CMTXX Cma Treasury Fund (MM)

Although financial markets world-wide were buoyed by these aggressive policy actions, risk assets weakened in the fall of 2012. Global trade began to slow as many European countries fell into recession and growth continued to decelerate in China. In the United States, stocks slid on lackluster corporate earnings and volatility rose in advance of the US Presidential election. In the post-election environment, investors grew increasingly concerned over the “fiscal cliff,” the automatic tax increases and spending cuts that had been scheduled to take effect at the beginning of 2013. There was widespread fear that the fiscal cliff would push the United States into recession unless politicians could agree upon alternate measures to reduce the nation’s deficit. Worries that bipartisan gridlock would preclude a timely budget deal triggered high levels of volatility in financial markets around the world in the months leading up to the last day of the year. Ultimately, the worst of the fiscal cliff was averted with a last-minute tax deal, although the postponement of decisions relating to spending cuts and the debt ceiling left some lingering uncertainty.

Investors shook off the nerve-wracking finale to 2012 and the New Year began with a powerful relief rally in risk assets. Money that had been pulled to the sidelines amid year-end tax-rate uncertainty poured back into the markets in January. Key indicators signaling modest but broad-based improvements in the world’s major economies underpinned the rally. Underlying this aura of comfort was the absence of negative headlines out of Europe. Against this backdrop, global equities surged through January while rising US Treasury yields pressured high quality fixed income assets (as prices move in the opposite direction as yields).

However, bond markets regained strength in February when economic momentum slowed and investors toned down their risk appetite. US stocks continued to rise, but at a more moderate pace. Uncertainty about how long the Federal Reserve would maintain its monetary easing bias drove high levels of volatility later in the month, but these fears abated as the budget sequester (automatic spending cuts scheduled to take effect March 1) began to appear imminent and was deemed likely to deter any near-term changes in the central bank’s policy stance. Improving labor market data and rising home prices pushed US stocks higher at the end of the period, with major indices reaching new all-time highs. Outside the United States, equity prices weakened in the final two months of the period due to a resurgence of macro risk out of Europe. Italy’s February presidential election ended in a stalemate, further propagating the ongoing theme of political instability in the eurozone. In March, a severe banking crisis in Cyprus underscored the fragility of the broader European banking system.

For the 6- and 12-month periods ended March 31, 2013, US and international stocks and high yield bonds posted strong gains, while emerging market equities lagged as the pace of global growth failed to impress investors. US Treasury yields were highly volatile over the past 12 months. While remaining relatively low from a historical standpoint, yields began inching higher in the later part of the period, pressuring Treasuries and investment-grade bonds. Tax-exempt municipal bonds, however, benefited from favorable supply-and-demand dynamics. Near-zero short term interest rates continued to keep yields on money market securities near their all-time lows.

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