TLT

Risk On!

Stocks continued their run this week as investors once again embraced risk after the announcement of a preliminary European debt deal. Since September 22, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is up 14% while the Barclays Capital 20+ Year Treasury Bond Fund (TLT) is down 10% over the same time period.

VT

Are Stocks Back in Favor?

In a wild 4 week period, stocks and US Treasury bonds have experienced double digit swings that resulted in the two asset classes ending about where they began.

IYW

Technology Tops Broad Market

Technology stocks have held up better than average in the highly volatile equity markets of the past few weeks. In the three months ended October 7, the Dow Jones U.S. Technology Sector Index Fund (IYW) is down 8%.

DBB

Metals Melt Down

Uncertainty in Europe and China and a growing threat of a double-dip recession in the US has resulted in a rapid decline in the price of base metals.

UUP

Dollar Benefits from Flight to Safety

As investors abandon stocks and precious metals, the US dollar has rallied. The PowerShares DB US Dollar Bullish Fund (UUP) is up over 3% in the past 3 months compared to a 11% decline in equities over the same time period.

CORP

Bonds Hold Up Better than Stocks

Investors looking for an alternative to the volatile equity markets may want to consider corporate bonds. The PIMCO Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index Fund (CORP) is up nearly 3% in the past 3 months while equities have declined nearly 4% over the same time period.

EWQ

French Equities Tumble

Investors are pulling money out of European stocks and the French equity market has been particularly hard hit. In the past 3 months, the MSCI France Index Fund (EWQ) is down 28% compared to a 10% decline for the S&P 500 Index (SPY) over the same period.

FXF

Investing in a Declining Dollar

While stocks have been flat with increasing volatility, a strong performer over the past couple of quarters has been a bet against the US dollar. With uncertainty in Europe holding back the Euro, a better declining dollar play has been the Swiss Franc.

Gold Continues to Outperform

Last week’s swoon in the equity markets was accompanied by another strong performance by gold. The last peak for stocks was on July 7 when the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) closed above $135. Since then, stocks are down over 11%.

GLD

Uncertainty Points to Gold

As the US continues to wrestle with fiscal policy and the EU debt crisis remains unresolved, investors have been returning to gold to ride out the uncertainty.