RPIEX Thread from 1/12/20: https://www.mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/discussion/54925/what-s-a-bond-fund-like-this-doing-in-t-rowe-s-stable-rpiex
My title - “What’s a bond fund like this doing in T Rowe’s stable?“
Final comment (by @Crash) - “Ya, a loser like that is a rare exception in TRP. Glad I read this thread.
To everyone who may have been misled - I’m sorry.

Twentieth Century Giftrust- that's a name I hadn't heard of in a while.
The Surprising Success of a Dumb Investment

What are the lessons I take from all this? First and most important, the experience illustrates how much wealth you can build even if you don’t invest in just the right stock funds. Buying, holding and watching your money grow is really hard to do—witness the Giftrust lawsuits—but it usually pays off.
But I also learned that every investment strategy goes in and out of style. And so it was with Giftrust’s momentum strategy. What’s more, Giftrust was 20% more volatile than the S&P over the past 15 years. I’ve never known a fund that didn’t ultimately pay the price for such high volatility. In investing, slow and steady really does win the race.

AFAIK, the longest redemption fee period ever was imposed on (no surprise) Vanguard Horizon funds. These were four funds created as long term investments on August 14, 1995. The fee was 1% on shares redeemed in less than five years.
Here's the last prospectus (Feb 27, 2001) where the fee was imposed on all the funds.
On April 6, 2001, Vanguard made changes to three of the four funds:
Vanguard Global Asset Allocation (VHAAX) was designated to be terminated on July 27, 2001.
Vanguard Global Equity fund (VHGEX) ended its redemption fee.
Vanguard Strategic Equity Fund (VSEQX) ended its redemption fee.
It would be a while longer before Vanguard dropped the redemption fee on its Capital Opportunity Fund (VHCOX). And now you know where the 'H' in the ticker came from.
(Note: I exclude funds like Twentieth Century Gifttrust, which could not be redeemed, period, for at least ten years.)

Stable value funds ... “invest in both short- and intermediate-term securities and follow the traditional concept of investing where the value of money over time generates a higher yield,” notes John Faustino, chief product and strategy officer at Fi360 in Lawton, Michigan. “They tend to hold investments that are slightly less liquid and, as a result, have a higher yield. Plus, they have an insurance wrapper that protects the value of the assets should there be a fluctuation or a decrease in the assets’ value.”

https://www.plansponsor.com/in-depth/choosing-stable-value-money-market-fund/
Here, the insurer is NY LIfe.
Safety? NY Life is one of two insurers rated as highly as the US Treasury by all four major rating agencies. It would be rated even higher, except being a financial institution, S&P figures that if the Treasury collapses, it will drag NY Life down with it. (There are two non-financial companies with higher ratings than the Treasury.)

am glad that yields aren't NEGATIVE (yet.)
Oh, ye of too much faith. A few days ago I was looking through funds a tad up the risk scale past "near cash", and found a few short term government funds with negative yields (at least negative 30 day SEC yields): GSSDX, FFXSX, FIGIX, BTTTX, TWUSX, and CGBAX.
See here (for GSSDX) and here (for the others). I've listed from best (-0.05%) to worst (-0.65%) SEC yields.
As you observed, "the value of our currency will be falling off a cliff", which makes it a good time to buy unhedged foreign securities.

Cash is up to 53.7% as if 7/31. That’s kind of crazy.
Assets have tripled since I started the thread, up to 31 million now.

Can anyone explain what exactly this fund is? I don't fully understand it.
I invested 25% of in it a couple of years ago because I was told it was one of the safest funds in my companies 401k offerings. The only other relatively semi safe funds offered are FXNAX and MWTSX. I have 25% in the former and the remaining 50% in CDs in IRA's.
I am still working at 68and will continue (knock on wood). I want to preserve what I have if possible.
Is this fund as safe as CD's?

I'd rather be getting a decent yield, in the neighborhood of 5% or so. I'm settling for a lower yield, and am glad that yields aren't NEGATIVE (yet.) I have a third bond fund which assists in pulling up my yield PTIAX. ...Still, yields are coming DOWN while share prices are rising....I'm still receiving a decent share of the rise in stocks, too. My domestic and international stock funds = 35% of portfolio. Staying conservatively diversified.
...But the rules of the game have changed, it's true. We are 100% divorced from fundamentals. I don't even want to think about what it will be like when the world's Central Banks pull the plug on stimulus. In the meantime, the value of our currency will be falling off a cliff.
Today:
Canada: $1.33
Yen: 105.5
euro: $1.18 (18% lower than the euro.)
pound sterling: $1.31 (Not long ago, we were at $1.25)
Filipino peso: 49.09 down from 52, lately.

by Christine Benz
Mentioned: T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth (PRDGX) , Vanguard Dividend Growth Inv (VDIGX) , Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Adm (VDADX) , Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) , Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM)
"It’s something that even casual market observers know well: Yields on bonds and cash have been going down, largely unabated, for almost three decades. Just when it seemed they had reached their nadir, payouts have taken another leg down. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was just 0.51% on August 4, its lowest level since the equity-market panic back in March. Yields on lower-quality U.S. bonds spiked during the equity-market duress in the first quarter, but they too have drifted back down more recently."
Article Here

Beginning this month, if sold before 180 days.
https://sec.report/Document/0001580642-20-002771/

Hi @Derf
The below link identifies 952 institutional owners of the TIP etf. Another source indicates institutional and mutual fund companies comprise 63% ownership of the TIP assets. The suspected regulars would be pension and mutual funds, insurance companies and banks. What the desire may be for these owners is not known. I imagine some actually intent to hold these longer term, while others use TIP for short term "cash" positions (collateral) and actual trading (buy low/sell high).
As to my....."Neither of these etf's are reacting to inflation today, eh?". I still feel many of the holdings by whomever is not totally related to pending inflation worries.
Institutional ownership of the TIP etf.
Regards,
Catch

+1 Yes-maybe FD1000 should start his own hedge fund and reap the benefits of the 2/20 fee structure.

It's documented in this thread(link)
And thanks, I'm retired enjoying my free and happy time. I have given FREE advice to hundreds of posters who contacted me over the years.

davidrmoran: with his reported performance, again and again, he has no need of 2/20

Correct, my portfolio just passed 35 times our annual expense, and we didn't start taking our SS. The results in the last 3 years were beyond anything I anticipated.

@catch22 : ''As of a few days ago, the etf TIP is +8.5% YTD, and the etf LTPZ (long duration TIPs) is +24.1%. Neither of these etf's are reacting to inflation today, eh?"
Did you say this tongue in cheek ?
Seems to me the higher these go, etf's, the more inflation ?!
Derf

Hi @Old_Joe and @hank ......et al
Tangent considerations for this thread.
The below calculator is based upon the government CPI; which many agree is a flawed gauge. I agree with this view. Aside from whatever one may conclude is an average of components within the official CPI affecting the country overall; inflation for some high value items (housing) is regional/local. Some other local costs that vary by location is the cost of services needed by regular folks; being hourly rates for electricians, mechanics, skilled carpenter, etc. Auto purchase prices, on the other hand; may not vary as much today, as decades ago.
I've used the below calculator for studying whatever. An example: An electronics technician position I held in 1971 paid $12,000/year. Based solely upon the CPI index, this same position today would require an annual salary of $76,000 for a break even number.
Simple
inflation calculator
As to TIPs bond sector investments. I don't know that this area will have a particular impact from real or perceived inflation. Today, IMHO; these bonds are impacted more as a safe haven for scared money; not unlike other AAA U.S. issues. As of a few days ago, the etf TIP is +8.5% YTD, and the etf LTPZ (long duration TIPs) is +24.1%. Neither of these etf's are reacting to inflation today, eh?
I find no need to purchase TIP's from the Treasury. Purchase of a fund or etf is as simple as a click at your investment company site, yes? As stated previous, not all TIP funds are equal. Active funds may have 20% invested into corp. bonds. Review holdings before a purchase, if you want pure TIPs.
TIPs, obviously; are just another sector of bondland. Not unlike the major equity sectors of the SP500.
On the personal side: If one considers a purchase, IMHO, the percentage should have impact upon your portfolio. A 1% of a total portfolio value purchase wouldn't mean much. Your portfolio likely already contains some TIPs mixed into a fund. If you're serious about a purchase, the percentage should high enough for the reward. Yes, this increases the risk (be it bonds or equity). BUT, your money is already at risk as an active investor; or you would not have a need for this forum. You'd have your money parked in CD's (negative, inflation protected growth today, eh?).
NOTE: from mid-July......The U.S. Treasury just completed its auction of $14 billion in a new 10-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Security, with a historic result: A real yield to maturity of -0.93%, the lowest in the 23-year history of TIPS auctions of this term.
ALSO: The German 10 year bund remains around a -.5% yield, and yet safety purchases continue to push or hold the yield low; thus resulting in price appreciation. Folks are still making money with these crazy yields.
Time to hush my view.
Chores call.
Take care,
Catch

As mentioned in the July Commentary, DFA will launch ETFs. DFA is also sub-advising on John Hancock ETFs and some DFA former employees have launched ETFs following DFAs strategies under the Avantis name.
See also https://www.fa-mag.com/news/dfa-s-decision-to-launch-its-own-etfs-will-erode-its--exclusive--mystique-57250.html?section=43

"some of which were granted on July 27 the day before the loan was officially announced."
As I wrote a few days ago, let's put that "some" in perspective.

On July 27, right before the news hit Kodak granted options with an average exercise price of $4.67 (most with a $3 exercise price) to company insiders amounting to about: 1.75M to James V. Continenza, Chairman and CEO, 45K to each of David E. Bullwinkle CFO, Roger W. Byrd VP, and Randy Vandagriff, VP
https://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/31235.htm

KODK traded as high as $60 after the options were granted. The inflated price may fall all the way back to earth (it's down to $14.40) before these execs cash in by exercising their options.

@hank. Thanks! I will... someday. Looks like stocks are taking off, but bonds are doing moderately well, too. ALL SORTS of bonds. The Fed is backstopping EVERYTHING. "Don't fight The Fed." I never intended to do so. But, the timing: Just after I moved mostly into bonds (for the purpose of reducing risk in retirement), here we go with a Fed-induced METH LAB, juiced Market. Oh, well. I'm still 35% in stocks and will continue to benefit, to that extent. Meanwhile, my bond funds are rolling along nicely, as well. "Let It Roll." Little Feat.

@Crash - You’re fine. I appreciate your bumping my post over to “Discussions+“. I didn’t think you were planning on rushing into this fund. T. Rowe Price will never win out on fees - assuming lowest possible fees is one’s sole intent. However, I don’t find the 0.25% ER (effective in October) outrageous either.
What you have observed is some nice performance from BBB corporates (borderline junk / investment grade) this year. You don’t suppose the decision by the Federal Reserve to start buying corporates that were teetering on the verge of being downgraded to ”junk” status had anything to do with their nice performance?
I’m not a bond guy. I consider them at this point a “necessary evil”. For investment grade bonds @Catch22 is very knowledgeable. Ask him if you want to learn more. And for information re junk bonds, call on resident expert @Junkster. :)

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the SEC is probing the Kodak loan disclosure and stock surge
Selected excerpts from that article:

The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the circumstances around Eastman Kodak’s announcement of a $765 million government loan to make drugs at its U.S. factories, according to people familiar with the matter.
The price spike briefly produced a potential windfall for company executives who owned stock-option grants, some of which were granted on July 27, the day before the loan was officially announced.
The SEC’s investigation is at an early stage and might not produce allegations of wrongdoing by the company or any individuals, the people familiar with the matter said. Among the areas being probed by regulators: how Kodak controlled disclosure of the loan, word of which began to emerge on July 27, causing Kodak’s stock price to rise 25% that day.

"Global-bond fund managers routinely disclose fund-level credit-quality, sector, region, and country exposure breakdowns on their websites, but it can be extremely difficult to deduce where a strategy is taking its credit risk. It can also be hard to discern how far afield it is from the commonly used Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index. Earlier this summer we rolled out a new Fixed Income Exposure Analysis, or FIEA, component for Morningstar Direct and Morningstar Office users to help investors make sense of their individual portfolios and thereby make better comparisons across funds. Elements of this will be available in fund reports on Morningstar.com and other products later this summer."
Karin Anderson for Fund Spy