Personal Finance Daily: Global stock pros confess biggest fears

Personal Finance Daily FEBRUARY 10, 2012 Friday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Bigger cars get better insurance rates More refinancing help may be on the way 5 stock pros confess their biggest market worries Today, MarketWatch's Barb Kollmeyer talks to five seasoned professionals who are based outside of the U.S., from London to Hong Kong, about their biggest stock-market worries. European debt troubles, the fragility of U.S. economic growth and oil prices top their list. They also share their defensive strategies. Also in today's Personal Finance news on MarketWatch, Jennifer Waters takes a look at how our car insurance rates are calculated and shares that while we might think we're saving money on an economy car, the higher insurance rates may wipe out those savings. Who knew it might be less expensive for most people — insurance-wise, that is — to drive a minivan in the country? —Anne Stanley , Managing Editor, Personal Finance A special invitation Interested in bonds and other fixed-income investments? Planning to be in New York next week? You're invited to a free MarketWatch Investing Insights event, "Bond Bulls Stirred, Not Shaken." The event includes an evening of cocktails and conversation from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15 in New York. MarketWatch Editor-in-Chief David Callaway will host a panel discussion with guests Lee Munson, founder and chief investment officer of Portfolio asset management firm; Bill O'Donnell, head of Treasury strategy at RBS Securities; and MarketWatch senior columnist Robert Powell. To attend this free event, please RSVP with your name and contact information in an email to MarketWatchevent@wsj.com by Monday, Feb. 13. Bigger cars get better insurance rates You may think that new small, economy car you're eyeing will save you money in the long run because gas costs will be lower than your neighbor's minivan, but think again: The insurance rates could wipe those savings out, even if you're a great driver. Read more: Bigger cars get better insurance rates. More refinancing help may be on the way President Obama has just proposed a new, refinancing plan to help people who are upside-down on their mortgages through no fault of their own. Read more: More refinancing help may be on the way. INVESTING 5 stock pros confess their biggest market worries Global money managers talk about their biggest concerns for 2012 and how they are shaping portfolios to protect against what's lurking around the corner, namely Europe's sovereign debt crisis and U.S. growth fears. Read more: 5 stock pros confess their biggest market worries. How to make portfolio diversification pay off Portfolio diversification is fairly straightforward. What's less clear is diversification within the stock allocation alone, and how diversification shifts depending on an individual investor's time horizon. Read more: How to make portfolio diversification pay off. Emerging markets need strong American values American investors looking to emerging markets should share not only capital but what it represents: our strong values. Read more: Emerging markets need strong American values. The Bernanke gold trading strategy On Tuesday, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke testified before the Senate Budget Committee, and gold spiked upward. Mark Hulbert looks at whether the two events are connected. Read more: The Bernanke gold trading strategy. ECONOMY & POLITICS Consumer sentiment falls in February Led lower by views on current conditions, consumer sentiment falls in February, according to a preliminary report from the University of Michigan/Thomson Reuters. Read more: Consumer sentiment falls in February. December trade deficit at widest in six months The U.S. trade gap increases by 3.7% in December to $48.8 billion, the highest level in six months, according to Commerce Department data. For the year, the deficit hits $558 billion, 11.6% wider and the largest since 2008. Read more: December trade deficit at widest in six months. Republican race thrown into chaos — again The odds of a knock-down, drag-out fight at the Republican presidential convention in August rose this week after Rick Santorum's surprising victories. An old-fashionied "brokered" convention? Read more: Republican race thrown into chaos — again. 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