U.S. stock market’s rise leaves many behind

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE

The U.S. stock market�s stellar performance in 2012 is remarkable in part for the anemic trading volumes that have accompanied Wall Street�s rise See full story.

U.S. consumer spending jumps in February

While spending at the fastest pace in seven months, consumers� incomes rise at much slower clip in February. See full story.

Sentiment highest in more than a year

Consumer sentiment is the highest in more than a year, led by views on current conditions, according to a gauge released Friday by the University of Michigan/Thomson Reuters. See full story.

Falling jobless benefits behind slow income growth

One of the puzzles from Friday�s report from the Commerce Department is why consumer spending is running far ahead of personal income growth, causing the savings rate to fall to the lowest level since August 2009. See full story.

New RIM chief tries �kitchen sink� approach

In his first earnings conference call, Research In Motion�s new CEO distances himself from the previous management with plans for sweeping changes See full story.

MARKETWATCH COMMENTARY

Instead of acknowledging that banks have become a part of government, we keep pretending they are private institutions, writes David Weidner. See full story.

MARKETWATCH PERSONAL FINANCE

Is the state that you have designs on retiring to tax friendly or not? And the basic questions to answer are these: How does the state tax your income? How does it tax your property and your consumption? And what�s the overall tax burden? See full story.