How to access the US equity market

Last year proved to be volatile for investors in US equities. The S&P 500 index did make a positive gain over the year, albeit a modest one, rising a shade over 3% in US dollar terms. But the US sovereign downgrade and the European sovereign debt crisis were the key factors affecting the US equity market over the year. Despite mediocre returns in 2011, the last quarter of the year was impressive, with the S&P 500 index rising by more than 11%. US equities, which seemed out of favour for the bulk of 2011 by asset allocators, significantly outperformed other equity markets, particularly...