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Lackluster earnings reports and bad news from the U.S. housing sector weighed all week on the markets, as oil pushed to record highs, the Canadian dollar climbed and the Dow sank for five days in a row.

The recent credit crisis is serious for the average American and for the broader American economy said Littleguy123. He warned that the U.S.’s so-called Goldilocks economy http://beta.stockhouse.com/Community-News/2007/October/15/Goldilocks-is-dead! is no longer.

After years of price increases that stem from a serious supply crunch, nickel is expected to show surpluses in 2007 and 2008, according to the International Nickel Study Group. Liverless looks at the implications (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Community-News/2007/October/15/Nickel–Demand-destruction-or-destocking-) of the report.

Philippine journalist Redempto Anda warned that a Canadian junior miner with communications troubles looked like a disappointing déjà vu (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Community-News/2007/October/16/Will-MBMI-Resources-go-belly-up-).

While a lot of attention – and Bullboards comment – has been paid to recent discoveries by Noront Resources (TSX: V.NOT) in the James Bay Lowlands of Ontario, High2 and Tinman wrote that investors shouldn’t discount a certain platinum explorer (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Community-News/2007/October/17/Platinum-find-looks-good) working nearby.

The recent report recommending that Alberta charge its oil companies higher royalty revenues provoked many oil companies to announce drastic cuts in spending in the province. Why (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Community-News/2007/October/18/No-tears-for-oil-barons) should that be, wondered Dr. M.H. Rajabally.

Stacey Laliberte still likes the look of molybdenum http://beta.stockhouse.com/Community-News/2007/October/19/Stockhouse-Community-News--Roca-Mines-ready-to-ROK despite the commodity’s big gains, as long as it’s being produced by Roca Mines (TSX: V.ROK, Bullboards). http://beta.stockhouse.com/Bullboards/SymbolList.aspx?s=ROK&t=LIST Read why in Roca ready to ROK.

Writer HHappy urged investors in junior mining companies not to jump the gun before proper, lab-tested assay results http://beta.stockhouse.com/Community-News/2007/October/19/Don-t-believe-the-hype are available, in Don’t believe the hype.

Stockhouse presented Thom Calandra as you’ve never seen him this week. We previewed two excerpts from his novel, “Pablo by Numbers,” the story of a newsletter writer, peripatetic financiers and a global chase for capital during the market “melt up.”  The first (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/16/Pablo-by-Numbers) piece introduced narrator Robbie Thom and the fast paced world of stock market newsletter writers. The second (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/18/Pablo-by-Numbers) excerpt was a melancholic look back by the narrator at some of his professional and personal losses.

Faced with credit woes and uncertainty in many commodities markets, many Stockhouse contributors pointed to gold as the best hedge against portfolio declines.

Greg Silberman reported that based on his Fibonacci extension (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/15/Whisper-targets-for-the-Amex-Gold-Bugs-Index) calculations, gold is only going to go up.

From his perspective down under, Troy Schwensen of the Global Speculator suggested that the September rally in precious metals (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/16/Stick-to-your-guns) is likely to continue.

But it all comes down to gold stocks, which are likely to continue appreciating, forecast Dave Galland of Casey Research, given the Federal Reserve’s unsurprising decision to boost liquidity in the face of the credit crunch. http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/19/What-s-going-on-with-gold-

Looking at a different kind of hard currency, Danny Deadlock revisited a small diamond explorer (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/15/Microcap-Monday–Diamond-stock-set-to-sparkle) with management who have top experience with major diamond companies, and activity in several African countries.

How much do you know about dry cleaning (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/16/Consolidator-promises-big-revenue-gains)? The CEO of a consolidator in the business explains how the company expects to grow to a $100 million run rate in the next 18 months, in the latest CEO interview from Microcap Spotlight.

Steven Saville, meanwhile, noted that investors should watch for the bottom in the U.S. dollar (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/17/Commodities-and-the-crack-up-boom), which he expects will foreshadow a drop in commodities prices.

And oil, that black gold (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/18/Qatar-Energy-Minister-Oil-Should-Already-be-100), surged this week on tensions between Turkey and Iraq, and the U.S. and Iran. Qatar, an OPEC country with depleting reserves, has one of the world’s most important natural gas fields in the world, reported Luke Burgess.

Investors worried that the market has hit a top might be interested in Harry Boxer’s short picks (http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/18/Weekly-Wizards–Boxer-shorts).

Given that the credit crunch has affected markets globally, Nancy Zambell of Financially Fit examined the pros and pitfalls of investing in emerging markets. http://beta.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2007/October/19/Financially-Fit–Too-late-for-emerging-markets-