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.
People often say that allocation/balanced funds are declining, dead, kaput. But they are wrong. Broadly speaking, target-date funds, robo-advisors and age-based 529s are nothing but allocation/balanced funds in some form. So, this universe is expand…
Pending cancel is just default until something is done. My guess is that your previous order (market or limit or stop) was executed near the market open. So, in the order queue, it was too late for your cancel instructions. But you would have reason…
I like Howard Marks’ long and thought-provoking pieces. The firm Oaktree Capital (AUM $159 billion) that he cofounded is big and successful in distressed credit areas. Gundlach's DoubleLine may not have happened without Marks. But the firm hasn’t do…
As mentioned earlier, secondary market for brokered CDs is quite illiquid & the bids posted may involve decent haircuts (more than implied by rate changes). So, that can be much worse than 3-6 mo interest penalty for bank CDs. Brokered CDs aren'…
Most "income-builder" funds are global/world-allocation. So, the change for HDAVX / HDIVX / HDDVX makes sense. The only new twist is the ESG angle that used to be hot but all this stuff may have been in the pipeline.
So, one by one, the OLD Nuveen mutual funds are disappearing. Last time were the old Nuveen EM fund that was just liquidated, and some old Nuveen bond funds and target-risk funds that were merged into similar TIAA-CREF funds (see links below). Now,…
M* Analysts' Q-Ratings are indeed computer-generated. But you are right to criticize - M* can at least hire copy-editors to make them readable. Unfortunately, copy-editor is almost a lost job classification in these Internet times.
BTW, some short …
Brokered CDs differ in one important respect from BANK CDs (bought directly from banks). Brokered CDs FLUCTUATE daily in value according to the current bid-ask in the SECONDARY market that depend on interest rates and other factors. The new buyers o…
Shorter-term TIPS held individually to maturity follow the CPI (less discount to par at purchase) & work as intended. Purchase at Treasury Direct (TD) or brokerages. Of course, go to TIPS after fully using annual limits for I Bonds (at TD only).…
@davidrmoran, thanks, I missed that. Kitces' tweet was on 7/31/22. I also checked Kitces' Twitter feed and the tweet dated 7/31/22 is there too. Unclear why he recycled 5 yr old stuff.
https://twitter.com/MichaelKitces/status/1553821828153577475
In…
Estimated taxes are for those situations when the annual tax withholdings may be much lower than taxes due.
Taxes withheld, from pay/pension checks or Roth IRA conversions, count as being spread over the entire year. So, if one does some Roth Conve…
Market Chameleon looks fine for stock and options research, especially related to earnings. Allows Watchlists but no portfolio function. Free features very limited. Just based on general site info.
Brokered CDs are also quick way for banks (some lesser known) to raise funds. It has been noted that the deals are often for limited times and may not be available directly from offering banks. For banks, it is an expensive but fast channel to acqui…
@sma3, I think that "Trust for Professional Managers" is just the name (strange as it may be) of the asset manager/advisory firm that operates several funds subadvised by others. It isn't unusual for fund names to include subadvisors' names (if they…
On this FOMC thread, posters have mentioned several topics, some serious, others tangential or in fun: techs, semis, Nasdaq, China, Taiwan, CDs, tequila/G&T/double. However, any extended discussion(s) on any of these topics should move to new th…
Among the post-FOMC data this week, Q2 GDP was yesterday (bad; -0.9%), and today were PCE (also bad; +6.8%, core +4.8%) and UM Sentiment (improved a bit to 51.5 from June low of 50 that spooked Powell at the June FOMC).
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/0…
@BaluBalu, the MONTHLY fund ASSET data only suggest that there MIGHT be equity fund outflows but other data do indicate outflows from equity and other fund categories, and inflows into m-mkt funds. The long-term asset pattern is that after the %Equi…
Fund Allocations (Cumulative), 6/30/22
There were notable declines in the equity fund allocations. The changes in the totals are based on a total OEFs & ETFs AUM of about $30.25 trillion in the previous month, so +/- 1% change is about +/- $302…
BIG surprise this morning is NEGATIVE Q2 GDP! That is 2 quarters of negative GDP now. Atlanta Fed GDPNow has been predicting that for a while.
When Powell was asked yesterday about it, he said that he had no clue about GDP but don't trust 1st repor…
Midwest-based "Trust for Professional Managers" runs several funds subadvised by other advisors. Apparently, the funds run by "famous" Rockefeller & Co. LLC are being shut due to their poor records.
https://docoh.com/company/1141819/trust-for-pr…
FOMC Statement came out & Powell had his say at Q&A. Fed fund futures traders see, as of 7/27/22 EOD, 50-25-25 bps hikes thru December FOMC to 3.25-3.50% level & then the Fed PAUSING. This until the Fed OPEN MOUTH Committee people start …
Notes After Powell’s Press Conference
Fed funds raised by +75 bps (again) to 2.25-2.5%; more hikes, small or large, would be data dependent. Fed average inflation target remains +2%. Reserve balance rate 2.4%. Primary credit rate 2.5%. Balance sheet…
Thermal energy units for natural gas are MMBTU (million BTUs) or MWh.
1 MWh = 3.412 MMBTU
Natural gas futures trade in 10,000 MMBTU units, https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/energy/natural-gas/natural-gas.contractSpecs.html
Mini futures trade in 2…
@Gary1952, in SR, the dividends have to be reinvested manually. SR does have dividend and income info and uses it in its charts, returns and other analytics.
M* Portfolio had/has auto-reinvest feature/click, so update there before uploading data t…
@finder, you can buy shorter-term TIPS in the secondary market. Note bid-ask (you buy at ask, sell at bid) and related real-YTM that will cut into inflation-adjustment. You may also have to call the broker to enter the TIPS order and make sure that …
That is what the total return equation shows too. It has many forms but a common form is,
%TR = %Dividend_yield + %Earnings_growth + %Change_in_P/E
The 3rd term is the volatile component in the short-term but its effect becomes small over very lon…
@Observant1, my concern with noninsurance company SVs is different. There are usually no guarantees by any entity. There are also no reserves held by sponsors for any contingencies. Rates offered may also be low. Sponsors just claim to invest cautio…
@Crash, yes, Stock Rover is not user-friendly or intuitive. There are many features with options that appear only on relevant pages, so a steep learning curve. I am still exploring/learning during the 14-day, no-obligation, free trial for its top of…
Stock Rover looks interesting.
Free features https://www.stockrover.com/plans/free/
Subscription pricing & features table https://www.stockrover.com/plans/compare/
Serious portfolio analytics tools may be for Premium (most) or Premium Plus (m…
After a promising initial month, this early-2021 IPO went downhill as the SPAC craze cooled off. "Active" ETF SPXZ had 33% in pre-merger SPACs and 67% in post-merger/IPO companies. Its invested AUM remained tiny.
Tiny ETF with $13 million AUM. But the official reason for closure is that the Transparency Index provider (Transparency Global) is discontinuing index and ARK couldn't find a replacement.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ark-investment-man…
ALL fund notices (changes, new/revised prospectuses, new funds) are filed at SEC/Edgar first. The info eventually is available on fund sites with the delays of up to a few weeks. @TheShadow does a great job of monitoring those in his posts. But Edga…
Rupal Bhansali is the chief value lady at Ariel. https://www.barrons.com/articles/most-influential-women-in-us-finance-rupal-j-bhansali-51646430102?mod=Searchresults
Scott Black is a bottoms-up strategist who builds his own earnings estimates. Whi…
