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Despite turbulent times, U.S. markets are rising again. But is this a temporary bump, or the return of a bull market? The sharp-eyed analysts of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs say its the latter, and their money is on strong growth ahead.

A resilient performance by Japanese shares helped stocks in Europe and the U.S. Thursday, while the yen pulled back from a record high against the dollar amid expectations that finance chiefs from the world's industrialized nations will discuss how to ease the currency's rise.

One would think that with the Mideast crisis, oil prices skyrocketing and U.S. manufacturing rebounding smartly, the buck would be flying high. But no. Why that's so may lie in international perceptions about where interest rates are heading.

Despite all the headwinds blowing against it -- and they're fierce -- the U.S. dollar has been holding its own against the world's major currencies. And if the U.S. recovery remains on track, the greenback has good odds of actually strengthening in 2011.

When crisis erupts, such as the current fighting in Egypt, investors usually flee to safety. Historically, that has meant piling into the U.S. dollar. But a funny thing happened when protesters took to the streets of Cairo. For the reason why, look to Europe.

For the past two years, the relationship between the dollar, stocks and gold was strong. When the dollar dropped, stocks and gold rose, and vice versa, nearly all the time. But since New Year's Day, that link has completely vanished, which is terrible news for the gold bugs.

After years of exhorting China to increase the value of its yuan, the currency is finally rising. Why that's so is the result of the Fed's quantitative easing program. Here's how Bernanke managed to succeed where political wrangling fell short.

As crude prices keep inching upward, the threat to both the U.S. and global economy is clear. While OPEC says don't blame us, the Interational Energy Agencys says: "This is a wake-up call to the oil-consuming countries and to the oil producers."

They're gearing up for a potentially damaging round of currency interventions to help keep their economies competitive, especially against China. Says Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega: "This is a currency war that is turning into a trade war."

When pros like Warren Buffett and Goldman Sachs start making moves predicated on the expectation of higher rates, investors best take note. The impact of higher rates would be widespread, especially on so-called safe havens like Treasury bonds and gold.