Oil ends at 9-month high on geopolitics, Greece

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE

Crude-oil futures rise to their highest levels since May as geopolitical tensions keep a fear premium in the markets and traders grow optimistic that the Greek saga is closer to an end. See full story.

U.S. Treasurys fall; 10-year yield tops 2%

U.S. Treasury prices fall for a second day Friday as investors bet on higher-risk investments on thinking Europe would keep a lid on Greece�s debt trouble. See full story.

Uncertainty not the economy�s problem: White House

Unique problems stemming from the debt crisis are holding back the pace of the recovery, the Obama administration said Friday, in a report that dismissed Republican arguments that uncertainty about an overreaching federal government was keeping the economy in the slow lane. See full story.

Gasoline lifts consumer prices 0.2% in January

Americans� cost of living rises 0.2% in January, driven higher by the first increase in energy prices in four months, according to Labor Department data. See full story.

Rising gas prices and declining utilities output

The week�s economic reports show inflation is on the rise, and that the warm weather is helping everyone but utilities. Plus, the Greek and German economies are a study in contrasts. 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

Some boomers are tapping their home equity and investing the money in tax-deferred accounts. There are risks and rewards to this sort of leveraging strategy. See full story.