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 read the book Das wrote a few years ago ("Extreme Money") and found it to be an excellent read. I'm not as positive as he is on the US, but I do respect his opinion.
Reply to @mrdarcey: Watch with some of the commodity ETFs that they are structures as partnerships and result in K-1 forms at tax time. I'm not against commodity investing at all, just something to be aware of. DBC results in a K-1, even if you own …
Reply to @PRESSmUP: Happy to help! :-)
WPC remains one of my top holdings and I have no intention of selling it - it's a pioneer in this particular real estate space and I have a great deal of confidence in management, especially after the terrifi…
Reply to @JohnChisum: "payment is done on the spot rather than going to a cashier."
I think that is going to be a big thing going forward - stores getting rid of traditional cashiers (and then can use that register space for other things) and havin…
Reply to @Old_Skeet: Oops, maybe I was unfocused as trying to post on my new phone (Google Nexus 5, upgrade from Google Nexus 4). I'm only capable of pondering so much at a time lol.
Reply to @hawkmountain: Still trying to decide between O and ARCP (and MNR and a few other REITs), but BIP remains a long-term holding (although not the top position it was at one point.)
Reply to @TSP_Transfer: I don't have as much as I initially did, but OAK remains a very long-term holding for me. The only issue with it (as well as Blackstone and a few other private equity co's) is that it is an MLP, so you do have to deal with a …
Reply to @cman: "If you did not understand the potential drawdown of a sector you picked to invest"
I think that's like anything, though. I'm not saying this towards the OP, but you have a fund that you're upset with because it's too conservative, …
It becomes whether you want to play timing or have a long-term view. There are people who are into timing, and if you can do that well, then by all means. Personally, if anything, I would regard further EM selling as a buying opportunity. But, again…
Reply to @Junkster: I guess I continue to disagree with the opinion of some, who seem to believe there is no place in anyone's portfolio for such a fund (but that's just me.)
Reply to @Charles: True, the comparison is more difficult for a Starbucks - the other thing that I got a little baffled by was the calls the other day for Costco to increase its web presence. I mean, yeah it could to some degree, but Costco is uniqu…
Schultz on CNBC: "I would not want to be a traditional B & M retailer who does not have mobile payment, who does not have social and digital media. Those companies are going to be significantly challenged in 2014 and beyond."
http://blogs.marke…
Reply to @tp2006:
See, to me, it really becomes this combination of how much do you want to involve yourself in the day-to-day and what level of risk are you comfortable with?
You can either:
1. Be actively involved, try to time the market and l…
Reply to @tp2006: I'd sell FMIHX, FDCAX, SWSTX. I'd maybe go with Baron Partners instead of Baron Growth. If you do have a Baron fund, do expect that if there is another 2008, those funds will get clobbered. You do, however, get to go to the giant s…
I think Bitcoin has become a more substantial force than I'd have expected. That said, I'm not understanding how it goes against credit cards. Do I have a bitcoin credit card? If I do, how is my ability to spend determined when the underlying curren…
I think you lack international exposure to a considerable degree. You have picked some very good funds, but I would look at things like First Eagle Overseas, Oakmark International or a couple of the lower key Matthews funds (MACSX, MAPIX)
Also, I o…
It's just all such ultra short-term thinking and ADHD investing. You have a pile-in on a certain theme (short yen) and the second it turns the other way, it's the whole everyone running from one side of a ship to the other at once. Unfortunately, I …
Reply to @JohnChisum:
I think this also extends to retail real estate, which I just find unappealing aside from maybe the higher end and specialized (Tangier Outlets); I think a lot of the "dime-a-dozen" strip malls and sort of C/D-grade malls that…
Reply to @bee: some REITs doing reasonably well. I'll also note that railcar leasing/manufacturing companies are gong nuts, thanks to possible regulations on upgrading cars, plus also thanks to an absolutely huge quarter from leasing company GATX (+…
Think about this - the market has done what it has done over the last few years in the manner that it has done it. The idea of "risk" has been hoovered out of the market mentality thanks to an environment of easy monetary policy as far as the eye ca…
I think retail is just changing and while the technology is neat, one has to wonder what the societal implications are.
Westfield Malls have their own "lab" where they are working on how best to integrate tech into the shopping experience.
Costco …
Reply to @Old_Skeet: lol, just started a small short hedge in r2k. I'll probably get obliterated, but felt it was worth a try at this point. I'll throw in a guess that real assets (energy, real estate, rail, ports, etc etc.) will outperform, with RE…
Reply to @cman: "Nothing is correlated on a daily basis except mutually inverse funds. Stop reading tea leaves on a daily basis if you want to preserve your sanity!"
This. Exactly this. Trying to focus on long-term themes/best ideas/income and not …
Reply to @BobC: I don't think Gross is as good at TV as El-Erian is, although Gross seems like he's playing poker while on CNBC. As much as I do agree with Gross at times, the whole thing of Gross tweeting every five seconds is becoming a little muc…
Reply to @Mona: El-Erian previously held a position at the IMF. I would be surprised if he did not wind up in a political position somewhere in the world.
Reply to @AndyJ: Yeah, and on what fundamental improvement? Oddly, that reminded me the other Japanese play I like is Singapore-listed Parkway Life REIT, which is a healthcare REIT that is mostly Japan-focused. Figure that given the demographics of …
I'd much rather buy PHYS or CEF (the latter still trading at a nearly 5% discount) than the miners if I was going to buy anything in this space, but that's just me. I really don't want anything to do with the miners. I was going to get Anglogold pre…
Also, I didn't even think about this, but any time when I see something that says "free pass", "30% upside!" or something along those lines, I tend to be rather concerned about that asset class.
Reply to @catch22: Yeah, I agree with a lot of what you noted. I do think there are interesting fundamental stories that people can look at in a lot of markets.
I mean, one that I'm looking at this morning and may add this week is Monmouth Real Est…
To me the Japan trade is really being a tourist (and the second things go wrong, all the tourists will flee) and trying a trade rather than investing. Might Japan stocks continue higher? Sure, but I do not see fundamental improvements in the Japanes…
Reply to @finder: Jardine is a rather giant company with holdings in Mandarin Oriental Hotels, Dairy Farm, holding company Jardine Strategic (which is the majority owner of the parent), Jardine Cycle (which is the majority owner of huge conglomerate…
