April was a bounce-back month, with a glaring exception: broadly defined commodities (excluding gold, which rallied sharply). Otherwise, risk assets posted solid gains across the board last month.
After March's deep sea of red ink, April dispensed a relief rally in no small degree. The biggest winner last month: US equities, which surged 13.2% (Russell 3000 Index). That still leaves American shares under water by more than 10% year to date, but as rebounds go, the April bounce was the strongest monthly gain for stocks in decades.
Ignoring cash and commodities, the softest snap-back last