The u.s. stock markets delivered a somewhat muted performance this year (at least when compared to 2013) with the S&P (SPX) returning about 12% YTD gains. The towering market of last year turned into a market that saw fears about a global slowdown and its effect on U.S. corporate earnings, plummeting oil prices, sluggish growth in Japan, concerns of a triple dip recession in Europe and the outbreak of the Ebola virus that forced many investors to look for safety and shun risky assets.

Needless to say, the above threats kept bond yields at the lower side throughout the year causing investors to hunt for income bets. While long-term bond ETFs were weak last year due to taper threats, short-term bond ETFs hit the brakes this year due to rising rate concerns (read: 3 Overlooked Bond ETFs Holding Up in The Market Slump).