The US dollar index has jumped 10% since early July.

This has had a negative effect on commodity prices. It has also brought considerable relief to consumers in the form of lower gas prices.

However, US exporters have watched their products become 10% more expensive in just two months.

Andrew Gordon says shorting US stocks with a heavy reliance on overseas sales is a great way to profit from US dollar strength. He lists the ten companies most vulnerable to further gains in the buck.

A hectic week on the economic calendar is highlighted by the initial look at second quarter gross domestic product (GDP). Remember, a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, so doomsayers have targeted this week’s release as confirmation of their pessimism.

The economic calendar is light in number this week, but it is not without important reports to point out. Christian Hill in Investor’s Daily Edge has the details…

U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers will likely cut its key interest rate to 2.0% from 2.25% this, which would mark the seventh such move since the central bank launched its rate-reduction campaign in mid-September.

Another batch of earnings announcements sent shares lower, as weak results from non-financial firms fueled investor concerns that economic weakness is spreading to other industries.

The first quarter of 2008 is complete. Boy has it been brutal. As of this writing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 7.53%, the Nasdaq Composite Index corrected by 14.09% and the S&P 500 retraced 9.88%. While many people lost money on American equities, Death Cross Trader subscribers came out well ahead of the game.