Last week’s performance leader: commodities, which posted a gain for the third week in a row, based on a set of ETFs that track the major asset classes. The rise has barely made a dent in the steep year-over-year loss that still weigh on commodities overall. But the rally so far this year for prices of raw materials generally is the strongest since the bear market started pinching these markets in 2014.
Continue reading →

● PMI: Weakest upturn in US mfg since Sep 2009 | Markit
● Fed seen holding rates this week with hike still on horizon | Reuters
● Lackluster GDP throws wrench into Fed’s rate-hike plans | Market Watch
● US Financial Stress Index just below “significant stress” level | Cleveland Fed
● Bond investors are taking bigger risks than ever before | Bloomberg
● German Business Confidence Weakened in April | Bloomberg
● The High Investing Fees You Don’t See Can Hurt You | NY Times
● Middle East Economies Facing Oil Revenue Falls, IMF Says | WSJ