LETTER TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS
(concluded)
since April 2009, from 3.85% in January, while the two-year note yield reached a record low. The fall in yield was in spite of $300 billion in new issuance in the second quarter. According to index data from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Treasurys rose 5.8% for the first half.
Currency moves made news in the first half. The euro fell 15% against the dollar in the first half of the year. Analysts said the drop reflected a growing view that countries in the euro zone will need to cut spending in the face of mounting deficits, which could undermine economic growth. China in June said it would allow its currency, the yuan, to move more a bit more freely against the dollar, after being pegged to the dollar for the past couple of years. The move helped deflect criticism that China wasn’t doing enough to help the global economic recovery in advance of a G20 summit in mid-June.
Leading news in the commodities markets was the record price of gold. The price of an ounce has climbed about 10% so far in 2010, reaching a record high in late June of $1,265. Oil ended the first half just shy of $76 per barrel; its decline of almost 10% in the April-June period marked its first quarterly decline since 2008.
At Rydex|SGI, we have noted the change in the tenor of markets at mid-year. U.S. GDP is growing, but every month of poor employment and housing reports postpones a convincing recovery. Corporate profit growth plays to the potential for improving equities markets at home, but the continuing appeal of safe havens in metals, currencies and government bonds suggests investors remain cautious about the strength of the global economy. Countries around the world are facing challenges at the same time, with massive debt and deficit problems in Europe, slowing growth in China and possible stalling of the U.S. recovery.
Many of the products in the Rydex|SGI family are designed to help investors navigate uncertain markets, particularly several recent launches in our alternative mutual fund space. We invite you to find out more, and we thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your investment planning.
Sincerely,
![-s- Michael Byrum](https://capedge.com/proxy/N-CSRS/0000950123-10-083831/g06135g0619403.gif)
Michael Byrum
President & Chief Investment Officer
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* | Indices are defined as follows: |
Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500) – a capitalization-weighted index covering 500 industrial, utility, transportation and financial companies of the U.S. markets (mostly NYSE Euronext issues).
NASDAQ Composite – a capitalization-weighted index of more than 3,000 companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) – a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq.
Nikkei 225 – a price-weighted index of 225 blue-chip companies traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
MSCI EAFE Index (Europe, Australasia, Far East) – a market-capitalization index designed to measure equity market performance in developed markets, excluding the U.S. & Canada. Consists on 2010 of the following 22 developed market country indices: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
MSCI EAFE Emerging Markets – a market-capitalization index designed to measure equity market performance in emerging markets. Consists in 2010 of the following 21 emerging market country indices: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey.
Performance displayed represents past performance which is no guarantee of future results. Of course, fund performance is subject to daily market volatility and may be better or worse since the end of the last quarter. For up-to-date fund performance, call us at 800.820.0888 or visit www.rydex-sgi.com.
Read each fund’s prospectus and summary prospectus (if available) carefully before investing. It contains the fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information, which should be considered carefully before investing. Obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus (if available) at www.rydex-sgi.com or call 800.820.0888.