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.
It's not just Americans. The Chinese now have a massive diabetes problem, residents of Okinawa are no longer living long lives, and almost any place where American culture has taken root the eating patterns change and health declines.
I think the discussion is appropriate for an investment board. Obesity threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system as more and more Americans develop diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, severe orthopedic problems, and all manner of conditions aggrav…
FWIIW, MS China A share (CAF), whose discount is now 29%, just declared a distribution of about $5 per share, about 20% of the share price. A big discount doesn't always mean a bargain. The price has plummeted during the Chinese meltdown, but shareh…
@davidmoran: I agree entirely. The comments were so obscure as to leave the reader more puzzled than before picking up the piece. AllI know about the 2000 elections is that my faith in the electoral system took a massive body blow.
About to bail on heavily discounted but quickly falling CAF, China A shares CEF. Paying heed to @JohnChisum, who says China ain't no place to be. The worst neighborhood is between my ears, but China and its intractable pollution come close behind. T…
I can't understand APPLX holding 20% gold in its two biggest positions. I thought Strauss was wrong on gold when I held the fund thee years ago and I sold it. Great year in 2009 and dreck since.
I find it hard to determine if a fund is deep value without knowing at what price and when the manager acquired the holdings. If the fund is holding a lot of clunkers, is the manager inept or early? Did the manager buy in order to reverse window dre…
I appreciate the thoughtful contributions. I, too, was an investor with L-G in their early days and still have a spiffy loose-leaf binder that I still use for other records. Their commentaries were good reading and the firm impresses by its professi…
Followed John Deassauer into CPPokphand. Should have been alert when Dessauer said Angelo Mozillo was a fine man running a fine company (Countrywide Credit). I wonder if anyone has done a study of how frequently headlines in the WSJ report dishonest…
I think Amazon is amazing. My son-in-law offered a piggy-back Prime membership to us: it includes everything except the music, videos and library of books. I sell my stuff on Amazon as well as buy all manner of items. Daughter took an online class a…
I have been in GPIOX, GPGOX, and GPEOX from inception. Reading the latest report shows considerable overlap among the three funds. I'm wondering how the new funds are going to differentiate themselves from the current ones. I realize the guys say th…
Can anyone provide an example of a biotech stock that meets faith-based criteria and one stock that does not meet them? I didn't read all of Eventide's rationale, but what I read left me puzzled and I can't grasp what religion has to do with their s…
@scott: CELG went nuts this AM, crossing 52-week high, before calming down a little. Long-time position for me, so it's nice to see that holding on pays off.
To our great shame as a nation, we have failed to support public higher education so that now the cost of a four-year degree far outstrips the resources of most middle-class families. One used to be able to get an education for the price of a Chevro…
I've been with Schwab for years and I'm happy. I was impressed recently when they upgraded the iPad app. The first version a real clunker, but they had it fixed quickly and it's now much better than previously. Easy to get up-to-date quotes on all m…
Crazy as it sounds, there is no good research showing that stents prevent heart attacks or later cardiac events. Stents have been around for a long time and used because doctors assumed they worked. The new machine might be great for inserting somet…
CELG is my largest single stock position. I dare not sell lest I cross bracket barriers and trigger Medicare premium increases. Thanks for posting the very useful info on the company. HQL and THQ are anchors of a Roth where I'm glad to reinvest the …
As I understand it, THQ is a different fund from HQL. The former pays a monthly distribution and invests in healthcare issues that produce income as well as capital appeciation. HQL is an equity fund that may invest a portion of its assets in more s…
Great call, Scott, when GILD was below 100. I own THQ also. If you are looking for froth, FBIO (formerly CNDO) and NVAX are Jim McCamant's picks from a while ago that I still have. No dividends, of course.
With respect to preservation of the environment, the one meaningful action each person could take is to give up hamburger. Much water goes into beef production to say nothing of other resources used or abused in raising meat. I endorse Scott's picks…
