The Fed’s plan to bailout indebted consumers and mortgage holders may sound impressive on paper (remember when $800 billion sounded like a lot of money), but it may just be “spitting in the wind.”

When the Treasury finally abandons its bailout programs and/or the executives at the cash-hemorrhaging finance companies finally exhibit more humility than chutzpah, the economy and the stock market will have reached the bottom.

18 banks have gone under so far this year. But how do you know if yours will be next? Keith Fitz-Gerald says the IRA Bank Industry Stress Index can be used like a financial X-ray to see what’s really going on in the banking sector.

Andrew Snyder says this is not the time to be buying bonds. Yields on Treasury bonds are paltry, and over the next five years will pale in comparison to the rewards on offer in stock markets. Andrew says this is a great time to buy blue chips at penny stock prices.

The Bush Administration is considering a plan that could keep as many as 3 million homeowners who are behind on their mortgages from losing their houses, The New York Times reported today (Thursday).

GDP growth data comes out this week (Thursday). William Patalon III says confirmation that a recession is underway should help the stock market find a bottom. In the meantime, William says investors should follow two simple rules to survive and prosper in this market. 1) Don’t panic sell. 2) Buy undervalued stocks with long-term potential.

Foreclosures continue to plague the U.S. housing market, but government agencies are working to develop a plan to aid struggling homeowners, and in turn, strengthen the U.S. economy.

While investors remain extremely concerned about the volatility of the U.S. stock market, the weakness of the American economy and the uncertainty of the global financial markets, last week brought “slight” relief from the excessive panic of the eight-trading-session losing streak.

Do government bailouts in times of banking crises work? Crises like this are manageable. They’re expensive and painful to resolve, but even more expensive and painful when left to fester.

With evidence mounting by the day that the banking industry may be in deeper than it admits, many investors are wondering what the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) actually does and how it will protect them.