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.
Jeffrey Ptak from M* discovered that the Redwood Private Real Estate Debt interval fund
recorded a loss on just three days since its June 2023 inception.
This fund gained 7.2% a year from 07/01/2023 - 04/30/2025 with a standard deviation of just 0.5…
The growing size of the U.S. debt, and the concerns over how much more it will increase,
is very much on the minds of investors, markets and lawmakers.
The developments were tied in part to Moody’s announcement that it was downgrading
the U.S. credi…
@hank,
Thanks for the update regarding The Humble Investor by Daniel Rasmussen.
I placed a hold on the book in two different library systems.
The Humble Investor is "on order" in both systems - availability may take a few weeks.
I look forward to …
Moody's downgrade of U.S. government debt is kind of a non-event.
The other two major credit rating agencies already downgraded this debt years ago.
However, we should heed Moody's rationale.
Here is their rationale, in part:
"Over more than a de…
"Tonight, late on a Sunday night, the House Budget Committee passed what Republicans are calling their 'Big, Beautiful Bill' to enact Trump’s agenda although it had failed on Friday when far-right Republicans voted against it, complaining it did not…
Jason Zweig believes alternative assets do not belong in 401(k)s.
"Whether we’re talking about a smaller firm like Redwood or the giants of alternative investing,
the same rule applies: Assets that don’t trade every day aren’t low risk just becaus…
"I wonder how much is due to funds reducing fees and how much is due to changes in investor behavior."
Good observations.
I think it's a combination of both factors noted above.
Following info is from M* 2024 US Fund Fee Study Executive Summary (l…
I was living on the east coast when the mountain erupted.
Would have loved to visit St. Helens before this cataclysmic event occurred.
The volcanic ash traveled far and wide!
Asset-weighted fees have declined precipitously for mutual funds/ETFs.
Thank you Jack Bogle and Vanguard!
Some investment firms are now "gently nudging" investors towards private equity,
private debt, and interval funds mostly to increase their prof…
The eruption was a major force of nature!
It's amazing how quickly (in geological time) the environment started to recover.
A group of us climbed to the summit of Mount St. Helens in the early-to-mid 1990s.
It was a non-technical scramble but there …
Until recently, it seems many in Congress have been silent regarding Trump's crypto corruption.
I'm glad that Sen. Blumenthal is raising awareness of this important issue.
I think it's fair to say presidential corruption is at unprecedented levels.
• Trump Organization's cryptocurrency empire
• Qatar's "gift" of $400 million luxury jet to replace Air Force One
• Trump Organization planning to build luxury golf reso…
At Davfor. sma3 ‘s post is valuable , relevant and belongs where the most folks will see it. Right where it is posted ! If you don’t like it,,,, close your eyes. It simply is not your role to tell people where to post.
@larryB,
The posts from s…
"March 2025 coda: I am very sympathetic to the argument that much of our national dialogue
and decision-making, just at the moment, is dominated by self-blinded ideologues, self-important amateurs,
lickspittles, pompous mountebanks, braying popinjay…
The Week in Charts (05/16/25)
The most important charts and themes in markets and investing, including:
00:00 Intro
00:53 Topics
01:52 Both Sides Blinked
04:58 One of the Greatest Comebacks in Market History
08:25 What a Difference a Month Makes
12…
I just noticed that @yogibearbull previously started a thread for the Moody's downgrade.
https://www.mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/discussion/63963/moody-s-downgraded-us-debt-from-aaa-to-aa1#latest
@hank,
Thanks for the link.
Several important points are listed below.
• You can disagree with someone's opinions, but calling that person an idiot or a profane name
is a violation of forum etiquette.
• Posting the same thing over and over again …
Mr. Munger was definitely not a fan of cryptocurrency!
“'Sometimes I call it crypto crappo, sometimes I call it crypto sh—.
It’s just ridiculous that anybody would buy this stuff,' Munger said at the annual shareholder meeting
of Daily Journal Corp…
Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert and professor at Washington University School of Law
discusses Qatar's offer to replace Air Force One.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/qatar-gifting-trump-400m-luxury-jet-raises-ethical-and-legal-concerns…
U.S. tariffs of 145% on Chinese goods and Chinese tariffs of 125% on U.S. goods were nonsensical.
In essence, a de facto trade embargo between the two largest economies in the world was in place.
Temporarily dropping U.S. levies on Chinese goods to …
"I would caution against too much reading of the tea leaves," according to Dmitry Grozoubinski, a former Australian trade negotiator based in Geneva. "It's probably more likely that they agreed on what their conversation should cover — on what are t…
US Officials Say Deal Struck To Cut China Trade Deficit
I can't wait to hear about the "substantial progress" from the "productive talks" with Chinese officials!
"U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said o…
Calculating Tariffs - It's Complicated
"There are also 3,450 temporary levies, covered in the 690-page 'Chapter 99' of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule,
which includes tariffs from the Trump and Biden administrations going back to 2018."
"Chapter 99…
The Week in Charts (05/09/25)
The most important charts and themes in markets and investing, including:
00:00 Intro
00:17 Topics
00:47 First Trade Deal
09:25 Markets Pricing in a Positive Tariff Ending
11:51 The World Strikes Back (International St…
"A group representing General Motors (GM.N), Ford (F.N), and Stellantis (STLAM.MI),
blasted President Donald Trump's trade deal announced with the United Kingdom,
saying it would harm the U.S. auto sector."
"'Under this deal, it will now be cheaper…
I enjoyed the inaugural article and the article for "building a chaos-resistant portfolio".
I haven't had an opportunity to read all the May 2025 articles yet...
Glad that you're chugging along just fine!
The "major trade deal" with the UK is not as comprehensive as some may have suggested.
"Trump declared on social media this announcement would be a "major trade deal" - it's not.
He does not have the authority to sign the type of free-trade agreeme…
As expected, regardless whether or not tariff policies are prudent,
the MAGA faithful are likely to trumpet any perceived tariff "wins."
They seem intent on justifying the numerous senseless (or illegal) actions initiated by the current administrati…
