Zero Percent

I heard this morning on the radio (and saw a headline later re same) that U.S Treasury bills are earning 0% - that's ZERO! That is itself weird but ... people are investing! Huh? All I can think of is the parable of the talents where the 3rd wicked and slothful servant hid his master's money in the ground and then gave it all back to him safe and sound.

Seems investors are worried about massive losses so having a safe (albeit very low returning) investment is better than suffering big losses.

I was in no way prescient about the market but several months ago I moved all my retirement funds (meager though they are) into a fund paying between 4 & 5 %. It is supposed to be pretty secure. The returns will never go much higher than that but likewise they aren't supposed to go lower. I was tired of riding the market up and down - mostly down and my quarterly statements showing me how much I had lost. I think they call it stopping the bleeding. I know I took an immediate hit once I sold some of the mutual funds but that's it. I should be done and have some assurance that in a few more years when I finally can retire (Yippee! 2014 is my target year right now.) there will be a little bitty nest-egg to use for something.

How come the wise people on Wall St. (ooops, I forgot!) can't at least find someplace better than 0%? I realize it is good for the U.S. Treasury to get some cheap cash right now but this doesn't make any sense from the other side.