BY MARY BERSOT CFA — The investment environment feels like it is standing still, waiting for something to happen. You would think the unrest in the Middle East, the earthquake in Japan or the dismal housing market in the US would send investment prices lower. Quite the contrary! US stocks have finished the best quarter in 13 years – ignoring negative headlines and world events. Investors have not ignored the bad news. On the contrary, they are aware of the human tragedy and the impact of higher oil prices on the price of gasoline. However, these concerns haven’t been enough to derail the stock market because in the end it comes down to the alternatives.Stocks have climbed a wall of worry because other investment alternatives are not attractive.Cash is yielding less than 1% and bonds are around 4%. As long as companies report strong earnings and dividend growth continues stocks[more…]