The stock market is a volatile, unforgiving beast. Now more than ever. The current rally aside, it’s eating many investors’ portfolios alive – and may well do so again in the near future. The question is, though… has this hurt you or actually helped you? 

For lawmakers who believe that 90% tax rates would be an effective way of punishing the financial malefactors who continue to flourish as the rest of us founder, take careful note: Not only will you punish the innocent as well as the guilty, you could also extinguish the innovative spark we’ll need to eventually make this moribund economy catch fire.

Although we’re still in the middle of the worst financial crisis in decades, a few select banks are positioned to make a boatload of profits. And if you pick the right ones, gains of 100% or more are easily within reach.

Last weekend, Global Finance published its list of the World’s 50 Safest Banks – a list that the publication has run for 17 years.

Conventional wisdom has it this morning that stocks are at the start of a rebound.  And for all I know, that’s true; technician types say the market is way oversold.

In sports, championship-caliber teams all have at least one characteristic in common: They’re able to focus on the fundamentals.

The tiny double bottom that occurred shortly after the close of Comex trading on Wednesday afternoon may have been the low in gold for this move. Both were ever so slightly below $900. From there, gold rose gradually until about an hour after the London a.m. gold fix on Thursday morning. Then it declined gently until shortly after the London p.m. fix was in. From there, away it went…until a not-for-profit seller showed up in after-hours Globex trading in New York and capped the little price spike that occurred at 3:30 p.m. New York time.

Steve McDonald of Investor’s Daily Edge recommends three profit-potential bank stocks that could play out following the downside of government intervention.

What happens to the relationship between the small-cap investor and the unemployed consumer during a recession? Greg Gunner of Whiskey and Gunpowder has advice, buy low and sell high.

If you think the U.S. economy is descending into a bottomless pit, hold off. But if you’re reasonably optimistic long-term, these banks are well worth considering for income-oriented investors.