The Capital Spectator: ASSET CLASS REVIEW

リンク: The Capital Spectator: ASSET CLASS REVIEW.

The Capital Spectator Money, Oil, Economics & the Search for the Bottom Line « EXUBERANCE DU JOUR | Main March 23, 2007 ASSET CLASS REVIEW Financial noise can be disorienting. This week was no exception. Between the Fed's FOMC statement and the various economic reports, there's been enough play in the numbers to see whatever you want to see. But while the economy remains a gray area, Mr. Market continues to speak, as he always does, with numerical precision. Economists may hedge their forecasts, but traders must put a definite number on their sentiment, either in the affirmative or negative. Market prices, in short, prevail. They may be wrong, right or something in between, but for those of us without a crystal ball, we can't afford to dismiss the trend in pricing assets. With that in mind, here's a quick look at how the latest market profile stacks up across the broad asset classes. What's striking these days is the fact that the red ink is starting to pile up when measured by recent history. As our table below shows, the biggest loser over the past month has been REITs, which shed 5%. Even so, REITs are still up by that amount and more for the year. The asset class has been second to none in resiliency in the 21st century. No one knows if REITs can weather the storm%2