I like watching stock markets from around the world. There are markets of all sizes.

Some trade stocks almost by appointment. In some markets you could invest in a company and not know for sure that there would be an active market if you decided to sell tomorrow.

It’s actually kind of fascinating.

Normally, if you’ve been reading my scribblings for a while, you know that it is not unusual to have many of the larger markets around the world out performing ours.

I follow 22 markets. Guess what? Out of those 22, only six are besting the U.S.

You already know the reason why. Every day it seems we hear about another country in an economic mess.

I’ll give you some of the numbers overseas. Best performing markets include Singapore up almost 14 percent, Japan up over 19 percent, India up almost 13 percent and Taiwan up over 12 percent. Those four are all in the Asia/Pacific Rim.

In Europe it is Germany up 18 percent. From down south only Brazil, up almost 14 percent, is besting our numbers. The Greek stock market, not considered a major market and one that is not in my following of 22, is up about 20 percent this year, but I think it is still down about 50 percent over the past year.

One thing about this global economy we are in, it appears that even a small country like Greece can affect our markets and many investors just don’t like that.

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You already know we have been doing well so far this year. Year to date ending on March 3 the Standard and Poor’s 500 stock index is up 12 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average of 30 stocks is up a little over 8 percent. The NASDAQ composite is roaring ahead and is up almost 19 percent.

I like to look at the Broad Market. The Wilshire 5000, which is an index of most stocks traded, is up 12.78 percent. Interestingly, within a percentage point of the S and P fall the small caps and the mid caps.

Normally in good markets they really outperform the S and P, but not this year so far. That is why the Wilshire number is very close to the S and P.

The small and midcap stocks are not really storming ahead. Investors seem to be staying with the bigger names to some degree.

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According to The Wall Street Journal, five-year certificates of deposit, CDs, are yielding around 1.42 percent.

The bond market continues to not offer investors much of an option. If you depend on interest to pay the bills, you may be struggling. Buying a house? A 30 year mortgage is around 4.13 percent as of the end of March.

Same old thing we have been seeing, interest rates are good for borrowers and bad for bond buyers.

I noticed something the other day in something I read. Apparently junk bond sellers, companies with low financial ratings, commonly known as high yield, have been rushing to the markets to sell paper and borrow money because rates are so low.

I’m not sure I like that.

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Commodities are behaving themselves to some degree. Crude oil is up over 4 percent year to date; gold is up over 16 percent. Natural gas is down over 50 percent.

By the way, if you wonder why our price of gasoline seems to be rising faster than the price of crude oil, here is the explanation: You and I are used to seeing West Texas Sweet Crude Oil as our “price.” Well boys and girls, our real cost is based on North Sea Brent Crude Oil with a source of the North Sea.

By the way, yes there is more; the dollar is actually up against the yen in case you want to run over to Japan for a couple of days.

Also another piece of insignificance is that the best performing Dow Jones Global industry group in the first quarter was, are you ready, diamonds and gemstones.

Take that you bad economy.

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I told my wife the other day that I have adopted three new rules of my life. She gave me one of those cocked headed frowns and asked, “OK, so what are they?”

Well I said:

1. Money cannot buy happiness, but it is more comfortable to cry in my Cadillac than on a bicycle.

2. Help someone when they are in trouble and they will remember you when they are in trouble again.

3. Alcohol does not solve many problems, but then again neither does milk.

She doesn’t think I’m funny.

Howie Pentony is a Saxonburg client portfolio manager.