Weekly Roundup: MarketWatch's top 10 stories, Dec. 17 - 21

	Weekly Roundup DECEMBER 21, 2012 MarketWatch's top 10 stories, Dec. 17 - 21 By MarketWatch SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks edged higher this week, lifted by optimism that a deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff would be struck. The week started out more optimistically and stocks made significant strides before fading in the later part of the week as negotiations bogged down and a deal looked less certain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell 120.88 points or 0.9% on Friday to close at 13,190.84, squeezing out a gain of 0.4% for the week. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) dropped 29.38 points or 1% on Friday to close at 3,021.01. For the week the index was up 1.7%. The benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 Index also fell Friday, dropping 13.54 points or 0.9% on the day to close at 1,430.15 while notching a 1.2% rise for the week. Stay tuned to MarketWatch over the weekend and throughout the holiday season. We'll have the latest developments on the fiscal cliff negotiations and all the other news you need to organize your portfolio and your life. Meanwhile, please take a moment to watch our Week Ahead video.  U.S. Week Ahead: Christmas and the fiscal cliff — Christopher Noble , assistant managing editor. Hoping for a better year As the year draws to a close, oil is poised for a sizable loss, gold readies for its smallest annual gain since 2008 and commodity traders look forward to a potentially better new year. Gold, Silver and oil markets hope for better year. Upstart takeover To longtime market professionals, the sale of NYSE Euronext (NYX), owner of the New York Stock Exchange, to the upstart IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) derivatives exchange based in Atlanta isn't the shocker it is for the general public. NYSE sale to ICE and the death of stocks. Fuzzy answers Shares of Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM) were rallying late Thursday on the company's better-than-expected earnings, when a vague answer about its plans for its services business on its conference call sparked the biggest one-day drop in its shares since 2008. Fuzzy answers on service fees hit RIM. Don't buy Tesla stock John Shinal wrote that Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) would have to go back to the federal government for more loans next year to stay afloat, given the state of the company's finances. But it could do something else: Sell more stock to the public. Why you shouldn't invest in Tesla stock. Ready for retirement If your retirement date is just a few years away, it's time to start fine-tuning your 401(k) and your overall savings strategy. Retirement experts offered these nine tips for savers who are nearing retirement. How to get your 401(k) ready for retirement. Insta - reversal Facebook's (FB) Instagram is going back to its original policy on advertising after an update triggered outrage among users. Users were particularly upset about a new privacy policy that appeared to give the photo-sharing service the right to do whatever it wants with user's content. Facebook's Instagram reverts to original ad policy after outcry. Miss manners There's more and more personal technology out there all the time. In fact, it's so personal that it isn't personal anymore, it's intimate. Of course once it's such a big part of our lives, it's important to know how to use it in public. 10 tech blunders to avoid in 2013. Making money in 2013 Many stock investors believe that 2013 will be their lucky number. They point to a menu of research reports lauding corporate America's relatively strong financial shape and the prospects for the U.S. economy's steady, however slow, growth. By this logic, even holders of low-yielding bonds can expect a steady road for nongovernment debt. 10 money-making investment ideas for 2013. Panic time? You're a stockholder in Apple (AAPL). And — how should I put this? — you're freaking out. Your wonderstock has collapsed by 25% in the past three months. That amounts to $170 billion in market value. (To put this in context, the amount of value Apple has lost is three times the entire market value of Boeing.) Should you be panicking? Should you sell? Stick your head under the pillow? Apple investors, should you panic? Can't always get what you want Summoning a sense of urgency about the looming fiscal cliff, President Barack Obama on Friday pressed lawmakers to accept a scaled-back deal to avert tax increases on the middle class and protect soon-to-expire unemployment insurance. Obama presses for smaller fiscal-cliff deal. 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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