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.
I own a foothold in WBMIX, and was going to add to my position if it performed, but it never did. In the L/S space, QLEIX is the most attractive option.
Kevin
@rmt & @bee:
In the "growthy" world stock space, you may want to consider the LC/MC THOIX ($100K min Wellstrade retirement, $500 min Fidelity retirement + TF) and the MC/SC DGSCX (no minimum TDA retirement + TF, $500 min Fidelity retirement + …
Perhaps, just perhaps, David Winters is a "regular" on WT because he is one of the sponsors of the program. It sure isn't because he is shredding the market as compared with less costly, more attractive alternatives:
CHART
@scott: "That said, it …
Despite the positive headline, the labor participation rate fell to the lowest level since 1977. Not good.
http://data.bls.gov/generated_files/graphics/latest_numbers_LNS11300000_1978_2015_all_period_M06_data.gif
"Annual increases in wages have c…
No doubt that the Greek people work very hard, but unfortunately for them, socialism never has a happy ending:
GREECE HITS THE BOTTOM OF THE SOCIALIST DEATH SPIRAL
Kevin
@ LewisBraham: It is not particularly high on a relative basis, but most importantly, it is far more than we can afford. And despite ever increasing welfare spending, we are not winning the war on poverty:
The War on Poverty After 50 Years
And wea…
From SRI to ESG
5 Mutual Funds for Socially Responsible Investors
Bloomberg Screener
In this space, I would take a serious look at PARWX and VFTSX.
Kevin
OK, so no other country is exactly like Greece, but there are a lot of countries -- including the USA -- that are have adopted the "Grecian Formula" of too much government spending relative to GDP:
World Debt Comparison
Contrary to what too many …
I would wait to see a portfolio and preferably a M* portfolio x-ray. There will likely be differences in the research and support capabilities moving from Thornburg to Artisan, so I would not be an early buyer. In the EM equity space, I continue to …
@hank: you are referring to the pejorative definition of "entitlement" rather than the Webster definition: "a government program providing benefits to members of a specified group."
I am an unapologetic fiscal conservative, and clearly we, as a na…
Scott, thanks for this update. If the consequences only affected Greece, then it would still be unfortunate for their populace, but it would have very little impact on global investors. Unfortunately, there are many non-Greece lenders who will be ad…
@Junkster, outstanding post !
I have seen too many people die in my presence at too young of an age despite my interventions, and I think that folks should underestimate their longevity in order to fully appreciate each and every day, have as few…
Craig Israelsen made a convincing case for cash as a beneficial asset class in a diversified portfolio in this 2007 Article.
In our household, we have an emergency cash fund which earns very little but is very liquid. In our taxable and retirement…
Nice article except I'm not crazy about this part: "Get help. Don’t try to do it on your own." Young folks need to be engaged in their wealth creation, and continuously increase their knowledge of everything financial. Watch WSW, On the Money and N…
Opening up bloated funds (YAFFX $8.7B AUM, YACKX $12.1B AUM) to new investors represents poor fund stewardship, period, end of the story. Sorry, I would not invest in a fund company not aligned with the best interest of current investors.
Instead,…
I'm sure FMIJX is a fine fund, but it has definitely benefited from their significant currency hedging as detailed in the semiannual report of 3/31/15. Here is a CHART of FMIJX vs. DBEF.
Kevin
Right now I am overweight foreign equities (40% US, 31% foreign) because of more attractive valuations and, more importantly, those countries are in the midst of QE whereas we are at the end of our QE. I continue to like lower volatility foreign pla…
This continues to be one of the most hated bull markets, and yet the direction continues to be from lower left to upper right. I remain positive on global equity markets as the charts (20/50/100EMAs) continue to look attractive for the domestic (SPY…
This is the message I received with the test trade of JOMIX in my Fidelity retirement account:
"Error: (000967) The mutual fund you entered is not authorized to be traded in your state. Please review your order or call a Fidelity representative a 1…
Mike, great find !
Mr. Brewer managed the fund from 12/31/1997-4/29/2008, and during this period, DREGX crushed the EM equity category, and outperformed the top funds in the space as shown HERE.
I just test traded JOMMX and JOMIX in my retirement …
Hi Andy,
I own a foothold in WSCVX, but I prefer and use the TSP "S" fund (SC/MC fund, equivalent to FSEVX and similar to VXF) to cover my SC needs with a low expense ratio of 0.029%. If you need just SC, then my next choice would be VSTCX. If you…
According to the latest prospectus, ACDJX has an actual, what-the-investor-actually- pays ER of 1.81%. Always look at the prospectus or call the fund as I have found that M* excludes various expenses, typically associated with L/S funds, in arriving…
Hi Maurice,
I like a combination of HEDJ and DFE to cover both currency outcomes. If the USD strengthens relative to the EUR (the current trend until it reverses), then HEDJ will do well and DFE (influenced by domestic growth and less influenced by…
Hi NumbersGal,
In the World Allocation space, I would take a serious look at MTOIX ($500 min in Fidelity retirement accounts + TF) and HCOYX ($100 min in Scottrade accounts + TF, $500 min in TDA retirement accounts + TF).
Kevin
JoJo, since you apparently decline to consider performance and risk parameters in selecting actively managed mutual funds, what criteria do you use ? Thanks.
Kevin
@Sven, they both look like apples to me, just different. SFGIX actually has more EM exposure according to M*, 68.37% vs. 65.97% for THDIX. SFGIX is definitely more multi-cap (average market cap $3.5B vs. $13.2B) and has more of a value bias. Finally…
In the diversified EM equity space, SFGIX/SIGIX continues to be my pick, with higher returns than THDIX (Kaufman's previous fund) over the trailing periods of 1M, 3M, YTD, 1 YR, 3 YR and since inception of SFGIX/SIGIX. And SFGIX/SIGIX has lower sta…
QLEIX continues to be my top pick in the L/S space with its attractive returns and very reasonable actual ER of 1.39%, which is dirt cheap for L/S funds. And this class is available for a $100 minimum + transaction fee in both types of accounts at S…
Hi Matt,
If you like Doug Rao, then you may want to take a look at the fund he has been managing since 6/2013 -- JCAPX -- which has started to perform well over the past 6 months. We have a foothold in this fund which we were able to purchase for a…
Hi Mike,
I plan on watching this new ETF, but I see no reason to be an early buyer. My plan is to let daily trading volume increase to a reasonable level (at least 100K shares/day would be ideal) and wait for a track record to develop, and then mak…
Fund Managers Bullish on Europe's QE
I would also take a look at MINIX and OSMYX, which both have over a 60% exposure to Europe. As disclosure, we own HEDJ in the Euro space.
Kevin
Hi Pop Tart,
With the ECB in QE mode and the US Fed to start raising interest rates sooner than later, I am confident that the Euro will continue to weaken relative to the USD. So you may want to consider currency-hedged ETFs like HEDJ and DBEU. Th…
