In another sign that auto industry has bright day ahead of it, Ford Motor Company (F) announced today that it planned to hire an additional 7,000 employees over the next 2 years.

While this is definitely good news, the figures are still way down from where they were before the auto crisis ravished the industry. Ford currently has 42,000 compared to 103,000 just ten years ago.

December is traditionally a slow month for auto sales. Most people are caught up with holiday shopping and tend to put off large purchases.

This year was different. December auto sales were higher for most makers, Toyota being the exception. Here are the numbers by company, as reported by CNNMoney:

AutoWeek reports that Ford (F) will offer a new fuel-saving technology, dubbed "start-stop," on its 2012 vehicles.

The start-stop system works by shutting off the engine when it is at idle and starting it again when the driver releases the brake or steps on the gas pedal.

Nobody knows what the future holds. But there are a few things shaping up that suggest certain things will most likely happen. Here are some of the major ones.

Interest Rates: Low at the beginning of the year, then headed higher for a long time. If you have an adjustable rate mortgage and you're still paying it, it's the perfect time to get it refinanced, if you can qualify. Interest rates are definitely going up; it's just a matter of when. As long as the Fed is pumping money in (QE2 is targeted with $800 billion .... with the possibility of more behind it), rates will stay low, unless investors think inflation will get way out of hand. Then rates will go higher no matter what the Fed does as investors sell longer term bonds to beat the coming inflation. Initially, rising interest rates will be bullish as they are a precursor to a healthy economy. But that bull will morph and become a bear when rates start jumping as the Fed tries to get ahead of inflation. Tricky business. Investors will do well to have floating rate assets and fixed rate liabilities.

Plans. They're something other people make, right? And what's the use of a plan when the stock market is so volatile? You can watch a stock take years to rise well above where you bought it, only to see all that gain lost in a matter of hours. Plans. Who needs them? You do. Especially you.

Investors need plans and discipline more than ever. It's been a tough few years. No one knows how long this recession will last, but having a plan that is almost (nothing is absolute in investing) bulletproof will help you get through the roughest days, weeks, months, even years of turmoil. Here's where you start:

The deficit commission's pledge to bring the deficit down to a managed level and the hope that the Euro-Zone won't implode gave markets a steady boost today. Add in higher ISM data and higher jobs data than expected, along with predictions of solid retail numbers, and we had a huge rally. A gain of more than 200 points qualifies as a huge day.

Here were today's unofficial closing bells:

Dow Jones 11,255.78 +249.76 (2.27%)
S&P 500 1,206.07 +19.47 (1.64%)
Nasdaq 2,549.43 +51.20 (2.05%)

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Analyst Upgrades

• Qualcomm (QCOM) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• JPMorgan upgraded Allegheny Tech (ATI) to overweight from neutral.
• NetApp (NTAP) was upgraded to buy from hold at Canaccord.
• Estee Lauder (EL) was upgraded to perform from underperform at Oppenheimer.
• Citigroup upgraded Suntech (STP) to hold from sell.

CPI and some overseas stability hopes on the ECB heading to Ireland helped stocks hold up most of the trading day. Unfortunately, the Federal Reserve noted that banks will have to undergo new stress tests before they can repay investors and reinstate higher dividends. Donald Trump even said he might consider running for President. Shares rolled over in the last 90 minutes after it looked like a positive close was in the bag. That put the verdict of up or down as being a coin toss right up to the close.

Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow Jones 11,007.88 -15.62 (-0.14%)
S&P 500 1,178.59 +0.25 (0.02%)
Nasdaq 2,476.01 +6.17 (0.25%)

Top Analyst Upgrades/Downgrades

Applied Materials (AMAT) is expected to report Q4 EPS on Nov. 17. November put option implied volatility is at 44, January is at 29, compared to its 26-week average of 33, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement after EPS.

Ford (F) options volume and volatility increases into GM IPO. Nov. 18 and Dec. 18 calls were active. November option implied volatility is at 72, December is at 49, January is at 48, compared to its 26-week average of 39, according to Track Data, suggesting larger near-term price movement.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is recently up 11.5% to 22.53.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

"Ford (F) looks like a 'no-brainer' trade; there are many things to like about the world's fourth largest automaker, which appears to be on a major growth trajectory," says Dr. Melvin Pasternak.

The editor of Double-Digit Trading explains, "In addition to strong fundamentals and a compelling valuation, the technicals for Ford shares look very enticing.

"For starters, it was the only major U.S. automaker able to skirt bankruptcy during the financial crisis. And due to aggressive cost cutting, it is on target to have one of its strongest years ever.

Ford (F) reported October U.S. sales were up 19.2% to 157,935 units. November 16 and December 16 calls are active on total option volume of approximately 405,000 calls. November option implied volatility is at 33, December is at 34, January is at 32; below its 26-week average of 39, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price risk.

CBOE Volatility Index/VIX is down 1.74% to 19.84.

AMR Corp (AMR) closed up 7%. November option implied volatility is at 55, February is at 53, below its 26-week average of 61, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

The Republicans took the House of Representatives, but not the Senate, in the mid-term elections. That is exactly what the polls indicated ahead of time and just about exactly what the markets were pricing in. Then came Bernanke and the FOMC with the announcement of what exactly the new $600 billion in quantitative easing would look like. That was also priced in. As noted, it was all baked into the cake at current prices. Outside of a decent mood being prevalent today by many, stocks had a hard time deciding whether they wanted to be in the red or in the black.

Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

DJIA
NASDAQ
S&P500

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ETFs For Quantitative Easing

Stocks fought on and off all day over whether they were going to close up or down, and the red or black verdict was one that was not easy to predict until immediately before the closing bell. Europe was soft on earnings. A positive confidence number was not enough to send shares remarkably higher.

Here were today's closing bell levels:

Dow Jones 11,169.46 +5.41 (0.05%)
S&P 500 1,185.65 +0.03 (0.00%)
Nasdaq 2,497.29 +6.44 (0.26%)

Top Analyst Calls

You've got to hand it to Ford Motor Company (F). The stock has been a great investment this year. All you have to do is examine the one-year chart. Agreed: it isn't the smoothest graphic. No matter; you can't miss the tantalizing ride implied in the image. To those who added the automobile entity to their portfolios when the shares were in the single digits, my hat is off. It must be a wonderful feeling.

That was then, this is now, as they say. How should one view the company today? Admittedly, this name isn't exactly my kind of investment idea. As I said earlier in the year, my tendency is to seek other, safer alternatives before considering committing capital to a company like Ford.

Ford (F) is scheduled to report Q3 EPS on October 26. About 181K calls (67K puts) traded with short-term speculation focused on October 14 calls. October weekly option implied volatility is at 56, November is at 39, compared to its 26-week average of 40, according to Track Data, suggesting flat price movement after EPS.

Expedia (EXPE) is expected to report Q3 EPS on October 28. November 29 puts are active with total call option volume of 3K contracts versus 8K puts. November put option implied volatility of 48, January is at 40; above its 26-week average of 41, according to Track Data, suggesting larger near-term price movement.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.