U.S. jobless claims drop 27,000 to 365,000

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE

The number of people who applied for jobless benefits fell last week, the first drop in a month, to just slightly above a four-year low. See full story.

Don�t be fooled by the weak ADP report

The ADP jobs report is like a margarita, writes Kathleen Madigan, best taken with some salt. See full story.

Expect stagnant U.S. economy in 2013: Roubini

High-profile economist Nouriel Roubini says the nation can expect a stagnant economy in 2013 after struggling to grow in 2012. See full story.

�Growth compact� in focus as ECB meets in Spain

ECB President Mario Draghi will be quizzed on exactly what he means by a euro-zone �growth compact� when he holds his monthly news conference on Thursday. See full story.

ECB leaves rates unchanged; Draghi awaited

The European Central Bank on Thursday, as expected, left its key lending rate unchanged, with investors eager to hear ECB President Mario Draghi�s assessment of the economy when he hosts his monthly news conference. 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.