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.
These are challenging times for investment firms which focus on actively managed funds.
Index fund (Bogle’s Folly?) usage has increased significantly over the past couple decades.
Many investors have also shown a distinct preference for ETFs versus …
"Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETf (VGUS) and Vanguard 0-3 Month Treasury Bill ETf (VBIL)
are index ETFs that will offer low-cost Treasury exposure for individual investors and financial advisors."
"VGUS will hold Treasuries with maturities less th…
I'm not familiar with this particular QR code scam.
Unfortunately, new scams seem to spring up like mushrooms in the damp Pacific Northwest.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) provides some good information about this topic.
BBB Scam Alert
Let's be …
Well, we will see what actually happens.
Although Trump is fond of tariffs, he may just implement substantial tariffs temporarily as a negotiation tactic.
It's easy to imagine how the whole situation can escalate and spiral out of control...
I abhor scenarios like this where wealthy/famous/connected criminals are not duly punished for their crimes.
Sure, Jack Smith really didn't have a choice in the matter but this does little to remediate
the disgusting stench associated with the Jan. …
Three Jeep and two VW models are named as one of the 10 least reliable models for 2024.
The following info seems counterintuitive since EVs lack internal combustion engines:
“'On average, new electric vehicles (EVs) have 79% more problems
than …
The Week in Charts (11/22/24)
The most important charts and themes in markets and investing, including:
00:00 Intro
01:07 Topics
02:49 Fat Tails and Lumpy Returns
08:34 Nvidia Hardware Is Eating the World
21:27 The Narrative Fallacy
30:41 Why the F…
The Week in Charts (11/20/24)
The most important charts and themes in markets and investing, including:
00:00 Intro
01:08 Topics
02:04 Inflation Isn't Going Away
09:03 The Bond Market's Message to the Fed
14:28 Borrowing From Our Future
15:59 DOGE …
From Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American dated 11/21/2024:
"Today, former Florida representative Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for the office of attorney general. He did so shortly after CNN told him that they were g…
Trump just named Pam Bondi, a former Florida Attorney General, as his pick for U.S. Attorney General.
No offense meant to Floridians, but the "Sunshine State" seems to be teeming with swamp creatures!
"They saw it coming and got to Gaetz- 'take yourself out of the running and we'll find something really good for you later'".
Considering the circumstances, this is entirely plausible.
If the allegations against Gaetz are true, he's just another pr…
I am not sure if M* can be considered a crappy company because we individual investors,
who supported them for years now are being dismissed as not worth the trouble.
What we don't know is the response institutional and advisor customers are gettin…
I don't see a real need for bitcoin/cryptocurrency in most developed nations.
Cryptocurrency is often used to obfuscate criminal activity or for speculation.
If an "investor" wishes to speculate, they are free to do so but other speculative "investm…
I can't access M* Portfolio Manager.
The 504 Gateway Timeout ERROR YBB mentioned previously is being generated.
Edit/Add: Able to access after fourth attempt. Not confident service won't be interrupted again.
"What are people’s opinions of changing the law so that the Fed Chair has no set term, but instead serves only at the pleasure of the President who may dismiss him or her and nominate / appoint a new Chair any time he wants to?"
This would be a ter…
"It also leaves me wondering: if this is a Merrill (or legal) rule, then why wasn't the initial transfer stopped automatically? And why did it take Merrill two weeks to discover the supposed transgression?"
Very good questions!
Thanks for the info, Yogi.
Although DJIA and SPX are highly correlated, it irks me that DJIA is not very representative
of the market and its weighting system doesn't make any sense from a market perspective.
Excerpt from Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell address to the American people, 1961.
"A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempte…
There is no good reason for an index to use price-weighting in this day and age.
I wish commentators would stop referring to the anachronistic DJIA when reporting market activity.
From M* PRWCX Analyst Report dated 10/03/2024:
"Although Giroux has been the main attraction, he’s not on his own running this strategy.
Three experienced associate portfolio managers provide support and cover about 30 stocks each.
Two analysts a…
A newly revised version of "The Intelligent Investor" came out on Oct. 22.
Graham’s original text remains intact but Jason Zweig added commentaries
which put each chapter in context for today’s investors.
The Week in Charts (11/08/24)
The most important charts and themes in markets and investing, including:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Topics
02:02 A Rally for the Ages
14:29 Easing Into a Melt-up
26:18 Intel Out, Nvidia In
29:12 Earnings Update
30:41 Buffett G…
I suspect Trump’s crimes, mistakes and misdeeds *were* acknowledged, considered, and judged by many who voted for him; but, they concluded that when everything was taken into consideration, the alternative was worse. This election was the Democrats’…
Moral equivalence?
Why not focus on fomenting an insurrection and refusing to transfer power peacefully?
The peaceful transfer of power is one of the bedrocks of our democracy.
Violating this core principle should automatically disqualify perpetrato…
AP calls PA for Trump at ~2:30 AM.
Trump has 267 electoral votes to Harris's 214 votes. :-(
Looks like Republicans also won the Senate (51 to 42, 7 to be called).
Watching PBS election coverage.
Electoral vote count as of 1:00 AM ET: Trump 246 to Harris 210.
Harris really needs the "Blue Wall" states!
AP has not called following states yet: PA, MI, WI, NV, AZ, MN, NH, ME, AK.
With numerous personnel departures at Matthews Asia Funds over the last few years,
I'm not considering investing in any of their funds.
As a former MAPIX and MAPTX investor, it's sad to see what has transpired at this once estimable firm.
This is a suggestion and not a recommendation.
You may want to consider Avantis funds.
Avantis selects companies trading at lower valuations with higher profitability ratios for their value funds.
https://www.avantisinvestors.com/avantis-investmen…
