I've never heard of it, but a strange name (Global Allocation) for a fund that has < 5% equity outside the US. M* categorizes it as a moderate US allocation fund, 50-70% equity. If you bought it thinking it was global it seems to have changed mandates.

Speaking of the young getting hit by this...
A Young Doctor, Fighting for His Life
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/opinion/sunday/young-doctor-coronavirus.html?smid=tw-share

If Buffet was buying, he would be ignoring the indicator he has said is his favorite. So you have to ask what does he see that makes him thing the market isn't over valued?
The way people are buying, I suspect he sees rather more greed than fear in the market.
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/buffett-indicator-surges-record-high-signaling-potential-crash-2020-4-1029149296

Hi sir catch22
UPMC doctor argues COVID-19 not as deadly as feared, says its hospitals will shift back to normal
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/04/umpc-argues-covid-19-not-as-deadly-as-feared-says-its-hospitals-will-shift-back-to-normal.html
0.25%
Misread from 0.45%...
Could also be relate to geographic areas also
I think I read somewhere early march death rate maybe up to 9%...
'From one donald to another donald'
Pls stay safe regardless

johnN
You placed the below information at Old_Skeets barometer thread, but I'm not going to clutter his thread with my request.

virus data may not be that deadly after all the precautions measures implemented. Some predict maybe 0.45-0.9% death rate now instead of 4-10% initially,

As COVID will continue to alter the investing markets going forward..........
PLEASE provide your source for the following:
Some predict maybe 0.45-0.9% death rate
Thank you,
Catch

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fool.com/amp/investing/2020/05/02/did-warren-buffett-buy-stocks-in-the-coronavirus-c.aspx
Did Warren Buffett Buy Stocks in the Coronavirus Crash? The Answer Might Surprise You
/Here's what we just learned about Berkshire Hathaway's cash hoard and its business performance/
Perhaps being idle /doing very little maybe best one ever do during crash...just sit and wait approaches

virus data may not be that deadly after all the precautions measures implemented. Some predict maybe 0.45-0.9% death rate now instead of 4-10% initially, (1-3 millions death feb20 if antibodies tests statistics are somewhat predictative). Hopefully the 2nd rebounds are limited, many studies may found new virus cure/drugs/protocols to limitloss of valuable lives, and may allow surging V shape recovery.
I have been more optimistic and have been buying [especially weigh more toward enery oil.] May take least one two months/quarters for oil to stabilize and hopefully recover once more states/cities/counties countries open up more
But you never know, may pundits predicting may take anther 20_40%loss these coming months/quater and maybe massive depressions..

Hi guys, For those that hold American Funds ABNDX (Bond Fund of America) is listed at MFO as a core bond fund. It has a MFO Risk Rating of 1 (Very Conserative) and a MFO Rating of 4 (Above Average). I don't currently own this fund; but, I just might in the nearterm as I expand my fixed income sleeve from nine to twelve funds. In addition, I need to learn more about their new fund MIAQX. I'll be calling my advisor next week to see if I can not get more information on this new offering. Generally, they do a lucheon sponsored by American Funds to present their new offerings. The last new offering that I bought was New World and that was a good number of years ago. With this, they might have marked me off their ... free ... lunch list. In addition, JHNBX, NEFRX, PINCX are three other fixed income funds that I'am looking at as well. JHNBX has a MFO Risk Rating of 2 (conserative) and a MFO Rating of 3 (Average) ... NEFRX has a MFO Risk Rating of 2 (Conserative) and a MFO Rating of 5 (Best) ... and, PINCX has a MFO Risk Rating of 2 (Conserative) and a MFO Rating of 5 (Best).

Hi guys. With Friday's stock market decline the S&P 500 pullbacked 81 points, from 2912 to 2831, resulting in a 2.8% loss. With this, there was a numerical reading change, in the barometer's metrics, from 136 to 138. However, this still leaves the Index overbought on the barometer's scale. When the barometer moves off of ... Overbought ... I'll make another post.
A review: There are three main data feeds used in the barometer. They are an earnings feed, a breadth feed and a technical score feed. In addition, there are a few other data influnces that are often times used as well to produce (or confirm) a reading.

It's got at least 21 different tickers (share classes). Class F-1 is MIAWX. ER is 0.90%
Here's the prospectus with all the tickers.
Haven't looked too closely yet. At least some of the managers are picked from other American Funds, so that may give a sense of how this fund will operate.

We used American Funds for the greater part of our mutual fund investing for some 45 years. We did some maneuvering between a variety of their funds from time to time as seemed indicated by the market circumstances. Our IRAs are with them still, although mostly in MMKT at this point. Slow and steady- certainly not flashy, but pretty dependable over the long haul.
By and large we are quite content with their performance over the years. Old_Skeet has also had some American Funds investments for quite a while, I believe.
When you find the fund symbol, please post it here- thanks.

All my needs are met by the following
1) usually invested at 99+% mostly bond OEFs. In the last 10 years I was only 4-5 weeks at 99+% cash. Another 6-7 weeks at 30-40% cash.
2) Trading riskier assets several times annually for hours to days and back to bond funds
3) Be flexible at all times. That could be any trade, be in cash, whatever I need to meet my goals.
4) Be in only 2-4 funds because it's easy to follow and trade. All my funds must do well at all times otherwise will be replaced.
5) I compare the above to buy and hold of several portfolios and I come ahead.
6) I never believed in income as my first criteria, I always look for risk/reward which is selecting the best performing funds with the best SD, Max Draw, Sortino, Sharpe, more.
7) I never believed in wide diversification. In the last several years I mainly invest in US LC no SC/international...or..I mainly used HY Munis + MBS bonds and so on.
==================
In the last 3 days, the VIX started to go up from around 31 to 37. If it goes over 40 it's a warning sign. Q2 started with -2.6% loss, we will find out soon if the next leg down started. Some of the good news is behind us. Huge fiscal and monetary support. The coronavirus cases are going down. Earnings are not as bad because the first 2 months of Q1 were normal.
But, Q2 started with 30 million unemployed, a bad economy, and bad earnings. How long can the stock market disregard it?

https://www.fedsmith.com/2020/05/01/one-tsp-fund-ahead-about-16-april/
/One tsp fund 16% ahead in April
2020 has not been good to stock market investors so far but there was a big turnaround in stock prices in April. As a result, the overall results for the year are better than they were at this time last month./
Couple of good ones considering looking at
F funds 4.94% 12months
C fund +12 in april

https://www.fa-mag.com/news/capital-group-launches-multi-sector-income-fund-55485.html
/Capital Group Launches Multi-Sector Income Fund
Capital Group, a Los Angeles-based investment management firm overseeing $365 billion in fixed income assets, has rolled out a new fixed income fund, the company announced in a news release/
This is perhaps one unique vehicle that investors maybe looking for

The share classes of USAA (now Victory) funds resemble those of American Century funds:

• Noload retail: USAA "Fund Share" (e.g. USTEX) and American Century "Investor" (e.g. TWCUX).
  
• Class A adds load, 12b-1 fee; often load waived w/ fee-based advisor, e.g. UTELX and TWUAX
  
• Institutional shares; these are new for the USAA funds. Examples ULTIX and TWUIX.

American Century does offer a whole slew of additional classes: C, R, R5, R6. Victory funds (other than the USAA funds) may also offer classes C, R, R6, and Y.
The line between noload and load funds got blurred a quarter century ago. ISTM what matters is what you actually pay, not what the fund is allowed to charge.

Another read from Eric Basmajian on Inflation / Deflation Debate:
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4340323-inflation-vs-deflation-tug-of-war

The deflationary thesis holds more weight for three primary reasons.
Weakening rates of population growth and excessive levels of unproductive debt are two long-term structural forces that have been working to undermine the rate of economic growth, widen the output gap, create excess capacity, and exert a general disinflationary force on the economy. Both of these forces will persist.
Recessions exacerbate excess capacity. The current recession is one of the worst economic crises the country has ever faced. The rate of inflation nearly always declines during recessions and typically does not trough for years after the conclusion of the recession and the eventual reduction in excess capacity. A severe recession usually knocks several hundred basis points off the rate of core inflation, placing current measures firmly below the zero bound. The strength of the recovery will determine how persistent the deflation will be.
While the Federal Reserve has engaged in a rapid expansion of its balance sheet and the monetary base, both the money multiplier and the velocity of money will work against the increase in money growth. Velocity tends to decline as debt levels rise. There's no reason to believe the velocity of money will rise significantly. In fact, most evidence points toward a very aggressive collapse in the velocity of money, a force that will continue to negate monetary policy actions as it has for the last several decades.

and,

...various measures of inflation expectations reveal that the bond market is currently expecting deflation for at least the next three years and rates of inflation below 1.5% for more than 10 years.

Difference Between Monetary Base and Money Supply:

Often we conflate Federal Reserve "money printing" with an equal and consistent increase in the money supply. This is not the case.
When the Federal Reserve buys an asset from the private sector, the Federal Reserve increases excess reserves, which represents an increase in the monetary base, not the money supply.
https://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2020/4/23/48075864-15876672613202152_origin.png

High Level of Unproductive Debt:

High levels of debt are often misunderstood. Commonly, we hear that debt levels are getting too high and that inflation will ensue. The data actually proves that higher levels of debt, particularly unproductive debt that does not generate an income stream, leads to deflation, not inflation.

Unemployment Factors:

In the prior two recessions, it took 47 months and 75 months, respectively, to regain the number of jobs that were lost. In this recession, the number of job losses will erase upwards of 20 million paychecks based on preliminary data from the report of the initial claims.

On Assets to Hold:

Gold can perform well during periods of inflation or periods of deflation. The direction of real rates tends to be a more critical factor. As such, my analysis suggests a combination of Treasury bonds, gold, and higher than normal levels of cash is the best way to move forward in the current environment.

Hi @bee. Thank you for your question. Have I ever considered using other funds and/or etf's as a benchmark? Yes, but I have not found a conserative asset allocation fund that generates the income stream that my master portfolio kicks off. And, besides being a former corporate credit manager I limit how much I will hold in any one fund. With this I spread it out over a number of positions.
In addition, I use to be more active and engage spiff positions more often as a source of income generation via realized capital gains. Now, I hold a good slug of CTFAX (about a 5% weighting) and I let this fund do this automatically for me. Thus, this has reduced the number of times I have been an active investor with my use of spiffs. I've got a lot of moving parts within my portfolio ... perhaps, to many for some ... but, not to many for me.
Again in review below is how I govern my portfolio as it does everything needed to meet my needs now in retirement. Why change now?
Old_Skeet's All Weather Asset Allocation.
My all weather asset allocation of 20% cash, 40% income and 40% equity affords me everything necessary to meet my needs now being in the distribution phase of investing. The benefit of this asset allocation is that it provides sufficient income, maximizes diversification, minimizes volatility, and provides long-term returns.
The 20% held in cash area provides me ample cash should I need a cash draw over and above what my portfolio generates plus it can provide the capital necessary to fund a special investment position (spiff) should I choose to open one during a stock market pullback. In addition, cash helps stabilize a portfolio during stock market volatility. Example of investments held in this area are cash, money market mutual funds and CD's.
The 40% held in the income area provides me ample income generation to meet my income needs in retirement. It is a well diversified area that incorporates a good number of income generating type funds. Some examples of investments held in this area are AZNAX, JGIAX & PONAX.
The 40% held in the equity area provides me some dividend income along with some growth, that equities generally provide, that offsets the effects of inflation plus, over time. Some examples of investments held in this area are IDIVX, NEWFX & SPECX.
My five largest positions are AMECX, CAIBX, CTFAX, ISFAX & FKINX. Two of these funds I have had positions in since my early teens AMECX & FKINX). I'm now 72+ years in age.
Generally, for my income distributions, I take no more than a sum equal to what one half of my five year average total return has been. In this way principal grows over time.
This works well for me and I have no plans to change the concept. I encourage others to develop something that works well for them and to stick with it even if is a two fund portfolio consisting of a stock index and a bond index fund. If this is what you want then why not use SFAAX? It's yield is too low for me at 1%.

Howdy folks,
Help me out. I have never heard anything good about this company - for 50 years. Did I miss something or should they still be avoided like the plague?
thanks,
rono

Hi guys. For the period of March 27th to April 30th Old_Skeet's market barometer which follows the S&P 500 Index moved from a high reading of 180 (Extremely Oversold) to a reading of 136 (Overbought). Generally, a higher barometer reading indicates there is more investment value in the Index over a lower reading. Short volume in the Index (SPY) remained in 60% range for the period while the VIX (which is a measure of volatility) moved from a reading of 54 to 34. Money flow for the period was positive moving from a reading of 55 to 83. The percent number of stocks trading above their 50 day moving average rose from 2% to 76%. I'm finding that the percent of stocks currently above the 200 day moving average is 26%. With this, I'm thinking that there is, over time, more upside to come as earnings improve. But, volatility remains in play as well. For me ... if I were a buyer of equities ... I would buy the dips as the Index is in an upward trend with some room to run based upon the percent above the 200 day moving average of 26%. I feel this, though, will be a process as the Index works its way North and out of correction territory as earnings improve. Again, for now, the barometer scores the Index as overbought.
I have the Index moving (during the period) from a reading of 2541 to a reading of 2912 for a 14.6% gain. The Index's dividend yield moved from 2.29% to 2.05% while the US10YrT moved from a yield of 0.68% to 0.63%. With this, the yield advantage goes to the stock Index. I have the stock Index up from its 52 week low by 30.2% but below its 52 week high by 14.0% remaining in correction territory. I'm finding that the three best performing sectors, for the period, being energy ... consumer discretionary ... and, materials.
For the period, my three best performing funds were all found in the growth area of my portfolio and they were FKASX +16.36% ... KAUAX +17.79% ... and, AOFAX +15.71% Year to date my three best performing are CTFAX +10.4% ... AOFAX +2.3% ... and PCOXX +0.4%. Overall, my portfolio is performing much like a conserative asset allocation fund would; but, with a balanced towards income generation theme as my yield is above the average for a conserative allocation fund.
So ... What is Old_Skeet doing now that May is here? I usually follow the Sell In May and Go Away Axiom and do my spring rebalance. With this, I'll be going through my rebalance process since I am heavy on the equity side (at 48%) and light on the fixed side (at 39%). My current target asset allocation is 15% cash, 40% fixed and 45% equity. My neutral asset allocation is 20% cash, 40% income and 40% equity. With this, I have chosen to remain equity heavy by +5% and cash light by -5%. This is because most of my overweight is in good dividend paying equity income funds which are paying a dividend yield in the 4% range while cash is yielding next to nothing. And, I'm with my thought that stocks still have some upside left in them as we move through the year as I explained above.
At this time, I'm not sure if I'll continue with weekly updates or return to a monthly reporting format. However, I will continue to post barometer reading changes as they occur through the summer with little to no write ups in these post. In this way, those that follow the barometer will be aware of barometer reading changes for information purposes only.
Take care ... as it is now time for Old_Skeet to throttle down his investment actvity where I can more fully enjoy the summer.
Thanks for stopping by and reading. I sincerely wish all ... "Good Investing."
Old_Skeet

@davidmoran: I understand that a fund such as VOOG could outperform, especially in a growth atmosphere as @expatsp pointed out. MOAT is not an index fund. It’s stocks are chosen according to a methodology, which includes the determination of the moat the company enjoys as well as a valuation metric that determines whether a stock is trading above or below its worth. Turnover is north of 50%, so it’s actively managed. With 47 stocks now, MOAT can be considered high-conviction. The Barron’s 400, the GAARP EFT (BFOR) has an identifiable stock-picking system, but it’s performance has been quite disappointing. It debuted at the same time as MOAT making a comparison valid since both funds have operated in the same bull market. I could still see CAPE as a trading holding, but it is tough to get good pricing. MOAT, however, trades in a very orderly fashion, with very small spreads. FWIIW, I don’t own any index funds in my accounts, even though I recognize that over time I probably won’t come out ahead of a passive portfolio.