Who was Qassem Soleimani, and why is his death a major development in U.S.-Middle East relations?

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE

Qassem Soleimani, leader of the foreign wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in a U.S. airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport Friday domestic time, likely escalating long-brewing animosities between Tehran and Washington. See full story.

Dow logs worst day in 4 weeks, amid rising Middle East tensions and weak U.S. factory data

U.S. stocks ended lower Friday, but off session lows, hurt by escalating tensions in the Middle East and U.S. manufacturing activity that fell to its lowest level in about a decade. See full story.

It now costs the average worker a record 114 hours’ pay to buy the S&P 500

Stocks lurch toward fresh records to commence the first trading day in 2020, but those gains have raised some questions about the run-up in values for broad-market U.S. equity benchmarks. See full story.

‘Nothing is ever his fault, everyone is out to get him.’ Our brother inherited our late mother’s home and it was repossessed. He’s now in prison — do I send him money?

‘He lost our mother’s property after obtaining a high-interest mortgage so he could buy a motorcycle, which he also lost as a result of an accident.’ See full story.

This gorgeous country is the No. 1 place to retire abroad — and you can do it on just $2,200 a month

International Living is out with its list of the best places to retire abroad See full story.

MARKETWATCH PERSONAL FINANCE

‘My stepmother has no children. My father has named her his beneficiary to his retirement, so it’s not as if she will be left destitute.’ See full story.