Weekly Roundup: MarketWatch's top 10 stories, March 4 - 8

	Weekly Roundup MARCH 08, 2013 MarketWatch's top 10 stories, March 4 - 8 By MarketWatch SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — So, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit record closing levels four days in a row this week, powering through the high it set back in 2007, just before the financial crisis knocked the wind out of the economy and the financial markets. The drive behind the rise came from solid corporate earnings, improving economic data and a dawning realization that the world would not end when the damaging federal spending cuts known as the sequester started to go into effect. Opinions about where the market will go next are many and varied, and MarketWatch is a good place to come to find them. The Dow (DJIA) closed up 67.58 points or 0.5% at 14,397.07 on Friday, a gain of 2.2% on the week. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index (SPX) gained 6.92 points or 0.5% to close at 1,551.18 on Friday. For the week, the benchmark index gained 2.2%. Meanwhile the Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) rose 12.28 points or 0.4% to close at 3,244.37 on Friday and notch a rise of 2.4% for the week. Stay tuned to MarketWatch over the weekend for all the news you need to organize your portfolio. We'll have full coverage over the weekend of all the Chinese economic data that may affect global markets. Please take a moment to watch our week ahead videos.  U.S. Week Ahead: Is it the S&P's turn?  Europe's Week Ahead: Watching China again. — Christopher Noble , assistant managing editor. Bull vs bear Where will the Dow go next? MarketWatch surveyed a dozen top market strategists, economists and prognosticators. Here are what the views of six bulls and six bears. Stock bulls vs bears: A 12-chart battleground. Time to sell? Investors in Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), which recently emerged as the company with the best reputation in the eyes of the public, can only hope the company's fate is better than that of Apple Inc. (AAPL), says Mark Hulbert. Everyone loves Amazon — is it time to sell? 6 for Buffett Warren Buffett's checkbook is wide open for giant acquisitions to bulk up Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio. But meanwhile, he's finding plenty of stock investments to keep him busy. 6 stocks Warren Buffett hunted in 2012. Misleading? It's hard to completely trust any government that reserves the right to assassinate me (or you) with a robot airplane, says Rex Nutting. So it's no wonder to him that many people are skeptical about the government's economic data. Why the unemployment rate is so misleading. The next Saudi Arabia Following the death of longtime President Hugo Chávez, Venezuela has an opportunity to become the oil world's new Saudi Arabia. After all, Venezuela surpasses Saudi Arabia when it comes to proven oil reserves, it just hasn't been able to recover that much of it. Post-Chavez Venezuela: Oil's next Saudi Arabia? Cheap oil A year from now, oil will cost a little more than half what it does now, according to a Robert Aliber. As a result, families will have more disposable income, businesses will have much lower operating expenses, and trillions of dollars now tied up in gas tanks will flow into the broader world economy. Cheap oil to the rescue, economist predicts. Drought On the heels of the worst U.S. drought since the 1950s, long-range weather forecasts are showing that not only will the drought continue, it will intensify. Consequences could be disastrous for farming and ranching communities across the Midwest — and lead to another spike in commodities prices. Summer drought may clobber the Midwest. Open box Pandora Media Inc. (P) reported better-than-expected results for the fourth quarter giving its stock a sharp boost despite the surprise additional news that its CEO plans to step down. Pandora jumps on results, CEO to step down. House hunting After years of stagnation, home prices in many markets are still rising. But buyers can still find plenty of deals in foreclosures and other distressed properties. 5 cities where houses are still cheap. Stress test Major independent U.S. banks, having established their basic financial health by passing the Federal Reserve's stress tests, are likely to embark on a round of dividend increases and share buybacks in 2013 as they seek to return more cash to long-suffering shareholders. Stress test signals end to banks' dividend drought. 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 2013 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