Think those discounted financial stocks are ripe for plucking? Bide your time, BloggingStocks contributor Peter Cohan says. In the latest edition of StockWatch: Between the Bells, the Babson College instructor and editor of The Cohan Letter explains why it's too soon to return to the financials and offers up some sweeter stock plays.

I was speaking with a client earlier in the day, and I told her that I expected that the market will change course and that we will have a strong rally into year's end. I suggested a few names to her to look into, and she said to me that if I really think that we are going to move up strongly, than we need to buy some high-beta stocks, to try and really bring home some nice profits. I thought she had a very good point and suggested the following two stocks:

Baidu.com (NASDAQ: BIDU): The Chinese web search company has been hit hard over the last month, but interestingly enough, not nearly as bad as the Chinese market has. If my theory that we will have an end-of-year rally holds true, I would expect a strong bounce back for the Chinese market, and as Baidu.com is a large and recognizable Chinese play, I would expect it to move strongly ahead. Keep in mind that China is in the infant stages of e-commerce, and as that market matures, Baidu.com will be at the center of that change.

EMC (NYSE: EMC): The data storage giant has gotten pummeled as spin-off VMware (NYSE: VMW) dropped by more than 35% over the last month. I have recently posted about the fact that EMC is grossly undervalued based on its holding in VMware. What's interesting to note is that when VMware shot up, EMC didn't participate as much as one would have expected based on its ownership. But when VMware took a tumble, investors punished EMC as well. If the market continues its rebound, look for EMC's true value to be unlocked and the stock to really spike higher.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com. Disclosure: Writer holds a position in EMC. He has no position in any other stock mentioned as of 11/28/07.

We're probably in a bear market now, Doug McIntyre says in the latest edition of StockWatch: Between the Bells. The editor of financial news site 24/7 Wall St. and prolific BloggingStocks contributor cites two factors that demand investors' attention: the rising, record price of oil -- underscoring the falling value of the dollar -- and an increase in homeowners defaulting on their mortgages in the coming year.

SmartMoney recently ran an article about seven money mistakes to avoid:

1. Misidentified priorities. Clipping coupons to save a nickel while paying 15-20% interest on your American Express (NYSE: AXP) card.
2. Overly-cautious investing. The government appreciates you hoarding those 20-year old U.S. savings bonds.
3. Misunderstanding risk; e,g., buying asteroid insurance instead of long-term care.
4. Procrastination. Putting off funding that 401K, for example.
5. Throwing good money after bad. Perhaps the U.S. government should consider this one!
6. Letting your ego guide your decisions, e.g., "Who are you to tell me I should sell my Enron!"
7. Following the crowd, e.g. "I gotta get me some WorldCom."

I thought of a few money mistakes that I might add to such a list: