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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.
  • Fund Manager Focus: Michael Kass, Manager, Baron Emerging Markets Fund
    FYI: When Baron Funds unveiled an emerging-market fund at the end of 2010, it seemed like a departure for a boutique firm best known for its intense focus on growing entrepreneurial companies.
    Baron Emerging Markets manager Michael Kass focuses on the rise of the emerging market entrepreneur. Photograph: Ken Schles for Barron’s
    Yet that’s exactly the premise behind the four-year-old, $1.6 billion Baron Emerging Markets (ticker: BEXFX). “The next stage of emerging-market growth is all about the rise of the entrepreneur,” says Michael Kass, whose all-cap fund is up 10.5% a year over the past three years, better than 97% of emerging-market funds. “I refer to it as EM 2.0.”
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://online.barrons.com/articles/betting-on-the-emerging-market-entrepreneur-1431743945#printMode
    M* Snapshot BEXFX: http://www.morningstar.com/funds/XNAS/BEXFX/quote.html
    Lipper Snapshot BEXFX: http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/Fund/BEXFX?countrycode=US
    BEXFX Is Unranked In The (EM) Fund Category By U.S. News & World Report:
    http://money.usnews.com/funds/mutual-funds/diversified-emerging-mkts/baron-emerging-markets-fund/bexfx
  • Jason Zweig: Can You Use ETFs To Beat The Market ?
    FYI: When hiring people who call themselves strategists, be aware that some act more like tacticians instead.
    That is one lesson from several recent setbacks among ETF strategists, asset managers who specialize in picking exchange-traded funds—those popular investment baskets that mimic market benchmarks like the S&P 500-stock index or the Barclays U.S. Aggregate bond index.
    Until recently, ETF strategists have been sizzling hot. By March 2014, they had garnered $103 billion in assets, up from $44 billion at the end of 2011. But assets slid to $91 billion at year-end 2014 and likely dropped further in the first quarter as disappointed investors pulled money out, says Ling-Wei Hew, an analyst at Morningstar, the investment-research firm.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2015/05/15/can-you-use-etfs-to-beat-the-market/tab/print/
  • Vanguard CEO: “We Want to Drive Costs Even Lower”
    If I have done my math right, $3Tx0.01% = $3B, which equals a low load and enough money to hire very good employees. 1,000 at $1M/yr leaves you $1B for expenses. I'd work for that, even 80 hr/wk.
    Makes me want to review those administrative salaries in Valley Forge.
  • Knowledge @ Wharton: Passive, But Powerful: How Index Funds Exercise Their Clout
    Since I think most company officers vote for measures that increase their income, I routinely vote against them with my proxies. I also presume that the independent directors, usually selected by other directors, are beholden to the board and the company, and are not truly independent, so I vote against them also. I can't imagine any company administration would select board members who would restrict management income.
    If it is true that the independent PIMCO director, who voted against Gross' $200+ bonus when he ranked in the bottom 10-20% return for bond funds, was forced off the board of directors, it only solidifies my POV.
    Seems to me, that index funds have an obligation to their shareholders to enhance their performance against the index, when it can be done cheaply. Therefore, they should vote against boards when companies underperform their peers, especially if the underperformance exceeds a pre-determined number of years. This allows activist investors, who usually enhance share-holder value, to have a greater impact.
    The Wharton study is a bit disappointing; I would have hoped for a greater impact.
  • JOHCM International Select Fund to limit sales
    Funny stewardship. Good to limit assets, but better if SAI is more specific than "management owns less than 1% of fund shares". Huh? That could mean anything including they don't own a dime.
    No management ownership = No Sale for me. I continually try and monitor this and will sell, e.g. BULLX sold last year.
  • JOHCM International Select Fund to limit sales
    http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1516523/000119312515189005/d925959d497.htm
    JOHCM EMERGING MARKETS OPPORTUNITIES FUND
    JOHCM GLOBAL EQUITY FUND
    JOHCM INTERNATIONAL SELECT FUND
    JOHCM INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP EQUITY FUND
    JOHCM ASIA EX-JAPAN EQUITY FUND
    JOHCM EMERGING MARKETS SMALL MID CAP EQUITY FUND
    JOHCM US SMALL MID CAP EQUITY FUND
    Each a series of Advisers Investment Trust
    Supplement dated May 15, 2015
    to the Prospectus dated January 28, 2015
    Effective as of the close of business on July 15, 2015 (the “Closing Date”), the JOHCM International Select Fund (the “Fund”) will be publicly offered on a limited basis only. After the Closing Date, investors will not be eligible to purchase shares of the Fund, except as described below.
    The following groups will be permitted to continue to purchase Fund shares:
    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. Group employer benefit plans, including 401(k), 403(b), 457 plans, and health savings account programs (and their successor, related and affiliated plans), which have 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.
    3. Approved fee-based advisory programs may continue to utilize the Fund for new and existing program accounts. The program sponsors must be accepted for investment by the Fund by the Closing Date.
    4. Approved brokerage platforms where a Fund is currently included on the sponsor platform may continue to utilize the Fund for new and existing program accounts. The brokerage platforms must be accepted for continued investment by the Fund by the Closing Date.
    5. Existing independent wealth management (IWM) firms and bank trust companies that have a client investment in the Fund at the time of the Closing Date can continue to add new clients, purchase shares, and exchange into the Fund. The Fund will not be available to new IWM and bank trust companies that do not have a position in the Fund at the time of the Closing Date.
    6. 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.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    7. Certain financial intermediaries with whom the Adviser has a relationship, provided that, in the judgment of JOHCM Funds, the proposed investment in the Fund would not adversely affect the Adviser’s ability to manage the Fund effectively.
    8. 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 JOHCM Funds, the proposed investment in the Fund would not adversely affect the Adviser’s ability to manage the Fund effectively.
    9. Board of Trustees and persons affiliated with the Fund’s investment adviser and their immediate families would be able to purchase shares of the Fund and establish new positions.
    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.
    The Fund reserves the right to make additional exceptions or otherwise modify the foregoing closure policy at any time.
    This Supplement and the Statutory Prospectus dated January 28, 2015 provide the information
    a prospective investor ought to know before investing and should be retained for future reference
  • Pimco Pulls Out Of Stock Strategies
    They are also "pushing"...into stock strategies:
    "The new Pimco strategies will be based on indexes created by Research Affiliates. The firms aim to boost returns and protect from volatility by rating companies based on their size and other economic factors, rather than the price of the security. Under these strategies, the firms will invest directly in stocks rather than in derivatives, as Pimco has used in its funds with Research Affliliates in the past."
    pimco-plans-a-push-into-stocks
  • Vanguard CEO: “We Want to Drive Costs Even Lower”
    FYI: We are not done on the cost side . . . We think we need to keep raising the bar on that.”
    So says Bill McNabb, CEO and Chairman of the Vanguard Group. The firm, managing over $3.1 trillion dollars in client monies, has long been known for its obsessive focus on keeping costs low
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2015/05/vanguard-ceo-we-want-to-drive-costs-even-lower/print/
  • two cheers, or more, for activity
    " ... based on more than two decades of data, 1) randomly selected active U.S. small-company stock funds, 2) randomly selected active international large-company stock funds, and 3) randomly selected active U.S. large-company funds that were screened for cost and company size outperformed even the best of the index funds."
    Yes, and there is of course no need for an investor to select funds randomly.
  • A Look At How the Ultra-Wealthy Invest
    "It’s interesting that Scott referenced some recent Rothschild happenings. "
    RIT Capital Partners was originally part of the Rothschild dynasty as the Rothschild Investment Trust. It then was split off and went public as RIT Capital Partners. See: http://www.ritcap.com/our-heritage
    RIT bought a stake in the Rockefeller dynasty in 2012 (http://www.ritcap.com/news-item&item=1024407682201991) and entered into a partnership with Edmond de Rothschild in the same year (http://www.edmond-de-rothschild.com/news/financial/news/strategic-partnership-between-rit-capital-partners-and-edmond-de-120316.aspx.)
    RIT's key issue is sort of Buffett-esque in that you have a Chairman who is now almost 80. While the company is largely run by a number of managers, the question becomes does another family member fill in the spot as Chairman to continue RIT as part of the Rothschild dynasty?
    A much deeper discussion here:
    http://www.campdenfb.com/article/banking-family-ties
  • A Look At How the Ultra-Wealthy Invest
    Hi Guys,
    It’s interesting that Scott referenced some recent Rothschild happenings. The Rothschild dynasty has been a major player in high powered European politics and finance for centuries. That dynasty continues today with yet another influential Rothschild.
    The Baron Rothschild that I believe contributed the 3-part investment portfolio was the 19th century British nobleman. He is usually credited with the sage investor advice to “buy when there’s blood in the streets.”
    He’s also the same Rothschild who made a stock market “killing” when he sent an agent to monitor the Waterloo battle in 1815. When it became clear that Napoleon would be defeated, the agent released homing pigeons with that message to alert Rothschild in London. Front running is a very ancient investor strategy. Some things never change.
    By the way, some folks believe that the famous “Blood” quote is truncated. Some suspect that the entire quote is “buy when there’s blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own”. Now that’s a hard man and a committed investor.
    This 19th century Rothschild also assembled an array of other pity, colorful investment quotes that demonstrate his wisdom.
    He said: “Buy on the sound of cannons, sell on the sound of the trumpets”.
    He said: “I don’t know what the seven wonders of the world are, but I know the eighth, compound interest”. If true, he preceded Einstein by more than a century.
    Finally, one of my favorites, Nathan Rothschild advised: “It requires a great deal of boldness and a great deal of caution to make a fortune, and when you have it, you require ten times as much wit to keep it”. Even in yesteryear, the wise investor balanced the delicate risk/reward tradeoffs of boldness and caution.
    It’s great fun to romp through history, and there are many lessons to be learned.
    Best Wishes.
  • FARNX - What do we think about it now?
    The newsletter Fidelity Monitor & Insight has just increased its investment in this fund. Some of the reasons they give for recommending FARNX are 1. the manager has placed all of his wealth in the fund (shows conviction); 2. the manager is only the second at Fidelity to incubate his investment thesis before launching a concept fund (Joel Tillinghast was the first and that turned out well--Low-Priced Stock fund), 3. spinoffs and restructured companies offer unique opportunities to invest in companies that are going to benefit from "unleashed entrepreneurism."
    FM&I acknowledges that the fund's performance is modest so far, but they believe the unique approach will be a winner over time.
    I'm going to put a little seed money in it, and see what happens.
  • FARNX - What do we think about it now?
    @VintageFreak: I'd rather own IJH.
    Regards,
    Ted
    FARNX:
    YTD: 3.80%
    1YR. 8.95%
    ER: 1.30%
    IJH:
    YTD: 4.93%
    !YR. 12.37%
    ER: .12%
  • M* Biotech Fans Could Have A Hangover
    Sober as in..?
    The media incessantly talking about how this is a bubble but telling people that Yelp and Twitter are great investments. If the idiotic media continues to push the bubble story, I'd consider buying more of the large caps. As for Gilead, another nice move off the $100 level the other day.
  • 4 Charts To Help Bond Investors Sleep Well
    Thanks Ted,
    More specifically this article refers to understanding the yield curve. Here's a quote from a recent article I link which I'll include here as well.
    Quote:
    "The problems with the economy and the stock market don't start with the first rate hike, but rather the last one — it is that last one that inverts the yield curve that bites and by then it is too late."
    MFO Link:
    mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/discussion/21043/6th-longest-us-economic-expansion-we-ve-had-since-the-1850s#latest
  • The Breakfast Briefing: U.S. Calendar Effect Suggests Stronger Stocks
    FYI: Someday U.S. stocks will bust out and stop trading sideways. The S&P 500, for its part, has repeatedly tested the 2120 area but moved back each time, most recently following Friday’s employment report.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2015/05/14/morning-moneybeat-calendar-effect-suggests-stronger-stocks/tab/print/
    Current Futures:
    http://finviz.com/futures.ashx