Last week I started writing articles for Motley Fool's CAPS by utilizing some of the basic screening concepts with an intent of trying to prove that simply outperforming the S&P is not that difficult.

So far so good :) All of the picks are in the green. Check it out...I've used CAPS before as a supplementary screening tool as I personally did find that over the long haul, with everything else being equal 4 and 5 star stocks tend to do better than the rest.

http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2008/11/19/7-stocks-to-cure-your-dividend-ills.aspx

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/11/24/7-financials-that-dont-need-tarp.aspx

Stay safe out there, skepticalcapitalist@gmail.com

By the way check out the mortgage rates today- I've never seen rates plunge 75BP in ONE day. This certainly a welcome relief for banks!

At Bank of America Corp., call volume was roughly twice what was expected at call centers and via the Internet, said Matt Vernon, national sales executive. "It's the folks who have been sitting on the sideline. They're jumping in with this news."

Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped by roughly half a percentage point to about 5.5%, for borrowers with good credit scores and substantial equity in their homes, say mortgage brokers and lenders.