A worsening economy has pushed the market down. A global recession has pushed it down further. Will the latest Wall Street scandal push it down more?  Some of the hundreds of losing hedge funds have written letters to investors saying that they won’t accept requests for redemptions until a later date.

Markets are hard to predict, says Andrew Gordon. But government policy isn’t. That’s why the effective nationalization of the auto industry is a gift to investors. It virtually assures the death of the SUV and rise of the hybrid car. Andrew says this means small-cap battery maker Ener1 (AMEX:HEV) has an “awesome future.”

The market has rallied eight times since it peaked last October. If Friday was the beginning of another rally, it would mark the ninth time.

We may be in the middle of a pre-Christmas rally, but Andrew Gordon says next year’s economic outlook is dire. Job losses are soaring and consumer spending is drying up. And the great unwinding of the credit cycle is not done yet. Andrew says the Dow is due another swoon, perhaps all the way down to 6,000.

The government is banking on the American consumer to rescue the economy. But debt-ridden households have had enough, says Andrew Gordon. He says the government’s massive bailout are benefiting very few in the short-term. But the long-term consequences will be felt by all.

The American dream is drowning in debt, says Andrew Gordon. The middle class are being squeezed as tumbling asset prices hack away at household wealth. And things won’t change unless the government steps up to the plate.

Crude oil prices slipped below $60 a barrel yesterday, taking the black goo to a 20-month low. But that doesn’t change the fundamentals. Oil production is levelling out, and will soon begin to fall. Andrew Gordon expects crude to soar back toward $200 after a short pause. And Big Oil companies that are still investing in new projects will shine.

Another stimulus check should be coming our way as the market keeps falling.

If it doesn’t happen as one of the final acts of the Bush administration, it will happen as one of the first acts of the Obama one.

The question is, will it help the fast-falling auto industry?

It’ll help retailers. The overwhelming evidence is that the last round of stimulus checks helped pick up consumer spending in the second and third quarters.

But big-ticket retailers like auto dealers play in another sandbox entirely. Unless these checks have a couple of more zero’s than the previous ones, the auto industry’s fate is tied to getting another $25-billion loan package from the government.

The auto industry needs it. And from Obama’s latest statements, it…

The US economy is much bigger than the new president, says Andrew Gordon. And it’s heading “irresistibly down”. That’s why things are almost certain to get worse before this crisis is over. And that’s why a post-election stock rally will not signify a full recovery.

Now that crude has lost 50% (and counting) since July, Andrew Gordon says the political will to develop alternative energy sources may be waning. But election favourite Barack Obama is fully behind clean energy. Andrew says this makes strong companies with new technology in biofuels, alternative energy and clean coal a good speculative buy. Another options is this Global Alternative Energy ETF (NYSE:GEX).