The Year Nothing Worked: Stocks, Bonds, Cash Go Nowhere

  • It's the worst year for asset allocation funds since 1937
  • A 2.2% gain in the S&P 500 is roughly the best anyone could do

2015: The Year Nothing Worked in the Markets?

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The idea behind asset allocationBloomberg Terminal is simple: when one market struggles, it’s OK because an investor can jump into another that is thriving. Not so in 2015.

In fact, if you judge the past year by which U.S. investment class generated the largest return, a case can be made it was the worst for asset-allocating bulls in almost 80 years, according to data compiled by Bianco Research LLC and Bloomberg. With three days left in 2015, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 2.2 percent with dividends, cash is up less, while bonds and commodities show losses.