As traders, our tools of the trade are watchlists and scanning tools.  But how do you assemble a watchlist?  How do you decide which securities to trade?

Signs of stability in the US manufacturing sector has failed to turn around the market’s risk appetite.  Although the US dollar has weakened marginally against all of the major currencies, if US stocks continue to sell off, we could see the dollar regain strength.

James Mound reviews futures and commodities in his weekly report for the week of November 17.

Wall Street is bracing for some really bad news from this week’s economic reports. Housing starts are expected to hit half-century lows.  The Consumer Price Index is expected to fall 0.9% in October, the biggest one-month decline since the government began tracking the CPI in 1947.

John Mauldin looks at some of the recent data on unemployment and retail sales, thinks about the implications of a falling trade deficit and a rising US government deficit, speculates about the potential for a serious stock market rally, and also comments on the potential for a GM bailout.

Professional system trader Art Collins shares his daily biases in the index, bonds and currency futures markets for November 17.

The feds are doing all they can to bail out the economy.  And for all their bailing, the water is still rising.

Professional system trader Art Collins shares his daily biases in the index, bonds and currency futures markets for November 14.

In addition to the $1 trillion taken out by the savers, there's also the effect of less spending magnified all through the economy.

When the labor market is in trouble, the US economy is in trouble.