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.
Keep in mind that many Garrett network members do not offer ongoing investment advice and portfolio management. They tend to be more of a "checkup" advisor, in that they will review your holdings, allocation, risk profile, etc., then suggest what c…
You might consider that although USNQX has all the big tech names, it is not a technology fund. Even M* gets this one right, calling it a large cap growth fund.
Reply to @yugo: Berkshire BFOCX has certainly done well, but the 2% net expenses are just too high, especially when compared to 0.98% for Price and 1.01% for Buffalo. Buffalo also has a good record, but its risk profile is much higher than the othe…
Look at Price PRGTX. New manager, but Price's process is top-notch, so we have faith the fund will continue to shoot out the lights. Others to watch are Fidelity Select Software & Computer FSCSX, Ivy Science & Tech (ISTIX or WSTYX) if you …
Many of the "sell in May and go away" folks are wondering what happened this year. Should have been "sell in March and come back in July". But we are not through the year, yet. Nonetheless, the current trend is bullish, with both the ECB and the …
156 new funds started by Fidelity in the last 10 years? This is absolutely nuts. There are not that many different investment strategies and never have been. Fidelity's marketing folks are obviously earning their money. Heaven forbid the company…
This is a great question. A lot of fund companies do this, and they will tell you all the reasons. For the most part, it's done to allow a strategy that cannot be done in an existing fund, the limitations put on management by the fund prospectus. …
Mrc, if you can access TIBIX (Thornburg's institutional share class) and PQIIX, I would put some dollars with both, given them some time, and make a decision on whether you want to own one or both over the long haul. It makes no sense to get into a…
There are many who believe that hunting for great managers is an ultimately flawed exercise, that luck has as much to do with the success of managers as their innate abilities, and that no managers can outperform their target index consistently. My…
TIBIX has a ver long, proven record. They don't do anything flashy with their cash, like the derivatives and other enhancing techniques that many PIMCO funds (including PQIIX).
Yes, the managers of PQIIX did come from Thornburg, but I would not say…
Another thing to remember is that PIMCO Total Return is sometimes the ONLY decent bond option available in some very large corporate retirement plans. They have done one heck of a marketing job over the years. Given the choice between PIMCO and a …
Reply to @Kenster1_GlobalValue: A great thanks to you. Andrew's response is thoughtful and honest. As Charles notes, a "class act" response. We certainly expect him and his fund to do well. Now let's hope the assets do come in as the performance…
Reply to @scott: Hi Scott. We have a lot of client dollars in MFLDX. It is pretty much a core hold in our alternative strategies allocation. When it becomes part of MainStay, the no-load, NTF shares will only be available to existing retail shareh…
Mr. Holmes knows gold as well as anyone. I am not saying everyone should rush to buy his gold and metals funds, but when the time is right, those funds will take off like rockets. The hard part is having the fortitude to hang in during the lean ye…
We talked with Andrew shortly after he left Matthews, while he was working to set up a new company. One of the things I mentioned was the importance of capturing assets in the first year of operations and how that might make or break a new fund. U…
If you are interested in MFLDX, you really ought to buy it now. Once the change occurs, the no-load shares will be availabe only to those who already own them. Yes, you may have access to load shares at NAV, but they will be more expensive. We do…
If you indeed purchased IVA Worldwide in 2008, you know that this fund excells in down markets. It holds an eclectic mix of cash/bonds/gold/domestic & foreign stocks. If you look at M*, you might think it is short cash, but that is really shor…
We are seeing the same thing with TIPS funds. iShares Barclays TIPS is at a negative 1.46 yield. PIMCO Real Return is a negative 1.18%. For 2012, there has been almost no dividend income. With negative yields, this means prices for the bonds are …
Whether the Fed initiates a public QE or not, they will continue the purchases they began under operation "twist". Truth to tell, there is very little more they can do to jolt the economy into any real growth. Businesses, large and small, are most…
He guys, be glad you do not live in Ohio. The barrage of ads started in February and haven't quit. You would think Ohio was the only state in the union. The fur is flying, along with lots of hissing and barking. Thank goodness for the mute butto…
Cohen's quote is a good one. I am also reminded of Louis Rukeyser's comment about predicting the markets. He said "the markets will fluc up and fluc down". I always thought that was a great commentary, and, ultimately, very true.
It is interesting that TBT (ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury is up 2.6% in the last week, and up almost 4% for the month. A sign of things to come? I would not bet the house on it. At the first sign of trouble from the eurozone again, there…
This was a good article, David. What you suggest about large domestic stock funds and large diversified international funds is often very true. Unfortunately those few large funds that really have done well with their current manager can be proble…
A ping from old joe got my attention on this. Dian, my first suggestion is that you scrupulously avoid the insurance salesman's efforts to meet with you. There is no question in my mind that he wants to sell you something you do not need. Unless …
Reply to @Mona: Mona, a quick screen for NTF and A shares at NAV for Schwab retail shows Harbor HIINX, Sextant SSIFX, First Eagle SGOVX all available. Of the three, I like First Eagle's very cautious approach (they always keep about 10% in gold bu…
Reply to @msf: I would move on, and not wait to do so. There is no indication that the horrible performance numbers will improve any time soon. And if Artio Funds is truly having financial problems, this could eventually be a disaster. You do not…
Reply to @Derf: Good question, Derf. Generally speaking, for a situation like this, we sell all holdings in a fund in one day, if possible. For example, we may have 200 individual clients accounts at Schwab that are held in 5 master accounts. It …
I seldom watch CNBC, and never watch Fox Business. Remember that it's all about selling advertising. Any calm, rational discussion of investing would be too boring, would not attract viewers, and advertising dollars would bolt. Bloomberg is certa…
The writer looks at short-term numbers, just as all of us know that these can be very deceptive. Any manager or team can have long-term strategies that get whiplashed by short-term political and economic craziness. IVA has indeed struggled a bit i…
FWIW, it is beating the pants off Fidelity Canada. We are watching this fund closely as a replacement for FCIDX. Dundee Wealth is a very respected firm. Small funds like this one often have flexibility large ones do not.
PIMCO would like everyone to believe their equity pedigree is equal to their fixed-income pedigree. It may eventually happen, but I would think twice (or more) about purchasing stock funds from PIMCO. Even Dividend & Income Builder employs hed…
I like one poster's comment about Prechter being "stuck in time". It reminds me of others, like Gary Shilling, who have predicted the end of the investment world almost every year. I am not a pollyanna, but I would find it hard to maintain a bleak…
MARNX is interesting. But at this point, at least, it has not shown the kind of risk profile I find attractive in MFLDX. While MARNX appears to out-perform in up markets, its downside capture is significantly higher than MFLDX. This could change …
Interesting that you mention this fund. Baird has many billions in their funds, but almost all of it is in bonds. The BMDIX is small ($107 billion) and has top-5% results over last 1,3, and 5 years. Lead manager has been there since the fund start…
This Eurobsession is silly. Earlier in the week, Europe was falling apart, and the markets were down. Today, Europe is wonderful, so the markets are up. One day the media scares everyone to death about how Spain, Italy and others will implode. T…
I seldom look at mine, except to invest cash, re-allocate, or to make a tactical bet. This is probably because I spend all my time looking at client accounts. This is probably good, since I am very aggressively allocated. Not looking at it much a…
