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29,126 "Holy Overload", Robin exclaims to Batman.

edited July 2011 in Off-Topic
29,126 is the number indicated at Bloomberg for the number of fund choices laid upon our laps. This would be inclusive of traditional mutual funds, CEF's, ETF's and whatever other new and/or magical combos constitute a fund in Bloomberg's list.
Being as our house and we are at the third rock from the sun and have a nominal 24 hour day; none of us should feel that we have missed that perfect fund for our risk/reward chart, eh? Sure not enough time in my day to hunt and peck all of them.
BUT, this places the use of the machines and statistics to allow us to choose the best 500 choices among the various categories; and holds the machine statistics near the top of the/OUR "ZEN of investing enlightenment" for our everyday use. We all need to be thankful for the "best" sites from which to readily obtain data to help us hunt and peck for the best funds to satisfy our needs.

Take care,
Catch

Comments

  • hey catch
    what do you think of this etf
    http://www.google.com/finance?q=psau
    psau - global previous natural resource?
    thanks
  • Catch, it is said that there are more mutual funds than the underlying stocks themselves.;)
    I am not sure if your number actually includes CEF and ETFs I heard that big number for mutual funds themselves.
  • It's an invented number. To get there, you need to count each share class as a separate funds. That's stupid. Many of the share classes are available only to a particular audience ("other Fidelity funds" or "state-sponsored retirement plans"), so it's not even like you need to sort through all of those classes once you pick a fund. American Funds AMCAP, for example, comes in 18 different classes including R-1 through R-6.

    Morningstar tracks 24,600 open-end mutual funds when you include all share classes. Restrict that to "distinct portfolios only," that you get 6600. Exclude funds with sales loads and you're at 3800. Limit it to no-load retail funds, and you're at 2700. (Get rid of the danged muni bonds . . .)

    For what it's worth,

    David
  • Reply to @johnN:

    Hi John,
    The link is for the Bloomberg rankings for PM related funds.
    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?pid=invest_mutualfunds&Fund=psau
    You may want to look through this list for additional choices; as it appears PSAU is currently in the middle of the pack. 'Course this doesn't mean anything regarding a future direction.
    Although an ETF allows for much more flexible trading through the day and not having to wait for a buy/sell to close at the end of a business day; if I were buying a traditional mutual fund next week in the PM area, I would likely opt for TGLDX. This fund has both PM equity and a physical metals presence. We hold Fido's PM currently, as it is our cheapest and easiest access point. Vanguards's PM fund appears to perform well, too. My regard towards TGLDX is that the metals and related equities do not always move together and a mixed fund holdings will give one a small buffer zone for stability.
    The link list will show these various funds to snoop through.
    Are you considering a small step into this area?

    Regards,
    Catch
  • Reply to @Investor:

    Hi Investor,
    Looking through a Bloomberg rankings list appears to present all fund types for the listing when peeking through various sectors/styles.

    Regards,
    Catch
  • Reply to @David_Snowball:

    Howdy David,

    I, of course; agree with your summary of the funds numbers. As always, with the discussions here; hopefully all of this will benefit someone and especially to those who stop by to gather information and are new to the funds investment world.

    Over the years, we have had numerous funds via retirement accts (no tickers available, yes?) and the best we may do for proper monitoring is to watch the look-alike funds available in the retail arena.

    The main point of the post is that we are fortunate to be able to use numerous sites that allow us to sort the data numbers; being the small individual investor, and not needing to mortgage a house to have to pay for a Bloomberg terminal.:):):)

    Thank you for the input; as I know this will benefit those who read this post.

    Hey, not unlike MI now and for the next several days...tis time in your area, too; to be in an outdoor lounger chair, under a big Maple tree and have a sprinkler system set on a timer for a gentle misting every 5 minutes.

    Take care of you and yours,
    Catch
  • Reply to @catch22: Howdy! I actually spent the hours just after posting this sitting under a maple tree, reading a really interesting book, savoring the shade and breeze, and watching other members of my family fish. Serious heat hits tomorrow and then doesn't leave.

    I actually did catch (so to speak) your point. I'm mostly concerned by the state of financial journalism in a retrenching world. There's a lot of pressure for fewer and fewer folks to crank out more stuff with less care, mostly because the publications (or websites) don't have the financial cushion any more. I've read a bunch of stories lately with what appear to be "grab the first available number" statistics. (Pity.)

    It's part of a larger debate about the democratization of the news (see, for instance, the cover story in the most recent Economist) and what might be lost when it's hard to find (and sustain) knowledgeable professionals. (I'll likely be lecturing on the subject in News Literacy this fall. If you're in town . . .)

    As ever,

    David
  • Reply to @catch22:
    hi catch
    I don't trust the US Gov nor dollars too much, I think they maybe side way or may take more hits [very difficult to say]. PMs seems as a good vehicle to add on for the bumpy ride ahead.
    I probably may add to vde vanguard energy fund or more gold....but I am still at a holding patterns currently
    regards
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