The snowball that was Obama’s bailout plan rolled downhill this week, gathering to it all manner of trash and stones.

If you think the U.S. economy is descending into a bottomless pit, hold off. But if you’re reasonably optimistic long-term, these banks are well worth considering for income-oriented investors.

Remember our dictum: the force of a correction is equal and opposite to the deception that preceded it.

Byron King from Whiskey and Gunpowder thinks that we’ll see huge market declines in part because of a huge drop in consumer spending. As volatility increases and faith for the U.S. dollar circles the drain, two gold companies should soar.

At least the traders in the futures market “know” what the Fed will do next. They’re betting on a rate hike – you can tell because the futures markets are starting to discount an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve in October.

Oppenheimer & Co. (OPY) analyst Meredith Whitney’s reputation has soared like a skyrocket since she made her bearish – but highly prescient – call on the banking sector, including Citigroup Inc. (C), as Money Morning reported last fall.