First Quarter Returns

The S&P 500 finished up about .8 percent for the first quarter, but what were the best and worst performers? Among all assets, gold and the Bovespa (Brazilian stock market) performed the best, with both up about 15 percent for the quarter, while silver prices increased about 11 percent. Among the losers were DJStoxx 600 Banks (European banks), the FTSE MIB (Italian stocks), and the Chinese yuan renminbi.