U.S. manufacturing growth picks up in April

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE

U.S. manufacturers continue their strong stretch of growth in April, as the See full story.

The VIX in presidential election years

After a spike in volatility prior to the 2008 presidential election, the idea became popular that election years were more volatile than others. Does the data prove that to be true? See full story.

Bears of May have come to play

With a year�s worth of gains already logged in the first quarter and technical deterioration across the board it looks like the bears are poised to take control, writes Michael Kahn. See full story.

3 ways to buy into a German recovery

Continuing problems in Europe have kept investors cautious, but just because there are problems in one part of the continent, doesn�t mean there aren�t good investments in another. See full story.

Sell Europe, buy Japan

Now that May is here, we�re hearing a lot in the investment wilds about cashing out. It�s not that simple, writes Jim Lowell. 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

Home prices in a majority of the markets covered in Zillow�s Home Value Forecast are set to bottom this year � if they haven�t already, according to a Zillow report released on Wednesday. See full story.