Don’t start giving in to panic as the market works its way lower. Sure some once impressive financial institutions are going the way of dinosaurs. Perhaps your 401(k) looks like it might lose weight faster than you can. Whether you’re managing your own account or entrusting your nest egg to a professional mutual fund manager, the market and your investments have seldom felt more bleak. Whatever you do, don’t panic.
Don’t make a run to your bank and demand to close out your savings and checking accounts. …

The market takes a breather after several weeks of blistering recovery from last winter’s doldrums. Commodities all around saw amazing advances. Crude oil rose 8.3% last week and has more than doubled over the last year. I remember taking my first car, a Honda (HMC) Civic, out for the first time and pumping gas for about $1.18 per gallon. This was also in the notoriously gas-expensive San Francisco Bay Area. Base commodities and gold continue to follow oil’s lead in going the opposite direction of the U.S. dollar. Will the …