Gold futures trimmed losses but still ended lower on Monday, as risk-averse investor sentiment and a tumbling Chinese equities market prompted selling in bullion and other commodities.

Gold and silver prices climbed to their highest in seven weeks on Monday, as the dollar’s slide to its lowest since mid-December boosted interest in hard assets.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday following another string of stronger-than-expected quarterly corporate profits, a broker upgrade for General Electric Co , and fresh indications that the global economic downturn is easing.

Stocks, base metals and crude oil made further headway last week. Long-term US bond yields came down a bit following a successful 30-year bond auction and some pro-Treasurys comments from Japan’s finance minister. The dollar dipped while commodity-link currencies rallied.

There’s a lot of anger towards President Obama. Most of it is misplaced. Obama is a slick young politician with high approval ratings. He replaced a president who had 90% approval ratings at one point – the highest of any president in history. Both have sacrificed the free-market principles America was founded on. Partisan politics mean nothing when both parties insist on spending the country into oblivion.

Tuesday afternoon’s closing bell on Wall Street didn’t just signal the end of the trading day. It also rang in the start of first-quarter earnings season.

Marc Lichtenfeld from the Smart Profits Report said that Energy projects would receive nearly $40 billion worth of federal funds under the Obama Stimulus Plan. A good chunk of this will go towards renewable energy – a big part of Obama’s energy plan.

One company that offers a healthy 3.5% dividend and is the largest solar and wind energy provider in the U.S. stands to see share prices climb the most.

Yen slides, dollar dips vs euro on US auto bailout hopes
US could vote on rescue plan as early as Wednesday… BoJ’s Shirakawa comments on FX mkt weigh on yen

It’s over. The bear-market rally of the past two months ended last week.