YTD Figures...

The following figures are all YTD figures. US equity markets are slightly lower with the Dow -2.82%, NASDAQ -0.72%, and the S&P -2.27%. Gold and silver are posting gains of 3.45% and 8.75% respectively. The appreciation in metals along with rising prices in US treasuries signal money rotation is still flowing into safer asset classes. The 10 Yr Note is up 4.76% and the 30 Yr Bond is higher by 7.15%. the price of crude oil has come down significantly since the beginning of this year, posting a -7.11% decline. The staggering figures remain in currency volatility. The US dollar and Japanese yen, are up 10.41% and 2.12%, in that order. The rise in the US dollar has been accompanied with dramatic declines in major foreign currencies. Most obvious has been the decline in the Euro, down -14.32% YTD. The Swiss franc is down -10.81%, British pound -10.40%, and Australian dollar -5.35%.