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.
Trump attempted another distraction from the Epstein file inquiries.
He targeted Beyoncé, Oprah, and Kamala in the following 07/26 post on Truth Social.
The text below was copied verbatim—including exclamation points and all-caps.
Trump really does …
The Week in Charts (07/25/25)
The most important charts and themes in markets and investing, including:
00:00 Intro
00:54 Topics
02:15 Grumpy Consumer Keeps Spending
04:59 Dimon's Warnings vs. JPM's Reality
09:38 The 2% Inflation Myth
14:12 More Ta…
The quality of official U.S. economic data concerns 89 of 100 top policy experts according to a Reuters poll.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), an agency which compiles inflation and labor market data,
has experienced firings, resignations,…
Trump & Powell argue over Federal Reserve building renovation costs.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-and-powell-argue-over-total-costs-of-federal-reserve-building-renovations
Trump visits Federal Reserve headquarters along with sidekick Tim Scott.
To no one's surprise, Trump suggests multiple times that Powell should cut rates.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-visits-federal-reserve-as-he-pressure…
PE firms struggle to list holdings or find external buyers.
Some PE firms have resorted to selling assets from funds they manage to newer funds they also manage.
These so-called continuation funds accounted for 19% of all sales in the first half of …
“'The junior investigators and the trolls are still making a big deal about engine failure, software issues, FADEC problems. They're not part of the process,' Feith continues. The AAIB 'had a team of subject matter experts dissecting all of this in …
Let's not forget, Trump's proposed tariffs are still the highest tariffs since the 1930s.
U.S. companies selling imported goods (and/or using imported inputs),
importers, and consumers will bear the negative financial repercussions.
The subsequent i…
Speaking of Tulsi Gabbard...
"The U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday it was forming a strike force to assess recent claims
made by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard about 'alleged weaponization of the U.S. intelligence commu…
When a defamation case is brought against a "a newspaper, periodical, or other medium",
the defendant must be notified at least 5 days before the suit is filed according to Florida law.
It appears Trump did not comply with this law—like so many othe…
Oddly, D&C reportedly just added a skootch of international stocks to DODBX to help stabilize returns. Looks like a "skootch" is 15-20%. M* did something on the changes at DODBX a while ago, IIRC.
https://www.mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/dis…
Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was fiscally irresponsible.
This will just add to our already huge national debt—estimated to be $36.65 T as of 7/18/2025.
Total public debt was 120.87% of GDP in Q1 2025.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/…
@catch22
Thanks for sharing the story about the A-TEAM.
Earlier this year, Florida Republicans introduced a bill to loosen child labor laws.
It would have eliminated restrictions on how late and how many hours 16 and 17 year-olds
can work while end…
Outperformance for U.S. or international stocks is cyclical and has lasted an average of 8 or 9 years.
Until recently, U.S. equities outperformed for approximately 14 years.
Earnings growth for U.S. companies was stronger than that of overseas compa…
An article I was reading this morning pointed out that the last time the Fed cut rates, long rates and mortgage rates went up. I haven't verified that. So if anyone has a correction . . . let me know.
The federal funds rate was cut by 100 BPS fro…
I support Israel but I think they're going too far. After the holocaust you would think they would see they're doing it themselves. I'm reading too many being killed trying to get food/aid.
I concur.
"Why would you need 1,000 federal employees to sift through 100,000 pages of Epstein files
just to find Trump’s name? You wouldn’t, unless the goal isn’t truth, but control of the narrative."
Exactly.
The goal here was never the truth—truth is inco…
It's likely that Trump will attempt to strong-arm the defendants.
The WSJ stated that it will "vigorously defend" against Trump's lawsuit.
My prior post is predicated on a robust WSJ defense posture.
This is yet another example of Trump's diversionary tactics to divert attention while blaming the media.
I don't believe he wants to risk potential repercussions from the discovery process.
Trump will drop his frivolous lawsuit before discovery begi…
Hank,
I agree with your assessment of the WSJ.
I've found most of their articles about business, investing, etc. to be well-written and informative.
There wasn't much (if any) evident political bias.
Definitely can't say the same for the editorials!
Trump and several administration officials promoted nasty conspiracy theories
pertaining to Epstein's criminal activities.
In February of this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that Epstein's client list will be released.
It's very unusual wh…
Great news!
I hope this lawsuit also gets dismissed and Trump's 'bawdy' birthday note with sketch are published.
I'm not certain if Trump is capable of feeling shame but wouldn't mind seeing him publicly humiliated.
Why doesn't the Trump administra…
The president is abusing his power when he initiates frivolous lawsuits against the media.
I detest when large corporations subsequently "bend at the knee"
and reach a settlement especially when the lawsuit is without merit.
ABC and George Stephano…
Yes, this is a leap of faith.
But it's not much different from when plan sponsors select mutual funds/CITs
with no private investments for inclusion in the plan.
The “democratization of private markets” has a positive connotation but the term is very misleading.
Investment firms with private investments consider 401(k) plans to be a lucrative opportunity.
Their primary goal is to increase AUM whether or not …
The Week in Charts (07/18/25)
The most important charts and themes in markets and investing, including:
00:00 Intro
00:53 Topics
02:08 Hotter Than Expected
07:02 No Reason to Cut
13:42 Nvidia vs. Russell 2000
15:47 Another Day, Another Tariff Threa…
@Sven
I Google search for the article's title (verbatim) and usually find it on MSN.
You're correct—tables from a Barron's article are often missing from the corresponding MSN article.
Try this link if you don't have a Barron's subscription.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/savingandinvesting/why-these-active-bond-funds-are-worth-a-premium/ar-AA1ILkpG
The White House is looking for issues with Federal Reserve headquarter renovations
as a means to remove Powell "for cause."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/white-house-seizes-on-fed-renovations-as-opening-to-oust-powell/ar-AA1Irf6x
I recall the time after Seger's great 'Live' Bullet album was released in 1976.
Lynyrd Skynyrd also released a great live album in 1976—One More From The Road.
Seger's 'Turn the Page' and Skynyrd's 'Free Bird' were played frequently on FM radio.
"Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder data seemed to indicate the fuel control switches were physically moved to the cutoff position. Deliberate human intervention was involved."
Thanks. Wow. Wonder how I missed that - if it’s accura…
Yesterday I posted about a roundtable discussion on NDTV regarding the AI 171 incident.
A Boeing 787 pilot had stated:
"In these modern aeroplanes, you don't need to cut off the fuel control switch.
Everything is transmitted electronically. So, eve…
