The events of March seemed to confirm that 2012 will be a much less nerve-racking year than investors have had to endure in the recent path. That doesn’t mean the advance has been free from anxiety: debate about whether the stock market rebound in the United States may have outpaced the recovery in the underlying economy increased steadily as the month progressed, while unease about the health of the European financial system remains a constant. In the following series of charts, we hope you’ll find additional insight into what has already taken place, and contribute to your analysis as the second quarter kicks off this week.

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