Much has been written about the new drive by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to eliminate naked short selling of stocks. (Read the Mogambo Guru scathing criticism here.)

Rick Pendergraft in Investor’s Daily Edge has no problem in principle with the clamp down on naked shorting. But it may create more problems than it solves.

If hedge funds and brokerages suddenly have to settle all unsettled short sells, they will have to sell assets to cover their naked shorts. Blue chips with high institutional ownership are most vulnerable…

Christian Hill at Investors Daily Edge looks ahead so some important data releases and earnings reports this week. Top of the bill is today’s Fed meeting, where Bernanke & Co are almost certain to keep rates unchanged…

Takeover Trader editor Louis Basenese has found a stock market indicator that he says is as close to a sure thing as you can get.

Heavy volumes of options trading – particularly when biased to one side – gives a clear signal that a stock is about to make a big movement.

And Louis says Friday’s huge trade in short-term call options for EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) suggests its share price is about to rally big time. Louis says it’s time to long on this stock now…

Bristol Myers Moves for ImClone; Kodak Earnings Fade; Diana Shipping Doubles Earnings; Crude Stumbles Again; Google to Start VC Fund; Primetime Ad Drama; MasterCard Slumps on Less Spending; S&P Says U.S. Car Companies are “Junk”

• Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) yesterday (Thursday) offered $4.5 billion in cash for biotechnology company ImClone Systems Inc. (IMCL), the Associated Press reported. ImClone’s board has yet to comment on the proposal, which offers its stockholders $60 per share, a 30% premium to its Wednesday closing price of $46.44. Bristol-Myers already owns about 17% of ImClone.

• Eastman Kodak Co. (EK) said yesterday (Thursday) that second-quarter profit fell, as traditional film-based revenue slumped 14% to $847 million. Sales climbed 1% from $2.47 billion to $2.49 billion, and revenue from digital businesses rose 10%…

Editor’s Note: Money Morning’s Horacio Marquez says Cisco System’s beaten down share price is a great buying opportunity for investors. From a financial standpoint, Horacio says Cisco is virtually bulletproof. It has a $140 billion market cap and no debt. It has strong growth in emerging markets. And it’s shares are going at a bargain price…

Congress Considers Steel Pennies and Nickels; Slovakia to Adopt the Euro; U.S. Home Sales Hit New Low in March; “Grand Theft Auto” Nets $500 million in One Week; Vallejo, Calif. Officials Vote for Bankruptcy; Disney Shares Gain on Happy Earnings; Cisco Stock Slumps; SEC Wants to Avoid Another BSC.

With earnings season starting to wind down, investors are not anticipating many new surprises.

Stocks dipped lower today (Tuesday), as investor confidence about first quarter earnings remains low.