US Markets By the Numbers

  • 2011 was a volatile year for investors: although the S&P 500 is on track to close the year relatively flat (up about 0.7%), the big money was made in non-traditional places. The following slides reveal the best investments in each category, from stocks and commodities, to currencies and companies with the best cash flows. If you made some of these investments, you were on the right track. If not, lessons learned in 2011 could prove profitable in the year ahead. All numbers are as of market close

    2011 was a volatile year for investors. The following slides show the best investments in each category, from stocks and commodities to currencies and companies with the best cash flows.

  • The Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index is a global commodity benchmark tracking 19 commodities that are mostly U.S. traded.

    We took a look at the commodities in the CRB Index, and calculated the ones with the best YTD performance based on the closing price on Oct. 14, 2010.

About By the Numbers

  • Our market specialists dig deep into Wall Street’s daily metrics, crunching the numbers to help you become smarter about the market so that you can make better investment decisions. By The Numbers details the daily drama, the winners and losers, how the day stacks up historically, and how the numbers can offer a glimpse of the future.