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.
Are you concerned about the Matthews Asia personnel turnover in 2020?
The following portfolio managers left the firm last year:
Tiffany Hsiao, YuanYuan Ji, Beini Zhou, and Lydia So.
Yu-Ming Wang, president and global CIO, resigned from Matthews Asia…
Although Pimco Income is a decent multisector bond fund, I don't expect the fund's excellent past performance to be repeated. The fund's managers made astute investments in legacy non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) after the gl…
I received an email invitation today from Vanguard to "Enhance your portfolio with our new active fund."
The email contained this link with more details about the Vanguard Core-Plus Bond Fund.
I am considering the fund but will wait until the subsc…
I recently read a very informative article from the Washington Post regarding supply chain issues.
U.S. ports and railroad yards have huge backlogs with many containers awaiting delivery.
Shipping costs have greatly increased.
Our physical infras…
I like Vanguard Tax-Managed Small Cap (VTMSX) for taxable accounts.
The fund attempts to tracks the S&P 600 index while minimizing taxable gains.
VTMSX has performed well vis-a-vis small blend funds since my initial purchase approximately 10 y…
I prefer the third strategy - Hold and Stick to Your Game Plan.
An investor could create a portfolio with an appropriate asset allocation (accounting for risk tolerance and risk capacity) and then rebalance the portfolio periodically.
The second st…
I read an AP article regarding Merck's COVID-19 pill (molnupiravir) earlier today.
When taken a few days after COVID-19 symptoms arise, molnupiravir appears to reduce deaths and hospitalizations by approximately 50%. The results were so strong that …
Very good discussion in this thread.
Over time, I have read about a lot of buying strategies. E.g., DCA, BTD, etc. But I have never read an exit strategy. I think this is a secret sauce people do not share. I hope folks in this forum share thei…
A password manager program makes managing multiple, complex passwords much easier.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) usage will increase security.
If MFA is available, I would recommend using it for financial accounts.
Do not access personal financ…
Unfortunately, there are not many good choices for typical investors in the current environment.
I Bonds are relatively attractive but there is an annual $10K purchase cap*.
Real assets such as farmland, timber, real estate, or broad-based commodi…
Gold's reputation as an inflation hedge is often overstated.
It is not uncommon for gold to generate negative real returns during a decade-long time period.
Link
I fished for bluefish on the Mijoy from the early-to-mid 80's through 90 or 91.
Bluefish are very aggressive feeders and put up a great fight.
It was quite a blast when you found a school of blues!
Also went fishing for tuna and cod on the Gail Fran…
I wouldn't necessarily describe VEMBX as being unique.
However, the fund generated higher returns (5 Yr - Top 2%) with lower volatilty than its EM Bond fund peers.
Nobody knows if VEMBX will continue to outperform in the future.
I don't own this fu…
@WhollyTerriers,
I didn't find the Top 10 Country Breakdown when using the newer M* format.
However, there is a way to obtain region exposure if that would be helpful.
Click 'Portfolio' > Go to 'Fixed Income Exposure Analysis' section > Cli…
David Rubenstein often has interesting guests on his show.
Link
I watched several episodes from Season 7 (current season) the last few days.
Episode 2: McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski
Episode 3: Moderna Chairman Noubar Afeyan
Episode 5: Reid Hoff…
Capital Group, the firm that runs American Funds, will be launching six new active ETFs in the first quarter of 2022. It's interesting that these new ETFs will be transparent - holdings will be disclosed daily.
"Grinder" is what they call a submarine sandwich around my hometown, in western Massachusetts.
We also called sub sandwiches "grinders" in central Connecticut.
Here in western Washington state, they're usually called subs or hoagies.
Grinder is not…
This was a truly horrible event.
A friend called and left a voicemail shortly after the first plane struck one of the towers.
I was still in bed (West Coast) and thought a terrible accident had occurred.
After the second plane struck the other tower…
Frankly, I don't see a need for developed market bonds.
They yield less than U.S. bonds and corresponding funds usually have higher expense ratios.
What's the point?
Investors who are not seeking bonds for "ballast" and are comfortable with heighte…
The SEC requires disclosure of portfolio managers' ownership in the following ranges: none, $1–$10,000, $10,001–$50,000, $50,001–$100,000, $100,001–$500,000, $500,001–$1 million, and over $1 million.
Unless managers with more than $1 million invest…
Several emerging market and currency bets went wrong over the years.
Maintaining a low overall duration also didn't help.
As was mentioned, Mr. Hasenstab could be stubborn in holding losing positions for too long.
"Credit spreads in Europe haven’t been this tight this consistently since, again, the summer of 2007.
In the credit market, unlike stocks, stability like this should ring alarm bells.
Investment-grade issuers, and not just low-grade junk issuers, …
M* take on Tad Rivelle's retirement:
"Rivelle is a giant in the fixed-income world, and his retirement is noteworthy.
However, the strength of the remaining trio of generalist managers and the quality of the specialist teams that support them sh…
