Personal Finance Daily: Holiday season means green for florists

Personal Finance Daily DECEMBER 23, 2011 Holiday season means green for florists By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Holidays perk up wilting floral industry When to report assessment discrepancies What if Santa doesn't call on Wall Street? New year offers gold another shot at $2,000 Of the $20 billion or so doled out every year by Americans on cut flowers and potted plants, about a third of that is spent during the Christmas season. With the exception of Valentine's Day, which is condensed into an explosive one or two days and is the biggest selling period for cut flowers, the holiday is the busiest season for the floral industry, writes our Washington editor Maggie McNeil. But supermarket floral stands and online florists are pruning a bigger chuck from the traditional florist shop. Either way, it's probably not too late to pick up some greenery and blooms to add to the holiday cheer. MarketWatch's personal finance staff wishes all our readers a happy holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous new year. — Anne Stanley , Managing Editor, Personal Finance Holidays perk up wilting floral industry The holiday season is the busiest season for the U.S. floral industry, but local supermarkets are pruning part of the multibillion-dollar business from the traditional neighborhood florist shop. Read more: Holidays perk up wilting floral industry. When to report assessment discrepancies Most people want to keep their property taxes as low as possible, so they fail to correct mistakes in their files unless those miscues are in their favor, Lew Sichelman writes. Read more: When to report assessment discrepancies. ECONOMY AND POLITICS November durable-goods orders rise 3.8% Led higher by transportation equipment, orders for long-lasting U.S. goods show 3.8% growth for November, the largest such increase since July, according to government data. Read more: November durable-good orders rise 3.8%. Personal income rises 0.1% in November Personal income comes in 0.1% higher for November, as consumer spending increases at a 0.1% clip, Commerce Department data show. Both are less than forecast. Read more: Personal income rises 0.1% in November. INVESTING What if Santa doesn't call on Wall Street? A saying that gets repeated often this time of year on Wall Street is: "If Santa should fail to call, bears may come to Broad and Wall." But is there any support for this in the historical record? Mark Hulbert investigates. Read more: What if Santa doesn't call on Wall Street. 2011 was a year of horrors for hedge funds It has been a rough year for hedge funds and 2011 is shaping up as one of the worst on record as Europe's debt crisis and U.S. economic woes roil the financial markets. Read more: 2011 was a year of horrors for hedge funds. New year offers gold another shot at $2,000 Gold fell short in its run toward $2,000 an ounce this year, but one year's failure may lead to next year's success — or at least another good shot at it. Read more: New year offers gold another shot at $2,000. 5 hedge-fund managers to watch in 2012 Hedge funds operate like secret societies. Except for the initiated few who entrust their fortunes to fund managers, information is difficult to access. Yet sometimes the best sources are hedge fund managers themselves. Here are five worth watching in 2012. Read more: 5 hedge-fund managers to watch in 2012. Arab Spring thaws Middle East investments The Arab Spring may have thawed the investment freeze in the Middle East, Thomas Kostigen writes. Read more: Arab Spring thaws Middle East investments. 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. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (updated 6/26/07). MarketWatch - Attn: Customer Service, 201 California St., San Francisco, CA 94111