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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.
  • Do Low Volatility Funds Actually Protect In Downturns?
    ARIVX (up .09%), ICMTX (down 2.30%), AUENX (down 2.57%)
  • Art Cashin: "Somebody Thinks They Know Something"
    Hi @FundStudent,
    Neither did Old_Skeet get sucked in either.
    Being a retail investor, and not a trader, by my valuation matrix indicates stocks, in general, are still to expensive as of Friday market close for the S&P 500 Index (2037) for me to increase my allocation in equities. I am thinking we still have a ways to go before a bottom is reached. Currently, I am looking somewhere around 1950 on the 500 Index before I open shop, during the summer, and devote much time towards my investing endeavors. With this, I am not following the markets during the day but I still do a daily and weekly portfolio close. My overall asset allocation bubbles as follows: cash 25%, bonds 25%, stocks 45% and other 5% according to my latest Instant Xray analysis of 6/03/2016. Please note, this is an adpative allocation, of sorts, that allows for some asset movement (upward or downward) within the allocation, from time-to-time, based upon market climate and my read on the markets. Currently, my range for stocks is 45% to 55% and was up above 65% a few years ago; but, as P/E Ratios have climbed, over the past couple of years, I have reduced my allocation to them.
    I wish all a good summer ... and, most of all, "Good Investing."
    Old_Skeet
  • Do Low Volatility Funds Actually Protect In Downturns?
    My low volatility funds for 6/24: BLVAX was down 2.08%, VMVFX down 2.52%, JRSTX ("managed" volatility fund) was down 1.26%, and I'll throw GDMZX in the group (defensive strategy fund) which was down 2.27%. Given the S&P 500 was down 3.59%, I'm not too disappointed with how they performed. I was concerned VMVFX was going to go down more than it did as it is a global fund, and foreign markets got pummeled.
  • Active Managers Start To Feel The Pain
    Once upon a time investors thought active managers would protect them from a bear
    market that idea seemed wrong to a large extent in 2008 and then 2011 was the last straw. When active managers failed to beat the S+P in 2011 it was time to be convinced by Vanguard ads. Almost as important were taxable investors being buried by unwanted capital gains in 2014 and 2015 distribution which was followed by a move to ETFs , Full disclosure my portfolio has been affected by this trend especially when long term holding Sequoia let me down really hurting the case for active management..
  • Gross, Ivascyn See Flight To Havens In Historic Brexit Jolt
    Last night when I went to bed, the British pound was getting murdered and S&P futures were down well over 5% and I was afraid of a real bloodbath this morning. But the S&P actually rallied strongly this morning- only down about 2% now.
  • Active Managers Start To Feel The Pain
    Hi Guys,
    This is an overdo reaction that reflects the accumulating wisdom of the investing public. We learn, but only so slowly. The author of the piece captures the reason in his closing summary:
    "The bottom line: Fund managers who try to beat the market mostly fail, and their business may be about to get smaller."
    Here is a Link to a Morningstar study that further documents the overall failures of active fund managers:
    http://corporate.morningstar.com/US/documents/ResearchPapers/MorningstarActive-PassiveBarometerJune2015.pdf
    It is not a comforting performance rating, but there are a few positive findings. In a few categories, like low cost value funds, active management delivers on its promises. By picking carefully, active funds can outperform their passive counterparts. The primary reason appears to be low cost structures. That's the simple guideline for selecting an active mutual fund product that shifts the odds in the direction of active management.
    Best Regards.
  • Active Managers Start To Feel The Pain
    FYI: Even after the shock of the financial crisis, managing other people’s money remained a pretty great business. While banks shed jobs, employment at the largest publicly traded asset managers rose about 20 percent from 2008 to 2015, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Now top executives at some of the largest fund companies, including Larry Fink at BlackRock and Gregory Johnson at Franklin Resources, are warning that a reckoning is coming.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-23/active-managers-start-to-feel-the-pain
  • 5 REITs for retired portfolio
    O, HCN, WPC and VTR make up my personal REIT collection, and I'm really happy with that team which makes up about 15% of my IRA.
    By the way, I added WPC two and a half years ago on a recommendation from Scott who used to contribute here.
    Thanks Scott.
  • Fund Investors: Where’s Your Tesla?
    Perhaps some investors find favorable that the U.S. gov't (uh, you) have a large investment in Mr. Musk's projects. Might this change for reasons x, y or z???
    Too many other investment fish in the sea, IMO.
    http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-musk-subsidies-20150531-story.html
  • Fund Investors: Where’s Your Tesla?
    PLANS IN THE PIPELINE
    In a hastily arranged call with investors and Wall Street analysts early on Wednesday, where Tesla executives defended the deal, Musk said institutional shareholders had some idea of the plan.
    He had not disclosed the deal, he said, but over the years, "this idea has been bandied about with some of our largest shareholders, institutional shareholders. Yeah, there have been discussions."
    The manager of the second largest mutual fund investor in Tesla, the $12 billion Fidelity OTC Portfolio, which is also the largest institutional holder of SolarCity, praised a tie-up in comments earlier this year.
    “We remain fans not just of Tesla products, but of the concepts and potential future partnerships behind the company. We foresee fruitful synergies between say, Tesla and SolarCity – or any company that can benefit from superior battery technology,” Gavin Baker, who runs the Fidelity OTC fund FOCPX , said in his first-quarter commentary for investors. It owns 2.1 percent of shares.
    Baker and Will Danoff, who runs the $100 billion-plus Fidelity Contrafund FCNTX, the largest mutual fund investor in Tesla with 3.5 percent of stock, have both told Reuters in interviews that they tend to give more leeway to founder-run companies which they believe are still in the early stages of growth.
    Musk, a founder of Tesla and SolarCity who owns about a fifth of each, will recuse himself from board and shareholder votes, leaving the fate of the deal in the hands of outside investors, led by major fund companies such as Fidelity Investments.
    https://www.yahoo.com/news/behind-tesla-carnage-signs-support-musks-solarcity-deal-005255105--sector.html?ref=gs
    FOPCX
    $ 77.31
    1-Day Total Return
    -0.83 % as of 22 Jun 2016 |
    FCNTX
    $ 96.89
    1-Day Total Return
    -0.34 % as of 22 Jun 2016 |
    OTCRX SCHEDULE OF SECURITIES SOLD SHORT
    AT JANUARY 31, 2016 (Unaudited)
    Automobile Manufacturers: 0.9%
    11,028 shares
    Tesla Motors, Inc
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811030/000089418916008671/ottercreek-pmp_nq.htm
    OTCRX
    $ 12.01
    1-Day Total Return
    +0.25 % as of 22 Jun 2016 |
  • Fund Investors: Where’s Your Tesla?

    As I recall TSLA was a top-5 holding in PRGTX until last December when they dumped it for something else. As a holder of PRGTX I had mixed feelings about that move b/c I think the company does have some great prospects in the long-long term. But whatever. :)
  • M*: 4 Top Funds for Investing in Emerging-Markets Debt
    FYI: Emerging-markets bonds have been on a tear so far in 2016, with the typical fund in the emerging-markets bond fund group gaining nearly 8% for the year to date through late June.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=757484
  • MORNINGSTAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER UPDATE DISASTER
    If those premium members that are paying to receive certain information; and, are not getting what the have paid for ... Why not ask for a refund?
    If they got 500 calls in a single day wanting a refund then I'd think this would get their attention.
  • Preferred stock fund
    Keep in mind that most preferreds have had a strong and long bull run. Many are priced at premiums. For example, the largest holding in PFF is HSBC preferred, currently priced at $25.58 or about a 2% premium. The second largest holding is Barclays Bank preferred, priced at $25.92, almost a 4% premium. As with most fixed-income ETFs, the fund has the right to give you shares of specific holding(s), not cash, should there be a credit crisis resulting in a run to sell the fund. The attraction of the ETFs are the low expenses. Mutual fund options include CPXAX and KIFYX. We have used Salient for some income-centered portfolios. The drawback is the high expense, but since the bear market bottom in 2009, it has the highest return.
  • Could Mutual Fund Sneakiness Be Costing You 4% Per Year?
    Hi Guys,
    It is no shock that mutual fund organizations work very hard to embellish their funds annual returns. One only wishes that these funds work equally hard at actually delivering superior returns to their loyal investor base. Hope springs eternal!
    The referenced article identifies a handful of tricks and gimmicks that fund managers can deploy to nudge the returns needle in the slightly more positive direction. Yes, these devices do make an impact, but only at the margins. Additionally it is a futile effort because a simple performance measurement and a comparison standard are easily accessible to all investors: these are the annual returns and an appropriate benchmark. These two values integrate all the investment wisdom and investment decisions into simple numbers.
    Most investors are most influenced by these two obvious metrics. I really don’t commit much precious time in identifying a funds specific portfolio holdings or their individual buy/sell records. That extra effort defeats one main reason for investing in mutual funds; allowing the fund manager to really manage his fund.
    Mutual fund buyers are slowly recognizing the futility of active fund managers. Money is flowing away from active funds towards passive fund products and ETFs.
    I doubt that active fund managers are robbing investors of 4% in returns because of unethical tactics. Yes, some tactics add to the cost structure, but insightful stock selections ameliorate their impact. The reference paper emphasizes the minor bushes and not the tall trees that dominate the forest. The referenced article is gilding the lilly.
    Active funds annually underperform their passive benchmarks on average, sometimes by rather large margins. Here is a Link to a nice Morningstar paper that addresses this issue:
    http://corporate.morningstar.com/US/documents/ResearchPapers/MorningstarActive-PassiveBarometerJune2015.pdf
    The paper certainly doesn’t make the case for the active mutual fund community. But exceptions do exist, and these exceptions have benefited their customers for long investment periods. Good for them, better for their clients. Indeed, hope springs eternal!
    Best Wishes.
  • Someone Made A Big Bet On Small ETF That Treasuries Rally On
    FYI: Less than two hours before U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen took center stage last week, an obscure exchange-traded fund managed by Pacific Investment Management Co. was the site of aggressive speculation on the rally in Treasuries.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://www.fa-mag.com/news/someone-made-a-big-bet-on-small-etf-that-treasuries-rally-on--1-27567.html?print
  • Pathway Advisors Aggressive Growth and Conservative Funds to liquidate
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/915802/000091580216000166/stickerpathwayfundsliquidati.htm
    497 1 stickerpathwayfundsliquidati.htm
    FINANCIAL INVESTORS TRUST
    PATHWAY ADVISORS AGGRESSIVE GROWTH FUND
    PATHWAY ADVISORS CONSERVATIVE FUND
    Supplement dated June 20, 2016
    to the
    Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, each dated August 31, 2015,
    for the Pathway Advisors Aggressive Growth Fund and Pathway Advisors Conservative Fund,
    each a series of Financial Investors Trust (the “Trust”)
    The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Trust, based upon the recommendation of Hanson McClain, Inc. (the “Adviser”), the investment adviser to the Pathway Advisors Aggressive Growth Fund and Pathway Advisors Conservative Fund (the “Funds”), each a series of the Trust, has determined to close and liquidate the Funds. The Board concluded that it would be in the best interests of each Fund and its shareholders that such Fund be closed and liquidated as series of the Trust effective as of the close of business on July 15, 2016.
    The Board approved a Plan of Termination, Dissolution and Liquidation (the “Plan”) that determines the manner in which each Fund will be liquidated. Pursuant to the Plan and in anticipation of each Fund’s liquidation, each Fund will be closed to new shareholder purchases effective as of the close of business on June 30, 2016 and closed to all existing shareholder purchases on July 5, 2016. However, any distributions declared to shareholders of a Fund after June 30, 2016, and until the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on July 15, 2016 will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Fund unless a shareholder specifically requests that such distributions be paid in cash. Although each Fund will be closed to any new purchases as of July 5, 2016, you may continue to redeem your shares of a Fund after July 5, 2016, as provided in the Prospectus. Please note, however, that each Fund will be liquidating its assets as of the close of business on July 15, 2016.
    Pursuant to the Plan, if a Fund has not received your redemption request or other instruction prior to the close of business on July 15, 2016, the effective time of the liquidation, your shares will be redeemed, and you will receive proceeds representing your proportionate interest in the net assets of the Fund as of July 15, 2016, subject to any required withholdings. As is the case with any redemption of fund shares, these liquidation 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, the liquidation proceeds may not be subject to current income taxation under certain conditions. You should consult with your tax adviser for further information regarding the federal, state and/or local income tax consequences of this liquidation that are relevant to your specific situation.
    All expenses incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Plan, other than the brokerage commissions associated with the sale of portfolio securities, will be paid by the Adviser.
    Please retain this supplement with your Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.