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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.
  • Value Funds: That's A Whole Lot Of Value Building Up
    FYI: Value funds have trailed in 10-year performance their style counterparts in growth and core, which encompasses both growth and value stocks. They're also lagging their peers year to date.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewFreeUse.act?fuid=MjA0MDMwMTc=
    Enlarged Graphic:
    http://news.investors.com/photopopup.aspx?path=webLV091015_1K.jpg&docId=770344&xmpSource=&width=1000&height=1063&caption=&id=770346
  • Royce 100 Fund to change its name
    http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/709364/000094937715000317/e36935_roh-isi.htm
    497 1 e36935_roh-isi.htm
    The Royce Fund
    Supplement to the Investment, Service, and Institutional Class Shares
    Prospectus Dated May 1, 2015
    Royce 100 Fund
    (to be renamed Royce Small-Cap Leaders Fund effective September 15, 2015)
    The Board of Trustees of The Royce Fund has approved the following name and related investment policy changes for Royce 100 Fund, to become effective as of September 15, 2015.
    Royce 100 Fund
    Royce 100 Fund will be renamed Royce Small-Cap Leaders Fund.
    Principal Investment Strategy
    The first and second paragraphs in this section are deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following:
    Royce & Associates, LLC (“Royce”), the Fund’s investment adviser, invests the Fund’s assets primarily in a limited number (generally up to 100) of equity securities of small-cap companies with stock market capitalizations up to $3 billion. Royce selects securities of “leading” companies—those that in its view are trading at attractive valuations that also have excellent business strengths, strong balance sheets, and/or improved prospects for growth, as well as those with the potential for improvement in cash flow levels and internal rates of return.
    Normally, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies with stock market capitalizations up to $3 billion at the time of investment. Although the Fund normally focuses on securities of U.S. companies, it may invest up to 25% of its net assets (measured at the time of investment) in securities of companies headquartered in foreign countries. The Fund may invest in other investment companies that invest in equity securities. The Fund may sell securities to, among other things, secure gains, limit losses, redeploy assets into what Royce deems to be more promising opportunities, and/or manage cash levels in the Fund’s portfolio.
    Primary Risks for Fund Investors
    The first sentence of the second paragraph in this section is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:
    The prices of equity securities of companies with market capitalizations up to $3 billion are generally more volatile and their markets are less liquid relative to larger-cap securities.
    The operations of the Fund will not change except as specifically described above.
    September 11, 2015
  • Gary Black marginalized at Calamos
    As I've noted before, the guy seems problematic. Mr. Calamos's decision to reconfigure his executive team struck me at the time as unwise (see Gary Black as savior? Really?, September 2012) since he was bringing in a guy around whom lawsuits, controversy, and negative press swirled. Yesterday Calamos filed the following announcement with the SEC:
    "Effective immediately, Gary Black will no longer be a member of the investment team managing any of the series of the Calamos Investment Trust other than the Calamos Long/Short Fund where he will remain a Co-Portfolio Manager. Accordingly, all references to Mr. Black’s position of Global Co-CIO and his involvement with all other series of the Calamos Investment Trust except for the Calamos Long/Short Fund shall be deemed deleted from the Summary Prospectuses, Prospectuses, and Statement of Additional Information of the Calamos Investment Trust. "
    The Long/Short fund was Black's project before he joined Calamos. The press release merely says that Mr. Black "will transition from the firm by October 31, 2015." His bio now reads:
    "Gary D. Black. Gary D. Black serves as a Co-Portfolio Manager as of September 2015. Between August 31, 2012 and September 2015 he was the Executive Vice President and Global Co-CIO of CALAMOS ADVISORS. Mr. Black served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, and was a Founding Member of Black Capital LLC from July 2009 until August 2012. Prior thereto, Mr. Black served as Chief Executive Officer of Janus Capital Group from January 2006 through July 2009."
    His fund, CALSX, seems to offer elevated volatility with average returns.
    I've dropped Calamos a note, asking what led to the changes and what happens to CALSX after Halloween. Firm representatives, citing what they believe to be unprofessional behavior in our earlier coverage, are reluctant to provide additional comment now. That's understandable. The official word on the change is available at the Calamos website.
    As ever,
    David
  • Am I Being Cheated By ETFs?
    FYI: Q: Am I being cheated by ETFs?
    A: Exchange-traded fund are billed as a great way for investors to save money on fees. That's true. But they're not free and there are costs investors need to be aware of.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/krantz/2015/09/11/cheated-exchange-traded-funds-etfs/72013082/
  • M*: 6 Active Mid-Cap Funds To Buy (Or Keep)
    POAGX. Midcap Growth. Hmmmm.
    Mkt capitalization of holdings, as % of portfolio (6/30/2015):
    Giant 9.40
    Large 21.13
    Small 27.44
    Micro 15.73
    ///TOTAL NON-MC: 73.7% of POAGX portfolio///
  • M*: 6 Active Mid-Cap Funds To Buy (Or Keep)
    @prinx,
    Thanks for the fund suggestion. I will check it out. Do you own their healthcare fund ETNHX?
    Looks like both POAGX (33%) and ETGLX (22%) significantly overweight healthcare compared to the MG category (13%).
    ETGLX (1.5% ER) has a bit of headwind compared to POAGX (.62% ER).
    Both were recently created in 2010.
  • Patterned By Birth
    Its my understanding that stock market gyrations over the past 15 years have made millennials disproportionately reluctant to invest the stock market....even if they have the income and savings needed to do so. Another big near term dip in the market might be the nail in the coffin for many of them as far as considering stock market investing goes.
  • M*: 6 Active Mid-Cap Funds To Buy (Or Keep)
    Hi bee,
    you will notice below that ETGLX has a somewhat greater return than POAGX
    but for taxable accounts it is more tax efficient.
    prinx
    Tax Analysis
    1-Mo 3-Mo 6-Mo YTD 1-Yr 3-Yr 5-Yr 10-Yr 15-Yr Since Inception
    (08/31/2015)
    Pretax Return
    POAGX -5.70 -5.43 -4.78 0.97 4.16 22.83 22.41 13.08 — 13.17
    ETGLX -8.43 -10.43 -4.13 1.17 8.11 24.61 22.79 — — —
    Tax-adjusted Return *
    POAGX -5.70 -5.43 -4.78 0.97 2.81 22.10 21.72 12.70 — 12.82
    ETGLX -8.43 -10.43 -4.13 1.17 8.08 24.52 22.19 — — —
    % Rank in Category 23 32 49 34 20 1 1 1 —
    Tax Cost Ratio
    POAGX — — — — 1.30 0.59 0.56 0.34 — —
    ETGLX — — — — 0.03 0.07 0.49 — — —
    Potential Cap Gains Exposure
    POAGX 32.94
    ETGLX 11.25
  • Oh how the mighty have fallen
    I never fall in love with a fund manager or for that matter even care who he is. I see far too many who are in funds that have lagged for the past 1, 3, and 5 years (some severely) yet refuse to sell because of their confidence in the fund manager. That and the fact they can't admit they were wrong.
  • Oh how the mighty have fallen
    NTHEX down 17.26% over the past year and a really poor 5 and 10 year record. And this is a bond fund! The father/son running this fund at one time were the best of the best. There is a moral here but don't want to rile up the board.
    Thanks for the correction claimui.
  • M*: 6 Active Mid-Cap Funds To Buy (Or Keep)
    I'll continue to "buy and hold" POAGX. What would be your "yang" to any of these choices since there is considerable volatility?
    10 Year comparison of POAGX to these choices:
    image
  • Patterned By Birth
    FYI: What if stocks experience their third separate bear market in under twenty years? What would that do to the psychology of investors?
    Regards,
    Ted
    https://theirrelevantinvestor.wordpress.com/2015/09/09/patterned-by-birth/
  • Ashmore Emerging Markets Currency Fund to liquidate
    Ashmore is nevermore.
    ECYAX (Class A)
    Less than 5 years old.
    AUM $100,000.
    -15% (negative) return for 1 year
    1.12% net ER after a 1.6% waiver
    4% front load (Class A)
    A foreign currency fund, it's been going head-to-head against the strong U.S. dollar.
    Sign of the times.
    Thanks to The Shadow for posting.
  • 361 Managed Futures Strategy Fund to close to new investors by 12/31/15
    http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318342/000139834415006178/fp0015970_497.htm
    1 fp0015970_497.htm
    361 Managed Futures Strategy Fund
    Investor Class (AMFQX)
    Class I (AMFZX)
    A series of Investment Managers Series Trust
    Supplement dated September 9, 2015
    to the Summary Prospectus and Prospectus
    dated March 1, 2015
    IMPORTANT NOTICE ON PURCHASE OF FUND SHARES
    Effective as of the close of business on September 30, 2015 (the “Closing Date”), the 361 Managed Futures Strategy Fund (the “Managed Futures Strategy Fund”) will be publicly offered on a limited basis.
    After the Closing Date, only certain investors will be eligible to purchase shares of the Fund, as described below (the “closure policy”). In addition, both before and after the Closing Date, the Fund may from time to time, in its sole discretion based on the Fund’s net asset levels and other factors, limit the types of investors permitted to open new accounts, limit new purchases into the Fund or otherwise modify the closure policy at any time on a case-by-case basis.
    The following groups will be permitted to continue to purchase Fund shares after the Closing Date:
    1. Shareholders of record of the Fund as of the Closing Date are able to continue to purchase additional shares in their existing Fund accounts either directly through the Fund or through a financial intermediary and may continue to reinvest dividends or capital gains distributions from shares owned in the Fund;
    2. Existing registered investment advisor (RIA) and bank trust firms that have an investment allocation to the Fund in a fee-based, wrap or advisory account, can continue to add new clients, purchase shares, and exchange into the Fund. The Fund will not be available to new RIA and bank trust firms.
    3. Approved discretionary fee-based advisory programs, in which the program’s sponsor has full authority to make investment changes without approval from the shareholder, may continue to utilize the Fund for new and existing program accounts.
    4. Approved brokerage programs where the Fund is currently included in a model portfolio may continue to utilize the Fund for new and existing program accounts.
    5. Fund of mutual fund sponsors that have an investment in the Fund as of the Closing Date can continue to purchase shares of the Fund.
    6. Certain financial intermediaries may continue to open new underlying customer accounts provided the platform on which they offer access to the Fund has an existing funded position.
    7. An institutional consulting firm that has previously directed client assets into the Fund may be allowed to recommend the Fund to its new and existing clients who may in turn purchase shares of the Fund, provided that, in the judgment of 361 Capital, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, the proposed investment in the Fund would not adversely affect the investment adviser’s ability to manage the Fund effectively.
    8. Group employer benefit plans, including 401(k), 403(b), 457 plans, and health savings account programs (and their successor, related and affiliated plans), which make the Fund available to participants on or before the Closing Date, may continue to open accounts for new participants in the Fund and purchase additional shares in existing participant accounts. New group employer benefit plans, including 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans, and health savings account programs (and their successor, related and affiliated plans), may also establish new accounts with the Fund, provided the new plans have approved and selected the Fund as an investment option by the Closing Date and the plan has also been accepted for investment by the Fund by the Closing Date.
    9. Members of the Fund’s Board of Trustees and persons affiliated with the Fund’s investment adviser and their immediate families will be able to purchase shares of the Fund and establish new accounts.
    In general, the Fund will rely on a financial intermediary to prevent a new account from being opened within an omnibus account established at that financial intermediary if the account would not otherwise satisfy the conditions outlined above. The Fund’s ability to monitor new accounts that are opened through omnibus accounts or other nominee accounts is limited and the ability to limit a new account to those that meet the above criteria with respect to financial intermediaries may vary depending upon the capabilities of those financial intermediaries. Investors may be asked to verify that they meet one of the exceptions above prior to opening a new account in the Fund. The Fund may permit you to open a new account if the Fund reasonably believes that you are eligible. If a shareholder opens a new account in the Fund and is later determined to be ineligible for investment, the Fund reserves the right to redeem the shares at their original NAV. The Fund also may decline to permit you to open a new account if the Fund believes that doing so would be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders, even if you would be eligible to open a new account under these exceptions. If all shares of the Fund in an existing account are redeemed, the shareholder’s account will be closed. Such former shareholders will not be able to buy additional shares of the Fund or reopen their account.
    Please file this Supplement with your records.
  • Long/Short Doesn’t Mean 'Hedged'
    ... well then, there is an UN-asked question:
    1.What good are they?
    2. What is the benefit derived (vs. sticking with a "long-only" fund)?
    3. All things being equal, isn't a (typical) long-only fund, a more straightforward, less complex fund to manage -- with a long-only fund, the manager only needs to be right about his/her longs. In a long-short fund, if either your longs OR your shorts don't deliver on-balance, investors are looking for disappointment.)
    4. How many really good "shorting" investors are managing public/retail funds?
    5. What is the raison d'etre for a long-short fund in a retail investor's portfolio, which doesn't serve as a hedge?
    With a few exceptions, these long-short products strike me as being "sold" (to investors) rather than bought. -- A characteristic I see of most alternative-strategy funds.
  • Vanguard Group Hires A Smart Beta Expert From Pioneer Research Affiliates
    FYI: The Vanguard Group Inc., which has for years voiced skepticism about the fast rise of exotic index-investing strategies, has hired a top researcher away from one of the best-known promoters of smart beta, Research Affiliates.
    Valley Forge, Pa.-based Vanguard, the largest mutual fund firm and the second-largest ETF manager, is bringing Research Affiliates analyst Denis B. Chaves to its quantitative equity group, according to the leader of that group, John Ameriks.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20150908/FREE/150909935?template=printart
  • Water: The New Screen For Investment Risk
    FYI: Focus on potential water shortages is part of investors’ interest in ‘sustainable’ investing.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://www.wsj.com/articles/water-the-new-screen-for-investment-risk-1441768915