Analyst upgrades:

• Bernstein upgraded Merck (NYSE: MRK) to Outperform from Market Perform and raised its target to $30 from $27 citing valuation and its decision to buy Schering-Plough, at what appears to be a reasonable price.
  
• RBC Capital upgraded Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) to Outperform from Sector Perform and raised its target to $12 from $5 as it believes webOS has increased its chances for Smartphone leadership and will increase its attractiveness as an acquisition target.
  
• RW Baird upgraded Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) to Outperform from Neutral on valuation as it believes balance sheet risks are overly discounted in the stock, creating a buying opportunity. The firm has a $3 target on shares.
• Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX) was raised to Buy from Hold at Argus.
  
• France Telecom (NYSE: FTE) was upgraded at Morgan Stanley to Equal Weight from Underweight.
  
• Foster Wheeler (NASDAQ: FWLT) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.

Analyst upgrades:

• Piper upgraded shares of Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) to Buy from Neutral following the company's negative Q3 pre-announcement as it believes the launch of Pre will drive longer term profitability. Piper raised its target price on shares to $10 from $4.
  
• Jefferies upgraded Monotype Imaging (NASDAQ: TYPE) to Buy from Hold as it believes the valuation is compelling at current levels and the company's debt is manageable. Despite upgrading, Jefferies lowered its target price to $4 from $6.
  
• Citigroup raised Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) to Hold from Sell as it believes the company's productions cuts and lower dividends are positive.
• Celanese (NYSE: CE) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman and added to the firm's Conviction Buy List.
  
• Aegon (NYSE: AEG) was lifted at UBS to Neutral from Sell.
  
• Sun Healthcare (NASDAQ: SUNH) was upgraded at Stephens to Overweight from Equal Weight.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says until he releases a framework for the banks, all bounces will be short-lived.

I feel better. Now I hope people selling stocks also feel better so they stop selling, so we can get higher prices, so I can sell.

There.

I think everyone agrees with me.

There.

Most important, I hope that everyone who is selling banks or shorting banks takes a bank holiday so we can get through this period.

There.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says that we need to build up our reserves so the wild fluctuations can't happen again.

Memo to Barack Obama: Start building oil facilities right now -- tankers, tanks, whatever. Fill up every preserve you can. This is the time to buy oil for America even if you don't like carbon footprints.

The new president is being given a once-in-a-lifetime infrastructure opportunity to build enough tankers and tanks to sop up the supply. That's what is needed more than anything. We can't drill for these prices economically anymore, and oil is obviously overflowing everywhere. Right now, we are out of storage in this country. That's one reason the price has fallen so precipitously -- there is nowhere to put it. I don't think there is a soul who believes that oil will be down here two years from now. We should be filling and creating a strategic petroleum reserve that is big enough that this will never happen again. NEVER.

That ridiculous run-up that everyone says was caused by speculators must not occur again, as we see the disastrous results. We need to be able to bring oil down ourselves by buying reserves at these prices and making them available to beat the speculators next time this occurs. I think the low price is because of the big pension and endowments funds puking up their commodity exposure because they can't sell a lot of other investments they are locked into, including private equity.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the near term is muddy, but this mining-equipment maker is a long-term win.

Bucyrus International (NASDAQ: BUCY) (Cramer's Take) really captures this moment. When I was speaking last night to its terrific CEO, Tim Sullivan, I was conscious that his company's stock is at the fulcrum of everything that is going wrong and everything that is going right in this market.

Bucyrus, if you recall, makes mining equipment. It's really the only game in town other than Joy Global (NASDAQ: JOYG) (Cramer's Take), as the mining machinery business was annihilated by years of underinvestment.

The company became the quintessential play on mining as orders, particularly from China, for new coal mining equipment soared each year. China's opening a new coal-fired energy plant every week, so you know that there's demand.

The hedge funds glommed on to this one big-time. Like in so many that we are familiar with -- MasterCard (NYSE: MA) (Cramer's Take), Trinity (NYSE: TRN) (Cramer's Take), Foster Wheeler (NASDAQ: FWLT) (Cramer's Take), NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) (Cramer's Take) and Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) (Cramer's Take) -- they took concentrated positions in this and Joy Global and intended to ride the commodity boom for years.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says each day we come closer to getting rid of President Bush is a day where the market is better.

This one's not going down that easy. It hasn't mattered all that much how companies have been doing, so don't think that Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) (Cramer's Take) and FedEx (NYSE: FDX) (Cramer's Take) can create any more of a rout on the downside than Du Pont (NYSE: DD) (Cramer's Take), Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) (Cramer's Take) or 3M (NYSE: MMM) (Cramer's Take).

The whole source of this rally is President Bush, meaning that each day we come closer to getting rid of him is a day where the market is better. If you haven't figured this out you would be shorting the heck out of this market. Consider that in the last few days we had downgrades, shortfalls, job cuts and negative news on several major Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks and that hasn't stopped the Dow.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer is scaling in on the way down in names that have intrinsic worth.

Sure, there's been a steep fall in commodities, but at a certain point you have to believe they can bottom out. More important, some stocks, I believe -- certainly not all, but some -- are reflecting what might turn out to be rock-bottom prices if any of the major central banks start cutting anytime soon. Steels, coppers, infrastructure -- some stock or stocks might represent intrinsic value, or value at least to some other company that believes commodities will stabilize and go up in the next couple of years.

In other words, there's got to be a price. I keep saying that: There's got to be a price. There has to be a price where a Foster Wheeler (NASDAQ: FWLT) (Cramer's Take) is worth buying, or a Chesapeake (NYSE: CHK) (Cramer's Take) or a Peabody (NYSE: BTU) (Cramer's Take). There has to be.

But darned if I know it.

This collapse, which mirrors the collapse of all things early-cycle going into the July 15 changeup, has such a stunning velocity that you could see stocks like Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) (Cramer's Take) down another 10 points in a heartbeat, even though they are making lots of money.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says this report highlighted where the success lies in this market: energy and petroleum.

Fluor's (NYSE: FLR) (Cramer's Take) a monster. It shows you that what has hurt the other companies, particularly Chicago Bridge & Iron (NYSE: CBI) (Cramer's Take), is pure execution.

This gigantic beat also serves to remind us of the big dichotomy. You are either in the energy and petroleum products game or you are in a lot of games that don't work.

It's not easy for these companies, some of which have lived off the duress of state and local governments, including Shaw (NYSE: SGR) (Cramer's Take) and to a certain extent Aecom (NYSE: ACM) (Cramer's Take) and URS (NYSE: URS) (Cramer's Take), to become oil-and-gas plays.

The only ones that have transcended it beside Fluor are Foster Wheeler (NASDAQ: FWLT) (Cramer's Take) and Jacobs Engineering (NYSE: JEC) (Cramer's Take), and the only reason you would really know that is longevity. I remember in the early 1980s when FLR and then FWC would compete directly for all of the huge projects after the second oil shock.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) beat Q2 expectations but offered a weak outlook.
• Clear Channel Communications Inc. (NYSE: CCU) higher Q1 profits failed to beat expectations.
• Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) just missed EPS estimates but raised its full-year guidance.
• CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) strong Q1 results only met Wall Street expectations.
• eResearch Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: ERES) beat Q1 expectations and offered Q2 and full-year guidance.
• Foster Wheeler Ltd. (NASDAQ: FWLT) beat estimates due to a boost in its power plant segment.
• Internet Brands Inc. (NASDAQ: INET) reported strong Q1 results on ongoing M&A.
• Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) widened its loss in Q1 but beat expectations.
• News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) Q3 earnings jumped on a one-time transaction with Liberty Media.
• NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) missed Q1 estimates but was upgraded by analysts anyway.
• NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) reported a first-quarter profit above analysts' estimates.
• Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE) Q3 profits surged but fell short of analysts' expectations.
• World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: WWE) posted strong results but couldn't cover its dividend.

Upcoming results to watch for include Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR), Sirius Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI), Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE), Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL), Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT), JC Penney (NYSE: JCP), Macy's (NYSE: M), Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

As you saw in a Market tankola note earlier, today can be blamed on oil or many other things. But the charts are likely the real culprit as old resistance levels didn't hold as the new support levels. The bears may have gotten an upper hand for a while if today's sentiment holds.

To top it off, worker productivity data came out strong enough today that it might even allow companies to make more layoffs. Below are the unofficial closing bell prices today:

• DJIA 12,814.35 (-206.48; -1.59%)
• S&P500 1,392.56 (-25.70; -1.81%)
• NASDAQ 2,438.49 (-44.82; -1.80%)
• 10YR-TBond 3.867% (-0.026)
• 52-WEEK LOWS.
• TOP 10 ANALYST CALLS

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) beat Street estimates for earnings Tuesday with $1.77 billion in net income, or $0.29 EPS, a 5.4% drop from first quarter 2007. Sales of $9.79 billion beat estimates of $9.75 million. Cisco gave 2008 guidance that met expectations as demand for Cisco's costly networking systems may still be slow during the economic slowdown. Shares fell 2% to $25.78 despite being positive earlier this morning.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says if you can show you're immune to Bernanke, you're going higher.

Cyclicals are on fire here. Stocks like Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) (Cramer's Take) and Terex (NYSE: TEX) (Cramer's Take) and Joy Global (NASDAQ: JOYG) (Cramer's Take) just can't be stopped. Manitowoc (NYSE: MTW) (Cramer's Take) is a good one. I am thinking United Tech (NYSE: UTX) (Cramer's Take) and Honeywell (NYSE: HON) (Cramer's Take). The rails are on fire.

All of them, what do they have in common? They have left the U.S. behind. We are an afterthought. If you can prove on a conference call that Ben Bernanke has nothing to do with your book of business, you are going higher.

Notice Eaton (NYSE: ETN) (Cramer's Take) and Emerson (NYSE: EMR) (Cramer's Take). They can't quit. When the coal operators come to their sense and realize that they can make fortunes digging for more, then Joy Global will take out the high. I am using any weakness to buy Foster Wheeler (NASDAQ: FWLT) (Cramer's Take), the tug of the non-U.S. cyclicals is that strong.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says there are some names that will work here, but they're a small slice of the total market pie.

Can someone, anyone, tell me why we can bank on this Fed? "The Fed has to cut 50 basis points or we are going to Dow 12,500."

Yeah, OK. I get it. Fed panicked and cut 50 last time we were shocked with a weak employment number. Maybe they will do it again.

But I look at it a different way. This Fed thinks it is smarter than all of us. It looks at ways to tinker to bring down the short-rates without attacking them head on. They are clever.

Clever's stupid.

Readers of this space know that the preferred sectors include oil services and infrastructure stocks, and when one can combine the two, it's like a double header at Yankee Stadium (or two chamber concerts at Lincoln Center). Foster Wheeler fits the aforementioned bill.

Foster Wheeler (NASDAQ: FWLT) provides design, engineering, procurement, construction, and project management services for oil/natural gas processing facilities. The company also designs and builds steam generating and auxiliary equipment for electric power generating stations and industrial markets around the world.

Analysts expect 2007 revenue to increase a remarkable 35%-40%, with a 20%-25% gain seen for 2008 on continued, strong Asia-Pacific and Middle East capital spending. Further, increasing demand for FWLT's preferred power generation system adds to the mix. The Reuters F2007/F2008 EPS consensus estimates FWLT for are $5.92/$7.00.

The risks: A slowdown in Europe (more than 50% of revenue) or emerging market demand with hurt FWLT's results. Analysts also have their eye on the appearance of possible supply/labor shortages down the road.

The First Call mean rating for FLWT is: Buy. [5 firms.] Mean 2008 target: $176.00. [high: $190, low: $150.]

Stock Analysis: Foster Wheeler is a moderate-risk stock not suitable for low-risk investors. Investors with an investment horizon longer than two years should be rewarded from FWLT's shares. Sell / Stop Loss if you to purchase shares in this company: $95.

DISCLOSURE: Joseph Lazzaro has no positions in stocks. In addition to private real estate holdings, he owns corporate and municipal bonds, and cash certificates of deposit.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Cognos, MSC Industrial Direct, Fastenal Company, Royal Kpn and Koppers Holdings were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• Cognos (NASDAQ: COGN) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman and at Broadpoint following the acquisition by IBM (NYSE: IBM).
  
• Baird downgraded MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE: MSM) and Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) to Neutral from Outperform, as they expect the difficult U.S. manufacturing environment to constrain shares.
  
• Credit Suisse lowered its rating on Royal Kpn (NYSE: KPN) to Neutral from Outperform based on Getronics integration risk and slowing mobile earnings momentum.
  
• Koppers Holdings (NYSE: KOP) was downgraded to Buy from Aggressive Buy at KeyBanc based on valuation and concerns on 1H08 comps.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Goldman removed Foster Wheeler (NASDAQ: FWLT) from its Conviction Buy List.
  
• Gabelli downgraded shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ) to Sell from Buy.
  
• Stifel lowered its rating on Amerigroup (NYSE: AGP) to Hold from Buy.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer is amazed by some stocks that just won't quit and looks at the practicalities of getting into these winners.

Starting to get startling disparities between the haves and the have-nots.

Can we have a day where Syngenta (NYSE: SYT) (Cramer's Take) and Monsanto (NYSE: MON) (Cramer's Take) don't go up, let alone Deere (NYSE: DE) (Cramer's Take) and Bunge (NYSE: BG) (Cramer's Take)?

Can we have a breather in which Fluor (NYSE: FLR) (Cramer's Take) and Shaw Group (NYSE: SGR) (Cramer's Take) don't run higher, or Foster Wheeler (NASDAQ: FWLT) (Cramer's Take) and McDermott (NYSE: MDR) (Cramer's Take)?

And can we have a two-day period when a Masco (NYSE: MAS) (Cramer's Take) or a JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) (Cramer's Take) can go higher?

Can we have more than a short-squeeze streak by a retailer?