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Really not much going on yet. Energy is the laggard, down almost -4% on the day. Followed by Finl stocks and Basic Materials, both down -3%.
Tech sector is only off -1.3%. Not exactly "blood in the streets". We need more of this.
Bonds h…
Thanks for the HY suggestion, AJ.
I now want to focus on a safe allocation fund with low fees for my taxable account, and I've settled on VTMFX which is roughly 50/50. It will be my core. No more procrastinating.
I can DCA into VTMFX and let …
@msf is operating on a different level here.
Also, I was told there would be no math.
It looked like the market might test our defensive funds a bit today, but buyers are materializing once again. Added a couple of shares of HEGD.
@Baseball_Fan.... To be nice, I'll mention that Hussman's Total Return fund (HSTRX) only had 2 down calendar years out of 18, with a +5% average return over the life of the fund.
Not sure which of his funds you dabble with. His newer Allocati…
'' Palm Valley Capital (Eric Cinnamond) must not be trustful of the waters. "
No new news there !
Derf
Well, Hussman is still the king of perma-bears. Does anybody hold any of his mutual funds? Even his defense is questionable, and there is…
@msf, thanks for your insights on EIXIX, and the fund's lack of clarity. Its a Legacy bond fund with a short history. I may be reaching a bit for that yummy yield.
Another defensive play is small cap fund PVCMX, which supposedly held an 80% cash …
Was looking for a HY bond fund that had held up decently ("defensive?") in 1Q 2020. Found EIXIX with a 5.5% SEC Yield. $2,500 min at VGD (TF). May be my newest addition.
Looked at GAVAX, gave up quickly on that. Sold my SWAN and DRSK. Not…
Also, new stock trading technologies and the millennial mindset add another new wrinkle for the old equations to incorporate. It might turn out the new reality behaves somewhat differently than the old one did.
Its possible - maybe earnings and c…
The history based models for climate averages may not be a reliable guide for future weather forecasting (due to global warming), but is the stock market history also to be discarded? "Its really different this time." I'm not sure about that. …
@carew, I think you have to really limit your allocation % for any 1 "alternative" fund if there is a lack of transparency or heavy derivative use (the dreaded "black box"). And also because many such funds tend to fall flat over time.
I haven…
With stocks at historically high valuations, and the Fed looking to remove the infamous punchbowl, I don't think I can sit back and JUST DO NOTHING.
I believe we have to listen to what the Fed is planning. If we are in for a "shift", you may w…
“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wak…
Did not help that today was Quadruple Witching.
Quadruple witching, occurs on the third Friday of the month of every quarter, in March, June, September, and December, and refers to the simultaneous expiration of single-stock options, single-stock…
SFHYX has performed extremely well, but is somewhat opaque. Would you buy this fund?
The recent issues with IQDAX (Infinity Q Capital Mgmt) have made me hesitant to trust smaller shops that lack full transparency.
Looking back at historical returns, you have to stick with equities over time. Bonds will dampen volatility and can offer ballast, so they have a place in the portfolio. But stocks generate the more solid real rate of return.
Of course, we don't …
Was researching FIDO's structure just now, and found this article from 2016 that I wish I hadn't read. The Johnson family is sneaky, and they seem to use Fido mutual funds for their own PRIVATE gains.
Not sure if this situation has since change…
Just a lot of bobbing and weaving so far - not much (net) movement in the indices. Sitting tight and waiting to see if stocks will finally turn south for that much needed Correction. And waiting.....and waiting. …
“I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing.”
Gordon Gekko (offering a job to Bud Fox)
We can't force the timing, though. It might be starting here, but this week is just as likely to be nothing - a minor blip.
Remember Meredith Whitney's classic MUNI bond "crash" call back on 60 minutes years ago? Nice pearl necklace and all. The…
Remember these days?
Q: What was the interest rate on a savings account in 1980?
A: 19.5 percent
Since inflation was still high at more than 12 percent, the Federal Reserve hiked relentlessly between August and December of 1980, bringing the ta…
Initiated positions in ONEQ and V today, buying fractional shares at FIDO. Slicing and dicing with each incremental drop. Along with FSMEX cost averaging, can start to build the volatile/riskier side of my portfolio.
Need more days like this. M…
We all know this market is nuts and artifiical due to balance sheet expansion. We know it is dangerous. But we are humans and are greedy so we "play" the markets.
Baseball Fan
I think we are FORCED to play the markets because of Fed tampering. …
A US equities correction (-10% to -20%) is overdue and would be healthy for the markets. We are far from "...fundamental reality." We have a Fed that is very interested in keeping things fluffy, and that goes a long way in bubble-land.
Even o…
Lots of breasts here.
For a second there, I thought this thread had really gotten interesting.
Carew, I've been diligently adding to my boring merger-arb funds as well (MERFX and BALPX).
Beats buying bonds. Wish I had some PRWCX.
Based on recent performance, at least this fund is not afraid to place its bets. BIVRX is up over +3.1% today. Most long-shorts don't ACTUALLY do much shorting. Ever. So at least BIVRX has something going for it in that sense. Its not a typi…
Its so scary to buy equities at this point, but FOMO keeps you playing. Some kind of hedge seems sensible - I've been watching HEGD, slowly accumulating.
