Stocks and the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), which measures the expected volatility of the S&P 500 index, have gone on a roller-coaster ride so far this year, amid plunges in oil prices and the euro.
But investors appear unmoved, with the S&P 500 now standing within 2 percent of its record high and the 30-year Treasury yield hitting an all-time earlier this month.
But legendary investor George Soros has taken notice.
"The heightened uncertainty and volatility makes me less bullish than the markets, because they militate against risk taking and reinforce the lack of investment demand," he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,
MarketWatch reports.
"This has made the job of hedge fund managers hellishly difficult. Great opportunities mostly missed or experienced as shocks."
After ending 2014 at 19.20, the VIX climbed as high as 21.58 Jan. 13, but has calmed back down.
Since the financial crisis of 2008, financial markets have been more closely tied to international affairs, Soros noted.
"This has greatly increased the level of uncertainty, volatility and unpredictability, both in financial markets and international affairs," he said. "So the increased interaction between the two is experienced as external shocks by both."
One asset that has benefited from the volatility is gold. The precious metal has risen 9 percent so far this year. Gold hit a five-month high of $1,307.80 Thursday.
The euro's tumble — to an 11-year low Monday — has helped spark the move.
"There's competitive currency devaluation occurring," Michael Tiedemann, who oversees $9.5 billion as chief investment officer of Tiedemann Wealth Management, tells
The Wall Street Journal. "Gold is your natural hedge against that."
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