@BenWP

@WABAC: thanks for all the research you put into compiling your buy list and for sharing it here. I share your interests in infrastructure (PAVE and GLFOX chez moi), water (FIW) and green energy. GRID was unknown to me. I have added recently to BHCFX and I agree with having exposure to healthcare and biotech. PTH is also one I've never heard of. BUSFX comes up blank; is that Bridgeway Ultra Small Company?

That should be BUFSX for Buffalo small cap growth. I first bought it when it was expensive. :( So I added to it since it became cheaper. Good thing for me that I can let it sit for six years, until I need to think about RMD's. Maybe then I'll think about simplifying the motley collection that is my IRA.
In the small cap area I am also a fan of RWJ, which is revenue weighted S&P small cap fund. I have it in our IRA's for total return. I haven't added to it yet. But I'm thinking about it. I am also thinking of adding it to my taxable holdings, which are less focused on dividends than my wife's.
I rely heavily on MFO premium to do research on all funds. I also use etf.com as a quick look at the thesis, and holdings, of an etf. I enjoy researching the funds. So I don't mind sharing. It has been something of a warmup to writing up plan for my wife, children, and any others, to understand why it was put together the way it was.
With GLFOX. FIW, and a utility I always think of the railroads, Water Works, and The Electric Company in Monopoly. It gives me a silly amount of pleasure.
I have looked at PAVE in the past. But GLFOX has been such a pleasure to own I didn't feel the need. GRID seemed like an interesting bet even before the war in Ukraine disrupted energy markets. I like its international exposure given the way European summers have been trending.
If you ever find yourself thinking about trash, check out EVX. Not enough of a dividend for me though.

@WABAC: thanks for all the research you put into compiling your buy list and for sharing it here. I share your interests in infrastructure (PAVE and GLFOX chez moi), water (FIW) and green energy. GRID was unknown to me. I have added recently to BHCFX and I agree with having exposure to healthcare and biotech. PTH is also one I've never heard of. BUSFX comes up blank; is that Bridgeway Ultra Small Company?

Been doing a lot of shopping lately.
Last March I sold out my wife's inheritance, which was mostly in a regional utility. She has hopes of buying a small house in a location cooler than Arizona. So we decided to invest 25% of her funds.
Her priorities were dividends and green investing as her "speculative" bet. And then some assets set aside to grow, i.e S&P 500, tech, and med tech. So this is what we agreed to:
The following is copied from the rough notes I have in a spread sheet. Good thing I'm not being graded for formatting.
20.00% Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF™ SCHD
10.00% VictoryShares US SmCp Hi Div Vol Wtd ETF CSB
8.00% Fidelity® Select Medical Tech and Devcs FSMEX
8.00% Fidelity® 500 Index FXAIX
5.00% Cambria Foreign Shareholder Yield ETF FYLD
5.00% GLFOX Lazard Global Infrastructure
5.00% WisdomTree Intl Hdgd Qual Div Gr ETF IHDG
5.00% SPDR® Russell 1000® Yield Focus ETF ONEY
5.00% Invesco High Yield Eq Div Achiev™ ETF PEY
5.00% Principal Real Estate Securities Inst PIREX
5.00% Invesco S&P 500® Eql Wt Cnsm Stapl ETF RHS
5.00% Invesco S&P 500® Equal Weight Utilts ETF RYU
2.00% FSCSX
2.00% TDV tech dividend
2.00% Columbia Seligman Global TECH
2.00% FTEC tech index
1.00% TAN Solar
1.00% First Trust Water ETF
1.00% First Trust NASDAQ® Cln Edge®Offsetting
1.00% iShares Global Clean Energy ETF
1.00% Invesco Global Clean Energy ETF
1.00% Invesco Global Water ETF
As you can see, I bought baskets to represent tech and "green." I see enough moving parts in those fields that I wanted to encompass a variety of theses. For the alt energy funds I specifically avoided those with large stakes in Tesla. And also avoided China as well as I could.
I have also been buying into beaten down funds in our IRA's, and my taxable account, whittling down our cash holdings. I tarried too long during the COVID debacle, so wanted to make a more muscular entry. Still plenty of cash for cushion, and for buying, if the autumn inflation and elections push markets another leg down; which would not surprise me in the least.

Barron's Midyear Roundtable has several fund ideas. LINK
COVER STORY, “What to Buy Right Now: 42 Picks from Barron’s (Midyear) ROUNDTABLE Pros”. A report card of prior hits/misses is also included.
Tod AHLSTEN/Parnassus CIO & PRBLX: VRSK, MMC, ICE, AMAT. Opportunities in the downturn.
William PRIEST/Epoch Inv Partners: TMUS, DTEGY, TSM, LSXMA, DE
Rupal BHANSALI/Ariel CIO: DIISY, BAP, BBSEY, BIDU, ELEZY, SNMRY, PM. Likes Lat Am & Europe over US; prefers dividend payors.
Henry ELLENBOGEN/Durable Capital: INTU, TEAM, DUOL. Likes quality-growth.
Abby Joseph COHEN/Columbia U: LG Chem, FANUY, BKNG, JWN. No recession in 2022 or 2023.
Scott BLACK/Delphi: CACI, CB. Shallow recession is already here (notable early projection). Avoid story stocks with low/no earnings. His SP500 earnings est $219 only.
Sonal DESAI/Franklin Templeton FI CIO: CPREX, FHYVX, GLFOX, EAPCX, FRIAX; ETF SRLN. No recession in 2022/H1 or 2023/H1, may be in 2023/H2.
Mario GABELLI/Gamco: CNHI, AJRD, HRI, BATRA, PARA, SBGI, DRQ, HAL. Mild recession. Despite volatility now, 2023/H1 looks promising for US, Europe, China.
Meryl WITMER/Eagle Capital: SLVM, DFIN, EEFT
David GIROUX/Price CIO & PRWCX: FTV, NXPI, GE, TEL. Mild recession. Overweight – IT, industrials; underweight – consumer-staples, utilities; leveraged-loans still OK.
Part 2 will mention some Japanese funds (feature by @LewisBraham). Edit/Add LINK2
FUNDS. After years of deflation, JAPAN is seeing some inflation due to high oil prices and supply-chain disruptions. The BOJ is continuing its easy monetary policy until the inflation target of +2% is met, and yen has collapsed. Japanese funds are attractive: GMAHX, HJPNX, MJFOX, PRJPX; ETFs EWJ, EWJV, DFJ.

Can’t complain. Doing better than deserve. Buffett threw me a plum when he bid for Allegheny. I sold the same day for a 25% overnight gain. It only represented about 5% of portfolio - but certainly helped.
I finally aborted a small hold in GLDB. To some extent it was a victim of circumstances being long corporate bonds at precisely the wrong time. And, I hung on to a small slice of DKNG hoping for a buy-out. But, these are not fortuitous times for M&A with rates having spiked so much. Waters have calmed. I jettisoned that position 2 weeks ago for a small loss.
I did a lot of buying last week adding to existing positions - including a regional bank stock (off 35% from peak), an insurer and a major food distributor. Never one to hold cash, it’s minimal at 3-5%. GNMA (ETF) is being used as a replacement for cash also in small quantity. I picked it up after rates hit 3% - so it’s held up well since buying. Where is the stability? Large slices of PRIHX, PRPFX, ABRZX, BAMBX. These too have been dinged, but not as much as the rest. Winners? RIO and GLFOX. Possibly a couple others.

Added to GLFOX. My theory on US infrastructure rebuilding as a catalyst for companies involved in materials and construction has proven to be a hypothesis only. The fact of the matter is that PAVE has not even kept pace with IWD.

I used to hold GLFOX till I realized that VPU can get me to the same place, basically, believe it or not.
https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/fund-performance?s=y&symbol=GLFOX&benchmark=VPU

Added to GLFOX. My theory on US infrastructure rebuilding as a catalyst for companies involved in materials and construction has proven to be a hypothesis only. The fact of the matter is that PAVE has not even kept pace with IWD.

Hi @Baseball_Fan . There is a lot of risk in the markets, and some of it reminds me of Tulipmania with high valuations. Bitcoin is now down 35% YTD. Rising interest rates, high inflation, supply chain disruptions and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have upended normal investment models. Price to Earnings have begun compressing as they often do during inflationary times with high valuations.
YTD, my baseline fund, the Vanguard Wellesley Fund, has lost 8%, while the Global Wellesley has done slightly better. Safe haven government intermediate bond funds are down 7% YTD while core bond funds are down 10%. As the markets started swooning, I sold the most volatile and added better performers including real return and commodities. I maintain a balanced portfolio, and am down less than the Wellesley fund.
I favor low volatile funds, some of which have a tactical, or "black box" approach. I prefer to leave this to the pros to do the heavy lifting for me. I spread the risk across several of the funds so that any individual failure will not impact me much. I limit overall exposure in case of a swan event. I own multi-strategy (BAMBX, TMSRX), multi-alternative/macro-trading (GPANX, REMIX), systematic trend (PQTAX), real return (PIRMX/PZRMX, FSRRX), Infrastructure (GLFOX), along with utilities and consumer staples, all of which have reduced the volatility in my portfolio. I am also researching CABNX. Each has made more (lost less) than the Vanguard Wellesley. I have also increased cash.
I believe the risk of recession is high for next year. I suspect the markets will calm down in the near term and recover, but expect lower lows over the next two years.
Best wishes.

BLNDX/REMIX is the only fund I hold that lost less than 0.25% today. PDBC was down 0.52% while GLFOX lost 0.88%. Everything else stunk up the joint.

GQEPX, GLFOX, and on Friday mid-PM, AMZN. Of course it continued south and then bounced towards day’s end. Fish in a barrel don’t stop moving or ring the bell at the bottom, for some reason.

“Infrastructure stocks are also getting whacked of late”
Hi Ben, The only infrastructure fund I own or track is GLFOX - which you recommended. It’s holding up better than most of my stuff - up 3+% YTD. Heavier into utilities than most I suspect..
Not looking to add real asset / commodity exposure. Stuff is just too darn volatile for me to hold much. Direct exposure pegged at only about 8-9% of investments. But some of my allocation funds add on to that. Mostly, in the real-asset area I’ve stayed with the miners - including RIO which bounced 4% today. And have a bit in NOR, which is an indirect play on commodities.
PS - “the bloom“ … There you go with that plant stuff again … :)

Finishing up some quarterly rebalancing. Adding funds for inflation: PZRMX, BCASX. Adding funds for Value/Quality: GQEPX, CDC. Building cash from sales in CTFAX, SWAN, GIBLX, TMSRX. Added a bit to REMIX. Watching GLFOX.
Best of luck,
Rick

I don't know if any of these qualify as "contrarian" besides the fact that they were up today.
If M* is up to date, the following were gainers in my IRA: VPU, PRUZX, TCREX, VDC, PTH, GLFOX, VDIGX, XBI, DSEEX. IRA was off 0.35.
In the taxable: VUIAX, VCSAX, PEY, FDFAX, GLFOX, VEIRX, VMNVX, VHYAX, SCHD, FRIRX.
Taxable was off 0.23.

@David_Snowball: thanks for the chance to get First Sentier’s take on US infrastructure exposure. I was surprised to find that the fund holds almost exclusively energy and utilities stocks. I have put some money into PAVE, the GlobalX US Infrastructure Development ETF. It holds 100 stocks of industrial companies that make the « stuff » that is needed to build bridges, roads, etc. Think Nucor, Trane, Deere, Eaton, as well as transportation and energy firms. Utilities are not a meaningful part of the portfolio. As you pointed out, almost all infrastructure funds are global, a niche in which GLFOX (also an Aussie product) has made its mark.

Direct real estate fund CPREX is an interval-fund, a special type of unlisted fund that can be bought from brokers any time, but redemptions are limited.
For CPREX, that redemption is up to 5% per quarter at NAV (so, may take 20 quarters (5 years) to get completely out). There are about 3 dozen such interval-funds that are suitable for illiquid securities. These are sort of in between ETFs and CEFs. Some describe them as roach-motels.

Thanks. Most interesting. I wondered about CPREX as Lipper couldn’t locate it. From what I could find, there’s a $1,000,000 minimum. Of all the mentioned funds (I already own GLFOX) this one looked interesting. Generally I won’t open a new position in anything that’s up 20-30% in a year’s time. Prefer to buy low and get paid to wait. I suspect, that like real estate funds generally, CPREX has already seen a nice run up - hence off my radar.
PS - a link to its 1, 3, 5 year performance would be appreciated.

This is a fascinating and lengthy look at the markets past and present. I highly encourage folks to obtain and read the full text. While I quote a few lines from different participants, realize each had a unique point of view. And, sometimes those viewpoints diverged sharply.
Participants:
Todd Ahlsten - Parnassus
Rupal Bhansali - Ariel
Scott Black - Delphi
Abby Cohen - Columbia Univ.
Sonal Desai - Franklin Templeton
Henry Ellenbogen - Durable Capital
Mario Gabelli - Gamco
David Giroux - T. Rowe Price
William Priest - Epoch
Meryl Witmer - Eagle
Quotable Quotes:
Cohen: “Unlike in recent years past, we will see that diversification, stock selection, and risk control matter.” She terms 2022 “the revenge of the nerds”.
Bhansali: “My (year-end) forecast implies a double-digit decline in U.S. markets (S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100) …”
Giroux: “The asset class today with the most attractive risk/reward profile is leveraged loans. I’ve taken leveraged loans to 12% of my portfolio …”
Giroux: “I would make a bet that the 10-year doesn’t get above 2.5% in the next year.”
Witmer: “What has been noticeable in the past year is extreme volatility in individual stocks.”
Witmer: “If the music stops and crypto tanks, there could be a contagion into the stock market. It could set up a good buying opportunity.”
Black: “The NTF craze in the art market is reaching the heights of delirium.”
Black: “I would avoid fixed income like the plague.”
Desai: “With TIPS, you end up taking on duration risk. If there is a selloff in Treasuries, TIPS won’t deliver …”
Priest: “There is also an existential political risk to the market around the question, ‘Does market efficiency require a democracy in order to operate optimally?’ “
Some of the funds mentioned favorably by various panelists at different points in the interview:
GLFOX, PAVE, EAPCX, SRLN, FRIAX, FEIFX, MPACX, CPREX (closed end)
From Barrons - January 17, 2022

My alternatives sucked. Combined 1 week return = -1.45% (neg)
4 Funds included: TMSRX, ABRZX, PRPFX, QED
My equity & balanced sleeve did better. Combined 1 week return = -.0.56% (neg)
4 Funds included : PRWCX, DODBX, RPGAX, FLJP
I’ve never viewed alternatives as “defensive”. But, over the past, they’ve held up much better than the equity & balanced funds in rough markets. I should note that two equity funds owned (the larger being GLFOX) and 2 stocks owned are not included in the above totals. Those are part of a separate “real assets” sleeve.
For comparison, here’s a few I track (1-week / Lipper)
HSGFX +3.44%
PRFDX +2.61%
PRAFX 0
HSTRX -1.43%
VFINX -1.83%
TRREX -3.32%
TRBCX - 6.19%
PRMTX -7.18%
ARKK -10.75%
Some factors that affected markets this week:
- Interest rates shot up. This hurt most bond holdings. It helped funds with outsized exposure to banks / financials. This is evident in the positive return for PRFDX - TRP’s Equity and Income fund. However, rate sensitive sectors / funds were hurt. Price’s real estate fund, TRREX, fell 3.32%.
- Minutes from last FOMC meeting were released indicating a more hawkish Fed stance / Ditto above.
- Data released showed accelerating wage growth. / Ditto above.
- Gold and p/m miners got slammed, though they’re still above their lowest levels of the past 12 months.
- Tech got whacked.
- Price’s PRAFX, their real asset fund, appears to have suffered from Schizophrenia, ending the week flat - caught between the plunge in gold and precious metals mining stocks and the whirlwind upside for many other metals. This one holds a lot of real estate, which also hurt.
One interesting tidbit ….. DFND, an intriguing looking defensive long-short fund I’ve been watching, tumbled more than 5% in the week. Now, how do you accomplish that?

GLIFX is institutional. Appears to have a low minimum initial investment of $10,000.
GLFOX (open shares) was recommended to me 6-7 months back by a board member. I substituted it in my real assets sleeve for a commodities fund I felt was getting too expensive. Yes - it is largely outside the U.S. That’s one reason I like it, as I’ve been consciously trying to diversify away from U.S. equities.
As the snippet from Lipper shows, the fund has some moderate exposure to the energy sector. As @KHaw24 notes, the Lazard funds are invested largely (about 75%) outside the U.S. So they aren’t the best choice if you’re trying to play the U.S. infrastructure package. Also - higher than normal expenses might deter some.
GLFOX HOLDINGS - Lipper*
46% Utilities
24% Industrials
8% Oil & Gas
22% Remainder
* http://www.funds.reuters.wallst.com/US/funds/holdings.asp?YYY622_4YK/sRXYOuCHME0X/pCQzhuZTH3KwZb8EX/lL+8rQLdjCHFyfBxMJiSgAFiqzNOF

(November 24) “Today I sold one, NGLOY, after a quick 14% run-up since they recommended it roughly 2 months ago. Still like it - but have been trimming risk wherever I can of late.”

NGLOY lost 7.54% today.
Edit 11/27 (To be completely honest here) I moved the proceeds from NGLOY into an existing holding, GLFOX. It lost about 2.4% yesterday - so am only two thirds as smart (or lucky) as might at first appear. :)

I have owned general global funds in the past. And I have been getting rid of them. The last to go will be DODWX from my IRA sometime very soon. Then VMNVX from my taxable account just as soon as I can harvest a tax loss.
My feeling now is that global funds dampen any opportunity to rebalance from foreign to domestic, or vice versa. Then too, it is not unusual to find a few foreign stocks in my domestic funds, and a few domestic stocks in my foreign funds.
The funds that breaks this rule are GPGCX and GGSYX. I couldn't buy any more of GISYX, or any of their other funds at my IRA broker. So I bought what was open to me.
I am not averse to buying global funds in sectors that appeal to me. I am happy with GLFOX. And in the near future I will be buying some globally oriented funds in the green economy. Anyone interested can read my comments here:
https://www.mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/discussion/58867/climate-change-funds#latest