Weekly Roundup: MarketWatch top 10 stories, Oct. 24 - 28

Weekly Roundup OCTOBER 28, 2011 MarketWatch top 10 stories, Oct. 24 - 28 By MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks, which closed flat on Friday, were nevertheless closing in on completing their best October ever after a deal among European leaders was reached on Thursday to help solve the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) closed on Friday at 1,285.09, up 0.5 points or 0.04% for the day. For the week, the index gained 3.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) rose 22.56 points or 0.2% on Friday to 12,231.11. For the week, the index was up 3.6%. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) fell 0.1% or 1.5 points on Friday to close at 2,737.15. The index rose 3.8% for the week. Visit MarketWatch this weekend for all the latest news you need to manage you portfolio and your life. Our Weekend Investor column this week shows investors an unlikely place they can find dividend yield in the stock market. As always, you can prepare for next week's market action with our week-ahead videos:  U.S. Week Ahead: Manufacturing and the FOMC. Europe's Week Ahead: Key economic indicators  Asia's Week Ahead: China data, earnings from Japan — Christopher Noble, assistant managing editor. Europe's debt plan offers no bazooka Europe's latest effort to contain the euro zone's two-year-old debt crisis won applause from financial markets Thursday, but still falls short of a permanent solution, economists said. Economists fear the plan still lacks the heft and detail needed to ensure the debt crisis won't again surface to threaten major euro-zone economies, such as Italy, and the region's banking sector. Read about the European debt resolution plan on MarketWatch Amazon falls on forecast; Street stays bullish Investors sold shares of Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) after the company reported disappointing earnings and gave a tepid forecast, due to heavy spending as the e-tailer continues to build out distribution centers. Read full coverage of Amazon results on MarketWatch Our financial smarts erode quickly after age 60 It must be someone's idea of a joke. If so, it's a cruel one. Regardless of gender or education level, Americans become less literate about all things money after age 60, according to a new study. But worse, our confidence in our financial decision-making abilities rises with age. Read Bob Powell's commentary on MarketWatch How not to seek dividend income The so-called "Dogs of the Dow" may deserve their title.That's because their performance over the last 15 years has been disappointing at best. Unfortunately, the most popular dividend-stock strategy among retail investors is the Dogs of the Dow, which calls for buying and holding the 10 stocks from the 30 in the Dow Jones Industrial Average with the highest dividend yields as of each Jan. 1. Read Mark Hulbert commentary on avoiding the Dogs of the Dow China's economy may face hard landing Even as data Monday showed better-than-expected growth for China's manufacturing sector, many analysts are concerned about a a potential hard landing for the Chinese economy. Read analysis of China's current economy on MarketWatch Mortgage-refi plan targets hard-hit borrowers President Barack Obama on Monday unveiled a changed mortgage-refinancing plan that would allow homeowners who have suffered steep price declines on their properties to get cheaper loans. With house prices nationally roughly a third below their peak, there are millions of borrowers eligible to refinance into mortgages near record lows rather than the mere 894,000 borrowers who have used the program so far. Read about new homeowner assistance program on MarketWatch How to fly high on Apple's tailwinds Apple Inc. (AAPL) reported earnings last week that disappointed analysts thanks in large part to lackluster iPhone 4 sales. In reaction, the company's shares fell 5.6% the day after releasing results. So the stock must be a screaming buy, right? Well, not so fast. There's a better way to play the iPhone's game-changing success. Read coverage of Apple on MarketWatch Netflix shares tumble as subscribers fall and costs rise Netflix Inc. (NFLX) shares plunged to a new 18-month-low amid an avalanche of negative analyst comments following the video-rental provider's disappointing fourth-quarter outlook and its disclosure that international expansion would prevent profitability in the first half of 2012. Read MarketWatch's Netflix coverage Ford slammed by Consumer Reports Cue the old wisecrack acronyms about Ford Motor Co.'s (F) cars and trucks. Jeep, yeah Jeep, is the new domestic standard in reliability, according to a study published on Tuesday. Hampered by below-average showings from the new Explorer SUV as well as the Fiesta and Focus sedans, Ford dropped from 10th last year to 20th out of the 28 major car makers in the Consumer Reports 2011 Annual Auto Survey. Read MarketWatch coverage of Ford earnings The pipeline that may change the oil world A proposed pipeline stretching from Canada to the Gulf coast of the United States may contribute to a rise in the nation's prices for oil and has the potential to significantly change the landscape of the oil market. It's called the Keystone Gulf Expansion Pipeline Project, or Keystone XL, and a final decision on permit approval is expected by the end of the year. Read the Commodities Corner column that explains it all. Get the latest news on our mobile site: http://www.marketwatch.com/m MarketWatch has sent you this newsletter because you signed up to receive it. To ensure you receive this newsletter in the future, please add marketwatchmail.com to your list of approved senders. Sent to: kumaresan.selva.blogger@gmail.com Unsubscribe | Subscribe Copyright 2011 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc. 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