Can U.S. government action ignite the next upturn?

The U.S. markets stand at a crossroads where the technical backdrop for stocks and fundamental issues confronting the economy meet. Whether the S&P 500 can successfully challenge what's been a five-month downtrend will largely hinge on investors' response to the government's efforts to shore up the banking system and deliver a big-bucks stimulus to the economy. Complicating matters, both bears and bulls can point to evidence in the charts to support their case for which way stocks may be headed.