Personal Finance Daily: Best, worst housing markets for the long haul

Personal Finance Daily JANUARY 23, 2012 Monday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: 5 best and 5 worst U.S. housing markets for the long term Auto Review: 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sport How to play the five big 'what ifs' of 2012 Put ETFs and mutual funds on the test track If you're in the market to buy a house, you're probably looking for a place you can stay put for a few years and have some confidence the value of your house has a positive outlook, Amy Hoak writes. She offers some information on the prospects for the U.S. housing market, along with the best and worst regions, as ranked by Local Market Monitor. The firm, which analyzes markets for the banking industry, covers 100 of the largest markets. Our slide show highlights the top five and bottom five markets. Not all the regions highlighted are thought of as popular places to live. But that's key, according to Local Market Monitor. The markets with the best outlook for real estate have good growth potential in terms of population and jobs, among other factors. Also in the day's Personal Finance news, Chuck Jaffe writes about the difference between mutual funds and ETFs. He says: Decide the asset class you want to be in and the preferred investment strategy — passive or active — that fits your overall goal. —Anne Stanley , managing editor, Personal Finance 5 best and 5 worst U.S. housing markets, long term Home buyers these days want to feel comfortable that the value of the house they buy isn't going to tank. Take a look at the five best and five worst U.S. housing markets, based on regional forecasts for the next three years. Read more: 5 best and 5 worst U.S. housing markets. 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sport Off-road adventures remain the Jeep's forte. Read more: 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sport. How to play the five big 'what ifs' of 2012 When it comes to investing, 2012 isn't the year to do nothing and just hope for the best. Read more: How to play the five big 'what ifs' of 2012. INVESTING Put ETFs and mutual funds on the test track There's a subtle distinction to make between ETFs and mutual funds, so first ask about the underlying assets and management before evaluating which one is right for you. Read more: Put ETFs and mutual funds on the test track. Gold's happy new year The metal starts strong, and junior golds look hopeful. Read more: Gold's happy new year. 5 money moves Mark Mobius is making now Mark Mobius is probably the only mutual-fund manager ever to be the subject of a comic book, and certainly the only one who earns the title of "Father of Emerging Markets Funds." Such is the mystique of Mobius, a pioneer investor in emerging markets, and an early believer in the potential for entrepreneurial countries in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, as well as Russia, to compete on the world stage. Read more: 5 money moves Mark Mobius is making now. Meet Suze Orman's newsletter guru What business has an estimated 1 million clients, operates on the fringe of securities law and can say just about anything without immediate consequences? Read more: Meet Suze Orman's newsletter guru. ECONOMY & POLITICS Why GDP report won't be sign of what's in store The economy probably grew at the fastest pace in 2011 in the final three months of the year, a report is expected to show this week, but the first quarter of 2012 probably won't be as strong, analysts say. Read more: Why GDP report won't be sign of what's in store. What's behind Republican attacks on the Fed Analysts say some bad political timing and a sense that the Fed is working hand in glove with the Obama White House has fueled the attacks on the central bank in the Republican primary. Read more: What's behind Republican attacks on the Fed. IMF chief urges action to avoid '1930s moment' The chief of the International Monetary Fund warns on Monday that the global economy could slide into a "1930s moment" unless Europe deals decisively with its debt crisis and other economic powerhouses such as the United States and China fulfill their responsibilities. Read more: IMF chief urges action to avoid '1930s moment.' 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 2012 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