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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.

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Observant1

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Observant1
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  • @Sven, Thanks for letting me know the link was broken. I inadvertently omitted the protocol (https). The link has been fixed.
    in Tariffs Comment by Observant1 May 12
  • Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert and professor at Washington University School of Law discusses Qatar's offer to replace Air Force One. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/qatar-gifting-trump-400m-luxury-jet-raises-ethical-and-legal-concerns…
  • U.S. tariffs of 145% on Chinese goods and Chinese tariffs of 125% on U.S. goods were nonsensical. In essence, a de facto trade embargo between the two largest economies in the world was in place. Temporarily dropping U.S. levies on Chinese goods to …
    in Tariffs Comment by Observant1 May 12
  • "I'm sure they'll spin today's news as a 'yuuuuge' victory for the country, but imo it really isn't." +1
  • "I would caution against too much reading of the tea leaves," according to Dmitry Grozoubinski, a former Australian trade negotiator based in Geneva. "It's probably more likely that they agreed on what their conversation should cover — on what are t…
    in Tariffs Comment by Observant1 May 11
  • US Officials Say Deal Struck To Cut China Trade Deficit I can't wait to hear about the "substantial progress" from the "productive talks" with Chinese officials! "U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said o…
    in Tariffs Comment by Observant1 May 11
  • Regarding ICI's stated desire to expand access to private markets, why do I get the feeling that retail customers would be left holding the bag?
  • Calculating Tariffs - It's Complicated "There are also 3,450 temporary levies, covered in the 690-page 'Chapter 99' of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which includes tariffs from the Trump and Biden administrations going back to 2018." "Chapter 99…
    in Tariffs Comment by Observant1 May 11
  • Thanks, @hank. I encourage those you appreciate PBS and NPR to sign the petition. It just takes a minute...
  • The Week in Charts (05/09/25) The most important charts and themes in markets and investing, including: 00:00 Intro 00:17 Topics 00:47 First Trade Deal 09:25 Markets Pricing in a Positive Tariff Ending 11:51 The World Strikes Back (International St…
  • "A group representing General Motors (GM.N), Ford (F.N), and Stellantis (STLAM.MI), blasted President Donald Trump's trade deal announced with the United Kingdom, saying it would harm the U.S. auto sector." "'Under this deal, it will now be cheaper…
    in Tariffs Comment by Observant1 May 9
  • I enjoyed the inaugural article and the article for "building a chaos-resistant portfolio". I haven't had an opportunity to read all the May 2025 articles yet... Glad that you're chugging along just fine!
  • The "major trade deal" with the UK is not as comprehensive as some may have suggested. "Trump declared on social media this announcement would be a "major trade deal" - it's not. He does not have the authority to sign the type of free-trade agreeme…
    in Tariffs Comment by Observant1 May 9
  • @Mark, Thanks for sharing these articles!
    in Tariffs Comment by Observant1 May 8
  • As expected, regardless whether or not tariff policies are prudent, the MAGA faithful are likely to trumpet any perceived tariff "wins." They seem intent on justifying the numerous senseless (or illegal) actions initiated by the current administrati…
    in Tariffs Comment by Observant1 May 8
  • "The typical textbook treatment of GDP is the expenditure approach, where spending is categorized into the following buckets: personal consumption expenditures (C); gross private investment (I); government purchases (G); and net exports (X – M), com…
  • "58 crypto wallets have made millions on Trump’s meme coin." I wonder, if by chance, some of these 58 crypto wallets belong to people in Trump's inner circle? "The $TRUMP event, set for May 22 at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C., includ…
  • There will be a reckoning sometime later this year. It seems likely that second-quarter GDP will decrease while inflation climbs higher. Despite the recently announced "comprehensive" tariff agreement with the UK, negotiations with China and the EU …
    in Tariffs Comment by Observant1 May 8
  • "They will be available only in Morningstar's expensive professional products." The article mentioned ratings will be displayed on Morningstar.com "as well within products in the Direct Platform, including Morningstar Direct, Direct Advisory Suite,…
  • "It feels rather as if Trump is throwing any strong words he can at the wall to distract from a series of news stories that are not going his way." Bingo! It's really disappointing that Trump is often incapable of verbally expressing coherent thou…
  • "But I would also have included Michael Price." Mr. Price was a legendary value investor. I was invested in his Mutual Beacon or Mutual Shares fund in the mid 90s.
  • Buffett's Biggest Hits and Misses https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/what-warren-buffett-learned-from-his-biggest-hits-and-misses/ar-AA1E9vll
  • Good idea. I should probably stock up on TP & paper towels at Costco. Have plenty of Kleenex already. Better safe than sorry!
  • You can stock up on TP at Amazon. Only $3.20 / 100 sheets. Amazon TP While shopping there, you could also purchase a toilet brush with a similar theme. Amazon Brush
  • Vancouver B.C. is only a few hours drive for me. I haven't visited the city/area in a few years and was thinking of going this year. Due to all the tariff shenanigans, I think I'll pass for now.
  • And dont forget: “They don’t need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.”
  • @msf, I previously saved the Christine Benz article from May 2019 locally on my computer (M* link now broken). Benz used the BBgBarc US Treasury 5-10 Year Index (MidT) to represent intermediate-term Treasuries. The BBgBarc US Treasury 20+ Year Inde…
  • "My reference to “longer better” was only when the house is burning down (2008)." @hank, Understood. I wasn't challenging your statement. My comments concerned diversification in general. Unfortunately, I didn't make this very clear. A 23.26% gain …
  • "If things get bad enough the very highest quality bonds will shine - and the longer the duration the better. That was the case in ‘07-‘09 when the house nearly burned down (financially speaking)." Medium-term and long-term Treasuries have historic…
  • Regarding DODBX, a new committee took over management of the fund in May 2022. The team made changes to reduce volatility and increase diversification. More international stocks were added as were short-term TIPS (new to the portfolio). The team als…
  • From Morningstar's 2025 Diversification Landscape report (link in preceding article). I haven't read the entire 50+ page report. Key Takeaways: • The plain-vanilla version of a 60/40 portfolio (made up of US stocks and US investment-grade bonds…
  • Trump should be a little more cautious. He could really upset some fervent Catholics who just may decide to dispatch him straight to hell!
  • "There is no accountability for the POTUS nor for those closely associated." This really irks me! Trump & company have no respect for the rule of law and they're not too fond of the U.S. Constitution either. Unsure??? "President Donald Trump …
    in Trump Media Comment by Observant1 May 4
  • Thirty-two percent of professional investors in Barron's Big Money poll are bearish while twenty-six percent are bullish. These are the largest and smallest percentages, respectively, since 1997. Optimists believe the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and the DJ…
  • @bee Thanks!
  • Sellers are getting uo to 50% haircuts in exiting private-credits, LinkedIn. This is very disconcerting!
  • If history is a guide, Berkshire will pounce on opportunities when the next major market downturn occurs.
  • I've been aware of Warren as Berkshire CEO my whole adult life. Like all of us. So extraordinary. I think I admire him most for his continued modesty. He's very plain-spoken and there are no airs about him. I admire that as well.
  • Thanks, @catch22. The video is hilarious but the stark reality of the Trump administration is so sad! "The Shriners wouldn't let these folks drive the 'clown' cars." I agree. :-)