Weekly Roundup: Top 10: Markets react to Syria concerns

	Weekly Roundup AUGUST 30, 2013 To all Gmail users: To ensure that you continue to see your MarketWatch emails, please drag and drop one of our emails into your Primary tab and click "Yes" when asked if you would like to do this for future messages from MarketWatch. You can also add "MarketWatch" to your Gmail contacts list or filters. Top 10: Markets react to Syria concerns Top stories for the week of Aug. 26- Aug. 30 By Saumya Vaishampayan, MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — The markets reacted sharply to heated rhetoric about the Syrian government's alleged use of chemical weapons in an attack last week, with concerns about a possible U.S. military strike rippling across asset classes. President Barack Obama said Friday while no decision has been made, the attack that killed more than 1,000 Syrians could not be left unanswered. Secretary of State John Kerry hinted at U.S. military action in a separate statement Friday. Gold futures (GCZ3) briefly pushed above $1,400 an ounce this week in response, and though futures ended below that level on Friday, the yellow metal posted monthly gains of more than 6% . Oil futures ended the week 1.2% higher and the dollar is up about 0.9% for the week. Stocks ended the week with losses across the board. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell 1.3%, the S&P 500 (SPX) shed 1.8% and the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) lost 1.9% for the week. Don't forget to check out MarketWatch this (long) weekend to get all of your investing and retirement news. — Saumya Vaishampayan Feel the pain The potential of a military strike on Syria crushed U.S. stocks on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 170 points, led to a surge in gold and oil futures and pummeled emerging markets. Concerns receded a bit the next day but the rout in emerging markets continued. Global markets in turmoil on Syria strike fears Syria another 'wall of worry' for global markets Vicious cycle Don't forget about rising U.S. Treasury yields. That rise is exacerbating the selloff in riskier markets and countries with current-account deficits, which could eventually push yields even higher. Emerging markets risk tipping into a 'negative feedback loop' — chart Secrets are no fun Just because two people get married doesn't mean they'll tell each other everything, and research shows that many of these secrets are related to money. 10 things your spouse won't tell you iTrade Still holding on to old iPhones? Apple Inc. (AAPL) has launched a program to let consumers trade in old iPhone models for store credit in the U.S. Apple kicks off iPhone trade-in program Cash is king U.S. home sales are increasingly being financed by cash, but that might not be a sustainable trend. "The rise in cash sales is not a good long-term trend for the housing market," says Daren Blomquist, vice president at real estate data firm RealtyTrac. Nearly half of homes are purchased in cash Second-quarter GDP revised higher U.S. economic growth was revised higher for the second quarter to 2.5%, boosted in part by better trade data. U.S. second-quarter growth boosted to 2.5% Celebrate Warren Buffett's birthday with this strategy Investors might want to take another look at the billionaire's long-term investing strategy. While everyone's favorite holding period might not be "a lifetime," eliminating trendy stocks and diversifying assets could help rid a portfolio of some volatility. Invest with Warren Buffett's five-year plan How stocks react to strikes In light of a possible U.S. military action against Syria, take a look at how the stock market has reacted to major airstrikes in the past. The most recent strike took place in March 2011 in Libya, during which time the S&P 500 jumped nearly 4%. 9 stock market reactions to major airstrikes Birinyi: Syria gives investors reason to sell on the rumor, buy on the news Social security and the middle class Recent data shows that social security is a crucial source of income for many beneficiaries, especially for the middle class, providing at least half the income for 64% of those people in 2011, writes Robert Powell. Social Security is crucial to the middle class How low can it go? It was a disastrous week for the Indian rupee (USDINR), which stood out as one of the worst emerging-market performers. The dollar continued to mint record highs against the Indian currency this week, nearing the 69-rupee level on Wednesday, before the Reserve Bank of India stepped in to stem the decline. Indian central bank takes action as rupee plunges 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