Weekly Roundup: MarketWatch's top 10 stories: March 12-16

Weekly Roundup MARCH 19, 2012 MarketWatch's top 10 stories: March 12–16 By MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks ended higher for the week closed on March 16, but a loss on Friday ended the Dow Jones Industrial Average's longest winning streak in more than a year. The Dow (DJIA) closed up 2.4% for the week. The S&P 500 (SPX) ,in a coincidence, also rose 2.4% from its week-ago close. And the Nasdaq (COMP) finished the week with an identical 2.4% gain. As the new week gets underway, in addition to revisiting last week's highlights below, check out our weekly preview videos for the U.S., European and Asian markets.  U.S. week Ahead: FedEx, Nike Results, Housing Data  Europe Week Ahead: Budget and EU Production  Asia Week Ahead: Are China's Banks' Profits Growing? — Greg Morcroft, assistant managing editor Billionaire David Tepper's dividend stock picks David Tepper is one of the most successful hedge-fund managers of the last decade. He returned about 30% per year on average for his investors during his 18-year career. He specializes in distressed investing. His fund, Appaloosa, made about $7 billion by purchasing distressed financial stocks such as Bank of America in February and March of 2009. Tepper is also one of Meena Krishnamsetty's favorite hedge-fund managers, and she reports in a Trading Deck analysis that she relies on his stock picks to uncover dividend stocks with upside potential. Read about Tepper's favorite dividend stocks on MarketWatch's Trading Deck. Goldman Sachs Judas blazes media path Greg Smith gained an overnight reputation as the Judas of Goldman Sachs(GS) by writing a scathing indictment of the investment bank. Talk about creating a buzz: Smith took the extraordinary step of writing a highly unflattering op-ed piece in the New York Times. By doing so, he broke ranks with a world in which the big-money crowd on Wall Street happily pockets its bonuses and doesn't tend to rock the boat in public. Read Jon Friedman's Media Web column on Goldman executive's bombshell resignation letter. Memories of the first Nasdaq 3000 in 1999 Just two weeks after the Nasdaq (COMP) closed above 3,000 for the first time, in November 1999, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates gave a keynote address at the Comdex trade show. Remember that? As the Nasdaq bounces around 3,000 again, it might be useful to walk down memory lane and look at the tech world over a decade ago, to see what has changed and what — if anything — we learned. Read Therese Poletti's Tech Tales, on MarketWatch How $100-plus oil can prime your portfolio Don't get mad at high gasoline prices; get a piece of the action. Many stock-market strategists believe the energy sector will be among the best places to invest this year. Production of natural gas is rising, and oil is topping $100 a barrel, giving investors a deep well of possibilities. Energy stocks with the most bullish ratings from analysts are a logical starting point for investors looking to counteract the sting from pricier crude oil and $4-a-gallon retail gasoline prices in the U.S.Read about how to hedge your high energy costs by investing in the sector. Natural gas: U.S. energy market's best bargain? For those who follow the natural-gas markets, it was no shock to see the commodity fall to its lowest level in a decade, but prices may finally be nearing a bottom as production levels continue to slow. "Gas is more than a bargain. It is not sustainable at this price," said James Williams, an energy economist at WTRG Economics. "The question isn't whether prices will rise, but when." Read full story on the investing opportunity in natural gas. Canada's housing market flirts with bubble Small waterfront homes in Vancouver, British Columbia.Rising home prices over the past decade, combined with mounting household debts, have fed concerns that Canada's housing market has formed a bubble that's about to burst. "We call it a tug of war," said Sonya Gulati, economist in regional economies, housing and government finance at TD Economics, an affiliate of Toronto-Dominion Bank. "Low interest rates make people want to participate in the housing market, but with modest growth, not strong job creation, we can see a negative repercussion on the horizon." A crash, or even sharp retreat, in home prices would contrast to the resilience of Canada's housing market during the economic downturn, particularly compared to its U.S. counterpart. Read MarketWatch coverage of Canada's housing market. Investment opportunities as housing improves The housing market in the U.S. is showing some signs of recovery, and if the trend continues, investors will be looking for opportunities."The housing market is showing some evidence of stabilization and even improvement in the U.S.," said Dan Kelley, the portfolio manager of the Fidelity Trend fund. "And with a reduction in inventory and an appreciation of rental rates across many markets, investors are taking another look and recognizing the value proposition the sector can provide." Unfortunately, finding those investment opportunities might not be so easy at the moment. Read Robert Powell's Your Portfolio column. If you're a worker,, you're being Googled Many workers believe, wrongly, that their Facebook comments are seen only by online "friends." Or only "followers" read their tweets. But e-comments can, and do, infiltrate professional and personal circles, and employees should be discreet as social-media platforms and company policies evolve. Job seekers, too, should be aware that human-resources departments use online searches to vet candidates. "I don't know any recruiter who doesn't Google prospective hires, especially in positions for professionals that will face the public," Ruettimann said. Read about how Google tells prospective employers your private information. Civil war over, Sri Lanka tourism blossoms Brad Hayes arrived at China Bay, just outside this harbor city on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, in rare style.The 47-year-old Australian chemical engineer was among the few paying passengers on a Sri Lankan Air Force flight from the northern city of Jaffna. The 45-minute hop was comfortable and generally uneventful, he said, save for the high-caliber bullet hole in the propeller plane's fuselage right next to his seat."At least I had natural air-conditioning," Hayes quipped. Newly idled armed forces are just one of the players jostling for a piece of the booming travel and tourism pie as concerns large and small, foreign and domestic, launch or relaunch projects that were on hold during the civil war. Read MarketWatch report on booming tourism in Sri Lanka. Apple's run puts question to Wall Street As shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) briefly flirted with the $600 mark this week, the recent run-up is going to force many analysts to rethink their views on the popular stock. Given the love that Wall Street has typically showered on Apple , it's not a big mystery as to what many brokers will choose to do. In the past week, more than a dozen have pumped up their price targets on Apple's shares, and more are expected to do the same, given that the stock is now well above the targets of several analysts who have maintained buy ratings on the shares.In other words, don't expect too many analysts to stick their necks out and downgrade Apple — especially in a year in which investors are expecting not only the first LTE-based iPhone but also an Apple-branded iTV. Read analysis of Apple share price by Therese Poletti , plus Monday's breaking news of Apple's dividend and share-buyback plan . 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