Writing for Penny Sleuth, he says that the housing market boom has reached its limits for now. More losses are likely in the near future, making shorting a good option for investors…

Apple Enters Chinese Markets. Wayne Mulligan is back to give us an overview of China’s exponential growing market and what that means for wireless investors.

Typically, when investors hear “pink sheet stocks,” they think of tiny companies, more often bad than good, and for the analysts out there, it means a ton of work lies ahead of them.

Today, we have another recession proof way to score big money, while even Buffett is fleeing this country. Wayne even includes a few smaller companies that should do handsomely over the next few months.

Our friend at TickerHound is back with a sequel to last week’s article on mobile technology in China. This time around, he’s giving us a spectacular penny stock that’s traded in the U.S. Enjoy…