Weekly Roundup: MarketWatch top 10 stories March 26 - 30

Weekly Roundup MARCH 30, 2012 MarketWatch top 10 stories March 26 - 30 By MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks on Friday netted their biggest first-quarter rise in more than a decade. The S&P 500's (SPX) 12% rise would represent "a stunning year, and is even more so as a quarter. But I do think it's a comeback from an underexposed level for institutions; they were so scared they were hiding in defensive issues, and are now looking for opportunities to make money and not just hide. That shift alone has also helped move markets higher," said Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist at DowBull.com. Up 8.1% for the quarter, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)  also sealed its best first-quarter point gain in its history. The Nasdaq Composite (COMP)  rose nearly 19% for the first quarter. Also, please watch our Week Ahead videos:  U.S. Week Ahead: March Jobless Rate  Europe Week Ahead: Air Traffic, PMIs & Payrolls Greg Morcroft, assistant managing editor Apple supplier Foxconn agrees to changes Apple Inc. (AAPL) supplier Foxconn Technology Group has made "ground-breaking commitments" to improve working conditions at three factories where the computing giant's products are made, an auditor said Thursday. The Fair Labor Association, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group focused on workers' rights, said it found "significant issues with working conditions" at three China factories operated by Foxconn, a major Apple partner. Apple's popular iPhone and iPad products are manufactured at the facilities. Read about Apple supplier practices on MarketWatch A quarter to remember for global stocks You know it's been a wild quarter for equities when the topper is the public debut of a mac n' cheese specialist that will rival anything Facebook can throw at it. Yet the near doubling in shares of organic food maker Annie's Inc. (BNNY)  shares this week helped close out a quarter that defied almost all expectations, from the most bearish of euro skeptics to the most hopeful of easy money disciples. Anyone ready to double down for the second quarter? Didn't think so. Read Dave Callaway commentary on wild first-quarter for global markets, on MarketWatch Feeling bearish? Try these 3 ETFs We all know that old line about climbing the "wall of worry" and how sometimes the market can be resilient to doubters and bad headlines. However, many traders out there right now worry that even if an economic shock isn't in the works, that the market is just plain overextended — running to far, too fast. If you're in the bearish camp, don't feel like you have to go to cash and get defensive. The fact is that a number of ETFs can help you easily play the market's downside. Read MarketWatch to find three ETFs for the bears Best Buy's moves meet with investor skepticism Best Buy Co. (BBY) , the largest U.S. electronics chain, swung to a fourth-quarter loss, hurt by charges and lower sales of notebook computers and televisions.In moves to better combat the changing electronics retail market, the company also said on Thursday it plans to shut 50 of its unprofitable big-box stores this year while opening 100 of its smaller Best Buy Mobile locations as it targets $800 million in planned cost reductions by fiscal 2015. In a 90-minute conference call with analysts, Best Buy's Chief Executive Brian Dunn said he's disappointed with the company's performance and unveiled a set of actions that he said will benefit results in a market where traditional electronics sales, still the company's bread and butter, will likely decline again this year. Read MarketWatch coverage of Best Buy's fourth-quarter woes Bernanke: Not clear if good jobs trends will last Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday that improvement in the labor market might not be able to be sustained, comments that investors interpreted as an indication the central bank isn't willing to exit its ultra-easy monetary policy. "We cannot yet be sure that the recent pace of improvement in the labor market will be sustained," said Bernanke in a speech to the National Association for Business Economics. "There are a lot of things happening in the labor market we don't fully understand," he said. While the labor market may lead to a self-sustaining recovery, "we have not seen that in a persuasive way yet," Bernanke added. Read MarketWatch coverage of Fed chief's market-moving Monday talk Euro-zone boosts anti-contagion firewall Euro-zone finance ministers on Friday agreed to temporarily boost the lending capacity of the region's rescue funds to 700 billion euros ($934 billion) from €500 billion in an effort to convince markets they can contain the region's long-running sovereign debt crisis.Financial markets took the announcement in stride. The figure came in below the €1 trillion level pushed by international officials and others but was in line with overall market expectations. Read MarketWatch coverage of the latest, up-to-date news on the European debt crisis Court ambiguous on health care, but insurers OK It's uncertain how the U.S> Supreme Court will rule after this week's historic set of hearings on the Affordable Care Act, but insurers seem to be taking comfort in what the justices had to say. The nation's major managed-care providers all enjoyed robust gains in their stock prices Thursday, lifting the health-care sector near the top of the S&P 500. It was the first trading session after the nine justices concluded a rare six hours of arguments over the health-care reform bill that is considered President Barack Obama's signature achievement. The reason? While it is unclear how the court will rule, justices appeared sympathetic to the notion that if it strikes down the key provision that all citizens must buy insurance, then the requirement for carriers to provide coverage to all must be dropped as well. Read about this weeks hearing on Obamacare, and its market effect, on MarketWatch Can't pay your tax bill? You have options If tumbleweeds are blowing through your bank account and you're not sure how you're going to pay your tax bill, take a deep breath. Most taxpayers have a number of options available to them to slake the IRS's wrath.The bad news: Getting more time to pay usually isn't free. You may face fees, interest charges and possible IRS penalties, too. (The IRS currently charges interest of about 3% on unpaid tax debt, compounded daily.) Read MarketWatch's Taxwatch column MF Global's O'Brien takes Fifth at hearing An MF Global executive on Wednesday invoked her right against self-incrimination at a congressional hearing investigating how $1.6 billion of client funds went missing after the eighth-largest collapse in U.S. history. Edith O'Brien, the assistant treasurer, twice took the Fifth Amendment rights, and when asked by Rep. Randy Neugebauer, said she would take the Fifth to every question. Other MF Global witnesses did testify, including the current general counsel, Laurie Ferber, and chief financial officer, Henri Steenkamp, as well as the former North American finance chief, Christine Serwinski. Read MarketWatch coverage of the continuing probe into the MF Global collapse China, oil, pressure global stock-fund investors Economic trouble isn't over, over there, but buyers of international stocks are clearly over the shock that plagued both developed and emerging markets in 2011. Stock investors venturing outside of the U.S. waded into calmer waters in the first quarter, with every international mutual-fund category posting double-digit gains in the period.Yet while the rebound is healthy and welcome, the fear pendulum is swinging towards China, where the economy is slowing. Moreover, surging oil prices pose a new hurdle for global growth and could worsen any recession that may hit Europe. How to position portfolios against such uncertainty will dominate investors' attention in coming months. Read about the lurking risks in emerging markets that may be being overlooked, on MarketWatch 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