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Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) plans to sell its Japanese trust banking unit NikkoCiti Trust and Banking for about 40 billion yen ($416.7 million) as it struggles to survive the global financial crisis, according to the Nikkei. Also, a Citigroup fund, Citi Infrastructure Partners, is bidding 7.9 billion euros ($10.2 billion) to buy a Spanish highway operating firm, Sacyr Vallehermoso, the firms said on Monday. Citi shares were down over 12% by 11:30 am.

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) -- over the weekend there have been conflicting reports regarding the two. There were reports that Microsoft is going to offer $20 billion for Yahoo's search business, but then other sources said these are completely unfounded. Meanwhile, SAI posted that Sue Decker is the front runner for the CEO job at the portal company. YHOO and MSFT shares were down about 3.5% by 11:30 am.

General Motors Corp's (NYSE: GM) board met Sunday to review a restructuring plan intended to win support for up to $12 billion in emergency funding from the U.S. government, according to different reports. GM's plan includes cuts to executive pay andcould indicate that the company will ask some bond holders to accept equity and a limited cash payout to redeem the debt they hold and focus on fuel-saving technology. GM shares were down about 9% at 9 am.

[Update 8:50 am: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) has agreed to buy breast-implant maker Mentor Corp. (NYSE: MNT) for $1.07 billion, or $31 per Mentor share, a 92% premium to Friday's closing price. The deal, expected to close in the first quarter of 2009, is expected to have a dilutive impact to Johnson & Johnson's 2009 earnings per share of approximately $0.03 - $0.05. Of course, MNT shares are up over 88% in premarket trading. JNJ shares were down about 2.7%, but MNT's up about 90% by 11:30 am.]

U.S. stock futures were much lower Monday morning, indicating stocks could start December on a down note, putting a stop to last week's rally as the gloomy economic conditions once again take precedent. The holiday shopping season kicked off in what some called a modest start and some a strong start. While consumers may have actually spent more this weekend over last year's weekend, they had completed a larger portion of their shopping. With the deep discounts offered, holiday season sales may not surprise on the up side at all.

Overseas, Asian and European markets fell Monday as investors digested signs of the U.S. holiday shopping season start over the Thanksgiving weekend. Meanwhile, crude oil fell below $52 a barrel after the OPEC deferred a decision to reduce output for another two weeks.

On the economic front today, the Institute of Supply Manufacturing in November is due and economist expect a worsening. October construction spending is also due out today.

Seems that even this shortened week was full of news and happenings, in the U.S. and around the world. With Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) being bailed out by the U.S. government at the beginning of the week and China announcing fiscal and monetary stimulus plans, the Dow industrials finished in positive territory four days in a row.

But as analysts and pundits, as well as each and every economic release -- in the U.S. and around the world -- remind us, we are not out of the woods yet and the rally has really been a bear-market rally.

Investors looking to take advantage of such rallies, or at least feel they hold stable long-term holdings, can search this week's BloggingStocks' contributors' picks:

Apollo Group (NASDAQ: APOL) and Devry Inc. (NYSE: DV) -- It's often been suggested that educators do well in times of recession and high unemployment as workers look to improve or change their education to get a better job. Leo Fasciocco thinks these two are poised for a breakout.

Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) reported stronger-than-expected earnings this week and also hiked its forecast. Not surprisingly, cash-strapped consumers turn more and more to discounters. Dollar Tree may continue to benefit from the economic downturn and the stock could also experience a short-squeeze rally.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) -- as it runs short of cash and attempts to raise $4 billion from asset sales, GM has asked real estate agent Jones Lang LaSalle for help in raising up to $257 million from the sale and leaseback of some of its European offices and other property assets, as well as inquired about its options regarding the Renaissance Center, the Detroit skyscraper complex that serves as its headquarters, the Financial Times reported.

Meanwhile, adding insult to injury, GM has asked the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to prevent public tracking of a jet it leases.

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) is also ignoring public outcry and is so far resisting pressure to cut the salary of its chief executive. Maybe asking emergency help from the federal government requires that large compensation...

Staying with automarkers, Deutsche Bank analyst Rod Lache said the scales are tipping in favor of a federal bailout from GM and Ford, MarketWatch said. GM traded 12% higher and Ford shares were 15% higher in the first minutes of trade.

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) -- The Federal Reserve Board officially approved BAC.'s acquisition of Merril Lynch (NYSE: MER) on Wednesday in a $50 billion deal first announced in September. BAC shares were nearly 3% higher and MER's over 4% higher in the first few minutes of trade.

U.S. stock futures were lower Friday, a day after Thanksgiving holiday. Trading session will be short today as stock markets close at 1:00 p.m. EST. On a day known as Black Friday, where the holiday shopping season "officially" begins (as retailers move out of the "red," or losses, and into the black, meaning profits), many will focus on the retail sector.

Overseas, Asian markets finished the session higher mostly. Indian shares rallied as trading resumed following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai that left 143 people dead. European shares were lower in morning trading. In Europe, stocks traded moderately lower as Europe's inflation rate fell by 2.1%, the most in almost two decades, and unemployment increased.

Meanwhile, oil prices fell below $54 a barrel Friday due to gloomy outlook for global crude demand that overshadowed expected OPEC production cut.

Toyota Motor Co. (NYSE: TM) -- recently we've seen more and more signs that the slowdown in general and the auto industry troubles particularly have been hurting Toyota too. Today, Fitch Ratings cut Toyota's top-notch credit rating to "AA" from "AAA," as the carmaker was indeed hit by the world auto market slump, high material cost and from a surging yen. TM shares were down 3% by 11 am.

American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) announced late Tuesday it has closed its $40 billion stock placement with the U.S. Treasury under the government's Troubled Assets Relief Program. The Treasury bought shares of AIG equaling 2% of the company on the date of the investment. AIG shares were up 0.5% by 11 am.

Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) reported that fiscal fourth-quarter net income fell 18% to $345 million, or 81 cents a share, as sales rose 21% to $7.4 billion. Analysts expected earnings of 99 cents a share on sales of $5.2 billion according to FactSet Research. The guidance for fourth quarter was below estimates. DE shares were 6.3% lower in premarket trading (8:03 am). DE shares were down 9.6% by 11 am.

Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) reported that its third quarter earnings declined to $44 million, or 35 cents a share on lower sales of $618 million. This was above analyst estimates of 26 cents EPS and sales of $697 million, according to FactSet Research. Tiffany said it plans to reduce staff. TIF shares were 8.6% lower in premarket trading (8:03 am). TIF shares were down 4.1% by 11 am.

Stocks futures were lower Wenesday morning after three days of gain (only the Nasdaq closed down Tuesday), and ahead of a slew of economic data.

Overseas, Asian markets ended mixed, but European stock markets fell Wednesday, mostly on profit taking despite EU calls for more spending from its members. In China, the People's Bank of China announced a 1.08 percentage-point rate cut -- the fourth cut in three months, and its biggest interest rate cut in 11 years on Wednesday. The move, is aimed to "spur private borrowing and support a multibillion-dollar stimulus package to boost slowing economic growth."

Oil prices rose slightly to above $51 a barrel Wednesday after it was reported that Russia could join OPEC in cutting output.

Economic indicators released today include:
October durable orders and personal income and spending -- both due at 8:30 a.m. Wekly jobless claims is also due then.
The Chicago purchasing managers' report will be released after the market open.
At 10:00 am, November Michigan consumer sentiment and October new home sales are due out.
All the economic reports are expected to be quite dismal.

Trading will likely be thin today ahead of the holiday.

BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) dropped its $66 billion Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) takeover bid after a year-long pursuit, citing the deteriorating economy, the rout in commodities prices and the credit-market squeeze for derailing the biggest hostile takeover. Rio Tinto shares dropped 34.6%, while BHP rose over 13.7% in premarket trading (8:04 am). At around 11:00 am, BHP stock gained about 18%, while RTP's declined over 32%.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) posted impressive, better-than-expected results Monday afternoon thanks to its diversified business. These included 21% growth in laptop sales, and a totoal revenue growth of 19%. Still, Wall Street doesn't have confidence in how the computer company will do as the economy worsens, and some think it will do worse than management believes. HPQ shares declined 1.3% in premarket trading (8:03 am). HPQ shares declined 6.2% as of 11 am.

Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) warned yet again late Monday of an "extremely challenging" fiscal year as it forecast slumping sales. It seems that selling high-end coffee during a recession is a tricky business. For fiscal 2009, which began Sept. 29, Starbucks said it expects to see a drop in sales at coffee shops that it opened at least a year ago, extending a trend already evident in 2008. While warning of another round of restructuring, SBUX also said October store traffic has actually improved. SBUX shares declined over 5% in after-hours trading Monday. SBUX shares declined about 1% as of 11 am.

U.S. stock futures were once again higher Tuesday morning, indicating that despite a two-day rally in which the Dow industrials gained 891 points, or 11.8%, stocks could start today on a positive note as well. While Starbucks and BHP Billiton sounded cautious this morning, investors awaited details of a new government lending program aimed at increasing the availability of consumer loans, according to published reports. The plan should be announced at 10:00 am.

Overseas, Asian markets rallied, while European markets were mixed initially, but turned higher by midday. Oil futures slipped to $53 a barrel after surging overnight.

Economic releases today include an estimate of the third-quarter GDP due at 8:30 am, November Conference Board's consumer confidence due at 10:00 am, and the September S&P/Case-Shiller home price index. According to Briefing.com estimates, GDP is expected to show a 0.5% decline.

Much will depend on the economic data to determine where the markets are headed today, and after two day of strong rallies, I'd expect the market to cool off as we approach the opening bell.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) is getting a $20 billion government injection as part of a rescue package that also includes $306 billion of U.S. government guarantees for troubled mortgages and toxic assets to stabilize the bank. Citi will issue $7 billion in preferred stock with an 8% dividend, but is barred from paying quarterly dividend to shareholders of more than 1 cents for three years. The government will also be in the charge of executive compensation. Seems the government is learning a thing or two as it goes... Citi's shares, which lost 60% of their value last week, 87% this year, jumped 56.50% in pre-open trade (7:49 am). Citi shares popped 59% by 11:50 am.

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) added nearly 7% in pre-open trade (7:49 am) on Citi's news. BAC shares soared 20.5% by 11:50 am. Other financials gained as well: JPM +13.3%, WFC +13.8%, MS +34.7%.

Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) - usually one of the stocks touted as being more defensive -- is scheduled to report earnings this morning. CPB shares declined 6.3% by 11:50 am after reporting slower revenue growth.

Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) -- after its shares jumped nearly 25% Friday, Barclays Capital cut its price target on Sprint's shares from $10 to $5 and said the possibility of a turnaround at the U.S. mobile service provider anytime soon was remote. S shares jumped another 19.3% by 11:53 am.

U.S. stock futures were higher Monday morning, indicating Wall Street could start the week on a positive note, even as it soared Friday to minimize the losses of last week. Investors were encouraged this morning after the whole weekend questions of a rescue for Citigroup culminated this morning in a $20 billion government injection as part of a rescue package that also includes $306 billion of U.S. government guarantees for troubled mortgages and toxic assets to stabilize the bank.

Investors also await President-elect Barack Obama to introduce his economic dream team to tackle what could be the worst slowdown in decades and a key step toward enacting a huge new economic recovery plan that aims to save or create 2.5 million jobs over the next two years.

Overseas, most Asian markets declined Monday as investors remained concerned about global economic uncertainties and a weakening outlook for earnings. Friday's rally on Wall Street and Citi's rescue didn't help. In Europe, stock markets rose Monday, encouraged by Citi's rescue and following Friday's strong close.

Meanwhile, oil prices fluctuated back around $50 a barrel Monday following Citigroup's news as wel as news President-elect Barack Obama has chosen an economic team.

Finally, in economic news, October existing home sales will be released at 10:00 am.

The question on everybody's mind this week was when will the declines end? Was that the so much talked about capitulation? Have the stock markets bottomed?

Well, I can't answer that, and suffice it to say that many market analysts, fundamental and technical, are still quite gloomy. Pretty much all we can do in this time is hope for flat performance from a few select stocks, which perhaps would yield good returns once the economy starts rebounding and the bear market has completed its course.

Here are some picks and pans from the past week from BloggingStocks contributors:

Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) -- Steven Halpern brought a recommendation from one of The Forbes Wireless Stock Watch advisors, Nikhil Hutheesing. In Hutheesing's words: "In the long run, smart investments today will lead to profits down the road. One of those companies, that I now think looks attractive, is the Canadian maker of the BlackBerry." Not only is RIMM's corporate business strong, it is also working on getting its phones to consumers. In addition, it has lots of cash and little to no long-term debt and great prospects, what the advisor is looking for in addition to value and fundamentals in this environment.

Lear Corp. (NYSE: LEA) is an auto parts supplier. Jamie Dlugosch bets on a bailout for the auto industry here. Today, Lear has a $110 million market capitalization, down from its peak within the last 52 weeks of $2.6 billion. If the bailout finally happens, owners of LEA could benefit greatly.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) shares jumped over 12.5% in pre-market trade (7:34 am) after the The Wall Street Journal reported that the second-largest U.S. bank by assets may be weighing a sale of all or part of the company, including the Smith Barney brokerage, the credit card unit and the transaction services unit. Citi shares have lost over 25% of their value Thursday and have actually lost 50% this week as investors became concerns over whether it has enough capital. This morning the WSJ reported the bank is holding a board meeting to discuss the options. Citi shares continued their plunge today, down another nearly 19% by midday trading as CEO Pandit said the bank plans to keep Smith Barney.

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) reported Thursday after the close that fiscal third-quarter profit sank 5% as corporate spending on computers and other technology products declined due to economic concerns. But it seems Wall Street was expecting worse. DELL's earnings were 37 cents per shares in the quarter, 6 cents better than analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected. The stock traded nearly 5% higher in pre-market trading (7:41 am). Dell shares ended up declining in the session, down 5.4% by midday trading as analyst cut targets on the stock.

Salesforce.com, Inc. (NYSE: CRM) had investors cheering even louder as it said profit and revenue grew sharply -- 55% and 43% respectively -- in its fiscal third quarter, beating expectations. This could mean that online business software may be better insulated from the economic downturn than conventional offerings. CRM shares gained nearly 10% in pre-market trading (7:39 am). As markts grapple with Citi news, CRM shares declined over 6% by midday trading.

[Update 8:58: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) named Mike Duke CEO and president, succeeding Lee Scott. WMT shares actually gained 1.7% by midday trading even as investors try to understand the timing of this management change.]

Finally. Finally, I can say that U.S. stock futures actually soared early Friday morning, following days of gut wrenching declines in the stock markets that had the Dow indsutrials Thursday closing below 7,600 in a 5.5% nose dive. The declines were partly due to the delay in the automotive sector government bailout that increased recession fears.

But Citigroup came and said late Thursday it may be open to selling itself, and along with upbeat results from Dell and Salesforce.com investors were a little more encouraged.

Meanwhile, overseas, European and Asian stock markets rebounded Friday with investors picking up financial, energy and commodity stocks, most beaten up lately. This, in turn, caused oil prices to rise from their 3-year low and rade back above $50 a barrel.

With no economic releases today, investors would focus on Citi. For now, at least, futures indcate a 2.5-3% higher start at the open on Wall Street.

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL), the personal computer maker, is due to report its financial results after the market close. The company is expected to post a 9% drop in earnings to 31 cents per share, according to Briefing.com. DELL shares were 1.5% higher in premarket trade (8:00 am). Dell shares were 2.7% lower about half an hour after the open.

General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) is seeking funds from China Investment Corp., Government of Singapore Investment Corp. and at least two other sovereign-wealth funds. GE shares have plunged some 60% this year as the company has lowered 2008 profit target twice. But GE also raised $3 billion last month as Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK) invested in the company. GE shares declined 8.3% around 9:55 am. The company said that while it is in talks with Asian investors about joint ventures, it has no intention of raising additional capital from sovereign-wealth funds.

General Motors Corp (NYSE: GM), Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) and Chrysler Llc returned empty-handed from Washington as the bailout plan for the automotive sector seems hanging by a thread. The sought after compromise couldn't be reached and the Senate canceled plans for a vote Wednesday. The Bush administration and congressional Republicans have rejected Democrats' plan to dip into the $700 billion Wall Street rescue fund for a $25 billion automotive sector bailout. Interestingly, some think no bailout will not send the stock market off a cliff. Meanwhile, Chrsyler still wants to merge with GM -- little wonder there.

However, GMAC Financial Services has applied to the Federal Reserve to become a bank holding company. If approved, it would allow GM's financing arm to be eligible for aid under the Treasury's $700 billion bank rescue plan, automotive bailout or not. Still, GM shares were down about 10% in premarket trade (8:05 am), just as Ford's were up 3.2% (8:05 am). GM shares were beaten down another 11.5% around 9:55 am, Ford's were down some 4.8%.