Weekly Roundup: MarketWatch's top 10 stories, Oct. 8 - 12

	Weekly Roundup OCTOBER 12, 2012 MarketWatch's top 10 stories, Oct. 8 - 12 By MarketWatch SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — As the world waited for Spain to drop the other shoe, there was still plenty of political and corporate news to keep everyone occupied. All the uncertainties over Spain weighed on the financial markets, dragging U.S. stocks lower for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) rose 2.46 points to 13,328.85 on Friday, for a weekly loss of 2.1%. The broader S&P 500 index (SPX) shed 4.25 points to 1,428.59, 2.2% off from the previous week. The technology-laden Nasdaq Composite (COMP) slid 5.3 points to 3,044.11, closing out the week 1.4% weaker. As we look back on a busy week, here are previews of what to expect next week.  U.S. week ahead: Financials, techs to dominate earnings  Europe's week ahead: Focus on China data, EU — Sue Chang Spain downgraded to near junk S&P slashed Spain's sovereign rating to BBB- from BBB+, with a negative outlook, on Wednesday, bringing it in line with Moody's, which has Spain on review for a possible downgrade to junk status. The move spurred expectations that Spain will soon seek a bailout. See S&P cuts Spain to a notch above junk Biden vs. Ryan Vice President Joe Biden came out swinging against Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan in the 2012 vice presidential debate. But Ryan parried blow for blow in a spirited 90-minute debate that covered a multitude of topics including Medicare, Libya and taxes. See how Biden fared against Ryan in their only debate of the campaign EU wins Nobel Peace Prize The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the European Union the Nobel Peace Prize for 2012, citing in part the EU's effort to overcome economic struggles and social unrest in the region. It would have made a good April Fool's headline, except it wasn't April and it wasn't a joke. See EU's Peace Prize and the mockery of timing U.S. jobless claims drop to four-year low The number of U.S. workers who filed new applications for unemployment benefits dropped to 339,000 last week, the lowest level in more than four years, the Labor Department said. Still, analysts were cautious about reading too much into one week's report, noting that a single large state was responsible for most of the drop in claims. See jobless claims sinking to four-year low Treasury Department delays currency report The Treasury Department announced Friday that it would delay its next report on currency manipulation until after the election, avoiding a potential political hot potato as China's currency has appreciated. The report was due on Oct. 15 but is often late. See why the Treasury delayed the currency report Gold is primed for a breakout Gold prices may be ready to finally break free after trading within a less than $400-an-ounce range for more than a year. The tough part is figuring out which direction it will head once it's past the gate. Read gold primed for a breakout Workday IPO The wildly successful IPO of Workday (WDAY) is more than about investors' interest in companies offering cloud-based software applications. It is about revenge and a comeback for a David who lost out to Oracle's (ORCL) Goliath seven years ago. Read Workday IPO marks return of tech pioneer Your right to resell your own stuff is in peril MarketWatch reports on a little-known case that could restrict Americans' rights to buy and sell personal items like electronic gadgets, books, artwork, CDs and DVDs. Read about why your right to sell your iPhone 4 may be imperiled Facebook in retreat Facebook (FB) shares were under siege, losing 7% this week as investors and analysts remain skeptical about the social network company's business model. Facebook shares down 15% since Zuckerberg appearance Investment ideas in a cash-flush world This week, MarketWatch profiles two interesting investment ideas: dividend stocks and gold ETFs. Get your insights here: Investors love yield and hate risk. Why else would they still be dumping equities and chasing overvalued fixed-income investments like Treasuries, TIPS and high-yield bonds? But the one bright spot is dividend-paying stocks: As of late August, $13.6 billion of investors' cash has flowed into dividend-stock and equity-income mutual funds this year. Dividend stocks are investing's holy grail Inflows to gold exchange-traded products have risen in recent weeks as investors search for protection in markets awash in liquidity from central banks, and such moves are likely to continue through the end of the year. Investors flock to gold exchange-traded products in market awash in liquidity 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. 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