New home sales rose by 2.7% in September, according to the Commerce Department. Andrew Snyder says this is an important sign of a rebound in the property market. And that means adjusting your portfolio to include real estate investment trusts (REITs) like Post Properties (NYSE:PPS) and American Campus Associates (NYSE:ACC).

The buzz on Capitol Hill is that Congress could pass an updated version of the bailout bill before the end of the week. But Shah Gilani in Money Morning says taxpayers are being “force-fed a political solution, instead of a sound economic market-based solution to a financial crisis.” He says the the bailout bill has eight key failings.

Just how much of your money has the government flung at Wall Street? $1,164 billion so far: $700 billion bailout package for Wall Street; $200 billion for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; $150 billion in “stimulus”checks; $85 billion for AIG; $29 billion for Bear Stearns.

Former hedge fund manager Shah Gilani says corporate assets can be accounted for in multiple ways, at the discretion of management. And this makes comparative analysis nearly impossible. Shah says understanding these tricks is crucial to finding out the true state of any bank’s finances.

The federal budget deficit hasn’t received a lot of press lately, what with all the worries about the U.S. financial system, the home mortgage market, and the rescues that might be necessary to save both.

For years, investors have bemoaned the low dividend yield on stocks. But with the market down roughly 20%, the yield on the S&P 500 Index is up to 2.25%. That doesn’t sound terribly rich, I know, but it is only slightly less than the average money market is paying right now.

Bill Bonner says that, although we look at the likes of Zimbabwe with incredulity in the US, we are heading down a similar route with the nationalization of mortgage giants Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddy Mac (FRE). So much for the biggest ‘free market’ in the world…

A true contrarian investor is always looking to own shares of companies that are out of favor with the investing public. And no sector has been more discarded than real estate…

Much of the recent drop in oil prices is due to the rally in financials, says Byron King. But the black goo is still double the price it was two years ago. Worse still, the US is now coping with chronic inflation. Precious metals are the best way to your savings and purchasing power…

The housing plan - which now includes provisions to bail out Fannie and Freddie - is now likely to become law within days. The problem is the bill is “a major-league privacy threat,” according to Dave Gonigam in Desidooru Saloon. Of course, the mainstream media hasn’t given this angle of the story much coverage…

Are US stocks due for a rally? Don’t count on it, says Rick Pendergraft. More bearish movement is likely. Take steps to protect yourself.