Last year's massacre of technology and Internet stocks marked the end of what many consider the U.S.'s biggest financial mania of the last 100 years. But it left much of the market relatively unscathed. The IPO market was like a yo-yo in 2000, with the number of offerings rising quickly at the start of the year, falling during the second quarter, only to bounce higher during the third and drop again during the fourth. Venture Funds Venture capitalists found the going got unexpectedly rough in 2000. Government Bonds Provide Safe Haven Treasury securities rallied to their best returns since 1995 as the high-yield market saddled investors with losses.
Many economists think the euro's rebound can last, albeit with limits and at a less torrid pace.
The new year could mean a fresh start for a jittery art market that is still recovering from a bumpy year of unpredictable buying, price-fixing charges and fizzled Internet art businesses. The new millennium started with a whimper and ended with a bang for commodity investors, although just a handful of products led the way. Stock, Bond Issues Hurt by Market Slide Turbulent financial markets took some of the steam out of Wall Street's deal-making machine last year. But this year could be tougher. In the IPO Market, Feast Then Famine The change in climate between the first quarter and the end of the year made success difficult for stock underwriters trying to bring deals to market.