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Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
  • PRBLX finally dumps WFC
    All good questions. I know for myself what are the levels of egregiousness, or I think and say I do, but they would not be others', perhaps. I left Parnassus over WFC, and Herro (Oakmark) as well, when he denounced global warming a year or two ago. And now I don't know what to think summers will be like globally in 2 and 5 and 7 years, much less 10-20-30 years and beyond.
  • T. Rowe Price Fund Stays Top Notch With Blue Chip Stocks: (TRBCX)
    FYI: (The Linkster holds a position in TRBCX.)
    True to its name, $57 billion T. Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth (TRBCX) focuses on blue chip stocks. More often than not, the fund gets blue-ribbon results. That makes it a standout among T. Rowe Price funds.
    And in the last five years going into Thursday, the fund has outperformed 96% of its large-cap growth rivals industrywide tracked by Morningstar Inc. So far this year, it's 18.93% gain tops 85% of its peers as well as the S&P 500's 7.58% increase. That's also one of the best showings among T. Rowe Price funds.
    Regards,
    Ted
    https://www.investors.com/etfs-and-funds/mutual-funds/t-rowe-price-fund-wins-with-blue-chip-stocks/
    TRBCX Is Ranked #1 In The (LCG) Fund Category By U.S. News & World Report:
    https://money.usnews.com/funds/mutual-funds/large-growth/t-rowe-price-blue-chip-growth-fund/trbcx
  • WealthTrack Interview: The Shale Oil Revolution
    Yes - “challenging ride”. I’m not speculating on the sector anymore (other than a small position in a real assets fund (PRAFX). But I once did. Crude bottomed at around $26 in early 2016. It’s now back above $70 (varies slightly by grade). So that’s been a nice recovery and puts the price within reach of the $100+ where it topped out around 2014. Nat gas (a byproduct of crude drilling) hasn’t budged since early 2016. Stubbornly holding below $3. That’s a constant curiosity to me. How do you spell GLUT?
    From an investing principal standpoint, I believe in maintaining a small exposure (5-15%) to the area of natural resources, of which oil is a part. However, from a pocketbook standpoint, it hasn’t paid off over the past decade. These kinds of cycles appear to play out not in years - but over decades,
    Funds? PRNEX (T. Rowe Price New Era) has always maintained a heavy exposure to the oil sector and is a well managed, reasonable ER fund).
  • Seafarer Fund's Thoughts on China
    Thanks @Sven...great additional information on your personal journey with this manager.
    Upside Capture has struggled while his downside capture, while not great short term is better long term:
    image
    Hard to find funds that do both of these consistently well.
    2016 Study:
    Ability to Capture Up Market Gains and Avoid Down Market Losses: The Upside and Downside Capture Ratios
    The Upside and Downside Capture Ratios
    image
  • PRBLX finally dumps WFC
    WF is the 3rd largest holding in both DODGX (don’t own) and DODBX (do own). In the latter (a balanced fund) WF accounts for 2.5% of holdings. WF is up 12% over the past year. I respect the decision of a manager to unload a company that has exhibited such poor ethical standards as WF. In some of the cases cited the reason for selling doesn’t appear to be based as much on ethical standards as the fact that a criminal investigation + civil lawsuits presents a whole new series of unknowns - detracting from the company’s desirability as an investment.
    I won’t criticize D&C for continuing to hold the fund. The question that’s often asked (and never fully answered): When one starts excluding from their investment portfolios stocks of companies with whom they have basic moral / ethical disagreements, where does it stop?
    Is marketing to the public destructive weapons better suited for warfare any less objectionable than peddling unwanted insurance or misleading a home buyer at closing? In the second instance, money is lost. But in the first, the consequence is often loss of life. Is marketing a highly addictive often abused medication any less objectionable? How about exporting high paying U.S. jobs to low-wage third world nations? Should you rid from your portfolio those corporations known to have cheated on taxes in the past or to have deprived workers / retirees of previously earned pension benefits? Finally, what do you do when the manager of your highly successful high-octane mutual fund voices support for (and contributes to) a candidate or office holder whom you detest?
  • Seafarer Fund's Thoughts on China
    @bee,
    Not trying to be nitpick here. Please let me clarify what I said earlier. Prior to forming SFGIX, Andrew Foster was the lead manager of several Asia-centric funds at Matthews Asia Funds since 1998. This places his track record back to 20 years, not 10 years. His stellar record is exemplified in Matthews Asia Growth & Income fund, MACSX from 2003-2011 (8 years), the Dividend fund, MAPIX for 6 years and the India fund, MINDX for 5 years.
    David Snowball has written a detailed profile on Foster's approach and I couldn't come close to write a such as thoughtful analysis. So here is the link.
    mutualfundobserver.com/2013/03/seafarer-overseas-growth-income-sfgix/
    I started to invest with MACSX in 2000 when I noticed the fund is holding up much better than VWO during the height of tech bubble from 2000-2002. It taught me a lesson that those "tortoise" funds are more likely to be successful for their investors because they limit the downside loss. When the annual returns are compounded over time and through several market cycles, the total return can be fully captured. Many investors who move in and out of the mutual funds tend to have much lower returns than the market returns.
    Coincidentally, I also like MAPIX (Bob Horrocks), FMIJX (Alex English), and PRWCX (David Giroux).
  • WealthTrack Interview: The Shale Oil Revolution
    An investment 10 years ago in VGENX has been a challenging ride. I really would like to get excited by this sector. A better 10 year play has been FSCHX which uses OIl & Gas as its feed stock or Utilities such as GASFX and FSUTX which transport and covert these resources into electricity.
    10 years chart comparing these funds:
    image
  • a second gentle reminder

    I guess if your goal is to chase everyone away except those who agree with you, you have made a lot of progress. I've noticed that a lot of posters who I have enjoyed reading in the past are no longer here. So, congratulations are in order!
    I agree with you, @little5bee. Used to be a good site, but now it is nothing but personal attacks and political snipes. Nothing has been done to clean it up. So be it.
    Please delete my user account here.
  • Seafarer Fund's Thoughts on China
    M* has a long current discussion of SFGIX:
    http://socialize.morningstar.com/NewSocialize/forums/p/384620/3946110.aspx#PageIndex=1
    A poster there pointed out it is 50/50 EM/developed markets.
  • Seafarer Fund's Thoughts on China
    @Sven. SFGIX hasn't been around for 10 years. Inception date looks like 2/15/2012...so closer to 6 years. I'll agree that it has out performed the index (a fund such as VWO), but SFGIX is not an all equity fund (closer to 70/15/15 over its lifetime).
    70% EM
    15 % of his fund is in LT and IT Treasuries
    15% of his fund is classified as "Ex - US Develop"
    I compared his fund to a "2 fund combo of PRMSX & PREMX" (70/30). The trade off here is SFGIX opts for US Treasuries where PREMX is most EM Corporates.
    Similar results...so nothing special here.
    But, over shorter time frames he does a good job of managing downside risk.
    I Like MAPIX, FMIJX, PRWCX for the same reason.
    Fund managers that manage downside risk and deploy into opportunities are hard to find.
  • Seafarer Fund's Thoughts on China
    Same here. I'll be 64 tomorrow. Age, yes. Though I want to stay mostly in equities, while still collecting monthlies from my bond funds, because wifey is just 45, yet. And I get quarterlies from one or two, still. I let go of SFGIX because it wasn't producing--- regardless of age or anything else... Oops, 28th July, just past midnight in the East.
  • a second gentle reminder
    @little5bee,
    Wow, you have now gone completely off the rails, so if you're somehow incapable of engaging substantively or even owning your erroneous whattabout cheapshots, fine, just don't post it. Benghazi, Whitewater indeed. smh
  • a second gentle reminder
    Damn. I closed the wrong page. Had part of a contribution erased. Here we go again: SOURCES: How about well-known George Will? He has my respect and admiration. Thoughtful, intelligent. Even though I most often disagree with him, apart from his writings about baseball. I want to mention William F. Buckley, but he's passed on. And G. Will raised a disabled son together with his wife. THAT takes BIG balls.
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/this-sad-embarrassing-wreck-of-a-man/2018/07/17/d06de8ea-89e8-11e8-a345-a1bf7847b375_story.html?utm_term=.ec9c2cd14c1c
  • a second gentle reminder
    Seriously, Crash?
    No. Not seriously. I was being sarcastic, with a reference made by S. Bee in the video-clip. Anyhow, there's already enough dirt on President Pussy-grabber. And these statistics still are shocking:
    "Overall, 54% of women voted for Clinton, much higher than the 42% of women who voted for Trump. But when the women’s vote is divided by race, it becomes clear that black women actually largely drove the so-called gender gap against Trump. The majority of non-college educated white women (64%) voted for Trump.
  • a second gentle reminder
    @little5bee
    But the base remains diehard loyalists and the thing is so what if the economy is doing well? Economies have done well under other corrupt regimes. It doesn't paper over every other sin, and there is no real historical equivalent--certainly not the Clintons--with this kind of behavior. If the Clintons or Obama had behaved in this way during their tenure with this Congress they would not only have been impeached. They would be in jail right now.
    @Lewis Braham "so what if the economy is doing well"? I'll be sure to ask this question to my stepson...but he may be too busy to answer right now with all of the overtime he's working, as well as his parental duties of supporting a wife and 3 children under the age of 6...two of whom are autistic. But even better would be for you to deliver your lecture in person to his co-workers...I'm sure it would be enlightening for all parties involved.
    As far as false equivalency, would that be like the "diehard loyalists" on the Democrat side comparing Trump to Hitler?
    Whitewater, Travelgate, Lewinsky, Troopergate, Clinton Foundation and misappropriation of funds, Benghazi, Bill giving speeches while Hill was Secretary of State...conflict of interest.
  • Marsico Flexible Capital Fund reorganization
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1047112/000139834418010656/fp0034773_497.htm
    As previously communicated to shareholders in a supplement dated May 25, 2018, and an information statement/prospectus dated July 2, 2018, the reorganization of the Marsico Flexible Capital Fund (or “Acquired Fund”) with and into the Marsico Global Fund (or “Surviving Fund”) (the “Reorganization”) is expected to take place on or about August 3, 2018.
    Regarding the Flexible Capital Fund/Acquired Fund, on August 1, 2018, in anticipation of the Reorganization, the Flexible Capital Fund/Acquired Fund expects to make a distribution to its shareholders who are holders of record as of July 31, 2018, which will have the effect of distributing to its shareholders all of the Flexible Capital Fund’s/Acquired Fund’s investment company taxable income, if any, for the taxable period ending on or about August 3, 2018 (computed without regard to any deduction for dividends paid) and all of its net capital gains, if any, realized in the taxable period ending on or about August 3, 2018 (after reduction for any available capital loss carry forwards). Such distributions may be included in the taxable income of Flexible Capital Fund/Acquired Fund shareholders, depending on a shareholder’s tax status. Please refer to the Marsico Funds’ website for additional information concerning the distribution.
    Regarding the Global Fund/Surviving Fund, Marsico Capital Management, LLC (“MCM”), the Funds’ investment adviser, has entered into an expense limitation agreement with the Fund in which MCM has agreed to reduce the current contractual net expense cap for the Fund by 5 basis points from 1.50% to 1.45% upon the closing of the Reorganization at least through September 30, 2019...
  • Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund to change name (and possibly more?)
    The fund's already gone through minor (no pun intended) tweaks. I believe it started out as Gold and Precious Metals. From its 1994 prospectus:
    The Gold & Precious Metals Portfolio invests in the equity securities of
    foreign and domestic companies engaged in the exploration, mining,
    fabrication, processing, or marketing and distribution of gold, silver,
    platinum, diamonds or other precious and rare metals and minerals. The
    Portfolio may also invest up to 20% of its assets directly in gold,
    silver or other precious metal bullion and coins.
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/734383/0000893220-94-000267.txt
    In May 2001, it changed from a diversified fund to a nondiversified fund:
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/734383/000093247101500144/precmetals523.txt
    Apparently at or near the same time, it dropped the "Gold" from its name, becoming simply Precious Metals,. The next change came May 24, 2004. Mining was added to the name, and mining stocks played a bigger role in the portfolio:
    FUND TO REOPEN WITH BROADER INVESTMENT MANDATE AND NEW NAME
    Effective on or about May 24, 2004, Vanguard Precious Metals Fund will reopen to
    investors with a broader investment mandate and a new name.
    The board of trustees has decided to expand the fund's investment mandate.
    On the effective date of this change, the fund will invest at least 80% of its
    assets in the stocks of foreign and U.S. companies principally engaged in the
    exploration, mining, development, fabrication, processing, marketing, or
    distribution of (or other activities related to) metals or minerals. The
    majority of these companies will be principally engaged in activities related to
    gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, or other precious and rare metals or minerals.
    The remaining companies will be principally engaged in activities related to
    nickel, copper, zinc, or other base and common metals or minerals.
    The board of trustees acted in response to the increasing concentration of
    the metals and minerals industries, a trend that limited the options available
    to the fund's investment advisor. The decline in the number of precious metals
    issues on the market, combined with the advisor's stringent quality criteria,
    made it difficult to keep the portfolio fully invested while maintaining the
    overall quality and diversity of its holdings. The trustees therefore decided to
    broaden the range of stocks in which the fund can invest while adhering to its
    traditional investment strategies.
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/734383/000093247104000482/precious032004.txt
    I have no idea what Vanguard is trying to do with this latest change. Investing in companies/industries with declining CAPEX sounds like investing in cash cows. That's an income play, the opposite of what I'd expect from a fund that will continue to keep over 25% in precious metals and mining.
    I'm confused.
  • Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund to change name (and possibly more?)
    They sure need to change something. :)
    Currently the top 10 holdings all appear to be miners and make up over 40% of the fund’s investments. The fund lags most other mining funds for 1 & 5 years. Admittedly, mining hasn’t been a great place to be over that time. The 0.36% ER is low. But, for whatever reason, resource funds generally have lower ERs than might be expected.
    Couldn’t tell from the blurb exactly what they intend to change besides the name. Would guess they’ll move more to an infrastructure approach while retaining a sizable exposure to the miners. With a mandate like “infrastructure” the door is pretty much wide open to a variety of investments. Price used to include financials in their old infrastructure fund. The idea was that if a company loaned money to infrastructure companies or projects it belonged in an infrastructure fund. (TRP closed the fund in 2014, merging it into their Real Assets fund, PRAFX.)
  • Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund to change name (and possibly more?)
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/734383/000093247118006377/globalcapitalcycles485a.htm
    Investor Shares
    Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Fund Investor Shares (VGPMX)*
    (*Formerly known as Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund)