In boxing, an experienced boxer with his back on the ropes knows he must not do two things if he must survive the round: One, he must never let his guard down, and two, he must not stand still; he needs to present as little of himself as possible to his opponent, so he ducks and dodges.

As investors, we now have our backs to the wall now. And as the bear has pinned our portfolios to a corner (the last two weeks have witnessed a rally though) angling to deliver the knockout punch, we can't afford to let our guard down and we definitely can't afford to do nothing or stand still (you probably have been told that's the best thing to do). While we need to act, it is important that we do the right things.

No one knows how long this bear market will last, so stocks that pay healthy dividends and are well positioned to maintain payments through the recession are becoming increasingly attractive. We look at some of the strongest dividend payers on the NSE.

The price of oil hit $140 this month, its highest price ever (in nominal terms). Considering that oil was just $20 at the start of the GSM revolution in August 2001, this has been a remarkable rise. Is it likely to stay at this price? Or even go higher? Could it come crashing all the way back to $20 as it did after the oil boom in the 80s? Given that oil accounts for over 90% of exports, how should the average Nigerian be impacted by this windfall and what should smart investors be doing to capitalise?