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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.
  • Vanguard Beats The Market Handily--That Is, Vanguard's Partnership
    While I wish Vanguard employes were more equitably compensated (but I wonder how many leave from the lower echelon), I'm happy with an ER <.5% average in Health Care, Capital Opps, and Primecap, plus others. Wish my 403b included the company. If I ever buy an annuity, it will probably be there.
  • Is This The Perfect Investment Portolio ?
    Depends on age and anticipated retirement age. 20 to 50 y.o. with retirement at 70 (probably the new normal for the younger generation): 10% short term bond and 10% high yield bond and remainder in stock funds. Would include mid-cap blend or value and/or small cap blend or value for this period of one's investing life (and might even extend it to retirement age)
    Age 50 and above: this distribution is logical, but I prefer ETFs that meet the criteria.
  • Pioneer High Income Trust Common (PHT)
    I'm looking for opinions about this bond ETF:
    Pioneer High Income Trust Common (PHT)
    http://cef.morningstar.com/quote?t=PHT&region=USA
    Returns:
    http://performance.morningstar.com/funds/cef/total-returns.action?t=PHT&region=usa&culture=en-US
    This fund's returns look great in the past 1, 3, 5 and 10 years. It took a hit during the 2007 (-13.49%) and 2008 (-33.42%), but the performance was not too bad in its own category (rank: 21 and 60 respectively). It's performance was off the charts in 2009: 105.92% vs. 78.41% for its category.
    Why can't this bond fund be considered a great fund in the ETF universe and also, in general, all of the mutual fund universe?
    Do you have any other ETFs or mutual funds that are comparable to this bond fund and why are they better than this one?
    Thanks.
  • TRAMX TRP Africa/Middle East
    I have this in wife's retirement portfolio. I was buying on the dips down in the $4-8 range and racked up quite a few shares. I would think around 5 or so plus years it will start moving upwards as a lot of US companies are investing heavily on infrastructure in that part of the world waiting on this frontier to take off.
  • The Closing Bell: U.S. Stocks Edge Higher
    Gold miners,solar,oil gain.India, Reits fall.
    Weekly ETF Gainers / Losers
    Jun 13 2014, 16:14 ET Seeking Alpha
    Gainers: GDXJ +13.01%. GDX +6.49%. TAN +5.42%. VXX +4.84%. OIL +4.29%.
    Losers: EPI -4.16%. VNQ -2.21%. IYR -2.02%. XHB -1.94%. MOO -1.77%.
  • The Closing Bell: U.S. Stocks Edge Higher
    FYI U.S. stocks rose Friday as investors shrugged off concerns about military tensions in Iraq
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-stock-futures-edge-lower-1402662259#printMode
    Markets At A Glance: http://markets.wsj.com/us
  • Is This The Perfect Investment Portolio ?
    Interesting. I need to watch out for confirmation-bias, and I don't have what he is recommending perfectly duplicated. But it makes sense, and my portfolio is ALSO "simple" yet diversified. No TIPS in my stash, and I am about 50/50 (equities) split between domestic and foreign.
  • Don't Fear Risky Assets
    FYI: Copy & Paste 6/13/14: Zachary Karabell: Barron's
    Regards,
    Ted
    Editor's Note: Karabell is head of global strategy at Envestnet, a leading provider of wealth management technology and services to investment advisors.
    We live in a world that emphasizes risk. That is true in general, but is especially so in the financial world. Since the financial crisis of 2008–2009, financial professionals have been acutely attuned to risk—and for good reason. Too many felt they were caught off-guard and unprepared by the near-implosion of five years ago. That in turn followed volatile periods from the Internet bubble of 1999 into early 2000, through the events of 9/11, and then a sharp market contraction until October 2002. After nearly 15 years of drama, it is hardly surprising that the financial world is primed for risk.
    Hardly surprising, but a problem nonetheless. The heightened sensitivity to hidden risk muddies analysis, and can potentially lead to mispricing of assets and hence, less-than-optimal investment decisions.
    The current yields and attitudes towards both high-yield ("junk") bonds and emerging-market debt are prime examples. Both are seen as risky assets with both known and unknown pitfalls. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in April warned that many investors in emerging-markets bonds may be unaware and unprepared for a combination of slowing growth and rising rates that could impact many portfolios negatively, especially given the surge of money into emerging-markets bonds since 2008. There is now $76 billion in retail mutual funds focused on the space, up from $12 billion before 2008. The IMF also emphasized the increase in issuance, with $300 billion in emerging-market corporate bonds coming to market last year alone. That is frequently interpreted as a sign that the market is—to use a common cliché—"getting frothy."
    But is it? It is too easy these days to make the argument for bubbles, bubbles everywhere, and for overpriced assets at every turn. In light of a volatile 15 years, where the downs have felt more severe than the ups, such arguments are intuitive and have emotional resonance. That does not, however, make them correct.
    A Matter of Perceptions
    Both high-yield ("junk") bonds and emerging-market debt are perceived as inherently more risky than many more vanilla investment options. There are at least two types of risk: greater chance of loss (more downside) and greater volatility. Compared with, say, blue-chip large cap companies such as IBM (IBM) or Walmart (WMT), or with investment-grade bond portfolios, or with U.S. Treasuries, junk and emerging-market debt are understood as riskier and hence provide higher returns to lenders in the form of higher-interest rates. They are also susceptible to price swings that can be intense.
    Last June of 2013, when then chairman of the Federal Reserve (Fed) Ben Bernanke hinted that the Fed would begin to pare its bond-buying program, emerging-market debt sold off very hard, with prices dropping in many instances by more than 10% in the space of weeks. The reason was not a sudden change in the fundamentals of Turkish or Brazilian bonds, but rather the market perception that those bonds had seen strong inflows based largely on the presence of so much money in the global system as a result of Fed policies. The concern was that when the Fed began to trim the easy, easy money, those bonds would see both outflows and a drop in demand.
    And yet, a year later, the Fed is aggressively trimming its bond-buying program, having reduced its monthly purchases almost in half and on a glide path to reducing them entirely by year-end. Emerging market bonds, meanwhile, have recovered all of what they lost in June 2013 and yields are actually lower after the recent run since May. The market interpretation that these assets were simply a derivative of a Fed bubble was wrong.
    Of course, it may only be temporarily wrong. Another shock to the global system could well prove the risk interpretation correct. The ever-present concern that all financial assets are still being artificially boosted by central bank liquidity won't fully dissipate until central banks tighten globally. With the actions by the European Central Bank (ECB) announced on June 5, however, we are nowhere near an end to these policies. In fact, the ECB, led by its president Mario Draghi, is now embarking on its own policies of quantitative easing just as the U.S. Fed is pulling back.
    Combined with the easy money policies of Shinzo Abe in Japan, we are in for a considerable period of significant liquidity. And then there is the surfeit of liquidity in sovereign wealth funds—well in excess of $5 trillion—and in corporate balance sheets which add trillions more. If you are waiting for a liquidity squeeze, you might be waiting for a long, long time.
    The market price for high-yield and emerging-market debt suggests that the prices being paid and the rates being offered for these instruments are not pricing in much risk. Low-rated bonds still bear the moniker "junk" from a time in the 1970s and 1980s when low-rated or questionable businesses simply could not get financing from banks at any price and had to pay much more generously to investors to compensate them for the risk.
    Today, however, many, many low-rated bonds have only a slightly higher level of actual risk—as defined by default risk—than bonds considered "safe." Over the past three years, the default rate for bonds rated "junk" (i.e. those rated 'BB' or lower by Standard & Poor's, or 'Ba' or lower by Moody's) has been only a few percentage points worse than those rated investment-grade. Except for a spike in 2009, in fact, when low-rated bonds had a default rate of more than 8%, so-called "junk" bonds have had a default rate of less than 5%, and in the past few years less than 2.5%. The very lowest ratings, C and less, have had higher default rates, as to be expected. But bonds with a B rating have had default rates of less than 1.5% since 2003.
    The picture is similar with emerging-market bonds. Yet both emerging market and high-yield still trade at a significant premium to treasuries and investment-grade corporate bonds. Yes, those spreads have been compressing, and as more money has poured into these bonds in the past few years, they have compressed further.
    The modest spread between high-grade bonds on the one hand and emerging markets and high-yield on the other is itself taken as an indication that investors may be investing too much in higher-risk assets. As more money has poured into funds that invest in those assets, prices have risen and yields have therefore dropped. The question for many now is whether those yields are appropriate given the nature of the risk.
    Staking the Middle Ground Between Risk and Return
    There is, of course, no easy answer here. There is the very low default rate, save for the worst credit quality. There is the reality that many emerging-market bonds, whether corporate or sovereign, are issued by countries and companies that are risky only because countries such as Mexico, Turkey, and South Korea were once considered riskier. And there is the fact that we live in a world suffused with capital with low inflation, which means that legitimate entities do not need to pay exorbitant rates.
    If you believe that we remain in an artificial lull of easy money provided by central banks, that rates will rise sharply soon enough, that markets will roil, and that there is some new crises just beyond the advent horizon, then yes, emerging market and high-yield debt will suffer disproportionately.
    If not, however, these assets may not have significantly greater downside than U.S. Treasuries and investment-grade corporate debt even as they carry a risk premium that assumes they are. Until the investing world stops fixating on risk and focuses more prominently on return, that will remain the case.
  • The Four Best Bond Funds To Own Now

    Templeton Emerging Markets Income Fund ("TEI") Announces Dividend (Cut)
    Fri June 13, 2014 10:41 AM|Marketwire
    Beginning with the June dividend, the Fund's quarterly dividend will be adjusted from $0.25 to $0.20 per share. Dividends may vary based on the Fund's net investment income. Past dividends are not indicative of future trends. Over the past few years, interest rates around the globe have decreased in response to the slow growth economic environment. The Fund's dividend adjustment reflects the current environment of historically low interest rates and reduced yields available in government bonds.
    The Fund's investment team continues to believe that the current period of accommodative monetary policy by central banks will eventually need to end, resulting in rising interest rates from current record low levels. This poses downside risk for bond prices, so the Fund has been positioned in very low duration and short maturity bonds to mitigate downside risk should interest rates rise. In general, shorter duration and maturity bonds have lower yields than longer duration/maturity bonds.
    http://seekingalpha.com/pr/10210743-templeton-emerging-markets-income-fund-tei-announces-dividend
  • Gold Set For First Back-To-Back Weekly Gain Since April
    Hi Folks,
    Dealing with an elderly parent has kept me far away from the internet and this site.
    Hope all is well.
    When it comes to PMs I take a slightly different stance than the above posters.
    Manipulated? Like the rest of the market? Of course. When has that stopped us from investing? My only way of seeing value these days is through price discovery. As equities are discovering their tops the PMs have been discovering their bottoms.
    PM prices are at 1 and 5 year lows. I would say more deflationary pricewise.
    Could a lack of inflation or slow growth push PM prices lower? Probably.
    Can you make short term profits with lower risk than most other equity investment right now? I think so.
    My suggestion:
    Learn how PM and PM Miners move (charts help) and let the market price determine if you hold 'em or fold 'em...multiple days or weeks of higher lows (hold 'em) vs multiple lower lows (fold 'em).
    Here's a recent article and maybe a way to follow PMs if you have an interest:
    shortsideoflong.com/2014/06/portfolio-big-move-coming-pms/
  • The Four Best Bond Funds To Own Now
    FYI: Bond yields have nowhere to go but up, and that means bond prices will fall. These funds take unconventional approaches to avoiding losses and boosting returns.
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://portal.kiplinger.com/printstory.php?pid=12521
  • TRAMX TRP Africa/Middle East
    TRAMX. Fund Manager Oliver Bell has rescued this fund. Now, even the numbers going 5 years back look good. Of course it's volatile, political uncertainty, nutso crazies in that region doing violent, stupid things. But the fund thrives, even if stalled a bit very recently.
    http://quotes.morningstar.com/fund/f?t=TRAMX&region=USA
  • 11th June, '14: down day, all around. Which of yours dropped LEAST?
    (EDIT to show this is about 12th June.) ...And the small-caps are taking it in the shorts, down 0.75% or so, today. Eventually, I'll be adding to IRA. It'll be one or the other or a combination of: MAPOX (balanced), MSCFX (small-cap), PRESX (Dev. Europe) and/or PRWCX (balanced). I have other choices, particularly in Matthews. But my Matthews stuff has been doing well. I want to buy discounted shares.
  • 11th June, '14: down day, all around. Which of yours dropped LEAST?
    Another blah day. However, not doing anything. Nothing to buy, don't want to sell anything (especially not the oils w/oil pushing past $105). Just sitting on my hands.
  • Columbia Acorn Emerging Markets Fund closing to new investors
    http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2110/000119312514233448/d743683d497.htm
    497 1 d743683d497.htm COLUMBIA ACORN TRUST
    COLUMBIA ACORN TRUST
    Columbia Acorn Emerging Markets FundSM
    (the “Fund”)
    Supplement dated June 12, 2014 to the Fund’s Prospectus
    and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) dated May 1, 2014
    COLUMBIA ACORN EMERGING MARKETS FUND CLOSING
    TO MOST NEW INVESTORS AND NEW ACCOUNTS
    Effective as of the close of business on July 11, 2014 (the “Closing Date”), the Fund will close to most new investors and new accounts, subject to certain limited exceptions, as described below.
    These changes will affect new investors seeking to purchase Fund shares directly or through third party intermediaries. The Fund reserves the right to re-open the Fund to new investors or new accounts and to otherwise modify the extent to which sales of Fund shares are limited. If you have any questions about your ability to purchase shares of the Fund, please call Columbia Management Investment Services Corp. (the “Transfer Agent”) at 800.345.6611.
    Accordingly, effective as of the date of this supplement, the Fund’s prospectus is hereby supplemented as follows:
    (1) The following footnote is added to the table that appears under the heading Summary of the Fund – Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares – Minimum Initial Investment:
    ± Effective July 11, 2014, the Fund is generally closed to new investors and new accounts. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares — Buying Shares — Eligible Investors — Fund Generally Closed to New Investors and New Accounts in the prospectus for more information.
    (2) The following is added immediately above the table that appears under the heading Choosing a Share Class – Summary of Share Class Features:
    Effective as of the close of business on July 11, 2014 (the “Closing Date”), the Fund is generally closed to new investors and new accounts, except that, subject to the eligibility requirements of the Fund’s various share classes: (i) shareholders who had opened and funded an account with the Fund as of the Closing Date may continue to make additional purchases of Fund shares in their existing accounts; (ii) a retirement plan generally may continue to make additional purchases of Fund shares and to add new accounts that may purchase Fund shares if the retirement plan or a retirement plan with the same or an affiliated plan sponsor holding Fund shares at the plan level had invested in the Fund as of the Closing Date; and (iii) a discretionary wrap program or similar advisory program that held Fund shares as of the Closing Date generally may continue to make additional purchases of Fund shares and add new accounts that may purchase Fund shares. There is no minimum additional investment for any share class. See Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares — Buying Shares — Eligible Investors — Fund Generally Closed to New Investors and New Accounts for more information.
    1
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    (3) The following is added as the first sub-section under the heading Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares — Buying Shares — Eligible Investors:
    Fund Generally Closed to New Investors and New Accounts
    The Fund is generally closed to new investors and new accounts effective as of the Closing Date, subject to the following limited exceptions:
    • Shareholders who had opened and funded an account with the Fund as of the Closing Date may continue to make additional purchases of Fund shares in their existing accounts, subject to the eligibility requirements of the Fund’s various share classes.
    • A retirement plan generally may continue to make additional purchases of Fund shares and to add new accounts that may purchase Fund shares if the retirement plan or a retirement plan with the same or an affiliated plan sponsor holding Fund shares at the plan level had invested in the Fund as of the Closing Date, subject to the eligibility requirements of the Fund’s various share classes. A retirement plan that has approved the Fund as an investment option as of the Closing Date may open an account and make purchases of Fund shares and add new accounts, even if the retirement plan had not opened an account as of the Closing Date, provided that it opened its initial account with the Fund prior to October 9, 2014.
    • A discretionary wrap program or similar advisory program that holds Fund shares as of the Closing Date generally may continue to make additional purchases of Fund shares and add new accounts that may purchase Fund shares, subject to the eligibility requirements of the Fund’s various share classes.
    • A discretionary wrap program and discretionary model retirement asset allocation program that follows an asset allocation model that included the Fund as an investment option as of the Closing Date may open an account and make additional purchases of Fund shares and add new accounts.
    • A Columbia Management state tuition plan organized under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code that had accounts that held Fund shares as of the Closing Date may continue to make additional purchases of Fund shares and to add new accounts that may purchase Fund shares, subject to the eligibility requirements of the Fund’s various share classes.
    In the event that an order to purchase shares is received by the Fund or the Transfer Agent after the Closing Date from a new investor or a new account that is not eligible to purchase shares, the order will be refused by the Fund or the Transfer Agent and any money that the Fund or the Transfer Agent received with the order will be returned to the investor, account or selling agent, as appropriate, without interest.
    The Fund reserves the right to re-open the Fund to new investors or new accounts and to otherwise modify the extent to which sales of Fund shares are limited...
    2
  • 11th June, '14: down day, all around. Which of yours dropped LEAST?
    This AM 6/12
    The big action is in oil amid terror troubles in Iraq, with WTI crude up 1.5% to $105.99 per barrel. Gold, however, sees little bounce, up $3 per ounce to $1,264.
    Micron Technology, Inc up near 5% yesterday lifted PVSAX and PYSAX to gains.Many Ivy funds also hold Micron.Like Scott, dividend closed end funds FAM and PGZ saw gains along with precious metals.
  • 11th June, '14: down day, all around. Which of yours dropped LEAST?
    Hmm.
    HCP, SCHN for stocks,,,both up actually.
    RSIIX and WBMIX for funds.
    Think you are doing better than me YTD.
    Well done!
    Thanks, Charles. If you're right, I won't complain. PREMX (TRP EM bonds) actually has been doing maybe more than its fair share. YTD +8.53%
    PRWCX: +6.24% MAPOX +4.55%
    MAPIX +3.59%.
    Bonds doing better than equities in my portfolio. Well, DLFNX not so much. Still rather good at +4.37% YTD.
    "Break a leg," everyone.
  • 11th June, '14: down day, all around. Which of yours dropped LEAST?
    It was a sea of red for me although I am up 5.7% YTD. MAINX was the least down, just a penny.