President Barack Obama’s $825 billion stimulus plan heads to the floor of the House of Representatives this week, with House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, saying many in his party will vote against the package unless significant changes are made.

Borders Ousts CEO; Front Page Ads in New York Times; Steve Jobs Speaks, Apple Soars; U.K. Short Selling Ban Ending; Whitman’s Future; Oil Rises on MidEast Violence; Russia Cuts Gas Supplies to Europe

It’s clear that 2009 is going to be grim in economic terms. Martin Denholm says investors should stick to sectors that fare better during recessions. The healthcare sector, discount retailers and utilities companies provide essential products and generate repeat business. Martin picks the strongest companies in these “safe haven” sectors.

Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) is thriving as recession grips the economy. As a cost leader in the retail sector, the company is benefiting from an increase in thrift. And it continues to expand its operations overseas. Horacio Marquez says Wal-Mart should emerge stronger than ever from this crisis, making it an essential part of any stock portfolio.

After U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers meet today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday), most experts expect a half a percentage point cut in the benchmark Federal Funds Rate – which is already 1.0%.

President-elect Barack Obama won a historic election on a promise of “change.” James Howard Kunstler says Americans still have no idea just how big this change will be. He says we are heading into a “long emergency”, out of which a new, very different economy will emerge.

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).

Oil Bounces Back; Hungary Gets $25 Billion in Aid; P&G Boosted by Emerging Markets; Qwest Cuts Workforce; Airline Merger Cleared for Takeoff; Domestic Airfares Soar to Record High; Consumer Crunch Hits Comcast; Biotech Firm Plunges

New Home Sales for September are announced today and this will sound like a broken record, but they are expected to disappoint.  In the face of the frozen credit markets, I guess a drop of only 2000 units could be viewed as a small victory.

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.