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The article discusses the relationship between geopolitical unrest and the U.S. stock market, focusing on the strength of stocks compared with bonds and other assets. Other topics include corporate earnings for the second quarter, yield rates on government bonds and junk bonds, and fluctuations in the stock market.

The article reports on the recovery of the U.S. initial public offerings (IPO) market following the U.S. fiscal crisis in 2008. Topics include how the number of IPOs listed during the week of May 6, 2013 was the highest since December 2007, how IPOs in 2013 have yielded high dividends and returns on investment, and charts documenting the number of listed IPOs between 1995 and 2013 as well as their pricing relative to projected range.

The article focuses on Chinese investment behavior in January 2012. It states that as a result of flat real estate markets, low bank deposit returns, and a falling Chinese stock market, Chinese investors have started investing in traditional medicines, art-based stock markets, and other non-Western asset classes. President Long Xingchao of the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicines said that since 2010, prices of traditional medicines have surged partly due to speculation.

A correction to the article "Strong Market, Weak Returns-Why?" ion the December 18, 2015 issue is presented.

Reports that although the performance of mutual fund portfolios has improved over the last three years, these bullish-looking returns may mask a bear market. Reference to the fact that U.S. stock funds have gained an average 17.79% a year, according to research firm Morningstar Inc.; Suggestion from one financial analyst that it may make more sense to look at multiple time periods in order to gain a better perspective about the performance of a fund; Reference to five-year returns, which still reflect the beating that stock funds took in the bear market of 2000 to 2002.

The article discusses the economic conditions of the stock market with statistics on the annual total return of stocks through the end of November, analysis of stock and stock return patterns, and mention of the Shiller PE price earnings ratio.

Several charts and diagrams are presented with information related to stock markets as of December 3, 2012 including municipal finance rates, consumer rates, and corporate borrowing yields.

The article reports that the 10-year notes offered by the U.S. government were sold at the lowest yields on record since it failed to live up to the overall demand expectations of the stock market in August 2011.

The author comments on the investment adage that asset allocation should be based on the investor's age, which led to the emergence of target-date funds. He pointed out that the adage may have been created when bonds were yielding larger than they currently do and that it fails to consider declines in the life expectancy of investors and their long-term financial needs. He also argued that stock market returns have remained flat recently.

The article offers insights from Richard Smith, president of Capital Advisory Group LLC, about the stock market. According to Smith, there is a need for investors to be more prepared for a higher frequency of financial shocks than in the previous years. He points out that the markets have become highly correlated in recent years. He explains his strategy of investing a portion of his client's money with fund managers who can buy various kinds of investments. He stresses the importance of appropriate tax management to investors' returns.

The article considers the opportunities for investors interested in the European stock and bond markets and how they may avoid the traps associated with them. It states that Greek bond sales have yields much higher than safer German bonds. It notes the tendency of European markets to perform well after bouts of euro-weaknesses, according to Citigroup Global Markets. Two of the traps cited are currency fluctuations and very poor rating of corporate debts.

The article reports that the prices of Treasurys maturing in seven years dropped amid a rally in the U.S. stock markets but shorter-dated maturities have rebounded. The latest jobless claims report has pushed the 10-year note's yield to the intraday high of 3.456 percent. The benchmark 10-year note was down 3.32 points but its yield rose to 3.423 percent.

The article reports that Treasurys benefited from falling stock prices and month-end buying in the U.S. markets. The Shanghai Composite Index posted a loss of 6.7 percent. The benchmark 10-year note increased 4.375 U.S. dollars per 1,000 U.S. dollar face value. Yield for the 30-year bond also went up to 4.182 percent.

This article reports on the expected decline in the return of the California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers) for its latest fiscal year. The estimated decline for the fiscal year that ended June 20, 2009 is 55 billion U.S. dollars. Factors that affected the returns include the turbulent stock market, frozen credit markets and falling real-estate values. Marty Duffy of Moody's Investors Service points out the financial pressure facing Calpers.

The author examines the consequences of the move made by the U.S. Federal Reserve and others to inject liquidity into the equities market. He cites inflation as one side effect of such move. He adds that strength is being shown by the price of gold, an inflation indicator, which is likely representative of the lack confidence by investors on the willingness of central banks to ease reflationary prices once the need arises. It is said that banks, housing markets and consumers will be negatively affected by the continuing rise of Treasury yields.

The article addresses the debate over the reasons for the current stock market rally in the U.S. According to BlackRock Chief Executive Laurence Fink, the rally is caused by low yields on the country's debt, prompting investors to search elsewhere for profits. He considered large outflows from government funds across the industry.

The article reports on the increased investor interest in bond funds in 2009. These funds received $5.14 billion from investors, according to the Investment Company Institute. The increased interest in bond funds can be attributed to the continued recovery of Treasury yields from historical lows and the performance of the stock market. For the week that ended February 11, 2007, total outflows in stock funds amounted to $739 million.

The article offers information on active and index funds with reference to the 2009 stock market. It states that active funds aim to beat benchmarks while index rise and fall with the flow of the market. Investors are reportedly torn whether a recovering 2009 market would bring more returns on index or active funds. Investment adviser Peggy Ruhlin says that both funds should be taken advantaged of because both funds give exposure to broad and particular segments of the market.

The article reports that the auction of two-year U.S. Treasury notes in December 2008 has resulted to a yield of less than 1% for the first time. Carl Lantz, an interest-rate strategist with Credit Suisse Securities USA LLC, said that the Treasury has gained support from the slowdown of the stock market particularly the weakness in shares of life insurers. Moreover, it claims that the low yield from the two-year notes is favorable for the government because it can continue to borrow cheaply from investors to finance its budget shortfall.

The author offers insights for investors on managing risk arising from issues such as market volatility and recession in the U.S. He notes that the Shareholder Scoreboard was developed in 1996 to provide investors with a long-term outlook for value creation in the stock market. He suggests that investors should diversify across asset classes, geographic regions and industries in order to mitigate risks. He cites the importance of knowing particular industries that have companies whose returns deviate the most from the sector average.

The article reports on the 16.9% average investment return posted by U.S. college endowments for the year ended June 30, 2007, according to a study by Commonfund. It cites that the increase lagged behind the broader U.S. stock market. The study indicates that colleges have an average of 42% of their assets in alternative investments, such as hedge funds and venture-capital funds. It also found that colleges spent only 4.4% of their endowments in their most recent fiscal year.

The article reports that the recovery of U.S. treasury bonds has fueled concerns about a recession in the stock market. It states that the bond equivalent yield on the six-month treasury bill fell from 3.210% to 3.065%. The yield of the two-year note declined by 2.591%. It notes that the benchmark yield gap between the two-year and ten-year sectors reached 1.217%.

The article reports that the volume of U.S. traded short-term Treasury bonds declined on November 23, 2007 in the wake of increases in stock market gains. This erases the notion that government securities are riskless money market investment. But trading was observed to be slow and densely attended due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Still the benchmark 10-year note added 3/32 to yield 4.012%.

The article discusses the lessons that investors in the U.S. should learn from the stock market turmoil in August 2007. It explores the outcome of panic selling for investors. It stresses that using leverage to boost the returns of stocks would not benefit the investor. It emphasizes the buying and selling opportunities from volatility in the stock markets.

The article presents an analysis of the performance of stock funds in the U.S. for the third quarter ended September 28, 2007. The average U.S. diversified stock fund achieved a 0.94% return for the quarter, a better outcome than anticipated due to the subprime mortgage crisis and the weak stock market. The largest third-quarter gains were focused in portfolios that favor big companies, which benefit from economies of scale and global expansion opportunities. CGM Focus fund achieved the highest return for the quarter with 71.88%.

The author expresses views on the declining stock markets in the U.S. in August 2007 blamed on quantitative hedge funds. He says that researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge suggest that problems in debt markets quickly affected stock exchanges during the month. Also noted is that a study conducted by the researchers gives emphasis on how a proliferation of hedge funds investing in similar ways has coincided with a sharp decline in returns. He also offers steps that a fund must take to address the issue.

The article looks at funds that have posted steady returns in the U.S. According to Lipper, despite the stock market hitting historic lights in July 2007, almost every fund category is down since then. It is said that data points, called consistent returns and preservation, were added in their criteria to measure a fund's ability to have smooth returns as well as to provide downside protection. Consistent performers include Oakmark Global and Old Mutual Focused.

The article reports that the solid performance of the stock market ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting has affected the appeal of government bonds on August 6, 2007. Information is presented on the decline posted by the 10-year Treasury note. It discusses the Treasury note's yield, as well as the performance of the 30-year bond.

The article highlights concerns about the performance of leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETF), which are designed to make big bets on the direction of the stock market. Some research and an examination of the funds' short term data reveal that certain investors often get much different results than a doubling or inverse of the market return. According to an online report, one disadvantage in leveraged ETF returns has to do with the effects of compounding gains or losses.

This article focuses on the securities trading activity in the stock markets on Tuesday, December 27. The bond market caused some concern to stock investors, delaying the much sought after "Santa Claus rally" that usually occurs after Christmas. The performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average is given. An assessment of the bond market indicates a potential economic downturn. Analysts differ on whether the bond market is a cause for real concern, but it nevertheless rattled the stock market. The comments of Jay Suskind, director of trading at brokerage firm Ryan Beck, discussing the inversion of the yield curve. The performances of the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index and the Nasdaq Composite Index are given. The prices of certain commodities are given.

Examines the performance of the stock markets during the past three months. Performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index since late April; Types of stocks that are performing well, noting the percentage increase in the share price for Visteon and LSI Logic; Reasons why these stocks are not considered "value" stocks; Comparison of the rates of return for stocks with high price-earnings ratios and low price-earnings ratios, suggesting the pricier stocks are outperforming the value stocks.

Assesses stock- and bond-trading activity in the markets on June 22, 2005. Performance of bonds and stocks, noting growing concerns about the impact of high oil prices on world economic growth; Speculation about the Federal Reserve monetary policy making bonds more attractive; Anticipation of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting; Performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index; Comments from Stephen Sachs, trading director at mutual-fund group Rydex Investments, regarding stock investments; Price of crude-oil futures.

Discusses President Bush's idea of private Social Security accounts for Americans and its relation to fluctuating activity on the stock market. Concern among some prominent economists that Mr. Bush's plan is too optimistic about the long-term prospects for stocks; Reminder that greater returns bear greater risk; Mr. Bush's reference to an annual return of three percentage points above inflation; Assumption of a 6.5% return on stocks; Unlikelihood that economic growth of 1.9% per year would produce stock market returns of 6.5%.

Provides an overview of the Dow Jones Industrial Average over the last ten years. Gain in the DJIA of 6000 points; Concern nevertheless that it is a challenge for ordinary investors to make decent money on Wall Street; Results of a close look at historic market returns; Suggestion that long run returns will be lower in the future, even assuming robust economic growth; Impact of the aging populations of the U.S., Europe, and Japan and the younger populations of developing nations on economic growth; Impact of investment costs, taxes, and inflation on investment portfolios; Suggestion that it is important to save, make the most of tax sheltered retirement accounts, trade sparingly, and favor low expense funds.

Suggests the summer season could be a hot one for stocks because of several news events that could impact the market's performance. Conventional strategy for investors during summer months; Economic history related to stocks during summer seasons; Statistics indicating a greater chance of growth and return on money invested during the months of October through April than the summer months; Results of analysis conducted by Ned Davis, founder of Ned Davis Research, about investments during presidential election years, suggesting the old "sell in May" adage may not apply in 2004; Economic history related to stock market performance during presidential election years; Theories about stock market performance during presidential-election years. INSET: Campaign Finance.

Examines the performance of the financial markets on July 21, 2003. Performance of the bond market and the 10-year Treasury Note, suggesting an economic recovery; Financial performance of home mortgage rates, suggesting refinancing is less attractive; How the Dow Jones Industrial Average performed, suggesting light trading on the day; Drop in technology stocks and the performance of the Nasdaq Composite index; Earnings reports from Merck; Why the bond yield has investors and corporations worried; Comments from Todd Leone, head of listed trading at the brokerage firm SG Cowan, regarding bond market reaction to a speech given by Alan Greenspan.

Reports on trends and transactions at the small stock market in the U.S. Stock prices; Valuation measures of small-cap growth stocks relative to those of small value stocks; Rate of return on value stocks; Transactions at the Russell 2000 Index of small-capitalization stocks and the Standard and Poor's SmallCap 600 Index.

Focuses on the ranking of corporations, according to the company which has made the most money for shareholders. Way that United Technologies Corp. has made more money for shareholders than General Electric Co.; Comparison of Intel Corp. and Fifth Third Bancorp; Perception that investors choose to invest in so-called glamorous stocks, which may not have the best returns; Idea that the only way to profit in the stock market in 2002 was to find individual high-performing stocks, rather than investing in a category such as technology; Frustration of many investors that no one part of the stock market is attractive; Performance of Crown Cork & Seal Co., a maker of food and beverage cans.

Focuses on what bankers in the United States learned in the 1990s. Assertion that banks are in better shape in 1998 then during the last economic downturn; Steady climb of return on equity, the key measure of a bank's profitability; How banks have been aided by the bull market; Industry consolidation and tumbling interstate bank barriers which are lessening the banks' vulnerability.

Examines the fate of the 4,900 companies that had initial public offerings (IPOs) on United States stock markets from 1988 to 1998. Returns of those still traded; Success stories, including Dell Computer Corp. and America Online; IPO fads including casinos, high fashion and `teleservice' companies, including Sitel Corp., ICT Group Inc., TeleSpectrum and others; Analysis; Share price changes.