20Mar 2011 by stanley No Comments

Invest in Japan?

investing
Barron's has a lead article titled "Invest in Japan." What do you think? Time to jump in after the huge tragedy? From my own experience, tragedies are one of the best times to jump in. Take 9/11, quick slide, nice and quick recovery. Will Japan be the same? Nobody really knows, especially with the current level of uncertainty. If you do want to invest, as I'm thinking about it, I think investing in ETFs is the smart way to go.Exchange-Traded FundsTickerCurrencyFXYCurrencyShares Japanese Yen TrustJYNBarclays iPath JPY/USDJYFWisdomTree Dreyfus Japanese YenStocksEWJiShares MSCI Japan IndexDXJWisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity DFJWisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend ITFiShares S&P/Topix 150 IndexJSCSPDR Russell/Nomura Small Cap Japan SCJiShares MSCI Japan Small Cap IndexJPPSPDR Russell/Nomura PRIME Japan
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29May 2010 by stanley No Comments

Excellent Mutual Funds

investing, My Stock Picks
While at the Barnes & Noble today, I got drawned in by a title in US World & Reports: The 100 Best Mutual Funds for the Long Run. Sure enough, I found a few funds that I think are top quality. Large Cap Value Comparing it to Fidelity Contrafund, which is considered one the top funds, I can see why Yacktman is on top: 3 year return of 8.9% is much better than -0.2% for the Fidelity fund. Foreign Large Cap Blend Very good returns. Better than Marsico Global, also a top rated fund. Very good returns.
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22May 2010 by stanley No Comments

Good Quality Funds

investing, My Stock Picks
In my retirement accounts, I only hold Mutual Funds. Why? More security. More diversity. I'm also open to holding ETFs, which are almost like Mutual Funds, but I try to stay away from stocks. It's good to rebalance every year or so. It's been a while since I've done it. But because we had a decent dip recently, I think it might be a good time for me to do so. Plus, I have come across some excellent Mutual Funds in the Kiplinger's magazine -- I always try to buy their yearly issue focused on Mutual Funds. Here are some funds which I like and which I picked mostly from that issue. I'm entering trades as I'm writing this post. Bond Funds A pair of the best and most famous…
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26Jan 2010 by stanley No Comments

Is It Time to Buy a House Yet?

Housing
Not according to this chart. This article, Is It Time to Buy a House Yet?, was part of today's Must Read newsletter from Seeking Alpha (a good resource for investors). It caught my attention. I like to read stories about housing. But what really caught my attention was the chart you just saw. Do we really have a few more years of downturn? I think so. I don't think we're out of the woods yet. But as with everything, and especially money issues, you never know. Mr. Smith does have some valid and interesting points. Here a few. Simply put: if the bubble took seven years to reach its blow-off top, then its decline will typically take a similar length of time as prices fully retrace to pre-bubble levels. As…
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09Jan 2010 by stanley No Comments

Where to be in 2010? Investor picks.

investing, My Stock Picks
Just the type of an article I like in the latest Barron's, The Best ETF Bets for 2010 John Mauldin, Millennium Wave Advisors "A healthy dose of cash and other forms of fixed income may be the best prescription for 2010." Mauldin recommends putting money temporarily in short-maturity corporate and municipal bond ETFs like and . He sees the economy headed for a second recessionary dip later this year, and so recommends rotating into defensive funds -- particularly, high-dividend-payers like or . Mauldin also likes health-care funds, especially those with biotechnology exposure such as . He is bullish on biotech: One of the purer plays is ."Wait for the real buying opportunity."Longer term, Mauldin recommends gradually shifting portfolio weights from securities of developed countries whose valuations "are out of whack"…
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04Jan 2010 by stanley No Comments

New Frontiers: Emerging Markets Funds

investing
Here are some funds that offer diversified exposure to the emerging markets in Europe, Asia, Africa/Middle East, and Latin America. These are taken from the latest BusinessWeek, Dec 28th edition. Sorted by 2009 Total Return 98% Europe, 1% Asia, 1% Latin America 70% Africa/Middle East, 30% Europe 100% Africa/Middle East 51% Latin America, 26% Africa/Middle East, 17% Europe, 6% Asia 50% Africa/Middle East, 25% Asia, 22% Europe, 3% Latin America
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03Jan 2010 by stanley No Comments

Bets for a Sagging Dollar

My Stock Picks
There is a very good article on investing in the latest Kiplinger's (Feb 2010) "Make A Buck Off A Sagging Dollar." Their view is that the dollar is on the decline, and you better diversify. They have a few suggestions how you can do that. I also think the long term the dollar does not look so good. Especially when comparing it to emerging markets. Read on... You can invest in emerging-markets bonds through  . "Pimco invests in 15 markets, including Poland, South Africa, Mexico, and Thailand." It's on the expensive side, though, with an annual cost of 1.35%. I try to stay under 1%, but this might be worth the price. For a lower cost alternative, check . "This exchange-traded fund, launched last summer, uses futures contracts to provide…
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