By MarketWatch MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE U.S. stock futures point to a downbeat start Thursday, after weekly jobless claims come in nearly as expected and fail to offset pessimism surrounding the world economy that was weighing on markets. See full story. Figures show record Wall St. profit after bailouts Wall Street pulls down record profits in the wake of government bailouts across the industry, the New York State Comptroller says. See full story. Paulson & Co. to launch gold fund The hedge-fund firm that made billions of dollars betting against subprime-mortgage securities, is starting a gold fund, tapping into investor concern about a weak U.S. dollar and inflation. See full story. Thursday's biggest gaining and declining stocks Among the shares expected to see active trade in Thursday's session are the semiconductor firms as well as Aetna, Campbell Soup, Hot Topic, Jack in the Box, Limited, NetApp, Sears, Sony, Stage Stores and Williams-Sonoma. See full story. Europe shares lower with miners, Danone pressured Lower commodity futures drag on miners and shares of yogurt maker Danone fall after it cuts its target for sales growth in the medium term, pressuring Europe's equity benchmarks. See full story. MARKETWATCH COMMENTARY Sometimes the stars align and forces collide in a special place at a unique point in history. This was the case last week when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg hailed the Yankees after their World Series win, writes David Weidner. See full story. MARKETWATCH PERSONAL FINANCE Lilia Escajeda, a vice president at Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas, says she doesn’t understand why other banks don’t offer small loans to low- and moderate-income borrowers.

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