Performance of Asset Classes and Stocks in 2011

The calendar flips to 2012 and we finally say good bye to 2011. There have been many year-end commentaries around the blogosphere highlighting that the S&P 500 was almost exactly unchanged on the year (dshort), and that there were a few stocks that performed exceptionally (stocktradingtogo). I want to look a little wider by presenting a snapshot of how various asset classes performed and delve a little deeper by looking at how individual stocks behind the indexes performed.

Analysts are wrong - Buy Bank of America in 2008

Out of interest's sake I have been collecting Standard & Poor's "Stock Reports" on several securities over the past four years. This has really emphasized the point that you should never buy stocks based on stock reports! Always, always, always, listen to price action. Bank of America (BAC) illustrates my point.