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.
Howdy MJG,
Not unlike the surveys one may have taken over the years; with 5 possible answers ranging from "strongly agree to strongly disagree", I will place this house in the "strongly disagree" camp on market timing.
The problem with the impli…
Hi Mindy,
Now, a trader I am not; but you may want to consider holding off on selling all of MIDSX today; and perhaps not sell at all. Yes, this could all change before day's end or be poop for the rest of the week/month. But, as of 11:00 am, Tuesd…
Hi CathyG,
You noted: " Re The Street... if I had known it was that loud, obnoxious guy on CNN that I always instantly switch channels away from, I would have discarded his opinion immediately (why does he have to yell?. And, with the low opinion …
Howdy spunky,
If this is a large % holding of your totals, you may choose to watch it more carefully; but if it is a 5% or less of a mix of other bond funds or a balance to a larger % of equity funds, I would not be concerned at this point in time…
Howdy glampig,
Fidelity indicates $25K minimum for WEFIX, and they too have a $75 TF. Gotta like the ticker though.....
Not knowing where you're headed with investments; but also take a peek at VWINX for a conservative blend.
Regards,
Catch
Hi Cathy,
As to safety; sadly, I suspect all of us are at the fate of perceived quality and/or value. I will guess that those playing with the fancy stuff; as in derivatives and related are the only ones who really know at a given moment whether t…
Hi Cathy,
Can't "stay and play", right now, today.
A quick link here; and also search Google with "types of mortgage securities" as well as the same search at YouTube.
If there were to be another market melt, at least based upon a few mortgage s…
Howdy Mark,
You are most welcome.....and glad that I had his/her post in an easy to find location.
I have not tracked Fundmental's MMLL portfolio; but indeed should take some time to run the funds and the % allocations for all of 2010 and this y…
PART 2
Screening criterion for funds:
1. No-load, ER less than or equal to category average, been in existence for at least 5 years.
2. No losses in 3, 5 or 10 yr (if available) rolling periods (amazing how many asset classes or funds drop out h…
Howdy glampig/Mark,
This is "Fundmentals" MakeMore/LoseLess MMLL write from Nov/Dec 2009:
Two parts are required, as the text body exceeds the limits of this web site.
Regards,
Catch
PART 1
Posted by: Fundmentals
Date: November/December 2009…
Hi Scott,
Saw a blip this am on the magic tube about same store sales down again for the past quarter; and that 100-150 stores will be closed.
Found a story link...........Sears and KMart
http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/27/news/companies/sears_kmar…
I write this from the perspective of using PayPal associated with Ebay; as I have been a seller/buyer via eBay since 1997.
eBay's purchase of PayPal was to facilitate global transactions, offering better protection of dispute resolution between sell…
Hi Rono,
I extend my condolence to you and yours upon the passing of your step dad. My father passed a bit more than 3 years ago; with his illness being very short, which, thankfully limited his discomfort.
I am not able to provide ready assista…
Hi Accipiter,
I assume this new program will have a linkage from the "Resources" drop down, yes?
"Anyone interested in an ETF navigator"............
Hmmmmm......that thought passed through the brain cells when I was testing the De'Scramble.
K…
Hi Mark,
" typing the first two letters gets you the list of fund names but none of the associated links to websites appear."
>>>Once the list appears, select a choice of fund and then the "site" list should appear below the particular …
Accipiter,
Should have had that third cup of coffee. Wouldn't ya know I tried India and Japan and without the space. Read the directions, Catch !!!!!
Used Russia and a few others.............all is well using XP/w IE8.
Catch
Hi Accipiter,
Ticker works fine............example: placed "ptt" to start, which I know should find Pimco Total Return. All classes for this fund did populate the list, and any one choice does highlight with a mouse hover.
The fund name lookup, …
Hi Rono,
I have not read through the links yet, including Pat's.
Just a few blips about where things may travel going along in the next year or 5, as related to the metals; as well as many other things.
---Debt and deleverage; from the financial…
WolfgangAK,
Sidenote: This house will likely be into the retirement phase within another year.
Our pensions won't be large when combined; but we intend to do our best to not pull any IRA monies until the IRS age 70 1/2 requirement hits. Hopefully,…
Howdy WolfgangAK,
If I/we did not need all of a year's monies at one time; the preference would be monthly for this house. The remaining monies would continue to (hopefully) earn dividends or a yield until withdrawn.
My 2 cents worth.
Regards,
…
Howdy Ted,
A most valid topic of expenses and the long term cost of one's dollars. M* indicated that our mix of funds has an average of .70% ER.
We hope to obtain a bit more study time and comparison of fees for our active managed funds vs etf's; …
Hi MJG,
You noted, "So, given my dismal prediction scorecard, and some incremental wisdom that experience and further book learning rewarded me, I have decided that an unconditional surrender is warranted on the forecasting frontlines. I choose no…
Hi Cathy,
Recalling your thoughts from October regarding the relocation of your Mother to another facility and to read what has happened; I am sad to read this from you.
Also your past notes regarding the difficulty in attempting to discover and …
Hi Maurice and Anna,
Mr. Bond here, "Catch said jokingly." Well, this is currently the "house of bonds".
I do recall a similar question in the late summer; and I noted, not yet; if my recall is correct.
We still hold direct TIPS funds, and more…
Hi NickF,
msf presented an excellent summary.
If you want a fling into the mortgage bond area, I will suggest DLTNX . M* indicates an intermediate term bond fund; but the fund is currently a mortgage securties fund. Click through the ticker link…
Hey hank,
You may have already seen this really new one....one presumes this fella is now an ex-employee; and not having a merry holiday.
Take care,
Catch
Howdy chip,
Thank you for your comments; and that "ninite" site looks like a most wonderful spot.
I enjoyed the "dialup modem" video. A recently viewed movie had a scene showing a person using a dialup modem system (sound on)....I smiled and pai…
Howdy Sven,
Checking Amazon is on my list now. Thank you for that mention.
And, yes; as with all the tech stuff over the years....the prices continue down and the features/hardware improved.
Not far away is a local tech/'puter shop that has surv…
johnN,
My recall is that we were at about 30% equity funds for part of 2010; until the Euro thing and then, Greece; messed with the equity markets performance.
Take care,
Catch
Buckle Up ??? Better always be buckled up if involved in investments.
The original Barron's story is here:
http://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052748704746704577094663331897678.html?mod=BOL_twm_ls#articleTabs_article=1
Hi Ginko,
You noted...."In investing, we are often seeking superior "manager skill" and its potential for out-performance . . . except for those who suggest that there is no possibility of ever creating a model that might outperform the ultimate wi…
Hi MJG,
Thank you for the note and link.
These words, "In the complex and chaotic marketplace, human behavioral instincts destroy carefully crafted statistical models."; brings to mind the "chicken and the egg". Was it the behavior that flawed th…
Dec 14 update, new link
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/treasury-prices-rise-after-blockbuster-auction-of-10-year-notes/2011/12/13/gIQA0AuMsO_print.html
Howdy BobC,
I don't consider either bond fund to be dogs and they do have fine records. We have held both for numerous years; but both were sold at this house during the early stages of the market melt 2008; with PTTRX being the only bond fund we …
