Commodities Post Their First Gains in Eight Months Signaling a Potential Market Turnaround

NEW YORK (Business Wire) -- After eight consecutive months of decline, the Dow Jones-AIG
Commodity Total Return Index gained 3.6% in March. The increase, along
with recent gains in equity markets, is being viewed by many as a
promising sign that financial markets are approaching recovery.




Reinforcing our view that February represented the beginning of a bottom
in the commodities market, March saw the first positive monthly returns
in the space since July 2008. Andrew Karsh, Co-Lead Portfolio Manager
for the Credit Suisse Total Commodity Return Strategy, said, "We believe
this favorable upward move was bolstered by a more positive global
economic outlook overall, as well as emerging market views that rising
inflation may be on the horizon." Karsh continued, "As official
inflation projections continue to remain low, potential unexpected
inflation should be all the more worrisome to investors seeking real
returns."




Co-Lead Portfolio Manager, Christopher Burton, added, "With the U.S.
continuing to make direct market purchases in addition to increased
stimulus spending, we could see further reinforcement to inflation risk
in the future. With commodities prices on the rise, and an increased
focus on inflationary tendencies, investors are again looking to
commodities for their portfolio diversification and inflation hedging
capabilities."




Overall, Copper was the strongest performer for the month, enjoying
returns of 19.92% on news of China's decision to restock the metal. This
brings Copper's year-to-date performance to 29.79%. Zinc also gained
3.29%, primarily due to increased production cuts along with projected
growth in infrastructure spending. Natural Gas and Sugar saw the month's
largest