@catch. Yep.
Here's some Bio on the author Priya Anand from Likiden. Nothing in her background relating to financial training or experience. https://www.linkedin.com/in/prianand
Here's The Newsroom Roster from MarketWatch. Most seem to have only Liberal Arts and Journalism backgrounds.http://www.marketwatch.com/newsroom/roster
To be fair, perhaps 25% (being generous) have degrees in Finance, Economics or some other type of financial experience. (Some intriguing descriptions: "mutual funds analyst" and "broker-trader")

Even healthy people over the age of 65 show “profound declines in cognitive function” that affect their financial decision-making ...
Maybe all posts here should have poster's age prominently displayed? (Like those EPA window stickers?)
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(I think it would be fun writing for Marketwatch. Begin with a shred of evidence ... than let your imagination run. Very compelling writing - if greatly exaggerated and distorted.)

ron: What are you looking for? I guess bs is the word. Some pretty intelligent financial people discussing a variety of issues.
The fact that the views are so diverse (ranging from doom & gloom to optimism) would make it unlikely you'll take away anything "investable".
I enjoyed the give & take. Maybe not your cup of tea?
bs? (long as we're on the topic) - Probably a tie between Gross & Gabelli on that basis. I give Gabelli a slight edge, as his bs comes across in a more likable way. Hard to dislike a fella who pumps his own gas and "hob-nobs" with the little folk while doing so...... While Gross doesn't hide his disdain for PIMCO very well.
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substance? - If I recall correctly, Goldman Sachs, who Cohen works for, is expecting about 3-4% growth in the S&P this year plus dividends. Abby (as usual) thinks that's on the conservative side. The others sounded a bit more muted. Except for Gabelli (who seems to reside on a different planet than the others).
And, I think they all agreed that it's "a stock picker's market." But, hell ... that just sounds like more bs. :)

@JohnChisum, thanks! I agree, most of the stuff out there are clones of a handful of different themes in healthcare and I generally feel like many of these newer ETFs are just jumping on the bandwagon with small differences in an attempt to differentiate themselves.
Ekso is pretty interesting. They went public a year ago and there was a huge spike in their price at the end of February that had pretty much all been given back by the end of March. Since then its generally trended lower but with a lot of volatility. In one of their presentations they hold out Cyberdyne and ReWalk as competitors. Cyberdyne is a Japanese company listed only in Frankfurt but they have the highest market cap of all three at something more than $2 billion. ReWalk claims to be the first company in the US to get FDA approval for an exoskeleton last year and they quickly went public after that. I read presentations from both Ekso and Cyberdyne and Ekso seems more interesting but part of that could be the reporting for Cyberdyne stuff must have been done in Japanese and translated to English in some automated way or by someone who isn't really fluent in English. I have yet to read the financial reports for ReWalk but it seems like all 3 are bleeding cash as they're still investing heavily in research & development and/or hiring more people to support growth. Do you know anything about these other guys? Just from a few hours of reading it looks like pretty amazing stuff and Ekso's presentation says there are a lot of people every year with spinal cord injuries who can benefit from this kind of stuff.

:"Dee Lee is a Certified Financial Planner who received a diploma in Financial Planning from Boston University and her MBA from Simmons College. She dissolved her successful financial planning practice for individuals so that she could devote all of her energies to educating the financial consumer. ."
Scary Stuff: How to educate the financial consumer? Really. IF EVER there was a blackeye for these types of "EGGHEADS" getting into the Financial business....She is it
She dissolved her Business because she wasn't making any money or had any clients left
so She went into the business of writing books/articles, and Teaching.......
"How you too can be a failure"
NEVER was the saying: "if you can't do...teach" more applicable
Her education didn't help.... her financial expertise is already determined:

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1527446/000116204415000043/hagin497201501.htm
497 1 hagin497201501.htm
HAGIN KEYSTONE MARKET NEUTRAL FUND
A series of Cottonwood Mutual Funds
Supplement dated January 14, 2015
to the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information
each dated June 30, 2014 (as supplemented from time to time)
The below information was provided to shareholders of the HAGIN Keystone Market Neutral Fund (the “Fund”) on or about December 30, 2014. Effective January 14, 2015, the closing date of the liquidation of the Fund is changed to January 23, 2015. All references in the below information to December 30, 2014 and/or January 15, 2015 (the previous liquidation dates) are hereby replaced with January 23, 2015.
* * * * * * * *
The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Cottonwood Mutual Funds (the “Trust”) has approved a Plan of Liquidation (the “Plan”) relating to the HAGIN Keystone Market Neutral Fund (the “Fund”), effective December 16, 2014. HAGIN Investment Management, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”), has recommended to the Board to approve the Plan based on its representations of its inability to market the Fund and the Adviser’s indication that it does not desire to continue to support the Fund. As a result, the Board has concluded that it is in the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders to liquidate the Fund.
In connection with the proposed liquidation and dissolution of the Fund called for by the Plan, the Board has directed the Trust’s principal underwriter to cease offering shares of the Fund immediately as of the date of this Supplement. Shareholders may continue to reinvest dividends and distributions in the Fund or redeem their shares until the liquidation.
It is anticipated that the Fund will liquidate on or about December 30, 2014. Any remaining shareholders on the date of liquidation will receive a distribution of their remaining investment value in full liquidation of the Fund. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your financial advisor directly or the Fund toll-free at 1.877.257.4240.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR RETIREMENT PLAN INVESTORS
If you are a retirement plan investor, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the consequences of any redemption of Fund shares. If you receive a distribution from an Individual Retirement Account or a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA, you must roll the proceeds into another Individual Retirement Account within sixty (60) days of the date of the distribution in order to avoid having to include the distribution in your taxable income for the year. If you receive a distribution from a 403(b)(7) Custodian Account (Tax-Sheltered account) or a Keogh Account, you must roll the distribution into a similar type of retirement plan within sixty (60) days in order to avoid disqualification of your plan and the severe tax consequences that it can bring. If you are the trustee of a Qualified Retirement Plan, you may reinvest the money in any way permitted by the plan and trust agreement.
This Supplement, and the existing Prospectus dated June 30, 2014, provide relevant information for all shareholders and should be retained for future reference. Both the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information dated June 30, 2014 have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are incorporated by reference, and can be obtained without charge by calling the Fund toll-free at 1.877.257.4240.

12 Page Report:
“Looking ahead to 2015, we remain somewhat constructive on equity markets and more cautious on fixed income markets. We are mindful of risks in an environment where growth trajectories and central bank policies both seem to be decoupling.”
—Brian Rogers
market-outlook/global-market-outlook-2015
EM Debt (I assume PREMX might work here)
"We also think that some (EM) bonds denominated in local currencies particularly strong value, although we are very selective about currency exposure. Local currency bonds lagged emerging markets debt denominated in dollars or euros in 2014. We anticipate that the trend toward dollar strength will continue in the near term, creating a potentially attractive entry point for locally denominated debt in the coming months. Emerging markets bonds still present strong value compared with the alternatives and can also have the advantage of relatively low sensitivity to changes in interest rates. We have noticed that institutional investors have been moving into the asset class. This influx of buyers who are more oriented toward the longer term should lend support to emerging markets debt. "

FYI: Yesterday afternoon we highlighted the performance of the S&P 500 and its ten sectors off of the morning highs they put in. With the market taking another leg lower today, below is an updated look at the chart. The green bars represent the one-day change for sectors at their highs yesterday, while the red bars show how much they have declined from those highs. As shown, Materials has been the clear loser with a decline of 3.84%, especially since the sector was up just 0.72% at its highs yesterday. The Financial sector has really taken it on the chin as well over the last two days, falling 3.65% from its highs. The S&P 500 as a whole is now down 3.14% from yesterday's highs, and defensive sectors like Utilities, Consumer Staples and Telecom have held up the best during this pullback.
Regards,
Ted
http://www.bespokeinvest.com/thinkbig/2015/1/14/sector-performance-since-yesterdays-highs.html?printerFriendly=true

Thanks Scott.
In its defense, can't we argue that the non - GAAP are more indicative of future cash flows?
Unless, as ZH suggests, this engineering is something we can expect regularly.
c

It's not against Alcoa, which is a fine company and the numbers weren't bad at all, it's just one of those things where I expect financial engineering (large and small) to be more and more prevalent as time goes on. There's also, I believe, an increasing lack of desire by financial media and others to look below the surface on numbers.

I had read that Alcoa's earnings were off. Sometimes the markets develop this skittish behavior and yes, over analyzing things tends to exacerbate the process. Funny thing is, what exactly has changed ?

Well, yeah, there was financial engineering in Alcoa's earnings, but no one cares about that anymore. The robots and the non-robots just look at the number and don't ask any questions.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-01-12/how-alcoa-just-smashed-earnings-expectations

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1577406/000089418915000147/loeb_497e.htm
LOEB KING ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND
LOEB KING ASIA FUND
each a series of Loeb King Trust
(together, the “Funds”)
January 13, 2015
Supplement to the
Summary Prospectus, Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”)
each dated December 19, 2014
Effective immediately, the Funds will not accept any new investments and will no longer pursue their respective investment objectives. The Funds have begun liquidating their portfolios and will invest in cash and cash equivalents, such as money market funds, until all shares have been redeemed. Prior to closing, any capital gains will be distributed as soon as practicable to shareholders in the form of reinvestment in additional shares, unless you have previously requested payment in cash. Shares of the Funds are otherwise not available for purchase. Each Fund is expected to be closed and liquidated within approximately thirty (30) days (the “Liquidation Date”).
Prior to the respective Fund’s Liquidation Date, you may redeem your shares, including reinvested distributions, in accordance with the Funds’ Prospectus. As is the case with any redemption of Fund shares, redemption proceeds will generally be subject to federal and, as applicable, state and local income taxes if the redeemed shares are held in a taxable account and the liquidation proceeds exceed your adjusted basis in the shares redeemed. If the redeemed shares are held in a qualified retirement account, such as an IRA or 401(k), the liquidation proceeds may not be subject to current income taxation under certain conditions. You should consult with your tax advisor for further information regarding the federal, state and/or local income tax consequences of this liquidation that are relevant to your specific situation. Please refer to the “Distributions and Taxes” section in the Prospectus for general information.
ANY SHAREHOLDERS WHO HAVE NOT REDEEMED THEIR SHARES OF A FUND PRIOR TO THE FUND’S LIQUIDATION DATE WILL HAVE THEIR SHARES AUTOMATICALLY REDEEMED AS OF THAT DATE, AND PROCEEDS, SUBJECT TO ANY REQUIRED WITHHOLDINGS, WILL BE SENT TO THE ADDRESS OF RECORD. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR DIRECTLY OR THE FUNDS AT 1-855-722-4550.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR RETIREMENT PLAN INVESTORS
If you are a retirement plan investor, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the consequences of a redemption of Fund shares. If you receive a distribution from an Individual Retirement Account or a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA, you must roll the proceeds into another Individual Retirement Account within sixty (60) days of the date of the distribution to avoid having to include the distribution in your taxable income for the year. If you receive a distribution from a 403(b)(7) Custodial Account (Tax-Sheltered account) or a Keogh Account, you must roll the distribution into a similar type of retirement plan within sixty (60) days to avoid disqualification of your plan and the severe tax consequences that it can bring. If you are the trustee of a Qualified Retirement Plan, you may reinvest the money in any way permitted by the plan and trust agreement.
Please retain this Supplement with your Summary Prospectus, Prospectus and SAI.

davidrmoran: good points, but yes, one should always stay polite.
This tax would probably actually reduce costs for people like us, by reducing the presence of high-frequency trading, which generally prevents big investors (like the actively-managed mutual funds most of us invest in) from making big purchases/sales without manipulating prices.

expatsp, I'm a little confused on your statement. Are you saying that lower trading volumes will help mutual funds? Maybe you can elaborate on why.
Financial transaction taxes are nothing new. Here is the definitive study on the matter.
Generally financial transaction taxes reduce trading volumes and bid/ask spreads, which leads to MORE market manipulation, not less.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1980185

Does it only pertain to stocks ? At one time I thought I read it pertain to all financial transactions.
Derf

Did you read the story John? You ask are the high rollers middle class retail investors? No, the story describes them as those making $1.4 million+ a year. The proposal as I read it is trying to give financial breaks back to the middle class. The problem here isn't that we trash the rich. That is a popular slogan started by the rich. If you haven't noticed, the rich are getting very much richer as the middle class deteriorates. That is a fact.
Just in a recent post here on MFO, there was discussion about average pay being lower then the past and how that hurts the economy. Hmm, so in whose pockets are record profits going then? Put it together, it's a fact the split between the rich and middle class has grown exponentially over the last decade or two. I'd say politics and tax loop holes are totally swayed for the rich guy, not the middle class.
I don't know if this is a good bill or not. I'm positive Republicans will kill it, only for the fact a Democrat suggested it. Killing it is also stated in the article.
No answer here, but it always fascinates me that people who will complain that the middle class is disappearing will defend the status quo that the rich and their pocket-politicians have put in place.

From the WaPo article; "The windfall — about $1.2 trillion over a decade — would come directly from the pockets of Wall Street “high rollers” through a new fee on financial transactions, and from the top 1 percent of earners, who would lose billions of dollars in lucrative tax breaks."
Who are they calling "high rollers"? The middle class retail investor just trying to save up a kitty for the future? With interest rates at zero and below, the money has been going into funds and other investments in order to capture some growth.
Of course, it's popular today to trash the rich.

If it moves, breathes, takes up space or has financial worth, tax it. Mantra of Wash. DC.

They are nuts or stupid or both....Wellington holds 35% bonds and a limited # of stocks for such big $ holdings...How could they outperform S&P in 2014?
Every wonder why guys like me and (ibartman) question most financial reporting, the readers (public) would assume that Wellington was a under performing fund....BS
Ridiculous stuff

Plan would include a 0.1% tax on all stock transactions.
I'm not keen on paying 10 basis points every time I rebalance or contribute funds. I don't feel like I'm a "Wall Street big shot". This tax would likely continue forever, and increase over time (as most taxes do).
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000345938

Rodriguez appears to be crying in his beer. Markets, politicians, voters and central bank's are conspiring to make his job difficult:
"I said if we continued down this pathway that sometime between '14 and '18, we would experience a financial crisis of equal or greater magnitude than what we have just gone through."
Not unlike Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom: "A disaster beyond your imagination will befall you." :)
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His thoughts on QE & Inflation make the most sense of anything I've heard or read on those issues. Certainly, there seems to be some kind of conundrum going on when you look at behavior in the commodities markets.