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What are you ... Buying ... Selling ... or Pondering? (March 2017)

Old_Skeet
edited March 2017 in Fund Discussions
With stock market valuations near all time highs and with the good possibility that the Fed will soon begin to raise interest rates I am now with the thought that the coming weeks will be a good time to start to restore my CD ladder. In addition, I plan to rebalance my portfolio and sell down some of my equity mutual funds to where stocks become a neutral position within my asset allocation during the month of March and raise cash by a like amount. With my current allocation of cash towards 20% plus what I get from selling equities will provided me with ample cash to put towards building the CD ladder plus leaving enough cash on hand for other purposes. Currently, I'm thinking a ladder in six month steps with maturities of six months, one year, eighteen months and two years will keep the ladder with short maturities. In addition, and over time, I plan to roll out of some of my short duration and limited term fixed income funds and move this money into some hybrid funds.

Other than the above I don't have any other investment concepts on the horizon.

Just wondering what others might be thinking or any adustments you plan on making during in the coming weeks within your portfolio?

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Comments

  • Derf
    Old_Skeet: I happen to stop at bank yesterday & before leaving was introduced to a 2% CD with term of 48 months. I said I'd wait & see what Yellen & company have to say about raising rates.
    Derf
  • Edmond
    edited March 2017
    In early March, added to positions in SPFPX (floating rate fd), PMZDX (mortgages) & JSOAX (non-trad bond).

    Today added to existing position in ACVVX (market-neutral), in both taxable and IRA. Am sort of using ACVVX as an alternative to holding more bonds. Targeting a 10% allocation to it in both taxable and IRA accounts. About 2/3 of that allocation is presently in place.

    All of the above trades constitue "tinkering around the edges", and are not big, new bets.

    Presently: generally disposed to be on a "buyer's strike" with respect to most "risk-on" assets.
  • JunksterJunkster
    As of last night's close 70% cash and 30% bank loan. I have been making adjustments based on personal/retirement issues however. The link below from this site may be prophetic. Let's hope that panic buying day last week is not the reverse of that panic selling day in February of 2016 that marked the bottom. The newsletter writers per Market Vane have been at multi decades levels of bullishness.

    http://www.mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/discussion/31645/wsj-asks-who-else-is-left-to-buy#latest

  • PRESSmUPPRESSmUP
    Swapped a position in DBLTX, and replaced it with SAMBX. Not putting any cash to work yet.
  • CrashCrash
    Sold COP on THE worst day to do so. Putting the funds into PNM. It should actually MAKE me some money, over there. My only other non-tax-sheltered investment is SFGIX.
  • JohnChisum
    @Edmond,

    I looked at ACVVX before for that same reason but the ER was what steered me away from that. Any reason why it's so high or is that normal for these types of funds?
  • Edmond
    JC, I really can't speak to the "why" of their ER. I'm in it for for the low-vol, and non-correlated nature of returns (which are all, already, net of all expenses).
  • Old_JoeOld_Joe
    edited March 2017
    Bought a tiny bit of DSENX just to watch it and see how things evolve. So far I'm down $3, so if your position also went down at least you know who to blame.

    Got rid of couple of very small bond fund positions just to clean things up a little.
  • VintageFreakVintageFreak
    Sold DLRFX in my IRA.
    Took partial gains in lot of my Artisan holdings.
    Bought some American funds.
  • Old_JoeOld_Joe
    @VintageFreak- What did you buy over at American? (We've been with them for close to forty years.)
  • BenWPBenWP
    Added to FIW.
  • VintageFreakVintageFreak
    edited March 2017
    Old_Joe said:

    @VintageFreak- What did you buy over at American? (We've been with them for close to forty years.)

    GBLEX and IFAFX. I just dipped my toe in though.
  • MikeMMikeM
    ... so if your position also went down at least you know who to blame.
    Thanks A LOT @Old_Joe. I guess no one mentioned this possibility when the question of 'what can go wrong' came up:)
  • Old_JoeOld_Joe
    @VintageFreak- Thanks, I'll take a look at those and see if I can drive them down too.:)
  • Edmond
    3/9 -- nibbled (small) adds to positions in PFN, PCI, PKO (taxable Pimco EFs)
    3/10 -- re-opened position in FFC (pfd CEF); small add to FRIFX
  • Old_JoeOld_Joe
    @VintageFreak- Reopened a small position in The Income Fund of America (been some years since we had that) but you should be OK because I went with the AMECX version. FYI, about the only difference that I can see is a slightly lower ER, IFAFX 0.65% vs AMECX 0.56% . I'm guessing the difference covers the NTF arrangement with brokers, as compared to buying directly from AF.
  • willmatt72
    Thinking about selling my position in DLTNX/DBLTX as it hasn't performed well in the current environment over the past year or so. I get the feeling that Gundlach hasn't positioned the fund to benefit in a rising rate environment. The question is - what do I replace it with?
  • VintageFreakVintageFreak
    edited March 2017
    @Old_Joe When I'm done should have 10 fund portfolio @TIAA. Planning to make it reasonable conversative and global. GAIFX I will buy when market corrects.

    Other Toe Dippers...
    FVALX, INTLX (because Scottrade has them NTF and TD will not)
    MDISX, MQIFX (doubt any other broker lets you into these NTF)
    FEBAX, FEVAX (Want some Gold in this portfolio, plan to sell FEBAX at Schwab)
    Need some reasonably docile SMids to round things out.
  • davidrmorandavidrmoran
    Maybe swap PONDX for PDI, and make some other sells to put more into DSEEX
    add to FRIFX, start GABCX, consider preferreds also for the non-equity part of the nut.
    70 in a few weeks and must start full SS, so will want to see how cashflow from retirement moneys changes.
  • PuddnheadPuddnhead
    VintageFreak,
    I like your mutual series funds very much.....smart choices. But, Forester funds.....what do you see there? FVALX has negative average annual returns for the last 5 years with a 1.26 ER. INTLX is not much better with a 1.36 ER. I would put more money in the mutual series funds and skip these.....just saying. The info I cited is from Fidelity.
    God bless
    the Pudd
  • MikeMMikeM
    Thomas Forester's claim to fame was being mostly out of the market and in cash during the great recession, end of '07 to start or '09. So, good guess on his part for that one. Problem is he gave all that gain, or lack of loss, back as the market went back up. He under preformed every other year since then. So if you held the fund you lost a lot of money through the cycle. Kind of reminds me of the Hussman funds in a way.

    Right now, per M*, I see FVALX is still 78% equities. Going into '08 I believe it was around 70+% in cash. So it is not positioned for a big pullback as it was back then.

  • PuddnheadPuddnhead
    Hi guys!
    Thanks MikeM. I didn't know that I read Freak's post and forgot to do my post. Duh!! Sold MLOAX last week. Yep! The blind squirrel struck again! I make my best money by being lucky. Bought a little FDFAX and FRBAX. Will add on weakness.....still raising cash and waiting. I see water is now outselling soda in the U.S. Just want you to know I'm doing my part. Always having Windsor and water at the club.....just trying to help.
    God bless
    the Pudd
    p.s. Duke says he is, too, and, from the brown spots in the back yard, I believe him.
  • VintageFreakVintageFreak
    edited March 2017
    @Puddnhead and @MikeM

    FVALX, INTLX are my stealth funds. I honestly didn't know about FVALX having increased exposure to equities. I'm expecting it to outperform precisely because it has underperformed. One more thing - it shorts the market. Maybe not be apparent since it will use short ETFs not options as far as I can remember. This might be showing up as increased equity exposure.

    And I have very little invested in all of the funds I mentioned at TIAA. I wanted to make sure I could buy the funds first. Which I did. TIAA website leaves a lot to be desired. Can't tell in advance if trade is going to work or not. Get random "trade rejected" situations.

    Also like I previously mentioned I'm trading FDFAX, FSUTX, FSPHX. However I will sell any time my ANALysis tells me to.
  • MikeMMikeM
    edited March 2017
    @VintageFreak, I see where M* puts FVALX under long/short category, but the portfolio allocation doesn't show any short equities. The M* category seems strange to me only because I remember the fund as a large value fund that goes heavy into cash. Not my cup a tea, but if long/short is your tea, there may be better options. Just my 2 pennies.
  • VintageFreakVintageFreak
    @MikeM. It's not about Long/Short or Value. And eff Morningstar. I have invested in FVALX for several years now after having a chat with Forester when I used to have hair.

    To clarify, I own a lot of FVALX/INTLX at Scottrade. My largest holdings in that portfolio. They are my conservative investments I have owned for years. If I didn't own them, I would just keep money in cash not invest in another Long/short or Value fund. Switched out of Schwab into Scottrade few years back. I do that when I do tax management.

    Now that Scottrade is going to become TD and TD doesn't have them NTF, looking for a new home for them, hence TIAA.
  • TedTed
    @MFO Members: Sold CTL, FTR, WIN, and UNITI and bought APO, with 6%+ yield.
    Regards,
    Ted
  • 00BY
    @vintagefreak fyi I hold MDISX at USAA
  • VintageFreakVintageFreak
    I got rid of bulk of my INTLX and FVALX. Have a foothold in them now.
  • VintageFreakVintageFreak
    00BY said:

    @vintagefreak fyi I hold MDISX at USAA

    You were able to buy NTF?

  • Art
    TEDIX same fund as MDISX. Available at Fidelity NTF. I know higher E.R. and has a 12b-1 fee but is available.
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