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.
Andrew Foster was a former manager of Matthews Asian Growth & Income and he was also the Matthews CIO at one point. If I remember correctly, Mr. Foster wanted Matthews to broaden their investment universe beyond Asia. Since Matthews refused to v…
The Yale Endowment has a perpetual time horizon.
Because of its scale, the endowment has access to the best alternative asset managers and leverage to negotiate "reasonable" fees for a particular asset class.
Individual investors have a finite time …
BGEGX is one of my favorite EM equity funds. The fund is team-managed with below-average expenses. It has performed well within the EM equity category but be aware that M* classifies BGEGX as a high risk fund.
I transferred my Roth IRA to Vanguard a little over one year ago. After the transfer, FMIJX was replaced with VWILX. I did not expect VWILX to significantly outperform FMIJX during severe market downturns.
FMIJX - Max. 2020 Drawdown: -28.24%; YTD …
General Mattis makes excellent points regarding military engagement and about the need for national unity.
I was appalled that law enforcement in Washington, D.C. gassed and forcibly cleared peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square yesterday to enabl…
My local library system subscribes to Morningstar Investment Research Center.
There is a link to ‘Fund Categories’ under the Markets section on the homepage.
Fund category returns for the 1 mo., 3 mo., YTD, 1 yr., 3 yr., and 5 yr. periods are displ…
Dodge & Cox was founded in 1930. The company has introduced only six mutual funds since then. The firm's analysts and managers tend to stay at the company for a very long time. Dodge & Cox funds are team-managed and they have below-average e…
I've been surprised by the performance of FMIJX this year. The fund's 31.98% YTD loss is greater that 96% of its peers in the Foreign Large Blend category. The FMI team is conscious of valuations and wary of excessive debt. Their funds usually hold…
I was previously fond of Artisan International Value Investor (ARTKX). Until recently, two long-time co-managers were in charge. However, the management team split and one of the co-manangers now manages a global fund for Artisan. I'm not certain ho…
It's obvious that the coronavirus outbreak will have economic implications. How can the magnitude of the economic fallout be ascertained when so few in the U.S. have been tested for coronavirus?
I was not expecting the Fed to make such a large cut before the scheduled FOMC meeting next week nor was I expecting the launch of such a massive QE program. It will be interesting to see how markets react to this news tomorrow.
While PTIAX may have disappointed you, it has outperformed many other popular multisector funds the past week, month, and YTD.
Fund 1Wk 1Mo YTD
PTIAX -3.24 -0.56 1.45
PIMIX -4.64 -5.69 -4.54
VCFAX -2.72 …
I'm glad that Amazon and Ebay have taken steps to prevent price gouging. It's a shame that the supplies hoarded by the selfish people profiled in the article could be put to much better use in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
The response to this pandemic requires real leadership. It's evident that POTUS has no credibility. He should step aside and allow seasoned health care professionals (Dr. Fauci et al.) to take the lead.
These are the funds which generated the highest returns for me during this volatile week.
Bond Funds 1 WK YTD
Dodge & Cox Income (DODIX) 0.35% 2.49%
Vanguard Ultra-Short-Term Bond (VUSFX) 0.25% 0.65%
Equity…
The following article provides context regarding how markets have responded to prior epidemics.
Of course, there is no guarantee that market behavior will be similar this time around...
The Impact of Coronavirus for Investors
Wells Fargo managers created unrealistic sales goals for employees. Many front-line employees felt that the only way to reach these goals (and keep their jobs) was to create fake accounts. Senior management deserves most of the blame since they were…
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/bernie-sanders-possibly-running-against-president-trump-is-starting-to-scare-investors-strategist-163901588.html?bcmt=1
Bernie Sanders possibly running against President Trump is starting to scare investors: strat…
The default investment in many 401K plans is a target-date fund. Target-date funds are less volatile than equity funds and thus easier to hold for many investors. Also, 401k plan participants frequently utilize dollar-cost averaging when purchasing …
My notes after reading The Investor’s Manifesto by William Bernstein.
Over periods of more than a year, stock and asset prices tend to mean revert. An asset class with an above-average past return will tend to deliver a below-average future return …
The cost of the Premium version of Morningstar is $169. The regular version is free.
What specifically as a mutual fund and ETF investor benefits me with the premium version?
I don't know exactly which benefits are included with Morningstar Premium …
Many predictions made by market prognosticators are inaccurate. Unfortunately, many investors have short memories. https://rpseawright.wordpress.com/2020/01/02/forecasting-follies-2020/
Matthews Asia offers a range of Asian-focused funds. It appears that the company has prioritized asset accumulation since they currently have 17 different strategies. How will this proliferation of funds benefit Matthews Asia investors?
P.S. - I'v…
Target-Date funds may be a good option for investors. Some important considerations: 1) mutual fund company; 2) fund fees; 3) glide-path. Target-Date funds can be easier to use compared to other fund categories. They tend to have higher investor re…
