US economy: The Year of the Treasury - by Bradley Davis

Mark it in the history books: 2011 was the year of the U.S. Treasury.

Investors stampeded into U.S. debt, sinking the 10-year benchmark yield to end the year below 2% for the first time on record. Earlier in the year, the yield fell to its lowest level since the 1940s.

But what was it about Treasuries that attracted investors? Certainly not the domestic political situation, wherein fighting over a routine raising of the so-called "debt ceiling" led to an unprecedented downgrade of the U.S.'s top credit rating.

For more: The Year of the Treasury - Barrons.com