Most bond prices fell, pushing yields higher!

Most bond prices fell, pushing yields higher. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.84 percent from 3.79 percent late Wednesday. The 10-year yield began 2009 at 2.22, a reflection of investors' high anxiety and need for the safety of government debt.
The dollar, whose decline this year has helped feed the rally in stocks, was mostly lower against other major currencies Thursday. Gold, which has soared in response to the falling dollar and investors' greater appetite for commodities in general, closed at $1,096.20 on the New York Mercantile Exchange after reaching a record high of $1,227.50 on Dec. 3.
Light, sweet crude rose 8 cents to settle at $79.36 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 8.02, or 1.3 percent, to 625.39. It ended the year with a gain of 25.2 percent.
Overseas, Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.3 percent, while France's CAC-40 rose less than 0.1 percent. Markets in Germany and Japan were closed.