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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.
  • The Week in Charts | Charlie Bilello
    The Week in Charts (08/22/23)
    A tour of the markets covering the most important charts & themes, including...
    00:00 Intro
    00:15 Tis But a Flesh Wound (Stocks)
    07:41 No Pain, No Gain (Bonds)
    12:37 Q4 Recession? (Economy)
    18:57 The Real Policy Mistake (Housing/Fed)
    31:50 Better Than Expected (Earnings Update)
    35:13 Streamflation (Streaming Services)
    39:32 A Secular Trend (E-Commerce)
    Video
    Blog
  • screw 2% as an inflation goal
    Nice @Old_Joe / Makes perfect sense.
    (For informational purposes) I’m currently enjoying a 1-year subscription to the NYT online at a $49.99 introductory price. One nice feature is that all the NYT stories linked on the board load easily. Works out to less than $1 per week over a year.
  • Bonds: Why you should invest in short-term bonds over longer-term securities.
    I just checked Schwab Treasury Auction list. It includes:
    Buy US Treasury VAR 07/31/2025 08/23/2023 07/31/2025 1 year, 11 months, 9 days from today
    (Buy Order will be entered for next business day)
    A click on Buy brings up the Order screen with CUSIP 91282CHS3 prefilled. Order cutoff time is 10:30am Eastern tomorrow, 8/23/23. I didn't test beyond that as I had entered my order already on last Thursday (now shown as pending) and I don't want any duplicate orders.
    I also checked with CUSIP search box on Fixed-Income Offerings page and it finds CUSIP 91282CHS3. Schwab general search box doesn't find it.
  • Bonds: Why you should invest in short-term bonds over longer-term securities.
    Just checked- Schwab shows CUSIP 91282CHS3 as "Currently Not Available".
  • Bonds: Why you should invest in short-term bonds over longer-term securities.
    @Derf, At Schwab online, look for 1 yr, 11 mo Notes and check the CUSIP 91282CHS3 (it's a reopening of the last month's new issue FRN). The "FRN" name is not used by Schwab.
    You have to call Fido fixed-income desk for FRN Auctions.
    Don't know about availability at Vanguard.
  • Bonds: Why you should invest in short-term bonds over longer-term securities.
    "2-yr FRN Auction is tomorrow, Wednesday, 8/23/23. FRNs pay 3m yield + spread (+12.5 bps expected tomorrow)" @yogibearbull : I looked at Vanguard & Schwab & couldn't find the above offering. Pre schedule shows an R & I think that is for a reopening. Would one have to add cuspid # in order to buy ?
  • Bloomberg Real Yield
    If the first two guys' views on the 10y T fair value (4%-4.25%) are appropriate, we got us a buying opportunity at some point here.
  • JP Morgan’s Most Prolific Spoofer Sentenced to Two Years in Prison
    (Originally from Bloomberg)
    Excerpt: Gregg Smith was sentenced Tuesday in Chicago by US District Judge Edmond Chang. Smith, who was convicted last year along with Michael Nowak, the bank’s precious-metals desk head, was described by an assistant US attorney as “the most prolific spoofer that the government has prosecuted to date.”
    The judge said Smith and Nowak clearly knew what they were doing was wrong. “You told many lies to the market,” Chang said. “For many years, you injected fraud into the market.” He ordered Smith to start his sentence on Jan. 15.
    The JPMorgan case is part of a crackdown by federal prosecutors on illegal spoofing, where traders place bogus orders to move prices up or down and then quickly cancel them before they can be executed. Smith and Nowak used the technique to manipulate gold and silver prices from 2008 to 2016.

    https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-08-22-jpmorgans-most-prolific-spoofer-gets-two-years-in-prison/
  • Northern Engage360 Fund will be liqudated
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/916620/000119312523217676/d530146d497.htm
    497 1 d530146d497.htm NORTHERN FUNDS
    SUMMARY PROSPECTUS, PROSPECTUS AND STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (“SAI”) SUPPLEMENT
    NORTHERN FUNDS
    SUPPLEMENT DATED AUGUST 22, 2023 TO
    SUMMARY PROSPECTUS, PROSPECTUS AND SAI FOR THE NORTHERN ENGAGE360TM FUND DATED JULY 31, 2023
    PENDING LIQUIDATION OF THE NORTHERN ENGAGE360TM FUND
    The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Northern Funds (the “Trust”), upon the recommendation of Northern Trust Investments, Inc., investment adviser to the Trust, has determined that it is in the best interests of the Northern Engage360TM Fund (the “Fund”) and its shareholders that the Fund be liquidated and terminated on or about October 27, 2023 (the “Liquidation Date”) pursuant to a plan of liquidation and dissolution approved by the Board. The Liquidation Date may be changed at the discretion of the Trust’s officers.
    The Fund will discontinue accepting orders by new investors for the purchase of Fund shares or exchanges into the Fund from other funds of the Trust after the close of business on August 23, 2023; provided, however, that existing shareholders of the Fund may continue to purchase, redeem and exchange Fund shares subject to the account policies described in the Fund’s prospectus until September 22, 2023. The Fund reserves the right, in its discretion, to modify the extent to which sales of shares are limited prior to the Liquidation Date. The plan of liquidation and dissolution for the Fund provides that the Fund will begin winding up its business and affairs and liquidating its assets in preparation for the liquidation.
    Prior to the Liquidation Date, shareholders of the Fund may either: (1) redeem (sell) their shares at the Fund’s net asset value; or (2) exchange their shares at net asset value for shares of another fund of the Trust. Redemption and exchange orders should be submitted in the manner described in the Fund’s prospectus under “Account Policies and Other Information.” In connection with the liquidation, effective August 23, 2023, the redemption fee on the redemption of shares (including by exchange) held for 30 days or less is eliminated.
    If no action is taken by a Fund shareholder prior to the Liquidation Date, the Fund will distribute to such shareholder, on or promptly after the Liquidation Date, a cash distribution equal to the shareholder’s proportionate interest in the net assets of the Fund (a “liquidating distribution”) as of the Liquidation Date. Prior to that time, the proceeds from the liquidation of portfolio securities will be invested in cash equivalent securities or held in cash. During this time, the Fund may hold more cash, cash equivalents or other short-term investments than normal, which may prevent the Fund from meeting its stated investment objective.
    The Fund may make distributions to the shareholders of certain ordinary income and/or capital gains on or before the Liquidation Date. In that event, the distributions will generally be taxable to shareholders who receive the distribution (aside from tax-exempt accounts). Also, an exchange by a shareholder of shares of the Fund for shares of another fund of the Trust, a redemption of shares of the Fund for cash, or a liquidating distribution made to a shareholder as of the Liquidation Date will, in each case, generally result in a capital gain or loss for the shareholder for federal income tax purposes (and for most state and local income tax purposes), based on the difference between the value received by the shareholder for the Fund shares and the shareholder’s tax basis in the Fund shares. Shareholders also may be subject to foreign taxes on the liquidating distributions received.
    SHAREHOLDERS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR PERSONAL TAX PROFESSIONALS CONCERNING ALL TAX CONSEQUENCES APPLICABLE TO THEIR INVESTMENT IN THE FUND AND THE TAX IMPACT OF THE LIQUIDATION OF THE FUND.
    The pending liquidation of the Fund may be terminated and/or abandoned at any time before the Liquidation Date by action of the Board of the Trust.
    Please retain this Supplement with your Summary Prospectus, Prospectus and SAI for future reference.
    50 South LaSalle Street
    P.O. Box 75986
    Chicago, Illinois 60675-5986
    800-595-9111
    northerntrust.com/funds
    LOGO NF SPT E360 (8/23)
  • Anybody Investing in bond funds?
    Just bought two 12-months CDs from two large national banks with a quite satisfactory yield of 5.30%. I am not concerned about eking out a few extra basis points here or there in the future.
    If I were to add a bond fund to my portfolio at this time, I would probably consider CBLDX, a low duration high yield OEF with an excellent risk/reward profile and an SEC yield of 8.80%.
    Good luck,
    Fred
  • Bonds: Why you should invest in short-term bonds over longer-term securities.
    2-yr FRN Auction is tomorrow, Wednesday, 8/23/23. FRNs pay 3m yield + spread (+12.5 bps expected tomorrow).
  • Long Cramer Tracker ETF will be liquidated
    Long LJIM is shutting down, but short SJIM will continue for now. Very high ERs (1.20%).
    Is Cramer demanding (or paid) royalties for the use of his name?
    They throw a lot of silly ETF stuff on the wall to see what sticks.
  • Anybody Investing in bond funds?
    Put a little into some allocation funds not too long ago. Otherwise, all short term.
    Always been in the higher for longer camp once inflation got going. People seem to think it will melt away like snow in April.
    I think none of the guvs wants to be the next Arthur Burns.
    +1. I am in that camp too and we may find out more on Powell’s resolve later this week at Jackson Hole. If it is higher for longer and with more rate hikes it would benefit those camped out in MM, CDs, and T-bills. It would also benefit those who have been playing the floating rate story in Bondland. And floating rates isn’t exclusively the bank loan category. Many of the better performing floating rate bond funds are also in mbs and cmbs. If we are wrong and higher for longer doesn’t play out we better be ready to rotate.
  • Anybody Investing in bond funds?
    Never in my life have I invested in CDs or treasuries. This year is so far looking pretty good and as usual, I'm all in bond OEFs.
    Yup - I’m not into owning the actual bond - though might not be a bad idea. But if I had some uncommitted cash, I’d play around (I didn’t say buy & hold) with some of the funds that go longer. But I like to gamble. :)
  • T-Bill ?
    See 26-wk T-Bill Auction results for today, 8/21/23. Only the investment rate of 5.531% matters as that was the coupon-equivalent rate that EVERYBODY got. Other data just indicate how the institutional bids were spread out and what % got filled.
    https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2023/R_20230821_2.pdf
  • Treasury FRNs
    Finally, with short term T-bills currently yielding more than CDs of similar maturity, with their state tax exemption, and with their ease of selling (whether of necessity or by a trader), I agree that for savers and traders alike this is an easy call.
    +1.