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.
I didn't change my investing approach due to this manufactured debt ceiling crisis.
I will therefore not make any corresponding changes afterward.
My guess is that stock markets will go up in the short-term after this matter is resolved.
Beyond tha…
Vanguard Health Care had an annualized 16.4% return during Ed Owens'
long tenure (05/23/1984 - 12/31/2012) compared to the the S&P 500 index's 10.7% return.
This fund has not performed as well since Jean Hynes became the sole named manager in …
[snip]
Also, I would not leave a dime in any Wells Fargo accounts. That bank has a poor history, and I'm not convinced that the culture there has changed. If a bank is opening accounts that customers didn't approve, you don't deal with that bank. …
The subject matter described herein is very sneaky - I like it! ;-)
Good article which mentions several potential avenues for investing in closed mutual funds.
"U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Sunday said June 1 remains a 'hard deadline' for raising the federal debt limit, with the odds quite low that the government will collect enough revenue to bridge to June 15,
when more tax receipts are due."…
[snip]
The increase in the national debt must be stopped to save the country.
We must stop thinking of ourselves and think of the country.
That goes for both parties.
So stop the blame game, (that includes me), and lets get our country out of …
The Week in Charts (05/20/23)
A tour of the markets covering the most important charts & themes, including the Nasdaq 100 comeback, the inverse of 2022, US equity valuations, the US Consumer pullback, and more.
Video
Blog
[snip]
Now the problem for me with locking up money in a CD is that it limits my ability to move in and out of what I believe are more profitable investments while that money is tied up. I’ll take the 4+% on cash Fido currently pays in return for be…
Your local library system may provide access to Morningstar Investment Research Center (MIRC).
MIRC made available via my library includes Portfolio X-Ray.
Portfolio X-Ray shows how the top 50 net stock holdings are distributed across a portfolio
a…
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BTW, IRS is setting up online tax filing for free. If they can make the user interface similar to that ofTurboTax, that would be very helpful for those with straightforward tax filing.
Intuit will vigorously oppose plans from the IRS to o…
FMIJX is an international equity fund which hedges currency (most foreign funds don't hedge).
The strong U.S. dollar provided a tailwind for FMIJX.
FMI introduced an unhedged version of its International Fund (FMIFX) on 12/31/2019.
The link below sh…
Tarwheel,
Like you, I believe in diversification.
I've had mixed results (from a total return perspective) with foreign equities.
My foreign equity funds outperfomed from approximately 2000 to 2010.
U.S. equities have significantly outperformed sin…
I exchanged my core bond position (DODIX) for a stable-value fund at the end of 2021.
This was an uncharacteristic move on my part since DODIX represented ~20% of my overall portfolio.
My other fixed-income investments were sold during 2022 for diff…
The advisers polled in the BoA survey may have been wrong (haven't read article).
Prognosticators' market predictions are often incorrect.
“It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future.”
- Yogi Berra
The FDIC needs to recover it costs after the recent banking turmoil.
Under their proposal, banks with more that $50 billion would shoulder 95% of the cost.
This "special assessment" fee would apply to approximately 113 banks.
A very small number o…
The Week in Charts (05/11/23)
A tour of the markets covering the most important charts & themes, including a potential end to the Fed's rate hikes, why the inflation rate is set to decline even more, a return to prosperity, and the sentiment gi…
From Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American (05/04).
"Meanwhile, the debt ceiling crisis has not gone away. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines today told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on global threats that a U.S.…
The only other western country with a debt ceiling is Denmark.
Since their debt ceiling is so high, there are no recurring debates like we have in the U.S.
The closest that Denmark came to reaching the ceiling was 2010 - they doubled it afterward.
…
I fully agree with the Laurence H. Tribe's statement:
"The right question is whether Congress — after passing the spending bills that created these debts in the first place — can invoke an arbitrary dollar limit to force the president and his admin…
Periodically, the S&P 500 becomes concentrated in its top holdings.
This is a feature, not a bug, of cap-weighted indexes.
The top 10 holdings in the S&P 500 comprised 27% of the index as of April 27, 2023.
The S&P 500 returned 8.3% YTD…
The Week in Charts (05/02/23)
A tour of the markets covering the most important charts & themes, including the First Republic freefall, the housing market standstill, the #1 reason for renting, and more.
Video
Blog
@Observant1, I apologized for the mistake. Should have taken a screen shot and the CUSIP #. Again, my mistake. Schwab offers a non-callable 12 months CD at 5.1%.
No worries...
I didn't find a 12 month 5.2% non-callable JP Morgan CD at Vanguard.
There was a callable JP Morgan CD with the same coupon.
CUSIP: 46656MBT7
Security type: Certificate of deposit
Issuer: JP Morgan Chase Bank NA
Maturity: 05/08/2024
Coupon: 5.200
C…
I thought an announcement would be made before Asian markets opened.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange and Korea Exchange opened approximately 1.5 hours ago.
There hasn't been any news yet...
I would like to know how anyone can sense the possibility of a solution if you can’t find a half dozen rational house repugs to vote with the Dems.
Political posturing and pontification about fiscal responsibility will prevail during this saga.
I…
Wealthtrack - 04/28/2023
We continue our interview with Ed Yardeni, an experienced economist, strategist, and Fed watcher who has been closely following the Fed throughout his 40-year investment career.
Yardeni is the author of “Fed Watching for F…
Snippets from Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American published on 04/24/2023.
"In other concerns about national security, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton published an op-ed in the New York Times today warning that the threat fr…
Target's former chief merchandising officer, Mark Tritton, became Bed Bath & Beyond CEO in late 2019.
He attempted to turn around operations, in part, by emphasizing private label goods.
Many consumers abandoned Bed Bath & Beyond and went e…
"In talking with Vanguard leadership, they feel like they’ve heard that and they’re trying to become known for best-in-class customer service. That is a goal of theirs, and they say they’ve made progress in that. It remains to be seen. We hear a lot…
@yogibearbull,
Dan Ivascyn, Rick Rieder, Rajiv Jain, Daniel O'Keefe, Aswath Damodaran,
Liz Ann Sonders, and Lawrence Summers (among others) are scheduled
to participate in the 2023 Morningstar Investment Conference (MIC).
MIC Agenda
Edit/Add:
J…
