The topic of the rise of exchange traded funds and the (relative) decline of open-end mutual funds is seemingly inescapable these days.
Jen Ryan at the Wall Street Journal reports that while open-end mutual funds have seen outflows, their ETF counterparts are seeing substantial inflows. One cautionary note is the strength of the inflows into international equity funds.
Roger Nusbaum in TheStreet.com with a levelheaded look at the ETF phenomenon. ETFs have become increasingly popular and have received significant asset inflows. However, Nusbaum rightly points out that âETFs are not a panacea.â? There are other investment options available, after some study, which might better suit an investorâs particular needs. One troubling trend is the âall ETFâ? portfolio that guides investors into ETFs without a full accounting of other available options. The article is a good cold bucket of water for everyone out there with ETF fever.
Josh Friedman at the Los Angeles Times on the somewhat surprising decision of the board of the Clipper Fund (CFIMX) to hire an unaffiliated advisor to manage the fund. Another surprise is the expected decrease in management fees. Kunal Kapoor at Morningstar.com weighs in (positively) on the selection of Davis Selected Advisors.
Speaking of mutual funds, Fortune and the Wall Street Journal are reporting on the potential for a buyout of Janus Capital Group (JNS). With the assistance of private equity groups, the management of Janus has been studying the potential for a transaction. For investors, the question is whether a private Janus will do a better job of managing their money than a public Janus?
Jonathan Burton at Marketwatch.com notes in a longer investigative piece that the SEC is investigating Value Lineâs trading policies in regards to the use of its proprietary ranking system. No word on what effect this might have on the current and planned funds using the Value Line system to guide trading decisions.
