Behind the Wheel at <I>TSC</I>

Often I enjoy making hay about the new economy or some such thing. But on a warm day in Manhattan, I'm having trouble focusing on the inner workings of the

jobs report. Part of it is because I am almost overwhelmed by some of the awesome stories appearing on

TheStreet.com

. While some folks put together a summer reading list, I'm going to give you a presummer list of terrific stories and strong commentators that you should be checking out. These people are knocking the cover off the ball, and in a hurly-burly time such as this, you need all the aces in your corner.

Herb Greenberg is on a tear. In recent weeks he has correctly reported trouble ahead for a number of companies, most recently Guitar Center (GTRC) , which cracked on Friday. Herb highlighted woes at Guitar Center on March 31 and again on April 26. Herb is a demon in a market like this, sniffing through all the excitement, looking for anything that might seem sour. Herb's had a Vulcan mindmeld with the market recently, and anyone serious about either avoiding pitfalls or taking advantage of them must be reading his column every day.
Adam Lashinsky keeps on slinging. This week he had an awesome story outlining how TSC fan Alan Abelson at Barron's loves to pound away at the same theme, sometimes for years on end. As Senior Columnist James J. Cramer put it, Lashinsky made like Frank Serpico, crossing the Blue Line to tweak a fellow financial writer.
Meaningless weeklies. Have a look at Jesse Eisinger'sGenentech (GNE) - Get Report/ Roche story. This is a terrific analysis of a complex deal. If you pick up Business Week this week, you'll see that stocks columnist Gene Marcial is opining about how Roche and Genentech might get together. Ooops. Guess the pages had already been printed when the deal got announced. Bummer.
From the trenches like nobody else. James J. Cramer continues to offer his trade secrets. (Read his latest). This guy is prolific, outspoken, controversial and intense. Brush aside all the mayhem and focus on one thing: He is writing from inside the game -- something that nobody else does. Period. You want a flavor of the fight? This is the guy to turn to. His writings from ground zero give all the rest of the news and commentary on TheStreet.com an extra sheen of intensity and insight.
The IPO craze. Nobody's getting a better handle on this than Ben Holmes, our IPO columnist. His most recent column explained all the nutty methods by which e-brokers are distributing IPOs -- but the column also gives traders some hints on how to handicap the system. A must read.
The fascination with the Fed. I defy you to find a better package of reporters and commentators attacking the Fed issue. Justin Lahart had a brilliant piece on Fed hikes and how Wall Street is grappling with the possibility of a rate increase coming soon. James Padinha, our resident economist, has done a great job outlining how the signs of economic stress have mounted since the beginning of the year. And Jim Griffin, writing on Sundays, does a tremendous job outlining how the economy and the markets intersect on a global basis.
Technical analysis. I know that many of you love charts, and we've got two of the great ones. Helene Meisler and Gary B. Smith offer chart insight and well-written analysis that makes TA both intriguing and accessible. Gary B's recent money management piece, for instance, was exceptional.
Corporate insider activity. In an era when 180-day lock-ups are the talk of kitchen tables, Bob Gabele does an awesome job deciphering what corporate insiders are doing. Recently he did a great job hacking through recent activity at Boston Scientific (BSX) - Get Report, giving investors an invaluable template for figuring out how to approach that company's insider activity.
Tech coverage with perspective. Some of the technology coverage makes my heart flutter. Take the recent swings in Net stocks. Instead of covering this like a tennis match, George Mannes went in for context and perspective with his brilliant piece, The Rise and Fall of theglobe.com. This was a must read. And how about Eric Moskowitz with a take on how investors are getting the Y2K willies in the hardware sector. Another great read.

This is just a sampling. Lots of places on the Net merely toss a lot of slop at you, brag about it being free and then move on to the next thing. If you want a jalopy, there are plenty of 'em out there on the Net. If you want a Mercedes, however, you are in for some hunt. We are doing everything we can to give you the smoothest, most luxurious ride on the Net. Sure, it costs a little bit, but spend a week driving with us and you'll understand why it is more than worth the expense. And as the Good Book tells us, wisdom is never found for free.