Initial jobless claims dropped by 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 382,000 in the week ended September 15. Here's the report:

In this stumbling economy, lots of folks are still looking for work, and they may incur some extra expenses while doing so. Here's a look at when you can claim federal income-tax deductions for job-hunting expenses and when you can't:

Paul Pagnato at HighTower joins Larry Kofsky at the NYSE. Going back to the 1920s, Pagnato says stocks tend to move up or down only 1% in the two months leading up to voting. Will the looming election impact your investing?

An unusually high number of buyers are walking away even after signing their home-sale papers. Nearly 18% of signed contracts on existing home sales were canceled during the three months ending July, according to data released this month by Capital Economics

The consensus is that Apple is headed significantly higher, says MarketWatch's Mark Hulbert, but you should remember Enron, which had buy ratings just before it went bankrupt.

Another sharp drop in oil futures prices today raised questions about how well oil markets are functioning and how much fundamental reasons are playing a role. Here's a rundown of what oil traders, analysts and energy officials are saying about oil's moves this week:

If the euro survives, and the crisis is fixed, what impact will that have? Here are five trades you should be thinking about:

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that magnify returns aren't suited for most investors, but a federal judge says "buyer beware" is still the operative rule. Ian Salisbury reports:

Wish airports and airlines offered better updates for your mobile device? A FlightView survey finds widespread frustration at terminals across the country. Listen and share your traveling horrors.

Bill Gates is the richest American for the 19th year in a row with a net worth of $66 billion. See the list of Forbes' richest people in America for 2012:

The number of new houses being built rose slightly in August to a 750,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate. That data disappointed investors, but despite the shortfall in August, the rebound in home building is far from stalling out, writes Rex Nutting.

Apple hit $700 a share in after-hours trading on Monday. The question is: Given $700, would you buy a single share or spend it at the Apple store?

Why buy stocks now? Bob Manning at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney says investors are facing that question. He talks to MarketWatch Radio Network.

Entries for our second annual World's Next Great Investing Columnist contest will close this Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. If you think you've got what it takes, submit a column of 400 to 800 words that showcases your writing prowess. We're open to submissions in any of the broad categories we think of as investing: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, currencies, options or even more exotic instruments.

More than half of parents are helping to support their adult children. Among them, 59% are covering living, transportation, medical and student loan expenses for children who are no longer in school, according to a study from National Center for Policy Analysis.

Apple has already seen its market value surge more than 70% since the first of the year, blowing away most other large and mid-cap tech firms. From The Tell:

With nine weeks to go and fares up 6% since last year, experts say now is the best time to book Thanksgiving travel:

Ford CEO Alan Mulally says it’s “very difficult” to predict where gas prices are going near-term. He talks with MarketWatch Radio Network about gas and the new Ford Fusion overtaking the Toyota Camry as best-selling car in the U.S.

Intel recently lowered its forecast and its shares have been down more than 12% in the last month and negative for the year to date. Intel is the weakest performer among large-cap tech stocks. The company can't seem to do anything right these days, writes tech columnist Therese Poletti.

The housing market isn't often a talking point for the presidential candidates as they focus on broader economic themes and job creation, writes MarketWatch's Amy Hoak. But there has been some discussion of the future of the mortgage-interest deduction. Take a look:

Is your smartphone bill ballooning by the month? Here are some tips for fighting that growing bill.

History shows that, as a presidential election nears, Wall Street - represented by the securities, banking, insurance and real-estate industries - tends to go with a winner. If Mitt Romney loses the Wall Street popularity contest, it could cost him the election. David Weidner's column:

Based on previous rounds of quantitative easing, precious metals and commodities seem most likely to gain, writes John Nyaradi in our Trading Deck. Three sectors poised to benefit from QE3:

Correction dead ahead? Paul Nolte sees a small setback this week and maybe next. But the Dearborn Partners managing director tells MarketWatch Radio Network the markets will “creep generally higher” the next few months as the Fed tries to bolster the economy.

Tempted by roadside produce? Here's what those quaint farm stands don't want you to know:

Most retirees recognize that health-care bills can put a strain on nest eggs. But a new study indicates that the costs, particularly in the last five years of life, are bigger than most people anticipate. Take a look at the report:

Moody's said the outlook for the auto sector remains stable for the next 12 months to 18 months. It said it would consider changing the outlook to positive if its global light-vehicle growth forecast exceeds 5% in the next two years:

Leading the wave of companies going public is Trulia, a San Francisco-based online real-estate listing firm that is expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker 'TRLA' on Thursday, Sept. 20.

Since the peak in early 2006, the median price of a U.S. home is down by a third. Of the 384 largest housing markets measured by real-estate data company Fiserv, 69 have seen home prices fall more than the national average.

Warren Buffett has invested only a small portion of Berkshire Hathaway's vast portfolio outside of the U.S., including Tesco, the U.K.-based retail chain. MarketWatch's Sue Chang reports:

More than 2 million orders for the iPhone 5 were placed in the first 24 hours - double the rate seen for iPhone 4S last year, but demand means some won't get handsets until October.

What's the next signpost for investors to watch? Mickey Cargyle at the Cargyle Investment Group talks to Larry Kofsky at the NYSE on MarketWatch Radio Network.

Under a law signed by President Obama in August 2011, spending would be reduced by $109 billion a year through fiscal 2021 if the White House and Congress can't work out a deal to avoid them.

Do you have what it takes to be the World's Next Great Investing Columnist? Enter our second annual contest and win a freelance contract:

The consumer price index jumped 0.6% in August to mark the biggest advance since June 2009, the Labor Department reported. Most of the increase stemmed from a 9.0% gain in the gasoline index, which also rose by the fastest amount in more than three years.

This week, Fidelity Investments unveiled a new financial rule of thumb in the form of retirement-savings guidelines based on its research. The take-away on the research is likely to be considered the next financial axiom, writes financial columnist Chuck Jaffe.

Now that Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has seen the damage that the stock drop has done to the image of his company, he's on board with the whole profit thing, says tech columnist John Shinal. Why Facebook is a trader's buy right now:

Take a look at Howard Gold's report card on Obama's economic performance. He was dealt a bad hand, but how well did he play it?

Without action from Congress, the top rate on dividends (now 15%) will expire at the end of this year, and revert to a staggering 43.4% (39.6% plus the health care surcharge of 3.8%) raising taxes by almost 190% for millions of Americans, reports economist Pinar Cebi Wilber.

MarketWatch polled several mutual-fund and money managers and asked which stocks are likely to be the most resilient once the euphoria of QE3 fades. Here are the 10 stocks that don't need a Bernanke-induced fix: