Weekly Roundup: MarketWatch top 10 stories August 6 -- 10

	Weekly Roundup AUGUST 10, 2012 MarketWatch top 10 stories August 6 — 10 By MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch)—U.S. stocks ended the week higher, with all three major indexes above psychologically important levels. Solid gains early in the week were enough to stave off anxiety later in the period when ECB inaction seemed to contradict earlier statements from its President Mario Draghi about the central banks stimulus plans. Data about China's slowing exports worried markets on Friday, but the concern was not enough to offset upward pressure on shares. The Treasury market was active this week, as the 10-year note traded with a yield above 1.7% for much of the week as rising stocks siphoned off some of the cash that had sought refuge in the perceived safety of the U.S. government IOUs. Bonds picked up some ground on Friday though, and yields fell back under 1.7%. The Nasdaq (COMP) was the week's big winner even as it fell on Friday. For the week, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 1.8% to close at 3,020.86. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) added 0.8% for the week and closed at 13,26.06 on Friday. The Broader S&P 500 Index (SPX) rose 0.9% on the week, as earnings reports from the nation's biggest firms continued, but slowed as the quarterly parade of financial results draws to a close. The index closed at 1,405.80 on Friday. Gregory Morcroft, assistant managing editor Ten Things Apple won't tell you From customer service to app safety and even how its devices affect our relationships, here are 10 things Apple (AAPL) won't likely tell you about its products and its business. 10 things Apple won't tell you WWIII: Great commodities war to end all wars Yes, WWIII: The Great Commodities War to End All Wars. We've heard that before. Remember WWI, known as The War to End All Wars, 37 million casualties. WWII was bigger, 60 million. Will WWIII finally end all wars? Or end the world, civilization, planet? And it's already started folks, ending the Great American dream. Read Commentary: A new era of depletion, collapse and austerity Don't get suckered by the Draghi put They may well go down as the six most infamous words in the short history of the euro. "Believe me, it will be enough," European Central Bank President Mario Draghi told an investment conference in London last month as he pledged to do whatever was necessary to keep the euro together. The markets not very surprisingly jumped on the news. But a week later they were roughly let down. Read Commentary: Unlike Greenspan, ECB chief doesn't deliver at all Watch out for a correction—or worse Odds of a stock market correction are now quite elevated. That's because stock market timers are now more bullish than they were at the May 1 bull market high, even though the market averages are still slightly below those previous highs. This is not good from a contrarian point of view. Read Mark Hulbert commentary, on MarketWatch Myths about Canada, U.S. health care debunked It's a relief to see hard facts finally emerging on this side of the border about Canada's single-payer health-care system. Anyone who wants a strong, honest defense of the Canadian system should keep a copy handy (and print out, as I have) a well-written piece—a touchstone, actually—in the latest online edition of the journal of the U.S.' large and powerful AARP. Read Bill Mann commentary on MarketWatch Stocks stall, putting higher rates in focus Two turn-calling letters disagree on stocks—but expect higher interest rates. Octogenarian veteran Richard Russell is worried about the Dow Jones Industrial Average's persistent refusal to close above its May peak of 13,279.32. Meanwhile, Gray Emerson Cardiff's Sound Advice sees interest rates headed north. Stocks stall, putting higher rates in focus Top 10 turnaround housing markets Chances are good that your housing market is showing some improvement, as prices have inched up and the amount of inventory for sale has scooted down in many regions. Median list prices in the second quarter rose year-over-year in nearly 70% of the 146 markets that Realtor.com follows. For-sale inventories were down 20.17% in the second quarter, compared with a year ago, and median list prices were 2.93% higher, according to Realtor.com. Markets are moving faster as well, as the time spent on market was down 13.4% over the year. Housing inventory is down and list prices are up in these areas Put underachieving fund managers on the cutting block Savvy investors always try to learn from the pros, so when Vanguard Group axes a prominent money-management firm, it's a teaching moment. Vanguard announced on Thursday that it had kicked AllianceBernstein Holding LP off the portfolio management teams of Vanguard Windsor, Vanguard International Value and Vanguard Global Equity It's a move that most observers felt was long overdue. Read Vanguard knows when to fold 'em, on MarketWatch Let Buffett's 'moat' protect your portfolio Raise the drawbridge and man the parapets. Some investors are looking to defend their portfolios with help from mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that buy stocks of companies with "wide moats"—meaning barriers to entry that their competitors find extremely difficult to overcome. "Moat" is Warren Buffett's description of such an advantage. The famed investor has said that he seeks "economic castles protected by unbreachable 'moats.'" The idea is to buy, when they are reasonably priced, shares of companies that dominate their industries and show clear potential to maintain their superiority over decades. Read about how companies that vanquish rivals are stocks in shining armor Draghi stalked by the ghost of Bundesbank past Mario Draghi is a central banker with the brain of a nuclear scientist and the eyes of a medieval pope. He heads the European Central Bank, a modern-day monastic order with both spiritual and earthly powers. The perfect repository for his considerable skills. At the center of a struggle to give the ECB a prime role in saving the euro, he will need every one of them. The ECB boss will have to shake off, too, the legacy of previous tussles with the German Bundesbank. Read Germans trot out Schlesinger, the old warhorse, 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. 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