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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.
  • The Metaverse Is a $1 Trillion Revenue Opportunity.
    Has the mutual fund METAX been formed yet? It's coming...
    First, a short primer on the history of the internet and where we believe it’s headed. The earliest days of the internet, known as Web 1.0, were characterized by static, one-way webpages—think Netscape and Yahoo. Users were little more than passive observers.
    Next came Web 2.0, the period we’re currently in. Controlled by a disproportionately small number of companies (Facebook, YouTube, etc.), the internet of today is highly centralized despite users’ role as an active participant.
    That brings us to Web 3.0, which will usher in a whole new level of experience that, to some people, may sound more like Tron than real life.
    the-metaverse-is-a-1-trillion-revenue-opportunity-heres-how-to-invest
  • DSEEX Drop?
    @carew388: I referred to the link in @yogibearbull’s post in which DoubleLine provides a prospectus for a CEF using the Schiller Cape strategy.
    Kudos to @wxman123 for hanging tough with the strategy. I chickened out.
  • DSEEX Drop?
    @yogibearbull: thanks for that link to the DoubleLine filing. The derivative and options strategies described in the filing sound very complicated, but maybe the same sort of thing has been going on in DSEEX and CAPE all along. ("I would be shocked to learn that gambling has been going on in our funds," said the unflappable spokesperson.) On top of those complications is the CEF format, one which usually favors the issuer of a new fund, but not the early shareholders. As the vast majority of CEFs invest in fixed income and seek yield, it is not surprising that this prospectus for the DoubleLine Shiller Cape Enhanced Income Fund lists generation of income as its first mentioned purpose. Capital appreciation appears to take up the rear as a goal.
  • DSEEX Drop?
    msf is the one who has explained this weirdness the best:
    https://fundresearch.fidelity.com/mutual-funds/composition/258620822
    As one who has had quite a bit of money in both CAPE and DSEEX I was curious (a little) about the OP and then the followup about utter failure yada yada, but now thinking I were better not to have queried, as it all seems uninformed.
  • DSEEX Drop?
    @davidmoran: DSEEX being a mutual fund, I suppose the sponsor could shut it down, but the shareholders would get back what their holdings are worth. IDNK what happens to the holders of an ETN if the issuer decides to fold it. In the case of CAPE, Barclays is not seemingly a bank likely to suddenly fail (nor was Lehman Brothers…).
    Thanks to all for the useful information you’ve added.
  • DSEEX Drop?
    Is there an etf version of CAPE etn ?
  • DSEEX Drop?
    The huge distribution this year would have taken me by surprise. In addition to the December payout, shareholders of DSEEX also pay taxes on the monthly distributions. When I owned this strategy I had a portion in the ETN (CAPE) which paid out nothing at year end. CAPE has outperformed its MF Doubleline brethren since it debuted in 2012, but ETNs carry the risk of being dissolved by the issuer with little notice and the risk of the issuer (Barclays in this case) failing. Trading CAPE shares requires a certain amount of time and effort; this fund trades in low volumes, so getting a good purchase or sale price can be frustrating, somewhat like trading a jumpy small cap stock. I think CAPE has proven its mettle, but it’s not for most fund investors.
  • Best Biotech Fund?
    Biotech stocks resemble a landscape filled with craters. The two ETFs that cover the sector, IBB and FBT, are hurting badly, YTD, 1yr or 3yr. FBIOX is down about 15% YTD while broader-based HC funds have not kept up with the stock market as a whole. I owned CELG until it was bought up by BMY which I kept for a while. The stock rose to nearly $70, but it now trades for about $53. At one time it was a M* 5 star pick, but it turned out to be a value trap. I feel lucky to have exited when I did. For a pure growth HC fund, BHCFX has impressed, but it’s volatile.
  • Just for the Dippers !
    Thanks for the note from my Barron's summary this AM. People know where to find it.
    "COMMODITIES. The auto market (new or used cars) is very tight. But PALLADIUM (-26% YTD) and PLATINUM (-14% YTD) are down sharply because of the drop in auto production caused by SEMI CHIPS shortages. This is unusual as most commodities are strong (S&P GSCI commodity index +28% YTD). Palladium is used more widely in the catalytic converters of gasoline-powered cars while platinum is used more in diesel-powered cars; although either metal can be used, there are large capex costs for the switch for the manufacturers. Rebound in palladium may be dramatic when the auto production picks up as chips supply-chain issues ease. On the other hand, platinum demand has fallen sharply for investments and also for other industrial application, so there is now a platinum surplus. Platinum is also much cheaper than gold (it used to be the reverse years ago)."
  • This New ETF (SARK) is Betting Against Cathie Wood and ARK
    LOL. Too funny. DKNG lost almost 10% today. Sitting at $31+ change. It was the first stock I ever owned. Guess I escaped a beating getting out while still above water. Just 2 stock holdings left: RIO and WPM Both have been holding up pretty well - better than some of my funds today.
    Most everything trashed today. Bonds held up.
  • Wealthtrack - Weekly Investment Show
    Ms. Lazar definitely thinks outside the box.
    Her capex and inflation projections surprised me.
    Time will tell whether this comes to fruition, but her thesis is thought-provoking nonetheless.
  • Wealthtrack - Weekly Investment Show
    Good episode; especially good for some counterpoints to conventional wisdom. Nancy L. is one of the macro guests of Consuelo's I most look forward to hearing.
    I was surprised by the capex figures she cites, and others may be surprised by the inflation and rate outlook. If she's pretty much right on the overall thesis, it sure seems positive for the U.S.
  • Inflation
    OP linked thread is a Bloomberg pay article (for me at least) and my investment site subscriptions are currently at max capacity. So unfortunately did not read it.
    That said...
    Great new thread started today on the Fido Community Forum by Dick, aka dickoncapecod, titled Inflation Outlook. That's an invitation only board so hoping anyone interested has been invited. Post starts with...
    Hi. Anyone interested in a SERIOUS discussion of the inflation outlook --- not the usual complaints and moaning and not political BS........?
    He then offers up a six bullet point analysis of the issue citing technical data and offering analysis/commentary befitting someone with his professional experience and insights.
    Here's hoping all/many can check it out, then get on with worrying about things we can actually control.
  • A Flexible Fund Adept at Finding Income - FMSDX / by Lewis Braham in Barron’s
    “Adam Kramer is used to finding value in unusual places. He grew up in Montreal with two favorite activities as a child—collecting hockey cards and reading Barron’s every week …
    “His sharp eye for investing opportunities is especially critical now, when the landscape for fixed-income investing feels a bit like a minefield. Interest rates are almost zero. Some investors worry that recent economic-stimulus packages could spark a bond rout if higher inflation follows. (Interest rates rise with inflation, and bond prices move inversely to rates.) But a resurgence of Covid-19 cases could cause the opposite effect—another economic downturn, which would likely drive some lower credit-quality bond issuers into bankruptcy.
    “In this environment, income-hungry investors need flexibility, and a willingness to go beyond bond-only investments. Fidelity Multi-Asset Income offers that. The $1.4 billion fund can invest anywhere for income—dividend-paying stocks, high- or low-quality corporate bonds, U.S. or foreign government bonds, preferred stocks, convertible bonds, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and master limited partnerships (MLPs). Such flexibility has produced strong results. The fund’s 16.7% three-year annualized return beats 99% of its peers in Morningstar’s Allocation—30% to 50% Equity fund category.”

    -
    Nice article. I note the fund appears to have 58% invested in equities - certainly not your typical “income” fund. And, its largest holding, WPM (Wheaton Precious Metals) just happens to be a stock I picked up a couple weeks back when it was mired in the weeds. I plan to hold it forever. I think that’s why Barron’s editors included the photo of Mr. Kramer in the weeds (searching for another bargain).
    image
    Excerpt from Barron’s, October 18, 2021 LINK
  • Will President Biden’s economic stimulus cause inflation? Economists are unsure
    Here is a look at the impact of deficit spending in our still low interest rate world and what the future may hold in store for us despite the deficit's continued growth:
    image
    The Real Cost of U.S. Debt Is Nearer the Floor Than the Ceiling
  • October's commentary is posted.
    the significance of females in positions of authority or power - perhaps more so in the field of finance.
    I totally agree with that assessment. While I may not agree with some of her individual stock picks, her forward thinking of the landscape is unique and it has proven itself since the pandemic started last year.
  • Selling or buying the dip ?!
    Below is some hasty / lazy work for me to show myself my actual practice since covid onset and I sold off nearly everything after return to breakeven summer '20 (as I was sure covid would be this bfd hit to all markets).
    - All dip buying and selling were done by feel, not by percentage or any defensible criterion other than 'ooh, ooh, it just went down pretty sharply', ... just because it eventually hit me over the head that p/e be damned, this market was just too strong and kept returning to strength, for all the reasons already mentioned by others.
    - I am too chicken to figure out if buy-hold woulda been better, but I suspect so, given said unstoppable market strength.
    What the below activity did was make me feel better about my fairly quick / short 'defensive' darts in and out of the traffic.
    buys and sells of VON_, AOR, and/or CAPE, plus a TRP mfund
    (gains; no losses; all Roth, so no tax consequence)
    bot 6/11/20 and sold the next day, >1%
    bot 10/28/20 and sold 11/13/20, 10%
    bot 2/25/21 and sold 4/9/21, 7%
    bot 4/22/21 and sold 5/6/21, >3%
    bot 5/12/21 and sold 5/14/21, <3%
    bot 6/18/21 & 7/6/21 and sold 9/22/21, <3%
    bot 7/2/21 and sold 9/2/21, <1%
    bot 7/19/21 and sold 8/3/21, >2%
    bot 8/4/21 and sold 8/11-2/21, 1%
    bot 8/18/21 and sold 9/1/21, 5%
    bot 9/20/21 and sold 9/23/21, 3%
    I am again now almost completely out of equities.
    And of course the kick-myself revenge makeup motive going on here was to try and recoup the hundreds of thou lost by my summer 2020 selloff decisions, after the big covid dip. If I had stayed the equities course (duh) we would have enough extra now to half-forgive kids' debts to us, lavish on grandchildren education funding, replace a car and roof and such, and give way more seriously to a few charities and colleges.
  • Biden Nearing Methane Crackdown Dreaded (and Dodged) by Industry
    It's looking like the oil and gas industry may soon be faced with significant additional expenses but that agriculture may continue to get a pass for now....
    image
    Crackdown
  • Selling or buying the dip ?!
    sold all vong and cape
    will buy back in later