The color (usually red) shows the volatility from that perfect line, allowing you to see exactly how volatile the investment was.

Donaldson "has been a very profitable, but volatile investment for the Equitable," he added.

The county fund's $1.5 billion loss, caused by rising interest rates, is expected to focus more attention on such highly volatile investments.

Some of the money that last year might have gushed into stocks now is headed toward bonds, money market funds and other less volatile investments.

They have been a less volatile, more stable investment than Treasury securities.

For people who are nearing retirement age, a bond fund that offers relatively high yield and avoids volatile investments may be best.

For one thing, Salomon told investors that the potentially volatile investments were safe.

Investors enjoyed huge returns with seemingly little risk even in highly volatile investments at the start of the year.

The county said the loss was largely a result of purchases of the highly volatile investments known as derivatives.

Straddles are a particularly volatile investment and can cause huge losses if the market moves significantly up or down.