Civil unrest, geopolitical and bipartisan brinkmanship, as well as slowing global growth defined the investment landscape in 2011. These factors, in concert with fiscal and monetary intervention, shaped financial market returns. The European sovereign debt crisis intensified as Europe's leaders proved unable to develop a concrete plan to resolve problems that some feared would threaten the existence of the European Union. Widespread protests in the Middle East during what came to be known as the Arab Spring eventually led to regime changes in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, and spurred the ongoing violence in Syria and other countries. Regime changes were not isolated to the Middle East; the governments of the European countries that received bailouts (Ireland, Portugal, and Greece) experienced leadership changes over the course of the year,while other nations considered most at risk...
Read more in the 2011 Year-End Market Review »