Come Wednesday morning – after the presidential election tomorrow (Tuesday) – the United States will have a new commander-in-chief. The president-elect will face some significant challenges: A weak economy (okay, a recession, given last week’s gross domestic product (GDP) report, which confirmed just how dire the country’s economic situation had become).

There is no way to sugar coat it or paint a rosy picture. This week could be disastrous for the market. Coming off eight straight down trading days, and the largest weekly percentage drop in the history of the Dow, the economic calendar provides no relief.

The dominoes are falling, says Adam Lass in Taipan Daily.

The housing market is still a shambles, nine U.S. banks have failed so far this year, and Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) are all but nationalized. What’s more, the world’s central bankers can’t agree on what caused this mess, let along how to fix it.

But amid the gloom and doom, Adam says put options on MetLife (NYSE:MET), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) and Capital One (NYSE:COF) can still yield triple-digit gains…

Is the bear market dead? Or is it just taking a well-deserved break before hunting down its next victim?

Brian Hunt brings you the New Highs and Lows of note last week.

“The rise in consumer credit delinquencies is consistent with a rapidly slowing economy. Stress in the housing market still dominates the story, but it’s a broader tale.” James Chessen, ABA Chief Economist.

Nokia Shares Plummet on Missed Earnings; “The World” Developer Posts Quadrupled Annual Profits; Google Beats Estimates; Capital One Profit Drops 19%; TD Ameritrade Gets a Boost; Societe General Chief Steps Down; Avant Soars on Pfizer Deal; Southwest Ekes Out Profit.