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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 Moves in 2020
    Interesting reading here. I owned FSELX for a while. I subscribed to the notion that AI will be growing and semiconductors is a prudent long term high growth play. It probably still is but the gyrations with NVidia and Intel - I couldn't take the volatility and sold it. It was probably a mistake. Long term... this is likely a good bet.
    Another fund I had was @Puddnhead FSDAX . I bought it 5 years ago before the last administration took office. It was a pure guess that a focus on Defense and build up would be positive for this fund. I did sell it in late 1999 or early 2020 (I can't recall exactly when). Pudd - are you still in it?
    I save a little space to speculate in sector funds or "trending" spaces. In 2021 - I'm in EM + Small Cap + Healthcare as my trending...
  • Checking what Bond Fund to own in IRA
    Why? Not seeing any reason to prefer it to say FTBFX over the last 5-4-3-2-1y
  • Short History of S&P 500 Corrections & Bear Markets
    Market timing is difficult and there may be huge opportunity costs if you're wrong.
    Link
  • Wealthtrack - Weekly Investment Show - with Consuelo Mack
    @bee, thank you for posting. This WealthTrack is particularly informative.
    You asked a few questions.
    1. Treasury. Low bond yields prevent treasuries to rally on the upside. He suggested holding some longer term treasury since they have lesser correlation to stocks comparing to other bond asset classes.
    2. PRWCX is not a risk managed equity fund since all stock and bond positions are long. It is, however, a highly flexible asset allocation fund. Risk managed equity typically have several components within the portfolio to short the market as part of the downside protection. Some examples are listed in Calamos funds below.
    https://calamos.com/blogs/investment-ideas/calamos-risk-managed-funds-show-resilience-in-march-madness/
    Although Pimco bond funds are not considered hedge funds, they use swaps and other instruments routinely to reduce the drawdowns.
    T. Rowe Price does have an alternative fund, Multi-strategy total return fund, TMSRX
    quotes.morningstar.com/chart/fund/chart?t=tmsrx
    @David Snowball also profiled this fund last year in great details.
    https://mutualfundobserver.com/2020/07/t-rowe-price-multi-strategy-total-return-tmsrx/#more-14321
    In addition, @Charles Bolin contributed a very nice article in MFO's commentary last year. Table 2 contains lots of alternative funds/ETFs to consider. Charles obtained these information from the MFO Premium Lipper's database.
    https://mutualfundobserver.com/2020/09/alternative-and-global-funds-during-a-global-recession/#more-14509
  • C19 vacc side effects
    That is quite good news and the immunity works. Similar to the flu vaccine (~50-60% effective) those who caught flu after vaccinated tend to have a milder case than those who are NOT. The antibody created in the body are working against the virus thus the probability of secondary infection (typically bacterial) occurring are greatly reduced.
  • C19 vacc side effects
    A quick Google search yielded this :
    A total of 371 out of 715,425 Israelis who passed at least a week after receiving two doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine have contracted the virus – 0.04%, with 16 being sent to the hospital – according to a Health Ministry report released on Thursday.
    Stay Safe, Derf
  • Grandeur Peak Advisors is closing several of their funds
    GPMCX was started will around 25 Million AUM. Inception was around 10/2015. Total assets now around 55.9 million. Seems that closing this fund has worked.
    Stay safe, Derf
  • C19 vacc side effects
    Moderna vaccine uses similar mRNA technology to that of Pfizer-BioNTech for generating immune response as new antibody in human against coronavirus. In Phase III trial testing to cover various age and racial demographic in US, the vaccine showed 95% efficiency after the second booster shot.
    Israel is the first country to vaccinate their citizen early. The date on the decline of infection and hospitialization are highly encouraging.
    Close to 90% of people aged 60 and older in the country have received their first dose of Pfizer’s 2-dose vaccine so far. Now, data collected by Israel’s Ministry of Health show that there was a 41% drop in confirmed COVID-19 infections in that age group, and a 31% drop in hospitalizations from mid-January to early February.
    https://nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00316-4
    https://vox.com/22262509/israel-covid-19-vaccinations-serious-illness-decline
    Concern today is the mutation of coronavirus to other contagious variants (i.e. UK and South Africa). There is no firm data of whether these variants are more lethal. This also implies that the pace of vaccination needs to speed out to minimize the spread of the more contagious variants. Good news is that early data that mRNA-based vaccines work effectively (90%+) against these variants in the laboratory. The older technologies that is used in Astro-Zeneca and Johnson & Johnson have showed to be less effective (50%). Neveretheless these vaccines require only one shot dosage whereas Pfizer and Moderna require two shots. Mixing two different type of vaccines are being considered.
    Now Pfizer and Moderna are testing the vaccines for those under 16 so that they will be able to go back to schools with confidence. If the testing is successful, there is a chance of these students will return to school in fall 2021.
  • C19 vacc side effects
    LA Times: The FDA didn’t ‘approve’ Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
    https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-12-12/why-fda-didnt-approve-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-eua
    In the case of a vaccine, authorization can be granted if “the known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks,” the FDA says.
    Some (most?) people equate that with "generally safe"; I read it as "safe enough".
    In anticipation of "look at the evidence" response, here's more from the LA Times:
    • It was 95% effective at preventing cases of COVID-19 in both Latinos and non-Latinos.
    • It was 100% effective in Black people.
    • It was 94% effective in people who were at least 56 years old. (The older you get, the greater the risk of a serious case of COVID-19.)
    • It was 95% effective in those who had at least one medical condition that made them more likely to develop a serious case of COVID-19.
    • It was 96% effective for people who were obese, another condition that makes people more vulnerable to COVID-19.
    Yet none of this was enough for the vaccine to win official FDA approval.
    One can certainly disagree with the FDA and assert that the vaccines are "generally safe", i.e. safe for general (not just emergency) use. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
  • Grandeur Peak Advisors is closing several of their funds
    It's not a matter of how diversified a fund is but how much of a stock the fund, or more broadly the management company, owns. A fund could grow 10x its size and not throw itself off kilter. It could simply buy 10x as much of everything.
    As an absurd example, consider a hypothetical fund with 20% in each of the FAANG stocks. Highly concentrated, yet it would have no problem taking in tons of cash, because it wouldn't have an impact on the stocks it held.
    GPIOX and GPGOX each hold about 3/4% of Metropolis Healthcare. Not enough to move the needle, but GP as a whole has a fascination with this company. Should GP sour on the company, it might try to unload its 13% ownership. Regarding Dechra Pharmaceuticals, GP holds almost 1/4 of the company.
    It's different when a large fund complex owns a sizeable percentage of a company, e.g. Fidelity (FMR) owns nearly 1/5 of Dechra. But that's spread over more funds with more varied objectives (albeit virtually all growth-oriented).
    BCSIX has been soft closed since Oct 18, 2013. IMHO that's more a way of limiting hot money than it is to slow the growth of the fund. Forcing new investors to buy directly from Grandeur Peak similarly serves as an obstacle to traders. But additionally, GP's refusal to take money from existing investors through third parties will slow inflows in a way that BCSIX's soft close does not. IMHO the two sets of closures are not that similar.
    I share some of your cynicism when it comes to management motives generally in closing funds. Ages ago I read a paper or two on how fund companies optimize profits by closing their funds late enough to allow the garnering of significant AUM, but not too late as to so harm their funds' performance as to induce outflows. Funds' performances were nevertheless harmed to some extent by delaying closures to optimize profits rather than performance. (FMAGX is a poster child for funds that close too late.)
    BCOIX played the same game as GP - announcing its closing two weeks before it took effect.
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/869351/000120928613000420/e1326.htm
    In contrast, when Vanguard announces a fund is closing, it closes that day.
  • Grandeur Peak Advisors is closing several of their funds
    Not to quarrel with accepted wisdom, nevertheless I wonder if GP could show shareholders what advantage it has been to them to close only to re-open several of the funds. When I look at GPIOX and GPGOX, the ones I used to own, I see AUM south of $1B, holdings shading towards mid-cap of 191 and 166 stocks respectively, and no one stock representing more than 2.56% of the fund. Couldn’t the managers add new money to existing positions without throwing things off kilter? ISTM, that money sloshing around because of closure announcements causes more headaches than a steady stream of new regular purchases. I know that I have read of SC funds losing their mojo because the managers could not deal with lots of new money. If GP were running concentrated portfolios of 25-40 SMID stocks, timely closures might be called for. I own BCSIX that has been closed for some time, but I don’t really know if closing helped me. Other members might know of funds whose closings and re-openings amounted to more than management suddenly realizing that a closed fund ain’t making enough dough for the firm. Hope I’m not being quarrelsome.
  • US Global Funds Investors Newsletter
    I receive this weekly by email and it is always very detailed weekly report.
    MARKET RECAP
    The major market indices finished up this week.
    The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.00%.
    The S&P 500 Stock Index rose 1.23%.
    The Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.73%.
    The Russell 2000 small capitalization index gained 2.51% this week.
    The Hang Seng Composite gained 3.02%
    The KOSPI fell 0.64%.
    The 10-year Treasury bond yield rose 4 basis points to 1.206%.
    Frank Holmes Investment Commentary:
    https://usfunds.com/investor-library/investor-alert
  • Wealthtrack - Weekly Investment Show - with Consuelo Mack
    2/12/21 Episode
    Topics:
    Diversification works well...when you don't need it.
    - Stay invested for the long term.
    - Diversify for the upside, not the downside.
    - How do treasuries and bonds help investors stay invested on the downside?
    - Risk Manage Equity Portfolio (Is PRWCX be such a strategy?)

  • Best Ideas for Commodity Exposure
    And that turnover, despite the fact that futures trading requires more turnover, is still very high.
    From the SAI: The [turnover] calculation does not include the turnover of other instruments in which the Fund more commonly invests, such as commodity futures instruments
    Hence my statement that "any turnover calculation (even if I could decrypt all of this) wouldn't be meaningful."
    With monthly expirations, it would not surprise me to see a 1200% turnover ratio, were futures included in the calculations. That's still a far cry from the very high 4,000-5,000% ratios of this fund, which might be describing the small amount of stocks and bonds that sometimes (and very fleetingly) show up in the portfolio.
  • Health Sector Funds: FSPHX vs FSMEX and others
    I have a small position in FSPHX and have had it for a while. I've been taking a closer look at FSMEX and I can't come up with a reason to keep FSPHX over FSMEX. Using premium... PRHSX and SHSAX along with a newcomer I've been watching ETIHX comes up. But it just seems FSMEX is far and away the consistent performer - looking at APR vs. Peer, Ulcer, Martin and DD. It has been outperforming my current FSPHX which had a tough 2020 in the vs. peer category. That said, it's beaten the S&P 500 consistently since it's inception. But so has FSMEX.
    Just wondering if anyone has an opinion.
  • Emerald Small Cap Value Fund change in liquidation date
    updated:
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/915802/000139834421003133/fp0062314_497.htm
    497 1 fp0062314_497.htm
    FINANCIAL INVESTORS TRUST
    Emerald Small Cap Value Fund
    (the “Fund”)
    Supplement dated February 12, 2021
    to the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information
    dated August 31, 2020, as supplemented
    As previously disclosed, on December 8, 2020, the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Financial Investors Trust (the “Trust”), based upon the recommendation of Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust (the “Adviser”), the investment adviser to the Fund, a series of the Trust, determined to close and liquidate the Fund on or about January 11, 2021. The date for such liquidation is now expected to be on or about February 26, 2021 (the “Liquidation Date”).
    If the Fund has not received your redemption request or other instruction prior to the close of business on the Liquidation Date, your shares will be redeemed, and you will receive proceeds representing your proportionate interest in the net assets of the Fund as of the Liquidation Date, 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.
    PLEASE RETAIN THIS SUPPLEMENT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
  • Karner Blue Biodiversity Impact Fund share class conversion
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1545440/000139834421003163/fp0062350_497.htm
    97 1 fp0062350_497.htm
    February 12, 2021
    KARNER BLUE BIODIVERSITY IMPACT FUND
    Investor Class (KAIAX)
    Institutional Class (KAIIX)
    ButterflyTM Class (KAIBX)
    Each A Series of Ultimus Managers Trust
    Supplement to Summary Prospectus, Prospectus, and Statement of Additional Information
    dated September 28, 2020
    This supplement updates certain information in the Summary Prospectus (“Summary Prospectus”), the Prospectus (“Prospectus”) and the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) of the Karner Blue Biodiversity Impact Fund (the “Fund”), a series of the Ultimus Managers Trust. For more information or to obtain a copy of the Fund’s Summary Prospectus, Prospectus or SAI, free of charge, please visit the Fund’s website at www.biodiversityimpactfund.com or call the Fund toll free at 1-855-KBANIML (855-522-6465).
    Closure and Conversion of Shares
    Effective immediately, all sales and acceptance of purchase orders for shares of the Investor Class and Institutional Class of the Fund shall be discontinued.
    On March 18, 2021, all existing shares of the Investor Class and Institutional Class of the Fund will be converted into shares of the ButterflyTM Class of the Fund (the “Conversion”). There will be no fees charged in connection with the Conversion. After the Conversion, the Fund will offer only a single class of shares – the ButterflyTM Class.
    There are no tax consequences anticipated with the Conversion, and no action is necessary on your part to effect the Conversion. Shareholders should consult with their own tax advisors to ensure proper treatment on their income tax returns.
    Shareholders may continue to redeem their Investor Class and Institutional Class shares of the Fund on each business day until the Conversion on March 18, 2021.
    After the Conversion, all references to the Investor Class and Institutional Class of the Fund are hereby struck from the Fund’ Summary Prospectus, Prospectus, and SAI.
    Changes to the ButterflyTM Class Shares
    Effective on February March 18, 2021, the minimum initial investment amount for ButterflyTM Class shares of the Fund will be $2,000. References in the Fund’s Summary Prospectus and Prospectus to the ButterflyTM Class’ minimum investment amounts in the section titled “Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares” and in the section titled “How to Buy Shares” are hereby modified accordingly.
    Also Effective on March 18, 2021, the ButterflyTM Class of the Fund will be subject to the Fund’s Administrative Service Plan, and may make service fee payments to financial intermediaries for certain administrative, recordkeeping, and other non-distribution related services at an annual rate of up to 0.10% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The Administrative Service Plan and the accompanying fee, is identical to that which applied to the Institutional Class shares of the Fund, and the section in the Fund’s Prospectus and SAI titled “Administrative Services Plan” should now be read to apply to the ButterflyTM Class of the Fund, rather than to the Institutional Class.
    Change to the Investment Adviser’s Address
    Effective immediately, the address of the Fund’s investment adviser, Karner Blue Capital, LLC, is as follows:
    Karner Blue Capital, LLC
    7315 Wisconsin Avenue #650W
    Bethesda, MD 20814
    All references to the address of the Fund’s investment adviser in the Prospectus and SAI are hereby modified accordingly.
    If you have any questions regarding the Fund, please call 1-855-KBANIML (855-522-6465).
  • Grandeur Peak Advisors is closing several of their funds
    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/915802/000139834421003172/fp0062329_497.htm
    497 1 fp0062329_497.htm
    FINANCIAL INVESTORS TRUST: GRANDEUR PEAK FUNDS
    GRANDEUR PEAK EMERGING MARKETS OPPORTUNITIES FUND
    GRANDEUR PEAK GLOBAL MICRO CAP FUND
    GRANDEUR PEAK GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES FUND
    GRANDEUR PEAK INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FUND
    GRANDEUR PEAK INTERNATIONAL STALWARTS FUND
    (Each, a “Fund,” and together, the “Funds”)
    SUPPLEMENT DATED FEBRUARY 12, 2021 TO THE SUMMARY PROSPECTUS AND PROSPECTUS OF THE FUNDS DATED AUGUST 31, 2020, AS SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME
    Effective as of the close of business on February 26, 2021, the Grandeur Peak Global Opportunities Fund, Grandeur Peak International Opportunities Fund, Grandeur Peak International Stalwarts Fund and Grandeur Peak Global Micro Cap will no longer accept purchases, from new or existing investors, through financial intermediaries unless the purchase is part of:
    ●a retirement plan which held the Fund prior to this closure,
    ●an automatic reinvestment of a distribution made by the Fund, or
    ●a de minimis annual rebalancing approved by a member of the Grandeur Peak client team.
    Also, effective as of the close of business on February 26, 2021, the Grandeur Peak Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund will close to new investors seeking to purchase shares of the Fund through third party intermediaries subject to certain exceptions for financial advisors with an established position in the Fund and participants in certain qualified retirement plans with an existing position in the Fund.
    The Funds remain open to purchases from existing investors, and to new investors who purchase directly from Grandeur Peak Funds.
    The Funds retain the right to make exceptions to any Fund closure or limitation on purchases.
    INVESTORS SHOULD RETAIN THIS SUPPLEMENT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE