"Bulls make money; bears make money; in the end, pigs shoot themselves through greed," says Charles Payne in WStreet Commentaries. Here's his cautiously optimistic outlook.

"Let's get this straight; the Fed is willing to take damn near any form of collateral including those prints of Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'" in the employee dining room, right? So, how much more do financial companies want...or need? They'd love a blank check but that isn't going to happen.

"The total amount available under the Term Securities Lending Facility (TSLF) could increase from $200 billion and there could be an interest rate cut. But, for the most part Wall Street has to fend for itself.

"In the 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don't They? we witness a Depression-era dance marathon for a grand prize of $1,500 (that's not much money now).

"The emcee of the events eggs on the contestants, already desperate to win at any cost. Throughout the film the main character is reminded of a time during his childhood when a horse was put down after breaking its leg.

"Many would say that Wall Street was egged on by an overly accommodative Federal Reserve or an administration reluctant to regulate the industry.

"As a result, the financials have been in a marathon dance for survival this year, but just like that horse at some point putting down for the count those with the largest fractures may be most humane.

"Mainland Resources (NASDAQ: MNLU), a small natural gas play, could be a giant in the space in a short period of time," says Charles Payne.

In his WStreet Market Commentary, he explains, " The company involved in the super exciting Haynesville shale region, which could be one of the largest domestic on shore natural gas fields ever."

"The stock has been coming on lately as more investors learn about the company's potential in the Haynesville shale region.

"Discovered in March of this year, the Haynesville field -- according to Energy and Capital -- could conservatively hold 168 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) has declared Haynesville the most important find in its 19 year history.

"There was always a notion that a big find was in the space that the company currently owns (2,700 acres), but when it was first explored back in the 1950 crude oil prices were much lower and there was no technology to get to the natural gas.

"Which is the better buy among the leading home retailing stocks -- Home Depot (NYSE: HD) or Lowe's (NYSE: LOW)?" asks Charles Payne.

In his Wall Street Strategies, the leading advisor -- and well-known panelist for Fox Business News -- explains, "The debate on which is a better investment, Home Depot or Lowe's, is now at a crossroads following the release of 1Q08 earnings results from each firm.

"As expected, both companies reported year on year earnings decreases as slowing home remodeling spend weighed on comparable store sales.

"Back in 2005-2007, Lowe's was hot the investment choice relative to Home Depot, with many citing its stronger operating margins and friendlier store shopping environment. Although Lowe's is still attracting higher income customers as a result of solid merchandise offerings and customer service, in our view one should crunch the numbers.

"When they do, it will become prevalent that Home Depot is the stronger investment in the niche at this time. The company has been ahead of the game with respect to Lowe's in drastically reducing capital expenditures and store operating outlays.

"Moreover, it has taken the fight back to its smaller rival in the area of customer service and product presentation. In our opinion, play the underdog card and look to invest in Home Depot in upcoming months given more attractive valuation."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

"Changes in psyche driven by news and events, along with a fair amount of fear and greed, is the perfect backdrop for a market reversal," says Charles Payne, FOX Business news regular and editor of Wall Street Strategies.

"The inspiration for the latest volatility in equities came from Ambac (NYSE: ABK) which looked like it would be off as much as 10% instead had a monster gain, up more than 30%, on calming statements from management. Citigroup (NYSE: C) also made a strong statement concerning its financial position.

"Outside of these developments the most exciting niches of the market are those that have been hammered the most in late 2007 and thus far in 2008.

"Scuttlebutt says the President is willing to up the ante in his rescue package (in excess of $150.0 billion) and that has sent retail stocks surging. The emergency interest rate cut stoked demand for homebuilder stocks as well.

"The retailers and homebuilders have miles of room on the upside, but must first reverse horrid downtrends and get above the top of their respective channels. For the S&P Retail Index ($RLX) that means a close above 441.0

"Homebuilders have seen so many false alarms it's difficult to notice or care about periodic up sessions. However, considering the fantastic swings and pressure on the broad market today's strength stands out as more than an anomaly or fluke.

"I don't think the global economy is going to slow down as much as one could extrapolate from yesterday's overseas meltdown, but there are country-specific issues that could make individual international markets more volatile.

"There are a ton of stocks I think are screaming buys. For example, I like SunTrust Bank (NYSE: STI) among financial stocks as well as Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH)."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

Could investors gain more insight on the market's future trend from the runway models in Bryant Park than the analysts on Wall Street? Charles Payne notes,"New York City is currently filled with fashionistas from all over the planet who, for the next few days are congregating at Bryant Park for their bi-annual Fashion Week."

The editor of Wall Street Strategies notes, "While this event may seem as far removed from financial markets as possible, there is a seemingly positive correlation between what happens here that ultimately affects us all as market participants."

As the advisor notes, that the hemline length of the various women's collections has been cited for its ability to predict the direction of the economy. He explains, "Steeped in history, the hemline theory as it is known, dates back as far as the 1920's, and holds that high hemlines suggest a strong economy and higher stock prices while the opposite is true for longer hemlines."

While many might argue that this "indicator" is coincidental or plain folly, others believe that, psychologically the optimism or pessimism of society in general can be seen in such trends.

So what do today's fashion trends portend? Payne notes, "It appears that for most of the designers who have shown thus far, their Spring of 2008 offerings are chock full of floor length hemlines."

He continues, "Whether or not this is rather unconventional market indicator should be solely embraced as debatable at best. However, it can be incorporated as another tool in a comprehensive investor toolkit and be used as part of an early warning system for any impending risk."

[photo Peter Duhon]

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com features the latest investment ideas and market commentary from the financial newsletter community.

"There are more cracks in the armor than at any time over the past couple of years," notes Charles Payne, editor of Wall Street Strategies, who observes, "All the angst has hit the fan." He explains, "All the would-be negatives that have been in place for the past year continue to fuel anxiety."

The advisor points to housing sales, higher oil, and the evolving credit crunch as factors sending investors "into the hills, while others are in the game but with one foot in and one foot out."

The result of this scenario, he says, is "amazing volatility." The irony, he notes, is that this action comes in the face of "mostly fantastic earnings results."

As for the overall market, he notes, "It just seems like all the worries have manifested into a crescendo that will force stocks lower." But, he questions if there may be a silver lining.

Indeed, he says, "Just four weeks ago the greatest worry for investors was higher interest rates. How interesting it is that the market has become choppier and more volatile even as rates have steadily come down."

Payne continues, "Sure, Wall Street likes to worry, no matter what the circumstance. The greatest threat to equities was higher interest rates back then, but today it may be the economy is growing too slowly. Be that as it may, lower rates bode well for the economy, and for stocks, too."

It's been said that the most dangerous words in investing are "This time is different." But with the Dow near record levels and the S&P flirting with 1,500, some are considering today's activity "different" from previous highs.

Charles Payne -- editor of Wall Street Commentaries and a regular financial commentator on Fox Business news -- along with analyst Conley Turner explain, "We began today's session at records levels, propelled by a winning streak that has not been witnessed before by most people alive today."

Indeed, he notes that since 1897, we have only seen a similar winning streak in the Dow on two occasions. These years, he notes, were 1927 and 1929. He states, "With that fact, if history is any guide, then there will eventually be some consolidating of gains in the near future. Nonetheless, the current positive trend is secular in nature, and nothing short of a financial accident is likely to cause a reversal."

Charles Payne, chief analyst for Wall Street Strategies, is well known from his weekly appearances on FOX TV's Bulls & Bears as well as Cashin' In, Cavuto, and FOX and Friends. And despite the sharp sell off yesterday, he remains cautiously optimistic.

He explains, "Getting investors to see the silver lining of any corrective action borders on being a Herculean task. The strange thing is that so many folks have been waiting on the sideline for the market to pull back."

Yet, he notes, when these correction do happen, investors often fail to take advantage of the lower prices. He adds, "The flip side of the nervous investors are those brave souls who want to run into a burning building." So how should an investor respond to the sharp decline?