The recent volatility in worldwide stock markets reminds us that stock and mutual fund prices can and do fluctuate frequently and sometimes wildly. Indeed, coming on the heels of one of the best years for investing in several generations (2013), the market’s recent gyrations appear that much more unexpected and severe.  The fact is that…
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If you were to review the historical performance of any mutual fund, asset class, or investment portfolio over any period of time, you’d certainly notice quite a bit of variation in the returns.  Take the S&P 500 (representing the largest 500 U.S. companies), for example.  The returns from this asset class over the last five…
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First of all, what the heck are bitcoins?  If you haven’t heard of them, they are one of a class of so-called digital currencies, mediums of exchange which are created and stored online, in contrast to ordinary paper and metal money.  There are currently over 400 digital currencies in existence, with a total market value…
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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted last week to impose new rules on money market funds aimed at preventing mass selling during financial panics.  The most significant change was the elimination of the fixed $1 share price for certain types of funds.  Mary Jo White, SEC Chairwoman, announced: “Today’s reforms fundamentally change the way…
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On top of concerns that the stock market may be highly overvalued right now, investors also have to worry about their bond portfolios.  With interest rates continuing to hover around historic lows, bond investors worry that as rates rise, the value of their bonds will drop.  We painfully experienced this effect last May, when interest…
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Simon Lack, author of The Hedge Fund Mirage, and previously a member of J. P. Morgan’s hedge fund due-diligence team in the early 1990s, argues that hedge funds are overpriced, non-transparent, and provide poor returns over time.  During a talk at the CFA Institute’s annual conference in Seattle earlier this year he explained that hedge…
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