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Investors may be headed toward a 'fiscal cliff'

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Investors may be headed toward 'fiscal cliff'

Facebook's stock should trade for $13.80

Frustrated borrowers seeking mortgage help

Home sales rise while bank loans slip

Well, it's that time of year again. Getting ready for the traditional start of summer, planning a fun Memorial Day barbecue, dreaming about a summer vacation, and defending your portfolio against a 30% drop in stocks and another debt-ceiling crisis. Ah, the lazy days of summer. Right. Go ahead an enjoy the season, but don't ignore the economy. In our Weekend Investor report out today, Andrea Coombes looks at essential portfolio moves to consider ahead of a debt debate like the one that hammered stocks in the summer of 2011 and big changes in tax laws.

Also today, amid a furor over the pricing and the glitches and the who-knew-what-and-when questions, Mark Hulbert poses another big but underasked question: What should be the price of Facebook's stock? He says $13.80.

--, Managing Editor, Personal Finance

INVESTING

Investors may be headed toward 'fiscal cliff'

Investors are reeling from Europe's deepening economic crisis, but they may soon find themselves battered closer to home as the U.S. economy closes in on another debt-ceiling debate and teeters toward the edge of a "fiscal cliff."Read more: Investors may be headed toward 'fiscal cliff.'

Facebook's stock should trade for $13.80

What should be the price of Facebook's stock? This is the question that investors should be asking but, surprisingly, few are doing so, writes Mark Hulbert.Read more: Facebook's stock should trade for $13.80.

Environmental clues to global growth sectors

Worldwatch's new "Vital Signs 2012" report is important on two levels, highlighting growth sectors that can be mined for investment opportunities as well as pinpointing environmental challenges.Read more: Environmental clues to global growth sectors.

Consumers should reward supply-chain heroes

Investors should reward companies that act ethically all the way down their supply chains, writes Thomas Kostigen. Read more: Consumers should reward supply-chain heroes.

Skip the tip at Noodles & Co.

Kevin Reddy, chief executive of Noodles & Co., says one reason his restaurant chain keeps growing is that his customers don't have to leave a tip, Al Lewis reports.Read more: Skip the tip at Noodles & Co.

REAL ESTATE

Frustrated borrowers seeking mortgage help

Lew Sichelman shares readers' tales of borrowers seeking mortgage help--and failing miserably. Read more: Frustrated borrowers seeking mortgage help.

ECONOMY & POLITICS

Home sales rise while bank loans slip

See the charts of the week's economic data, which show improving housing activity and prices, while banks are lending less. Overseas, Germany's economy is facing trouble, and Japan is still in a deflationary environment.See charts: Home sales rise while bank loans slip.

Brighter jobs view pushes sentiment higher in May

Brighter views on employment led consumer sentiment higher in May, according to a gauge released Friday by the University of Michigan-Thomson Reuters.Read more: Brighter jobs view pushes sentiment higher in May.

Asia more exposed than ever to global crisis

Asia faces serious exposure to global contagion risks, according to investment banking research this week seeking to gauge the fallout of a financial accident in the euro zone. Read more: Asia more exposed than ever to global crisis.