U.S. stock indexes start 2013 with big rally

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE

U.S. stocks surge on Wednesday as Wall Street welcomes 2013 and the last-minute move to avoid going off the fiscal cliff of steep spending cuts and tax increases. See full story.

Fiscal-cliff deal steers $70 million to Nascar

Car-racing organization joins Hollywood movie producers, Puerto Rican rum makers and even algae growers among bill�s benefactors. See full story.

What cliff deal means for your taxes

After weeks of wrangling and brinkmanship, Congress has finally passed a deal to avoid the dreaded fiscal cliff, striking compromises on a slew of outstanding tax questions, from what rates the wealthy will pay on income to who will face the dreaded alternative minimum tax. So what does the deal mean for you? Here�s a cheat sheet on the tax provisions that would change the most. See full story.

Most taxpayers should cheer fiscal-cliff bill

Most taxpayers can celebrate the provisions of the fiscal-cliff bill passed by Congress on Tuesday, at least with regard to tax law: the continuation of the income-tax rates they�ve enjoyed for a decade, certainty with regard to the alternative minimum tax, and the extension of a number of popular tax breaks. See full story.

13 Wall Street voices to ignore (or not) in 2013

On Wall Street, money talks, and the people (mostly) on this list walk. See full story.

MARKETWATCH COMMENTARY

The fiscal cliff is a misleading metaphor, writes Rex Nutting. The tax and spending laws will change on that day, it�s true, but the impact will be spread out over many, many months. We�re already feeling the pain. See full story.

MARKETWATCH PERSONAL FINANCE

Eight big stories that I think will dominate the fund world in the year ahead. They won�t dominate the news or the economy the way the fiscal cliff has in recent weeks, but they will set the tone for how investors are feeling about funds 12 months from now. See full story.