Personal Finance Daily: Moves to make if the U.S. gets downgraded

	Personal Finance Daily MAY 31, 2012 Thursday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Moves to make if the U.S. gets downgraded again Fixed mortgage rates hit new lows on euro fears Markets will rally when Greece leaves euro Will the U.S. be staring down the barrel of another downgrade this summer? Robert Powell writes in his Your Portfolio column that while another downgrade is unlikely, some financial advisers are recommending that investors be prepared. Take a look at their ideas. Also on MarketWatch, we report that the averages for mortgage interest rates over the past week have declined yet again, with the rate for the 15-year, fixed-rate mortgage dropping below 3%. Freddie Mac's chief economist, Frank Nothaft, pointed to resurgent worries over the euro zone's sovereign-debt crisis as cause for the latest drop. Fresh fears that Spain can't save its troubled banks sparked demand for assets typically seen as safe haven, such as U.S. Treasurys. —Anne Stanley , managing editor, Personal Finance Moves to make if the U.S. gets downgraded again The rating agencies have put America on notice, again: Come up with a credible plan to deal with the budget deficit or face yet another downgrade. That warning has investors wondering what, if any, moves to make with their money should Uncle Sam's credit rating get dinged — again. Read more: Moves to make if the U.S. gets downgraded again. Allure of hot tech sector rekindles Technology stocks have rebounded and are once again the darling of the market. Can the resurgence last? Read more: Allure of hot tech sector rekindles. Fixed-rate mortgages hit new lows Average rates for fixed mortgage again stuck historic lows over the past week, a decline that put the 30-year fixed mortgage rate at an all-time trough for the fifth straight week. Read more: Fixed-rate mortgages hit new lows. INVESTING Markets will rally when Greece leaves euro Worst-case scenarios seldom come true for pessimistic investors. The euro's demise will be caused by something else. Read more: Markets will rally when Greece leaves euro. Global crisis plays out in New York's gold markets An economy that incentivizes pawn brokers to gather family keepsakes so that gold refiners can melt them into uniform 400-ounce gold bars is hardly a policy maker's dream, Michael Casey writes in his new book, "The Unfair Trade: How Our Broken Global Financial System Destroys the Middle Class." Read more: Global crisis plays out in New York's gold markets. Is your stock a tennis ball or an egg? Despite the break, one top-performing newsletter veteran is cautious, but calm. Read more: Is your stock a tennis ball or an egg? Home prices are about more than housing Measures of home prices have become as numerous as dandelions in the lawn of a foreclosed home, writes Kathleen Madigan. Read more: Home prices are about more than housing. ECONOMY AND POLITICS U.S. GDP up 1.9% in first quarter, revised lower The U.S. economy expands at a 1.9% annual rate in the first quarter, slower than the 2.2% gain estimated a month ago, the Commerce Department reports Thursday. Read more: U.S. GDP revised lower. Hiring trend for private payrolls slows down: ADP Expansion in private-sector hiring rises 133,000 for May, up modestly from a revised total of 113,000 in April. Read more: Hiring trend for private payrolls slows. U.S. weekly jobless claims jump to 383,000 The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week jumped to the highest level in more than a month, the government reports, in another sign that the U.S. labor market is not improving as fast as it was earlier in the year. Read more: U.S. weekly jobless claims jump. India GDP growth could dip below 6% While India's economy is expected to have grown 6.1% in the final quarter of the nation's fiscal year, matching the previous quarter's growth, some economists think the number could come in below that mark given recent industrial weakness. Read more: India GDP growth could dip below 6%. 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