Markets

Portland -- An employee at a FedEx Kinko's store in Portland said a man allegedly handed him a note explaining he was robbing the store, but would wait around for police.

London-- The chief executive officer of the Royal Bank of Scotland said Tuesday in a government hearing that his parents thought he was paid too much.

If you're like me, you probably think you've got it all figured out -- the important stuff, anyway. But just in case, I have a story I hope you'll take a moment to read.

One of my favorite analytical techniques involves slicing and dicing the Fool's universe of recommendations and scanning the results for emergent trends. That's step one. Step two involves comparing those patterns with developments in the economy, the broader universe of stocks, and the market's history.

I realize the market is a discounting machine -- with investors collectively trying to anticipate future events and price shares accordingly -- but let's face it: This rally is ridiculous.

I assume that you, like everyone and his Aunt Audrey, would love to find the next Wal-Mart -- to dig out the market's most precious small companies. Back in October 1977, Wal-Mart traded at a split- and dividend-adjusted price of $0.05 per share. Today, it trades for around $54. In a little more than 30 years, Wal-Mart has turned a $5,000 investment into $5.4 million.

The brand new trading year begins. After a robust 2009, mutual fund managers will be happy to begin touting what should be positive results for the trailing 12 months for a change. Things should be quiet on the trading front, with only a couple of foreign companies and Ark Restaurants reporting their quarterly results.

Detriot -- The U.S. Treasury Department is set to extend $3.5 billion in new TARP funding to automobile finance firm GMAC, sources close to the deal said.

Some stocks are one-hit wonders, making a big splash when they first appear, then quickly fizzling into obscurity or oblivion. But for other stocks, that initial big move is only a preview for even bigger and better gains to come.

Brian Richards and I wrote back in March that we thoughtthe dollar might be doomed. That was because: