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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.
  • MFO Ratings Updated Through June 2016
    Just posted to MFO Premium site.
    Updates through June 2016 of US mutual fund performance for MultiSearch, Three Alarm, Honor Roll, Great Owl, Category Average, Dashboard of Profiled Funds, and Fund House Scorecard pages.
  • A lot to like about this week
    FAGIX shows real nice work since Notkin took over, in summer '03. You could make a really strong and fine case for active management and broadish diversification from having been a third in it, FCNTX, and FLPSX the last 13y. Forget balanced funds, make your own.
  • This Closed-End Fund Looks Cheap And Boasts A 10% Yield: PCI
    No mention in the Barron's blog post of the fact that PCI is changing its name and investment mandate at the end of the month, which is probably an important point for anyone considering putting new $ into it.
    I'll never understand these posts/articles about the attractiveness of ONE cef to the exclusion of all others. And, by the way, comparing one fund's p/d to a category average isn't all that meaningful for cef's; they're all over the place, depending a lot on the investment environment when they launched. As heezsafe wrote, it makes a lot more sense to look at the p/d trajectory of the fund itself, plus how the NAV's been doing and how well the earnings are covering the distribution.
    Just one other point: I think most cef investors consider CEF Connect to be the go-to site (except for the fund provider's site, which for most fund companies is more likely to be up-to-date). The info on that CEFA site looks way too limited to base investment decisions on.
  • A lot to like about this week
    heezsafe First article outdated and reflects the Brexit exit from junk bonds. Have you checked the most recent heavy inflows? And the author is completely off base about how much HYG remains off its 2014 highs. Like so many he is only looking at price, not total return.
    catch22 Wouldn't it be nice if you resumed your weekly bond commentary? Many of us enjoyed that.
  • A lot to like about this week
    Hi @Junkster
    Yup...........several years ago we held about 65% junk for a long time frame. Currently, we hold 52% of total in investment grade bonds (gov't. and corp.) No junk at this time.
    YTD to date, today:
    --- IEF = +9%
    --- HYG = +9.3%
    --- LQD = >11%
    --- EDV = >30%
    --- ZROZ = >31%
    'Course, there have been a few time frames since the market melt when most bonds and equity move up together for awhile.
    After this initial bump and grind since the BREXIT, equity and bonds traveling similar return rate paths. One and I may find this interesting, almost too interesting.
    I expect money traveling in many directions the remainder of this year, looking for the overbought to buy some oversold.
    Tis a lot of hot cash still roaming about looking for a bit of value, even if for a week or two.
    I believe "bumpy ride" has arrived for a stay.
    Regards,
    Catch
  • A lot to like about this week
    image
    Yes, a week of normal breathing and regular heart rate. A nice respite. But as this continues, and the financial MSM only pumps up the positive to keep the momo going (in their service to the industry), it might be smart to start looking for trouble developing under the covers, as all good runs come to an end someday. In that regard, here are some data and commentary I ran across by Wolf Richter on his blog last week; all is not well in the shadows.
    http://wolfstreet.com/2016/07/01/investors-fleeing-junk-bond-funds-leveraged-loan-funds/
    http://wolfstreet.com/2016/07/06/big-unravel-u-s-commercial-bankruptcies-skyrocket/
  • A lot to like about this week
    What a week for junk! One thing I don't like about the week is that I am not fully invested in corp junk. I still have 30% in muni junk and 10% in PFORX. @Junkster - I like your WAHYX and I also own ABHIX and PYHIX.
    I got off the muni wagon too soon and won't be going back. Junk at least for now is outperforming. I thought they rang a bell several days this week when junk was up in the face of some severe daily oil declines. I ramped up so today was nice. But WAHYX lagged and I hope that was an anomoly. All I have in the bank loan category is RSFYX. Hopefully junk will be less volatile going forward but if oil drops back to 40 who knows. Seems anything with a yield is working this year. Had to look up PFORX. Looks good!
  • A lot to like about this week
    What a week for junk! One thing I don't like about the week is that I am not fully invested in corp junk. I still have 30% in muni junk and 10% in PFORX. @Junkster - I like your WAHYX and I also own ABHIX and PYHIX.
  • DoubleLine's Gundlach: Gold Remains Best Investment In 'Shaky' World
    Hear More Next Week !
    More Thoughts from Mr Gundlach in Tue.July 12th Webcast
    image
    Asset Allocation Webcast
    Please join us for a live webcast titled "Asset Allocation" hosted by:
    Jeffrey Gundlach
    Mr. Gundlach will be discussing the economy, the markets and his outlook for what he believes may be the best investment strategies and sector allocations for the DoubleLine Core Fixed Income Fund (DBLFX/DLFNX) and Flexible Income Fund (DFLEX/DLINX).
    Tuesday, July 12, 2016
    1:15 pm PT/4:15 pm ET/3:15 pm CT
    Register
    https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1085766
  • DoubleLine's Gundlach: Gold Remains Best Investment In 'Shaky' World
    AndyJ-
    I agree that Jeff has some talent in trading fixed income mortgages. The problem is that he is getting distracted from his core competency and recently is focused more on getting media attention (along with Bill Gross who has the same problem). Year to date, Gundlach's biggest fund, DBLTX, is ranked in the 92nd percentile by Morningstar. If he continues ranking in the bottom 10%, people will eventually stop calling him a bond guru. That's what happened to Bill Miller.
  • Will The Utilities ETF Sector Keep Shining?
    FYI: (The Linkster says that utilities along with real estate funds have more upside for the remainder of the year. Low interest rates are the life blood of these types of funds.)
    The Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLU) settled lower yesterday, but that was after touching new highs and XLU, the largest utilities exchange traded fund, is still up more than 20% year-to-date. That makes XLU easily the best performer among the sector SPDR exchange traded funds. Importantly, utilities ETFs’ runs may not be over
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://www.etftrends.com/2016/07/will-the-utilities-etf-sector-keep-shining/
  • This Closed-End Fund Looks Cheap And Boasts A 10% Yield: PCI
    FYI: Analysts at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management gave the go-ahead to buy a Pimco bond closed-end fund that trades at steep discount and boasts a high yield.
    The research team, led by John Duggan, initiated coverage of the Pimco Dynamic Credit Income Fund (PCI) with an “overweight” rating on Friday. PCI touts a 10.2% annualized distribution rate and currently trades at 5.8% discount to its net asset value. That’s cheaper to the average of 3.9% for other multi-sector bond CEFs
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://blogs.barrons.com/focusonfunds/2016/07/08/this-closed-end-fund-looks-cheap-and-boasts-a-10-yield/tab/print/
    M* Snapshot PCI:
    http://www.morningstar.com/cefs/xnys/pci/quote.html
    CEFA Snapshot PCI:
    http://www.cefa.com/FundSelector/FundDetail.fs?ID=202238
  • Robo-advisors
    @MFO Members: Speaking of robo-advisors, Legg Mason is getting into the act.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20160707/FREE/160709965?template=printart
  • Consuelo Mack's WealthTrack Preview: Guest Philippe Bragere-Trelat, Franklin Funfs, & Jason Trennett
    FYI:
    Regards,
    Ted
    WEALTHTRACK Subscriber,
    Turmoil, volatility and uncertainty have long been considered enemies of stock markets. They certainly proved that once again in the days immediately following Brexit on June 23rd, when British voters passed a referendum to exit the European Union. For a few trading sessions investors fled stocks and other assets perceived to be risky and flocked to traditional safe havens such as gold, long-maturity U.S. Treasury bonds and debt of other countries considered to be of high credit quality, including Germany, France and Japan.
    According to bond rating firm Fitch, sovereign debt with below zero yields increased by $1.3 trillion in the month of June to a total of $11.7 trillion, boosted by the Brexit vote. Longer maturity debt was particularly popular. Japan’s negative yielding debt grew about 18% to $7.9 trillion, France’s by 13% and Germany’s by 8% to over $1 trillion each.
    Britain is the first country to exit the 28 country European Union, which took its current form in 1992 as a single market allowing goods, services, money and people to move freely among member states, as if it were a single country. It has its own parliament, located in Brussels, with the ability to regulate a wide range of areas including the environment, transportation, consumer rights, employment rules and even such things as mobile phone charges and electric tea kettles.
    Its single currency the Euro wasn’t created until 1999. The United Kingdom opted to keep its own currency, the Pound Sterling, as did several other member countries including Denmark and Sweden.
    Why did the Brexit vote set off such a firestorm in global markets? How much of a threat is it to the global economy and financial markets now?
    Joining us on WEALTHTRACK this week are two market pros who have been tracking these developments closely. Philippe Brugère-Trélat, Executive Vice President of Franklin Mutual Series is a contrarian, value investor with years of experience investing in Europe and other international markets. He is Co-Portfolio Manager of three funds, all rated 4-star by Morningstar. He has managed Franklin Mutual European Fund since 2004, and both Franklin Mutual Global Discovery Fund and Franklin Mutual International Fund since 2009.
    Our other guest is one of our Financial Thought Leaders. Jason Trennert is Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Strategist at Strategas Research Partners, an independent investment strategy and macroeconomic firm celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.
    Identified by Barron’s as one of “Wall Street’s Best Minds”, Trennert and his team are known for their original and timely economic, political and market analysis and identification of investment themes. The firm recently started Strategas Asset Management to enable clients to invest in portfolios based on three of those themes. One is Policy Opportunities, another is Large-Cap Dividend Growth and the third is New Sovereigns, formerly their Thrifty Fifty portfolio which we have discussed on previous episodes. I will ask Trennert for an update.
    If you miss the show on television this week you can always catch it on our website. We also have an EXTRA interview with both of our guests. As always, we welcome your feedback. Click on the Contact Us link on our website, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
    Have a great summer weekend and make the week ahead a profitable and a productive one.
    Best Regards,
    Consuelo
  • DBLTX, TOTL or both?
    JG talks about the difference between TOTL and DBLTX.

    IBD: What are the similarities and differences between the Total Return Fund and TOTL, the ETF?
    Gundlach: They're not the same.
    The interest-rate risk in TOTL is the same
    Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/is-doublelines-jeffrey-gundlach-the-new-bond-king-cm505054#ixzz3rNvBpyY9
    FWIW, I use TOTL. My other fixed income funds include PIMIX, AGG and muni CEFs/OEF.
    Here's a discussion on TOTL at M*.
    socialize.morningstar.com/NewSocialize/forums/p/361154/3752952.aspx#3752952
  • Vanguard Attracts Record New Money As Investors Flock To Passive

    @Sven: Yes indeed. And then there's the question of 'active share' and how a fund does viz-a-viz the market and/or its competitors. I hold a few funds with high active share, and it's nice to know they zig when the rest of the herd (er, market) zags. Maybe not enough to offset any decline (especially when all correlations are 1) but drawdowns tend to be managable by comparison.
  • DBLTX, TOTL or both?
    @Bitzer
    Do your other bond fund holdings have any overlap/duplication of holdings of these Doubleline funds?
    As noted, both are mortgage leaning; with DBLTX having about 87% of holdings stated as AAA credit quality (as of 3-31-16). The stated credit quality of TOTL is lower. If I was interested in this bond area at this time, I would have a coin toss.
    Of little help, I suspect; but just a look.
  • DoubleLine's Gundlach: Gold Remains Best Investment In 'Shaky' World
    Jeff was recommending the gold miners in November, 2012. He rode them all the way down and is now riding them up, but he is still way under water. In November, 2012, GDX was 45.93 and it is now 30.57.
    http://blogs.barrons.com/stockstowatchtoday/2012/11/30/gundlach-likes-gold-miners-and-hes-not-alone/
    Of course, you will never read about his bad forecasts in the media, es[pecially from Reuters. They are afraid to point out his bad forecasts because he may not give them interviews any more.
    excellent, MOZART325