Context is key. When some stocks become oversold, with significantly more traders looking to sell compared to those eager to buy, those stocks are often headed lower. These are stocks that have broken down, that are trading below their 200-day moving average and that are better left alone--or sold short--than bought on a bet. For these stocks, while "completely black" would probably be an exaggeration, it would also be a mistake to make a habit of buying these broken down names.

To say it's been a big week in terms of market movements is an understatement. For some investors, the holiday season may have lost a little shine with this recent sell-off. For traders, however, the volatility has brought some great opportunities. When you take a technical approach it's not so much the up and down that counts; it's making sure you are in the right spot or safely on the sidelines!

At the core of every successful business, from a global giant to a corner store, are the same fundamentals of moneymaking: cash, margin, velocity, return, and growth. And at the core of every successful business leader is an intuitive understanding of the relationships among them.

Back in April, I wrote a column about avoiding foreclosure. If you're having trouble meeting your mortgage payments or know someone who is, please take a few minutes to read it. Unfortunately, with the millions of people now at risk of losing their homes, an entire industry of "scammers" has been created to take advantage of those facing foreclosure. If you're considering "foreclosure rescue," read on.

Small employers complain about how difficult it is to find good employees. But there's one place that can be a terrific source of great workers -- the families and friends of your best employees. After all, current employees who have great work attitudes probably have brothers, sisters, and best pals with great work attitudes, too.

Where are you are in your career? First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Retired

Most financial advisors say you can't predict the future. These experts claim you can't pick a market's top or bottom. And since you (or they) can't predict the future, they advise that you just leave your money with them for the long term. For most people, this is good advice. But for those who want to get rich, being ahead of the future is one of the best ways to amass wealth.

What you don't do by the end of this year could end up costing you plenty next year. A combination of market forces and the phasing out of certain tax benefits makes it extra-important to grab every tax advantage you can right now. So before you completely check out for some holiday R&R, take a few minutes to make sure you have your portfolio fine-tuned to minimize that federal tax bill due next April. Offsetting Pending Fund Taxes Even though fund returns are shaping up to be less than stellar this year -- through November, the average equity fund is up less than 5 percent -- the taxable distributions made by funds is expected to be even higher than last year's $23 billion. How can that be?

Apparently, compensation plans can do odd things to the stock market. Consider the January Effect, a market trend in which small-cap stocks start to rise in value at the end of December and continue through early January. It's typically thought to occur because of year-end selling to create tax losses or recognize capital gains; or because of so-called "window dressing" by portfolio managers.

For the US stock market, I predicted an 8% gain and greater gains for foreign markets. December still has two weeks to go, and given the recent volatility, the market could end the year anywhere. But as of now, the S&P 500 Index is up 6.3%, while foreign markets have done significantly better. The foreign developed markets, represented by the EAFE Index, have returned 15.6% and the emerging markets continue their torrid pace, chalking up a 42% gain. Last year, I said that if US stocks climbed less than 8% in 2007 it would be due to $3 a gallon gasoline and the dollar falling below $1.45 per euro.