Investing

At a time when the government can’t seem to make a decision about any key tax issue, U.S. lawmakers are on the verge of long-awaited mutual-fund tax reform that could be a real help to individual investors.

U.S.-stock mutual-fund investors got an unexpected surprise in September, helping them to forget August’s gloom and delivering quarterly gains across all major categories.

Gold's string of record-breaking leaps has much to do with the growing popularity of exchange-traded funds, says Tom Lydon, editor of ETFTrends.com. This Week In Mutual Funds. Interview with MarketWatch's Jonathan Burton.

Precious metals, REITs, and Chile, Turkey, and Thailand and Malaysia stock indexes lead the way.

The U.S. dollar rises on renewed worries about the impact of the single-currency region’s ongoing debt woes.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks tallied mild losses Monday after economic data had factory orders down 0.5% and pending home sales rebounding 4.3% in August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 3.48 points at 10,826.20. The S&P; 500 fell 2.22 points to 1,144.02. The Nasdaq Composite declined 10.6 points to 2,360.16.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- CBS Corp. sold $600 million in bonds on Monday. The debt maturing in 2021 carried a coupon of 4.30% and the 2040 bonds yield 5.90%, the media company said in a release. The proceeds will help the company repurchase up to $250 million in debt due in 2012 and all of its notes due in 2051, with any remaining portion available for general corporate purposes.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Treasury prices and the dollar held onto gains on Monday after a pair of reports showed factory orders fell 0.5% and pending home sales rose 4.3% in August. The dollar index , a measure of the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, rose to 78.375, from 78.361 before the data and from 78.070 late Friday. The euro fell to $1.3698, compared to $1.3701 earlier and down from $1.3784 in late New York trading Friday. Yields on 10-year notes , which move inversely to prices, fell 2 basis points to 2.49%.

A surprisingly weak consumer-confidence report sends investors scrambling, as the dollar plunges, Treasurys rally and stocks actually plunge and then rally. Deborah Blumberg, Eduardo Kaplan and Paul Vigna discuss.

Stocks are weak, despite M&A; activity from Wal-Mart, Unilever and Southwest Airlines, which are looking beyond the weak US market. That weakness is also what's keeping oil prices rangebound. George Stahl, Jerry DiColo and Paul Vigna discuss.

Liam Pleven explains why companies, many of which have seen double-digit increases in raw materials, are testing whether they can pass higher costs on to recession-battered customers. Plus, why carbon and green are red hot in Paris.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - The U.S. dollar recovered some ground and Treasury prices remained under pressure on Friday after a pair of reports showed a gauge of manufacturing in the U.S. slipped and consumer confidence improved more than some analyst expected in September. The dollar index , a measure of the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, traded at 78.332, from 78.291 before the data and down from 78.779 late Thursday. The euro traded at $1.3722, versus $1.3741 earlier and still up from $1.3633 in late North American trading Thursday. Yields on 10-year notes , which move inversely to prices, rose 2 basis points to 2.54%, after being up 5 basis point before the data.

President Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is set to resign tomorrow and is expected to be replaced, at least temporarily, by Senior White House Advisor Pete Rouse. Jonathan Weisman discusses. Plus, did the big government bailouts work?

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures were on the rise again Thursday after finishing at another record high the prior session. Gold futures for December delivery were up $4.6 to 1,314.90 in electronic trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract ended at a record high of $1,310.30 an ounce on Wednesday.