The Nasdaq managed to emerge with a small gain on Friday which was enough to return the index to its leadership roll. Technicals are net positive and despite Friday's lower volume it remains well placed to push on.

Looks like St. Paddy's day was not one for Bear Stearns (or its employees) to celebrate. The subsequent action in the markets reflected the panic. Bill has an excellent chart showing the relationship between the VIX and 10-year Treasury Yield . This ratio is at levels last seen in the 2002/2003 bottom TraderMike has his usual succinct summary. He is watching 2,200 closely in the Nasdaq. Market reaction to Fed decision will decide whether we have support or resistance. Will the Fed cut by a full 1% ? Will Markets view it as the needed cure? Or a panic reaction to the current state of affairs? It sounds like a lot to me - but what do I know. Barry has Lehmans on B.S. watch. Steven Smith at TheStreet.com noted heavy option trading volume in B.S. over the course of the last couple of weeks. Kevin's Market Blog is looking for a measured move target down to $39-39 for the Qs . Quantifiable Edges notes how Bear ruined the traditional pre-Fed rally. But, not to be outdone, the Fed ...

I ran a quick scan for dividend paying stocks on MSN Screener with the following parameters: Current Dividend Yield >= 5% Market Capitalization >= 100,000,000 Div Yield: 5-year average >= 5% EPS growth YTD vs YTD >= 25% EPS growth Qtr vs Qtr >= 15% Return on Equity >= 17% The screener returned eleven stocks; best of the bunch were [1] Terra Nitrogen Co. LP ( TNH ): This has the added advantage of belonging to Agricultural Chemicals, ranked strongest sector according to Barchart.com . The weekly chart is looking tired with falling volume on new highs combined with a bearish divergence in the MACD trigger line. Should the stock trade inside a $72-$126 range it would be an attractive dollar-cost-average candidate. Those looking to pick a single entry price should look to the Fibonacci levels: $103.71, $106.66, $114.92 and/or the 50-day MA. Re-invest the somewhat erratic dividend and this could be a great long term hold as commodities (and their associated stocks) t...

With an expected rate cut on our hands lovers of income yielding bonds are getting squeezed once more. However, income lovers don't have to fret as there is plenty of value out there if you know where to look. Utilities and REITs are one such option, but the best plays are to be found in the unloved financial sector. Not all have suffered at the hands of sub-prime losses, but nearly all have been tarred by the same brush. The following stocks were screened for a yield greater than 5%, trading at the lower Bollinger bands. The best way to take advantage of the firesale is to split your allocated capital into 12 portions and dollar cost average over the year. Reinvest the dividend and let these stocks work for you. Symbol - Name - Close - Industry - Yield CORS - Corus Bankshares Inc - $12.04 - Bank - 8.31% NCC - National City Corp. - $20.20 - Bank (Midwest) - 8.12% FHN - First Horizon National - $23.49 - Bank (Midwest) - 7.66% CRBC - Citizens Republic Bancorp - $15.38 - Bank - 7...