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Gundlach's Latest Short Idea

Comments

  • Bonds? EM bonds? My portfolio holds 39.71% in PREMX, and 2.55% in DLFNX (Gundlach's fund.) The remainder are in the balanced fund, MAPOX. I'm happy. I've got a toe-hold in low-yield domestic stuff. I don't want to hold much in that category... But those funds are holding lots of corporates, too.
  • Josh Brown's notes on the Gundlach presentation.
    Soft close on Total Return Fund?
    Mr.Gundlach's opinion on best area for bond investing
    Rolling out new funds like Floating rate
    No bond bubble
    Interesting insights on the bond market


    http://www.thereformedbroker.com/2013/04/12/notes-from-the-doubleline-lunch-with-jeffrey-gundlach-spring-2013/

  • edited April 2013
    Thanks for the notes, Bud; always entertaining, and Josh B does a good summary.

    That stock/bond ownership graph is really interesting to me. Reminds of the fairly large number of people out there who own a few individual stocks worth a small % of their savings, and otherwise, only CDs and great huge bank savings accounts.

    A bro-in-law of mine who invests like that gets apoplectic when I mention MFs, going on about "paying" someone to invest for him. Catch is, he has one of those old-time, wealth management, rip-off brokerage accounts where you pay not only a transaction fee but also a percentage of the purchase/sale to trade stocks ... plus a flat brokerage fee on top of that.
  • edited April 2013
    Thanks scott, John, Bud. Good posts on Mr. Gundlach (aka Socrates?). I went ahead and bookmarked TRB. I did not fully understand this chart called "The Stash of Cash":

    http://www.thereformedbroker.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/bond-bubble.png

    Is it really saying more than 30% of household financial assets are in insurance? Like Allstate life, home, accident? And, like BlueCross health? I will try and follow-up more with OEDC reference.
  • Reply to @Charles: The graph is from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/129563978/Autonomy-Global-Macro-Fund-Investor-Letter-201212 but a better interpretation of what OECD means by insurance is given in: http://www.oecd.org/finance/financial-markets/42143434.pdf . I would guess the graph in the former includes retirement account insurance products. For example, one section of the later compares plans to Sweden saying:
    Pension plans managed by insurance companies are
    important in Sweden and not negligible in Switzerland and in the
    United States.
  • I would pay more attention to his bond market comments. Equity investing is not particularly his circle of competence, no track record there.
  • edited April 2013
    Reply to @Anna: Excellent Anna!

    One: The Autonomy Global Macro Fund appeals to me.

    Two: Thanks to your lead, I found System of National Accounts 2008 - 2008 SNA, which represents "the internationally agreed standard set of recommendations on how to compile measures of economic activity in accordance with strict accounting conventions based on economic principles."

    Under (F) Individual Financial Instruments is the following breakout:

    (F1) Monetary Gold and SDRs (Special Drawing Rights). Issued by the International Monetary Fund are assets that are normally held only by monetary authorities.

    (F2) Currency and Deposits. Transferable deposits comprise all deposits that are exchangeable for bank notes and coins on demand at par and without penalty or restriction; and, are directly usable for making payments by check, draft, giro order, direct debit/credit, or other direct payment facility.

    (F3) Debt Securities. Are negotiable instruments serving as evidence of a debt. They include bills, bonds, negotiable certificates of deposit, commercial paper, debentures, asset-backed securities, and similar instruments normally traded in the financial markets. Bills are defined as securities that give the holders the unconditional rights to receive stated fixed sums on a specified date.

    (F4) Loans. Are financial assets that are created when a creditor lends funds directly to a debtor, and are evidenced by documents that are not negotiable.

    (F5) Equity and Investment Fund Shares. Have the distinguishing feature that the holders own a residual claim on the assets of the institutional unit that issued the instrument. Equity represents the owner’s funds in the institutional unit. In contrast to debt, equity does not generally provide the owner with a right to a predetermined amount or an amount determined according to a fixed formula.

    (F6) Insurance, Pension and Standardized Guarantee Schemes. All function as a form of redistribution of income or wealth mediated by financial institutions. There are five sorts of reserves applicable to insurance, pension and standardized guarantee schemes. These are non-life insurance technical reserves, life insurance and annuities entitlements, pension entitlements, claims of pension funds on the pension manager and provisions for calls under standardized guarantees.

    (F7) Financial Derivatives and Employee Stock Options. Financial derivatives are financial instruments that are linked to a specific financial instrument or indicator or commodity, through which specific financial risks can be traded in financial markets in their own right. An employee stock option is an agreement made on a given date (the “grant” date) under which an employee may purchase a given number of shares of the employer’s stock at a stated price (the “strike” price) either at a stated time (the “vesting” date) or within a period of time (the “exercise” period) immediately following the vesting date.

    (F8) Other Accounts Receivable or Payable. To include trade credit and advances. This category comprises trade credit for goods and services extended to corporations, government, NPISHs (non-profit institution serving households), households and the rest of the world, and advances for work that is in progress (if classified as such under inventories) or is to be undertaken.

    (F9) Memorandum Items. To include foreign direct investment, which are transactions in financial assets and liabilities arising from the provision of, or receipt of, foreign direct investment are to be recorded under the appropriate categories: debt securities, loans, equity, trade credit or other.

    OK, so "The Stash of Cash" figure reflects F5, F2, F3, F4, F6 and F8 instruments (aka Equities, Cash, Bonds, Loans, Insurance, and Other). F6, "Insurance," includes annuities and pensions, which I suspect hold healthy bond positions. Likely the chart (re-posted below from Autonomy Global Macro Fund Investor Letter) depicts a higher bond holding than Mr. Gundlach relays. Still, point taken.

    image
  • beebee
    edited April 2013
    Reply to @Charles:
  • beebee
    edited April 2013
    Reply to @Charles:
  • beebee
    edited April 2013
    Reply to @Charles:
    Each attempt was to comment on Charles above thread referencing his comment:

    "Is it really saying more than 30% of household financial assets are in insurance? Like Allstate life, home, accident? And, like BlueCross health? I will try and follow-up more with OEDC reference. "

    These could also be annuity products akin to 403b offering to teachers. Insurance companies put an "insurance wrap" around these investment after they squeeze as much profit out the investor.
  • Reply to @bee: Thanks, yeah, I'm slow but think I finally got it. I believe that "Insurance" on the graph is short for "Insurance, Pension and Standardized Guarantee Schemes." The F6 instrument as defined in 2008 SNA.

    I remember that my dad invested in whole life policies, part of which is an investment over long term. I have used only term type, so never viewed insurance as an investment...until this post reminded me. After I retired, my good insurance guy (Allstate for over 30 years) asked if I was interested in annuities, but I decided not to pursue.
  • edited April 2013
    Reply to @bee: I think these are the assets managed and owned by insurance companies and pensions as opposed to individuals. These assets are used by insurance companies to pay the insurance policy holders, pensions/annuities etc.
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