Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

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.

    Support MFO

  • Donate through PayPal

SCMFX and SEEDX - Rethinking Decision

edited August 2016 in Fund Discussions
I had exchanged posts with Mr Snowball on SCMFX. It seemed overrated to me. However, I went against my gut and decided to dip my toes in, since I really couldn't find anyone who had anything bad to say about it. Matter of fact, I think everyone is/was in love with this fund. So I had waited to buy it after a correction. And I did buy a minimal position. I got never got comfortable enough to add to it, and I'm glad I didn't over the past several months.

I have serious doubts this fund outperforms SPMIX over any time period of matter. I'm almost 90% I will fire and forget this fund by EOY. Just wanted to ask if anyone has sold this fund or still keeping the faith.

Now, SEEDX. Yet one more fund that is really not doing anything to differentiate itself. Doesn't seem like its cash position if providing any downside protection and it certainly does not look like outperforming VFINX over any time period of matter. Would like to hear from diehard fans of this fund as well.

Comments

  • edited August 2016
    SCMFX What is there to like about a fund that has significantly underperformed its category YTD, 1 Yr, 3 YR, and 5 Yr ?? SEEDX isn't much better. One common refrain (excuse) when investors hold underperforming funds is it's for diversification purposes. However, in the spirit of fair disclosure I use to rag on holders of PRPFX a dog of a dog the past many years and now look how superbly it has performed this year. So what do I know? Not much - which is about as much as all the so-called experts out there.
  • jeez, PRPFX significantly better ytd than PRWCX or 50-50 DSENX and PONDX, whoa. All cuz gold?
  • edited August 2016
    @davidmoran No, not all gold related; but it sure has helped YTD, eh? @Junkster You're still covered with your prior assumption of PRPFX. It's having a "day in sun" from the choices in place at this time. Most of us here all have our "geez" moments about the ones that got away. Multiply by years of investing and the positive compound returns, over and over; and one could buy their own private island or whatever, eh?

    PRPFX = 5 year return rate at 1.1%

    Most here understand the market cycle sector benefits or downfalls of this type of fund.
    Looking at the composition (below link); one finds gold in various forms, real estate and appears to be long term gov't. bonds; among other.

    I'll pick a few simple and readily available choices if one really had their act together at the start of 2016 to look like the smartest one around for many miles. 'Course these may all go into the ground within the next year and cause one to look like a real buy and hold dumbbell, too.

    YTD's for the following:
    ---GDXJ = +135.2%
    ---GDX = +98.1%
    ---GLD = +24.2%
    ---EDV = +24.1%
    ---IYR = +11.2%
    ---LQD = +10.4%

    Hey, make your own list based upon what you find in PRPFX, but don't forget to sell at the proper time to lock the profits.

    PRPFX composition.

    @VintageFreak Apologizes for perverting your original questions.

    Take care,
    Catch
  • edited August 2016
    At least you admitted to hijacking the thread. Now can the MFO SWAT team please help me with my original questions. Hopefully our discussions are not always "look how great a fund is" and then not say anything until a time comes and fund has few good years after which we come back and PT ourselves in the back. Investing is dine in the present and notwith benefit of hindsight. That is M* behavior
  • Hi @VintageFreak
    I can't comment to add any value to your original question as I have not studied, followed or invested in the funds you noted in your question.
    Regards,
    Catch
  • As for SEEDX, it was what I call a good "story" fund. It seemed the managers had great pedigrees and their plan seemed like a winner. There are "story" stocks out there and they are known money pits; I'd venture the same for some new MFs.
  • edited August 2016
    About SEEDX, I looked into it twice after it was profiled here, but didn't see anything special enough to consider replacing the U.S. funds I usually use - from Parnassus and Jensen. Oakseed returns have been nothing to write home about, and it's not been the best on up-down capture either.

    I am generally happy with a fund that I recall you'd held for a while, VF - GAVAX.
  • I looked at it several years ago, but I don't see compelling reason how it may fit into my portfolio.
  • VF.....I also dipped the toes into SCMFX almost exactly one year ago, but sold out in 2Q of this year. I've had all sorts of problems finding a fund in this space that I had a high degree of confidence in. My current target is VETAX...Or PMDAX as alternative. I'm sitting on a bunch of cash in the interim.
  • @Press, can't quite tell what 'this space' means and the thread is wack, but have you already rejected FLPSX, IJH, and especially FSCKX?
  • Thank you all for bringing conversation on track.

    One thing I missed regarding SCMFX (how the heck?!) is fund has moved its market cap. To add insult to injury it should have faired better in its new market cap lower in the capitalization spectrum and left toward the value spectrum.

    I'm looking at PARMX. Needless to say I will not simply sell SCMFX and but PARMX if I decide to do so, but wait for a correction.
  • AndyJ said:

    About SEEDX, I looked into it twice after it was profiled here, but didn't see anything special enough to consider replacing the U.S. funds I usually use - from Parnassus and Jensen. Oakseed returns have been nothing to write home about, and it's not been the best on up-down capture either.

    I am generally happy with a fund that I recall you'd held for a while, VF - GAVAX.

    Herro gave $3 million of his own money to "Seed" the fund. That actually is what influenced me the most to by SEEDX.

    Yes I still own GAVAX but its a different kind of fund. It seems like a good candidate to continuously DCA into - something I've stopped doing since dot com bust. Not that I don't cost average, I just don't do this monthly invest thing regardless of what the market is doing.
  • Hi davidrmoran

    The "space" I was referring to is the small/mid value category. In my 401K, I enjoyed dedicated funds within each of these areas and was looking to replicate this in my IRA. Your suggestions are worthy as well.
  • Given the negative comments about SCMFX, for curiosity I did a comparison of total returns of the fund compared with FMIMX and TRMCX (both of which I own and will keep for their successful long-term strategies) and found that the results were very comparable. (I basically used M* to graph cumulative returns to investments since the inception of the fund compared with those I own).
  • If you've got a strong stomach, TDVFX is one that I invested in after David's write up and I've been happy. But boy, is it volatile...
  • I have a very weak stomach. More importantly, I can't keep things in my stomach and let them take forever to digest. As in when performance does not confirm to expectations after having done due diligence before buying the fund.

    Regarding FMIMX and TRMCX - they don't hold too much cash. Have to evaluate them differently. SEEDX has never been fully invested. It seems to be trying to lose money "opportunistically" while holding cash. Which is what I want to evaluate, and not just imagine.

    So, does anyone know website that charts daily/weekly upside/downside capture? I want to examine how both these funds move compared to their relative indexes. And also make sure I'm not in love with other funds which suck equally.
  • At Morningstar the capture ratios are under the tab for risk and ratings
  • edited August 2016
    00BY said:

    At Morningstar the capture ratios are under the tab for risk and ratings

    Yup, but I wanted them over a narrower time frame than 1 year. I wanted to do YTD, Monthly, Weekly if possible. Numbers are already bad for longer durations on M*.

    For instance, SEEDX has obviously bad numbers 1 year for D and U. 3 year they are better for D, but given fund always owns cash, and was even less fully invested at inception, its not surprising both D and U numbers are less than 100%, and even then D is higher than U.

    We have to make decisions in the present. Someone will always come along and tell me 3 years after I sell what an idiot I am. Can't make decisions in hindsight and foresight. Important for me to know how fund is doing at present - how is it handling current market conditions. I'm thinking data is out there and someone is capturing it.

  • @VF

    >> Monthly, Weekly if possible.
    >> We have to make decisions in the present. Someone will always come along and tell me 3 years after I sell what an idiot I am. Can't make decisions in hindsight and foresight. Important for me to know how fund is doing at present - how is it handling current market conditions.

    Well, they're not magicians. They take their best shot, like all of us. If you want to daytrade or weektrade, go for it, though it will not do your stomach any favors. There is no present for investing, only decisions based on past, present, and imagined future, all baked into one mess.

    Always ignore anyone who tells you you're an idiot unless they are personally significant to you.
  • 00BY said:

    At Morningstar the capture ratios are under the tab for risk and ratings

    Important for me to know how fund is doing at present - how is it handling current market conditions. I'm thinking data is out there and someone is capturing it.

    Consider ARRFX (young life), or possibly JNVSX. These two funds are "capturing it" this year.
  • @chinfist, that's not the point. I want to make sure these funds are really sucking wind "right now". If they are not, they could actually be living up to their hype relative to other funds. I need recent numbers for the funds I own.
  • I myself believe that this is majorly misunderstanding what mutual funds are for and do, which is an over-time function, but whatever.

    Can you not get and/or infer what you need looking at performance vs indexes and competitors for the short terms, 1w/1m/3m/ytd/1y? I spend mucho time on M* with various funds setting the graph counter ($10k growth) for 6w, 12w, ytd, 18m, 30m, etc. etc. I also check every day of a big swing to see how DSENX does compared with PRBLX, DVY, and all the rest, even IJH.
  • Yeah something to do on weekend. I was wing if someone has already taken the trouble I don't need too
  • So I've sold part of my position in SCMFX. FWIW, I have concluded it is not better / worse than any other fund of its kind. It is indeed a bull market fund, so I've a little bit of tax loss harvesting and will wait patiently.

    Now SEEDX. It seems to have loaded up on healthcare AFTER its big run up in past years, and this seems to have been its undoing. I might sell part of its position, but that's less likely. What is more likely is I conclude the manager's theory is just wrong (like I correctly did with MUHLX and got out at right time several years back), sell all and never look back.

    FWIIMH
  • edited September 2016
    Since Aug 2011, SCMFX could have been substituted with a fixed portfolio of ETFs: ~47% IJJ, 20% XLB, 8% XRT, 7% IGN, 7% PJP, 7% UUP, 5% FXL. Through Jul 2016, the ETF portfolio produced a ~23% higher cumulative return with a slightly lower volatility.
    Similarly, SPMIX could have been substituted with an ETF portfolio of ~46% IJK, 44% IJJ, 5% FTC, 3% FNX, 3% IVOO, which by Jul 2016 produced a ~2% higher cumulative return with a slightly lower volatility. See goo.gl/2Z3V5Q
  • Yeah but I buy Mutual Funds so I don't have to do what you said above. Of course that means leaving some money on the table.
  • edited September 2016
    So I'm reading reports for both SCMFX and SEEDX. I'm actually contemplating to buy more of SEEDX using SCMFX partial proceeds which I already sold. I sold part of SCMFX because I've pretty much made up my mind it was a wrong buy. With SEEDX it is not so easy. Nothing like putting money at stake to prove/disprove your thesis. Expect to make decision soon.

    SEEDX managers are talking about investing in undervalued parts of the market. I can put that down to manager skill or lack there-of. If managers are skilled, it will pay off

    SCMFX manager looks like he is (pretending to be?) an economist. Time will tell. The report is bringing forth visions of Muhlenkamp with his theories that can make someone that has no experience understanding (me at that point) believe he has suddenly become intelligent. Thats dangerous for one's portfolio. I'm glad I sold part of SCMFX already. Such managers regardless of whether they are right or wrong, still underperform the index. If you are so smart, you need to perform better in downturns. Let's see.
Sign In or Register to comment.