Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

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.

    Support MFO

  • Donate through PayPal

Open Thread: What Are You Buying/Selling/Pondering (HFIB Edition)

edited January 2014 in Fund Discussions
HFIB = Hope February Is Better.

Added to T Rowe Global Allocation (RPGAX). Added Leucadia spin-off Crimson Wine Group (CWGL) and added to Gibson Energy (GBNXF.PK). Probably the last of my additions to booze and energy.

Crimson Wine shareholders get a 20% discount. The way the market has been I'll probably take advantage of it lol.

I was looking at Chevron (CVX) on the dip today, but just couldn't find a place for it and have too much oil and oil related already.
«1

Comments

  • I'm standing "pat." I hope some of the fund managers have the sense to utilize some of the cash they've been holding. But there might be a further slide. Gotta keep some powder dry.
  • edited January 2014
    Have not added or dropped since last post.

    Getting punished by SCHN.

    Would like to get back into HES.

    Have eye on XRX and GE, plus HCP and CHE.

    So, nothing new.
  • i bought a small amount of fbiox and any day that the market is way off, i plan to buy more. am going to try to resist buying into rallies.
  • Reply to @Charles: " Getting punished by SCHN. "

    Bummer. I thought about getting into Cliffs Nat Resources convertible preferred yielding over 9%, but just didn't move on it for whatever reason. In terms of HCP, I'd also look at VTR (HCP is a fine option, too - either way.)

    http://seekingalpha.com/article/1970431-ventas-leader-of-the-healthcare-reit-industry?source=yahoo
  • Reply to @linter: Smart Idea !
    Regards,
    Ted
  • thanks!!!!! Care to join me?
  • prhsx and Shsax are better alternative to Fbiox if you want to get into hot biotech/health care area but worry about the huge run up of biotechs in the last two years.
    Cancer immunology is red hot area in biotech space.
  • Reply to @linter: I already own PRHSX & FBTCX.
    Regards,
    Ted
  • Reply to @DavidMMP: That's just not the case both in up and down markets.. Look at 2008, PRSHX down 28.77%, FBIOX down 11.35%. The S&P 500 -38.49%
    Regards,
    Ted
    http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=FBIOX+Interactive#symbol=fbiox;range=5y;compare=prhsx;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=;
  • bought AMANX, TIBAX, LEXCX on every down day recently. Little bit each.

    This is not my style at all in the past. I used to panic and sell on down days. After getting educated by many folks on this board, I started DCA'ing into the funds I chose on the days there is a huge sell off. In the last 1 week or so I did buy on 3 days.

    nath
  • Reply to @bnath001: I like all three funds, and congratulations on buying on dip.
    Regards,
    Ted
  • edited February 2014
    Reply to @DavidMMP:

    The numbers:
    ******* 1 yr 3 yr 5 yr 10 yr *****YTD

    PRHSX 51.4***30.4***27.8***15.3******6.9
    SHSAX 44.1***21.8***19.8***13.2 ******3.5
    FBIOX 65.6***38.8***27***14.3******13.1
    IBB 65.5***34.7***26.5***12.3******8.6
    IBB: Industry Exposureas of 01/30/2014
    Biotechnology 77.02%
    Pharmaceuticals 15.82%
    Life Sciences Tools & Services 7.09%
    Health Care Equipment & Supplies 0.10%


    (PRHSX is closed(WRONG), with the exception of existing holders or access through group plans.)
    EDIT: I stand fully corrected per InformalEconomist's note below, PRHSX is open in spite of closed notations at some broker web sites.

    If you hold SHSAX, hopefully it is load waived for the 5.75% upfront.

    Take care,
    Catch
  • Ted, FBIOX is "pure" biotech fund while prhsx and Shsax are more diversified health care funds which both have about 30% invested in biotech space and the rest spread among big pharma, medical device and research reagents/instruments areas. I personally use SHSAX and PRHSX as buy/hold funds and FBIOX as a trading vehicle.
  • Still long HQL in terms of health care, enjoying the yield (although it very well may be inconsistent over time) and exposure to private equity.
  • edited January 2014
    My "plan" is to buy FBIOX whenever the so-called slow-sto goes below 20 and turns around as per this chart http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=fbiox&p=D&yr=0&mn=6&dy=0&id=p08376940003 , an idea that is based on the logic supplied by this blog http://stockcharts.com/public/1107832 . basically, i'd be using an overbought / oversold indicator to DCA my way into the fund. historically, i'd be buying about 12 times a year, which would be just about right. who knows if i can stick to the plan, but it makes a kind of buy-low sense to me right at the moment.

    In the meantime, I see nothing compelling about SHSAX whatsoever. Like many others, I do own a good bit of PRHSX.
  • Good luck with your Fbiox trading, please remember that one day the music will stop, looking at the chart of IBB or Fbiox reminds me the tech bubble in 1999 - early 2000.
  • Changes to portfolio:

    1. Scaling out of individual equities. Had been holding a basket of 20 stocks (20% of portfolio - 1% position in each) but sold 1/2 of them (all with less than 1% losses at time of sell order) over the course of the day. Will sell the remainder over the course of next week, hopefully selling into strength.

    2. Will sell my most volatile MF (GUCAX) - AllianzGI Ultra MicroCap fund - and will put that money into a less volatile fund, e.g., AMANX, FPACX, etc.

    3. Continue to hold core basket of equity MFs - 55% of portfolio.

    4. Will take 5% position in OSTIX - Osterweis Strategic Income. This will be my only bond
    position.

    5. Hold approximately 35% cash for the remainder of the year.
  • If you already have a position in FBIOX and have significant gains and you are convinced of longer term fundamentals, it might be worth holding with a stop limit.

    Assets sometimes go up and down on fundamentals and sometimes on technicals. Biotech is purely trading on technicals at the moment because of all the momentum trading and performance chasing.

    If you are a trading, strongly recommend putting a stop limit a bit below 200 as people trading on technicals will run at that point expecting a retracement to 185. This is the likely scenario if the markets continue their correction.

    For people buying on "dips", for something this volatile, 3-5% dips arent really dips. Consider the 5% upside potential vs 15%+ downside potential in the short term. If the market keeps heading down, don't chase it down at every dip. Better to wait for the market to stabilize or the resistance to hold around 185 for this fund.

    There is no way to accurately predict what might happen but when an asset is this stretched, the risk/reward ratio becomes lopsided. Just some suggestions to do with it as you wish.

    FBIOX is a good fund in a promising sector for active investors, not for passive buy and hold investors given its volatility and concentration. I agree with the suggestions above of holding broader funds in health care sector as a satellite fund to your core portfolio.
  • My time frame for FBIOX is ten years or more. If it crashes any time soon, as the moon-rocket trajectory of its current path suggests it will, then I'll be okay with that, as long as I don't bail at the low, ha ha. If it waits 9 years to crater, that could be another story. In terms of my portfolio, however, my main worry isn't with this fund but with PRHSX. I have a lot more money in it. And conventional wisdom has it that this fund and the other broader health-care funds like it will survive a meltdown better than almost any other equity sector you care to name. Look how they did in 2008-9!!!! Look how they've done since! You can't lose! I mean, talk about group think, ha ha! That being the case, I'm concerned that next down time around, they'll do worse than any other sector and maybe even worse than, say, FBIOX. Wouldn't that throw everyone for a loop? Hey, it could happen! In any event, I've drunk the koolaid and I ain't gonna stop drinking it now.
  • Reply to @catch22: PRHSX: "Fund status: Open to new retail investors" (TRP website).
    Take care.
  • If the sell off becomes more serious, ie 20% or more, I will put more money to work. This is nothing that even interests me so far.
  • Morn'in InformalEconomist,
    Thank you. I have corrected/edited my post above.
    Take care,
    Catch
  • edited February 2014
    Hello,

    I just finished review of my portfolio’s asset spread sheet for the month. All tolled, I am down only 1.6%. In comparison the S&P 500 Index is down 3.6% and the Lipper Balanced Index, my bogey, is down 1.6%. Although, I did a little buying around the edges I did more selling than I did buying so that makes me a net seller for the month of January.

    In review of my portfolio through Morningstar’s Instant Xray my target allocations remain 20% cash, 25% income, 45% equity and 10% alternative. So, for me, not much has changed during the month of January. However, I did notice where emerging markets now account for 3.8% as compared a month ago at about 4.8%. So, it appears some of my funds have trimmed emerging market holdings and rotated to other assets. In addition, M* has the portfolio scored at 105% long and 5% short the same as it was last month.

    And, with this, I just keep on keeping on, for the most part, accruing cash (as my portfolio yields better than 5% on amount invested). I may do some more buying around the edges if the markets continue a downward trend during February. I guess you could score me in the just pondering camp as I have no plans to up my allocation to equities but I might somewhat reconfigure my positioning in them.

    Old_Skeet
  • Reply to @Ted: Thanks Ted

    Thanks a million for your posts & links. Very helpful.

    Regards
    nath
  • edited February 2014
    Ha!

    Not a good start to February, unfortunately.

    At stops, halved positions in SCHN, SENEA, and JBSS.

    Does feel like market is oversold at this point.

    Will be looking to scoop-up others on watch list, mentioned previously.
  • edited February 2014
    Added to Fidelity Nat Information Services (FIS), Oaktree (OAK), WP Carey (WPC) and Diageo (DEO). May add a little more tomorrow.

    Sold short position in nasdaq.
  • edited February 2014
    Today, Old_Skeet went form just pondering to doing a little buying.

    Since the S&P 500 Index has now pulled back to what I compute to be fair value range I did a little buying mostly in mutual funds that hold a good number of dividend paying equities. I bought a sum equal to about one percent of my cash position. My next buying stop is at about 1700 on the S&P 500 Index. At 1700 this will equate to about an eight percent pull back on the S&P 500 Index. Remember the debt ceiling debates in Congress are coming soon.

    It seems the hot money crowd that perhaps ran the market up over fair value are now starting cut and run and to deleverage their equity positions. Perhaps the markets will return to an over sold condition as investors, traders and speculators now trim their positions. And, value investors, like myself, can take advantage of this pull back.

    Have a great day … and, I wish all “Good Investing.”

    Old_Skeet


  • Today I bought - DOX , SWK , TEVA , LYB , BX AND added to SPLV.
    Will add more if the market keeps falling.
    In my humble opinion The past 2 weeks have followed the script for a normal bull market pull back.
    Good luck to all.
  • I guess I have a different idea about what fair value means than others. By my math, its around the 1150 level. There will be good TRADING opportunities before then though.

    Good luck out there.
  • edited February 2014
    Hi MarkM,

    Thanks for taking the time to express your thoughts. That's the only way I, and others, can learn what other investors are thinking. I wonder, can you posture why you believe a 1150 valuation on the S&P 500 Index is fair value? Please explain your thinking. I am not seeing this.

    Based upon TTM on the S&P 500 Index then the 1150 valuation that you reference as fair value would put its trailing P/E Ratio at around 11.3. And yes that indeed would be buying at a good discount as a normal P/E Ratio range is somewhere between 14 to 16 by historical measures.

    Thanks again for making a comment.

    Old_Skeet
Sign In or Register to comment.