It’s prime time for small cap investing, says Louis Basenese. Investors need to look for companies with little or no debt and a competitive advantage in their particular field. Louis says E-House Holdings (NYSE:EJ) and American CareSource Holdings (Nasdaq:ANCI) fit the bill, making them great buys right now.

The U.S. economy shed 693,000 jobs in December, a showing that was far worse than economists had expected and that may even have been the biggest monthly loss of jobs in more than 30 years, analysts said of a closely watched survey of business employment released yesterday (Tuesday).

Alcoa Cuts 13% of Workforce; Best Buy to Sell Used iPhones; Jobs’ Statement Earns Apple Upgrade; India Exports Slowing Dramatically; Europe Inflation at 2-Year Low; U.S. Still Innovation Leader; Belarus to Secure IMF Aid

President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team is reportedly putting the finishing touches on an economic recovery plan that could run from $675 billion to $1 trillion, though many experts believe the program will most like range between $700 billion and $800 billion.

“Global Demand for Oil to Plummet,” screams a recent Financial Times headline.   Huh?  No it won’t.  Who are they trying to kid?

Pack your bags, folks - “There’s no more Wall Street.” That’s the damning verdict from Alan Greenberg, former CEO of The Bear Stearns Cos. Speaking on Bloomberg TV’s “Money and Politics” show, Greenberg declared that the existing Wall Street investment-banking model is dead.

Obama’s infrastructure plan is still vague. But we know it will be big. And we know there will be great investment opportunities. Martin Denholm picks out the best stock plays in construction, engineering, utilities and raw materials.

U.S. stocks open slightly lower in thin holiday trade… Retailers fall on worry about weak “Black Friday” sales… Energy shares pressured as oil prices slip below $53

Alcoa (NYSE:AA) kicked off 3Q earnings season yesterday with some ugly data. Its share price tumbled to a 13-year low on the news. Andrew Snyder says this is just the beginning for the aluminum giant. More losses are likely to emerge as more earnings reports are published. Andrew says investors should look for buying opportunities amid the violent swings in individual stocks.

The economic calendar this week isn’t particularly exciting, but coming off the pain inflicted on the markets last week, that could be a good thing. The market will have its hands full with earnings season starting up again, so a full week of reports could have been dangerous.