This Week on StockHouse June 4 to June 8

Interest rate fears pulled markets into a downward spiral this week, and affected a broader range of companies than the traditionally interest rate sensitive financial and utilities sectors.

On StockHouse, Sean Mason and Keri Korteling pulled together a list of lists featuring the week’s Top Five (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/article.asp?edtID=19809 ) posters, blogs, BullBoards and more.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the future of interest rates in the U.S. and Canada, it may be a good time to consider gold investments, argued Dave Galland at Casey Research. He said the Fed is between a rock and a hard place (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19798).

One junior gold miner worth a look, noted Institutional Research Partners, is Megastar Development Corp (TSX: V.MDV), in an update (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19803 ) on the Vancouver-based company that was first profiled in March.

Danny Deadlock warned that the weakness (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19799 ) in small- and micro-cap stocks should prompt investors to tread carefully. Taking a page from fellow columnist Steven Saville, he picked up on the idea that the market is revisiting the scene from the late 1960s.

Use your head (and some TA tools) (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19802 ), not your heart to win at the stock market, wrote Don Rodgers in his Trading Discipline column.

Despite proper due diligence, some Netlist (NASDAQ: NLST) investors got burned because the company allegedly failed to address (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19806 ) in pre-IPO filings the fact it faced an oversaturated computer memory market, wrote the Securities Sleuth.

While there are incremental improvements in the treatment of various cancers, this week’s Bio Check noted from the American Society of Clinical Oncologists’ conference that there are no blockbuster drugs (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19807) in the offing.

Market Wizard Mike Paulenoff said that the S&P, which made fresh seven-year highs last week, has reached its peak. Watch the gold market (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19808 ), he urged readers.

Donald Dony echoed the sentiment, and argued the commodities bull is still alive and well. Natural gas stocks (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19808 ), he said, are the best investment for the summer months.

Gold ETFs (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19813 ) and gold equities ETFs could be poised for a fresh run higher, wrote Don Vialoux, who suggested that investors should look for good entry points approaching the period of seasonal strength.

STANDUP Advice columnist John J. DeGoey said that what the world needs now is more plain vanilla certified financial planners (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19816 ).

Want to figure out whether the stock you’re eyeing is overvalued or not? Take a look at the Financially Fit staff’s guide to basic valuation metrics (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19818 ).

Finally, the Totally Technology column looks at how an important U.S. lobby group landed a government promise to send out $40 gift cards (http://www.stockhouse.ca/shfn/editorial.asp?edtID=19817 ) for all who apply. No word on a similar program in Canada, however.