What did MarketWatch readers want to read about this year?
The stock market suddenly was no longer a one-way bet, and every selloff sparked fresh worries. Readers were captivated by family feuds and battled over #FakeNews.
There’s still no end to the debate over the best time to start taking Social Security, though we tried to end that one with this test of Social Security calculators. Retirement is more than that, however, and seemingly everyone had an opinion about the FIRE movement (financial independence, retire early), though not always expressed as vociferously as Suze Orman did. That sparked a whole other debate over whether $5 million is the magic number.
And, perhaps surprisingly, readers really wanted to know if their local Sears or Lowe’s was shutting its doors.
In case you missed them, these are 10 of MarketWatch’s most-read articles of 2018.
1. How biased is your news source?
You probably won’t agree with this chart.
Fake news travels fast, especially when there’s a political agenda attached to it. The wife of a Supreme Court justice was swept up in this fake item about the migrant caravan — another popular read.
2. All of the year’s gun incidents in the U.S. on one map
This is just through Oct. 27, just after the mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. The numbers have swollen since then, of course, and the number of mass shootings, as compiled by Gun Violence Archive, an independent data-collection and research group, reached 337 through Dec. 27, by its count — almost one per day.
3. Ah, family!
The most popular Moneyist column of the year: My new wife wanted to live with me for free, even though she had $800,000 in the bank — so I asked her to move out.
The Moneyist struck a chord frequently in 2018, with the husband who feels his wife used him for his money and the stepmother’s greedy children joining the evicted bride among MarketWatch’s most popular articles of the year
4. Year of the bears
The stock market caused plenty of worry, and the most popular articles on the S&P 500
SPX, +0.18%
and Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA, +0.11%
were all about fear.
This was in March: The stock market is on the brink of an absolute breakdown
Then came this warning at the end of July
Readers also glommed on to a Jim Cramer rant and this gloomy message in the fall from the godfather of chart analysis.
5. A tragedy, played out on Facebook
6. The secret to a longer life
Harvard scientists say these 5 things can prolong your life by a decade.
7. An unfair market
How Wall Street’s ‘fear gauge’ is being rigged, according to one whistleblower. The Cboe disagrees.
8. The new tax rates and retirement planning
How the new tax law creates a ‘perfect storm’ for Roth IRA conversions.
9. Worthless bitcoin
A year ago, bitcoin
BTCUSD, +7.46%
seemed headed to the moon, and readers were looking for the next hot crypto.
Now the talk is of a death spiral. And both sides are still arguing ferociously.
10. Disruption at work — but also opportunity
If you’re over 40 and work, you’re in for some big surprises.
Have this weekly roundup sent to your inbox. Subscribe to MarketWatch’s free Weekly Roundup newsletter. Sign up here.
Source : MTV
