This week is shaping up to be another active one on the bailout-and-financing front. First and foremost, Congress returns to work this week to consider a once-unthinkable proposal: Put up billions in taxpayer-backed loans so that Detroit’s “Big Three” can be saved. Expect a fight, however, as the bailout debate finally moves past banks to focus on General Motors Corp. (GM), Ford Motor Co. (F), and Chrysler Corp.

As we near the end of the week when IDE editors offer you predictions – and actionable ideas – on the next four years, here are a handful of my thoughts on the world of 2012… assuming, that is, the Mayan thing with 2012 doesn’t come true… something about 12-21-12.

1) Back in 2008, the sky may have been dark, but those who reached for it are 2012’s biggest winners. They were the people who kept feeding their retirement plans and investment accounts… these were people who understand that fear, like euphoria, is a transient emotion.

Of course, the difference between fear and euphoria is that people in the midst of a euphoric event know that it’s likely their joy will eventually become…

Charitable as the thought might be, Washington simply doesn’t have deep enough pockets to bail out every deadbeat. Did you really think it would stop at a mere trillion for the banks?

On Tuesday, both gold and silver started to decline at one of their usual times…about 3:00 a.m. New York time on Tuesday morning…with the bottom coming at the close of London trading. The price managed to recover somewhat after that…but once again (at 3:00 a.m. New York time on Wednesday morning) gold and silver prices began to decline. There was a temporary bottom at the London close again yesterday, but the recovery was short-lived, and both metals were taken down right into the close of after-hours trading on the Globex.

The markets are deep in negative territory again today and investors are not too happy with Henry Paulson. Is he changing the rules in the middle of the game, or is he merely reacting because the game has changed?

Earlier today, the Secretary of the Treasury stood in front of an audience of Wall Street reporters and gave the country an update on the Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP) and his team’s efforts to shore up the nation’s economy. What he had to say is taking some investors by surprise.

Most importantly, Paulson noted he would not use the TARP to buy the troubled assets of the nation’s financial institutions (like the name of the program implies). Instead, the Treasury Department will…

American Express Co. (AXP) today (Tuesday) won approval from the U.S. Federal Reserve to become a commercial bank, giving the credit card titan a crucial lifeline as the risk of defaults runs higher in the slowing global market.

Well, the wonderful rally we had on Tuesday was not allowed to blossom into anything on Wednesday. The high of the day was about 15 minutes after trading began on the Globex trading system at the start of the business day in Sydney, very early Wednesday morning. From there, the price oscillated between $750 and $760…until half an hour after the London p.m. fix. Then, the $20 price spike that we had on Tuesday at that time, was completely reversed…almost to the penny.

Unprecendented government action is beginning to thaw credit markets. Commercial paper is being traded again. But this credit crisis is far from over, says William Patalon III. The trickle of finance will only reach top-grade companies. The weak will either go bankrupt or be swallowed up by their healthier rivals.

Recession is on the way, but don’t join the stampede out of the market. There are still ways to beat the bear. Martin Denholm has a simple five-point investment plan to profit in this downturn. 1) Go short. 2) Buy put options. 3) Sell call options. 4) Use bearish mutual Funds. 5) Buy reverse ETFs on vulnerable sectors.

With the stock market in turmoil, it’s a good time to check in on what Warren Buffett is doing with his portfolio. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A, BRK.B) has struggled in the first half of the year. Money Morning’s Jason Simpkins says $3.5 billion of Berkshire’s recent $4-billion shopping spree is still unaccounted for…