![Markets reporter Walter Hamilton on the year in stocks](http://sr22-ca.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/e12bc1819250x187.jpg-150x112.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/v/4d__mPfCE4Q?version=3&f=user_uploads&app=youtube_gdata Despite a soft economy and stubbornly high jobless rate, the Dow Jones industrial average rose a surprising 5.5% and the S&P 500 broke even in 2011. Foreign stocks didn’t do nearly as well. Story coming to www.latimes.com Continue reading here: Markets reporter Walter Hamilton on the year in stocks