Baltimore (TFN): Welcome to Notes version 2.0. As Will moves on to his next successful endeavor at the family office, I could not be more pleased and nervous to be at the helm. After all, he set the bar high.

“Stocks are clearly having trouble extending their gains,” reports today’s Wall Street Journal. And that a number of key market health indicators are flashing red right now.  When were these indicators flashing green? We don’t recall.

If you’re like many investors, you are probably sitting on the sidelines right now, unsure of what to do. If you want to buy, you may be thinking “let’s wait a little longer.” If you want to sell, you might be concerned about “missing out.”

Here we go again…The market had its best week since November. And just like that, there is chatter of light at the end of the tunnel.

Emotions still rule the market. The equities market is soaring today thanks to one CEO’s “memo” that promises this whole financial mess is overdone. Why should we believe him now?

How many times have you heard, “the economy won’t turn around until banks start lending?” It’s so damn obvious…

Karim Rahemtulla of the Smart Profits Report is on a mission. He is here to rescue you out of the darkness, doom and gloom and into the light on investing in the “brutal bear” market.

The big comeback should already be here, according to Wall Street pundits. It was due to arrive in the fourth quarter… a 50 percent increase in earnings led by – of all sectors – banks.

The action on Wall Street is nauseating. The more Washington acts, the more Wall Street drops. The folks with stomachs strong enough to keep them in the market are looking more like gamblers than investors. They are quickly realizing all roads lead to Washington.

I should not have to tell you that this is going to be a big week, a monumental week, really – not only for the country, but for Wall Street.

The forces of the universe are pulling against one another. Tomorrow at noon, the nation will gain a leader that has inspired hope in millions of Americans. Economically, Obama’s stimulus plan is viewed as the last chance to keep the nation’s economy from retreating to a full-on depression.

I will be watching closely to see if Obama’s 6-foot-1-inch body shrinks at the exact moment he places his left hand on the bible as the weight of numerous global crises is piled on his back. It will take one heck of a leadership…