Personal Finance Daily: Defend against debt, economic risks

Personal Finance Daily MARCH 01, 2012 Thursday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Defending against sovereign debt, economic risk Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages drop The best are bullish, the worst are not Dow 13,000 now; 116,200 by 2046 What could possibly go wrong? Well, despite the increasingly optimistic economic indicators and strength in equities, writes Robert Powell, investors need to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. He talks with several financial advisers who say that the threat of a market correction and global economic weakening still loom. They advise investors to consider domestic investments with a higher degree of certainty — as unexciting as that may sound. Take a look at some of their recommendations. Also on MarketWatch, it's the March edition of Trading Strategies. March has a recent history of sharp market turns. Will this year be different? Our experts look at the charts and signals across a wide array of asset classes to gauge where the markets are headed in this tumultuous month. Take a look at the full special report. — Anne Stanley , managing editor, Personal Finance Rates on fixed-rate mortgages drop Rates on fixed-rate mortgages fell this week, with the 30-year fixed mortgage averaging 3.9%, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgage rates. Read more: Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages drop. What could possibly go wrong? With equities gaining and economic indicators improving, what could go wrong? Plenty. You need to defend your portfolio against sovereign debt risk and global economic weakness. Read more: What could possibly go wrong? ECONOMY AND POLITICS Wage gains lift incomes by 0.3% in January Americans dip into their savings slightly to keep buying goods in January as incomes continue to advance. Read more: Wage gains lift incomes by 0.3% in January. Manufacturing expansion slows in February For the first time in four months, the pace of growth at U.S. manufacturers is slowing down, according to data released Thursday that rattled markets and raised questions about U.S. economic strength. Read more: Manufacturing slows in February. Michigan road-tests campaign's economy plans Democrats and Republicans interviewed around the Detroit area explain how Campaign 2012's economic themes are playing out in Michigan, offering a preview of the fall election in the critical battleground of the Midwest. Read more: Michigan road-tests campaign's economy plans. Construction spending slips 0.1% in January Despite warm weather that seems to have given a lift to housing, construction spending dropped in January after businesses spent less. Read more: Construction spending slips 0.1% in January. U.S. jobless claims little changed at 351,000 New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits were barely changed last week and appear to have settled in a range consistent with modest hiring trends. Read more U.S. jobless claims at 351,000. Two-thirds of economists say weather juicing data Two-thirds of Wall Street economists say abnormally warm weather is making the U.S. economy look stronger than fundamentals would suggest, according to a survey released Thursday. Read more: Two-thirds of economists say weather juicing data. INVESTING Dow 13,000 now; 116,200 by 2046 Chuck Jaffe's favorite market forecast of all time came in the fall of 1995, when mutual-fund pioneer Bill Berger came to Boston and predicted the Dow Jones Industrial Average would rise to 116,200. Read more: Dow, 13,000 now; 116,200 by 2046. A calm (and successful) bull While it was a down day for stocks, one top-performing investment letter, the Alcosta Growth Report, remains calmly bullish, reports Peter Brimelow. Read more: A calm and successful bull. The best are bullish, the worst are not The stock-market timers with the best long-term record are, on balance, bullish. Read more: The best are bullish, the worst are not. March investing with an eye on Greece Don't let down your guard this month, advises Jim Lowell. Read more: March investing with an eye on Greece. Bond bubble, toil and trouble As long as interest rates are low, it costs very little to issue even more debt. Read more: Bond bubble, toil and trouble. 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