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.
@TheShadow: Did you have to call the agent in order to get an application? I don't see anything on the fund's web site about how to invest or any forms to download.
Here's my jaundiced take. In the early days of CNBC, before the dot-com crash, Maria was the only "babe" gracing the small screen. These days, there are many very attractive and very competent women competing for our attention. FWIIW, none of the wo…
I've held 3-4 of their funds since they opened the shop. It went swimmingly until it no longer did. When their funds were outpacing the pack the boys from Utah looked like geniuses, making company visits where few venture, and seeming to have a grea…
@derf: that Menard's "rebate" is just a store credit, isn't it? I've shopped there a couple of times and discovered the rebates were only good for more stuff at the store. Continue to shop there if you like, or not if you check on who funded Scott W…
Yesterday I heard an interesting piece on this mission on "Here and Now," which is broadcast on NPR between 1 and 3PM here in Ann Arbor. I had not realized how significant it was at the time. 1968: two assassinations, the Democratic convention, Nixo…
It's hard not to accept the explanation for this volatility (and I mean in both directions) on algo-trading. That or the 400-pound hacker made infamous by Individual #1.
@msf: BCSVX is also heavily invested in tech and healthcare, another form of concentration. GISOX has only 15% in small and micro caps, while DRIOX is almost 2/3 in mid caps. It may well be that you'll need two or three funds to do the job.
It's been a rough ride this year, but I still have faith in BCSVX. Very low turnover reported by M* will result in a total distribution of 4-5 cents. On the other hand, BCSIX will make a much larger distribution this year.
Big hitters managing this CEF: Galley, Sherman, Gundlach. They are promising to distribute 12.5% for the coming calendar year, based on the fund's NAV in late December. Currently trading at an 11% discount, the fund is 25% leveraged, and up to this …
@Mark: True about the nature of an ETN. I was not making a comparison, but pointing out one difference between the ETN and OEF. I believe M* has now characterized DSENX's investing style as SCV, but the fund itself is called LV; other participants o…
@Ted: from what you've said previously about the small number of funds you held, selling must have been fairly uncomplicated. I congratulate you! Do you think the collapse in soybean prices led to our Aldi-brand soy milk dropping from $2.19, to 1.99…
I think the same is true for divorce and remarriage; with each expiring "contract" the price goes up. I still contango with my original spouse, so I have no direct experience with divorce nor any standing on the issue.
Our physical gold has lost ha…
It's good to have @PBKCM (Mr. Binion, I presume) back. BTW, has your firm posted any anticipated year-end distributions. They were substantial last year. Thanks.
Thanks to David for doing all the leg-work on researching these EM value funds. I find the performance comparisons among the several funds surprising in that Seafarer seems to be a laggard. This is surprising to me, a former shareholder, and maybe t…
@catch22: I noticed our senator's ads during the campaign stressed her support of agriculture, not that I really understood what she done for farmers. I was surprised that the Republican candidate did as well as he did.
I have been using regular ethanol-free gas, $4 per gallon, for my yard equipment. Only one station carries it and it's 20 miles away. A few years ago, premium ethanol-free was sold here in MI, but no longer. I hate putting ethanol in my 1993 300ZX b…
@hank: I thought the 737 crash might catch your eye.
We visited the Boeing factory in Everett last August, but the 737's are not built there, but in Renton. Amazing place. I doubt the tour guide is bragging about the appreciation in BA these last …
It's good to have a board member literally on the ground. FWIIW, I also followed Ted's advice about hanging on to healthcare; while I did give HQL the boot after holding it for a long time, I moved into BME and RYH. The Black Rock fund has held up r…
Many of you probably remember Armistice Day, VE Day, and VJ Day. I think the amalgamation of those "victories" into Veterans' Day is relatively recent. Columbus Day in New England was always a holiday and recent attempts to eliminate the celebration…
Based on the performance of the LG equity funds, all of which are managed by groups of mangers, there is no reason to predict that the new fund will beat any benchmark. LG gives the hook to managers in a manner that resembles the style of George Ste…
The Villere boys are similar to some other managers of dubious distinction who manage to get lots of media coverage for run-of-the-mill results. They pronounce their name "Villerey" as opposed to the appropriate Cajun/French "viyair." An accent mark…
This is timely because I just happened to turn on CNBC when a former manager-of-the-year was getting undeserved air time. David Rolfe, whose principal claim to fame these days is the enormous distributions his Wedgewood Growth fund is paying, used t…
Have to agree with @AndyJ about the length of games. I have been taping playoff games and then fast-forwarding between pitches, pitching changes, and between innings. At one point I had David Price taking 30-40 seconds between pitches. I thought MLB…
ORNAX appears to be the clear winner in National Muni High Yield. NTF at Schwab and TDA. I could have done a better job screening before buying PTRMX which I bought because of decent rating and satisfaction with PTIAX. So, @Crash, I own both Perform…
Happened to have a tennis buddy who managed the local KMart and was a career employee. When EL took over, all long-term managers were forced to retire. Similar treatment of the manager of the pharmacy in the store; he was younger but got shafted equ…
Not to overstate the obvious, but I have to say that it really matters who wins a presidential election. The man at the top doesn't know what goes on at the many government agencies, yet if he conveys the message to his underlings that all governmen…
@VF: The institutional Kopernik International fund gets 5 stars from M*; your $1M minimum buys you 36% cash and 60% basic materials (read gold and oil). The fund went to the top of the class in 2016, then promptly did a complete turn-around in 2017.…
I've read other Lewis pieces on the same theme; very frightening stories of the Department of Energy which really is responsible for an amazing array of programs, many of which, if unmanaged, threaten our safety and well being. Lewis also wrote of w…
In our case, we used both 529's and Uniform Gift to Minors Act brokerage accounts, although the latter are more useful as the child gets older. The 529's are the best for college savings, the UGMA's for teaching kids how to save and invest.
