Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 10.03.2006 21:48:19 von Morgan

I'm looking to invest about 5% of my portfolio into Gold Funds and/or
Mining.

Has anyone any advice, warnings that I should know about? I've looked
at the prospectuses and everything, but I want to know if there is
particular catchs I should know of.

I was looking at these particular fellows:

Merrill Lynch IIF World Mining Fund returnof: 40.67% over three years

Merrill Lynch IIF World Gold Fund returnof: 24.68% over three years

Any experienced advice is welcome.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 10.03.2006 21:54:35 von Jun_Yu

You mean like 5% buy & hold? If that's what you mean, I have no
experience. No advice.


If you mean like trading 5%, we can talk! :-)

Pls specify.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 10.03.2006 21:59:21 von Morgan

Jun_Yu wrote:
> You mean like 5% buy & hold? If that's what you mean, I have no
> experience. No advice.
>
>
> If you mean like trading 5%, we can talk! :-)
>
> Pls specify.

Sorry, I mean buy & hold for 1-3 years.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 11.03.2006 00:15:26 von Herb

"Morgan" <> wrote in message
news:
> I'm looking to invest about 5% of my portfolio into Gold Funds and/or
> Mining.
>
> Has anyone any advice, warnings that I should know about? I've looked
> at the prospectuses and everything, but I want to know if there is
> particular catchs I should know of.
>
> I was looking at these particular fellows:
>
> Merrill Lynch IIF World Mining Fund returnof: 40.67% over three years
>
> Merrill Lynch IIF World Gold Fund returnof: 24.68% over three years
>
> Any experienced advice is welcome.

Morgan:

Although I personally think any well diversifed portfolio should include
gold and 5% seems reasonable enough, I can't help but wonder if you are
chasing past returns (never a good idea). My gold fund (Fidelity Select
Gold) is always either among my best performers or my worst. Lately, it has
done very well, indeed. Over time, maintaining about a 6% to 8% allocation
has caused me to put a lot of money in during bad times and take it out
again (at higher NAVs) during good times. As a long-term, buy & hold then
reallocate investment, it has done very well by me.

However, gold has been on a bull tear for quite some time and prices are at
or near historic highs. You will find all sorts of opinions about what
happens going forward from sell short to $2000/oz. predicitons. It's
anyone's guess who is right. I would just be wary of buying at the top and
I would not expect the past few years' gains (though I won't refuse them
either).

If you have made a reasoned decision to include gold in your diversification
strategy, you might consider wading in gradually rather than making any
dramatic moves. Of course, I could be wrong and this could be the buying
opportunity of a lifetime.

-herb

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 11.03.2006 00:37:45 von Ed

"Herb" <> wrote

> Morgan:
>
> Although I personally think any well diversifed portfolio should include
> gold

Why?

> and 5% seems reasonable enough

Why?

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 11.03.2006 10:56:21 von MATTY

only advise i will offer you is remenber gold stocks arent exactley
like owning gold.gold stocks are still stocks first, with all the
issues that effect stocks.profitability,tax issues,strikes,political
un-rest,labor cost etc...they are a play on gold 2nd...the day the
stock market crashed gold stocks plunged while gold was up....in this
months money magazine (march) my wife and i are featured in the
portfolio makover column.they wanted to see if their team of pro's
could better what my wife and i did on our own.only suggestion they had
was to split our gold hedge between the pimco commoditie fund and a
precious metals stock fund..we did just that and over the last few
weeks you can see we had days pimco was up as its a pure commodities
play vs our fidelity select gold fund which was down.also the reverse
was true

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 11.03.2006 16:17:18 von sdlitvin

Morgan wrote:
> I'm looking to invest about 5% of my portfolio into Gold Funds and/or
> Mining.
>
> Has anyone any advice, warnings that I should know about?

Yep.
you're too late.

The best time to have invested in gold funds was several years ago, back
when almost nobody else was interested. That's when I did it.

The Fed is now raising interest rates to head off inflation. We're
already into an inverted yield curve.

Even Japan has abandoned its easy money policy now.

Gold may continue to some more before rising interest rates choke off
the gold bull market once and for all. But the risk of buying and
holding a gold fund for up to 3 years is a lot higher now than it was 4
years ago.

At this time, money market funds are the Next Big Thing as interest
rates continue to rise.


--
Steven D. Litvintchouk
Email:

Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 11.03.2006 16:25:57 von sdlitvin

Herb wrote:
> "Morgan" <> wrote in message
> news:
>> I'm looking to invest about 5% of my portfolio into Gold Funds and/or
>> Mining.
>>
>> Has anyone any advice, warnings that I should know about? I've looked
>> at the prospectuses and everything, but I want to know if there is
>> particular catchs I should know of.
>>
>> I was looking at these particular fellows:
>>
>> Merrill Lynch IIF World Mining Fund returnof: 40.67% over three years
>>
>> Merrill Lynch IIF World Gold Fund returnof: 24.68% over three years
>>
>> Any experienced advice is welcome.
>
> Morgan:
>
> Although I personally think any well diversifed portfolio should include
> gold and 5% seems reasonable enough, I can't help but wonder if you are
> chasing past returns (never a good idea).

I agree with this 100%.

And while this may sound brutal, Morgan's post is yet another example of
my famous "Newbie Posters Sentiment Index": When we start getting
newbie posters here, asking about investing in an asset they know
nothing about except that it's been rising steadily for a few years, we
know that the bull market in that asset is coming to an end. Why?
Because now that market will depend on attracting not savvy investors,
but newbies and speculators to keep bidding up the asset's price. And
that can't be sustained indefinitely.

In the past, that has been true with newbie posters asking about
high-tech funds in 1999-2000; asking about bond funds in 2003; asking
about energy funds and REIT funds in 2005; etc. When newbies get
interested in an asset, that's when we should bail out of it!


--
Steven D. Litvintchouk
Email:

Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 11.03.2006 16:31:02 von Jun_Yu

>> We're already into an inverted yield curve.

Yes. This might become big problem.

Yield curve can even go in negative!

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 11.03.2006 20:40:16 von Morgan

Steven L. wrote:
> Herb wrote:
> > "Morgan" <> wrote in message
> > news:
> >> I'm looking to invest about 5% of my portfolio into Gold Funds and/or
> >> Mining.
> >>
> >> Has anyone any advice, warnings that I should know about? I've looked
> >> at the prospectuses and everything, but I want to know if there is
> >> particular catchs I should know of.
> >>
> >> I was looking at these particular fellows:
> >>
> >> Merrill Lynch IIF World Mining Fund returnof: 40.67% over three years
> >>
> >> Merrill Lynch IIF World Gold Fund returnof: 24.68% over three years
> >>
> >> Any experienced advice is welcome.
> >
> > Morgan:
> >
> > Although I personally think any well diversifed portfolio should include
> > gold and 5% seems reasonable enough, I can't help but wonder if you are
> > chasing past returns (never a good idea).
>
> I agree with this 100%.
>
> And while this may sound brutal, Morgan's post is yet another example of
> my famous "Newbie Posters Sentiment Index":

Brutal Advice?Nah. Getting my money sucked into a vaccum, now that
would be brutal!

>When we start getting
> newbie posters here, asking about investing in an asset they know
> nothing about except that it's been rising steadily for a few years, we
> know that the bull market in that asset is coming to an end. Why?
> Because now that market will depend on attracting not savvy investors,
> but newbies and speculators to keep bidding up the asset's price. And
> that can't be sustained indefinitely.
> In the past, that has been true with newbie posters asking about
> high-tech funds in 1999-2000; asking about bond funds in 2003; asking
> about energy funds and REIT funds in 2005; etc. When newbies get
> interested in an asset, that's when we should bail out of it.

Its true, I'm a newbie :-)

Obviously you have to have gone around the block several times in order
to garner any sort of investment prowess. As Arnie said "I'll be back".

Thanks to everyones input on this subject, it seems I was getting hyped
via the media into this. Note to self: Don't chase past returns.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 11.03.2006 22:28:59 von Herb

"Steven L." <> wrote in message
news:9_BQf.2522$
> Herb wrote:
> > "Morgan" <> wrote in message
> > news:
> >> I'm looking to invest about 5% of my portfolio into Gold Funds and/or
> >> Mining.
> >>
> >> Has anyone any advice, warnings that I should know about? I've looked
> >> at the prospectuses and everything, but I want to know if there is
> >> particular catchs I should know of.
> >>
> >> I was looking at these particular fellows:
> >>
> >> Merrill Lynch IIF World Mining Fund returnof: 40.67% over three years
> >>
> >> Merrill Lynch IIF World Gold Fund returnof: 24.68% over three years
> >>
> >> Any experienced advice is welcome.
> >
> > Morgan:
> >
> > Although I personally think any well diversifed portfolio should include
> > gold and 5% seems reasonable enough, I can't help but wonder if you are
> > chasing past returns (never a good idea).
>
> I agree with this 100%.
>
> And while this may sound brutal, Morgan's post is yet another example of
> my famous "Newbie Posters Sentiment Index": When we start getting
> newbie posters here, asking about investing in an asset they know
> nothing about except that it's been rising steadily for a few years, we
> know that the bull market in that asset is coming to an end. Why?
> Because now that market will depend on attracting not savvy investors,
> but newbies and speculators to keep bidding up the asset's price. And
> that can't be sustained indefinitely.
>
> In the past, that has been true with newbie posters asking about
> high-tech funds in 1999-2000; asking about bond funds in 2003; asking
> about energy funds and REIT funds in 2005; etc. When newbies get
> interested in an asset, that's when we should bail out of it!

Shouldn't we wait for the newbie rally to crest? ;-)

-herb

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 00:36:51 von Ed

"Steven L." <> wrote
>
When newbies get
> interested in an asset, that's when we should bail out of it!
>
>
> --
> Steven D. Litvintchouk
> Email:
>
> Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.

Yes Mr. FSDCX we should.
What an idiot.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 00:41:02 von Ed

"Herb" <> wrote

>
> "Steven L." <> wrote


When newbies get
>> interested in an asset, that's when we should bail out of it!
>
> Shouldn't we wait for the newbie rally to crest? ;-)

Yes Mr. FSDCX we should.
What an idiot.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 00:41:49 von Ed

Misplaced, Steven, please ignore. It was meant fot Herb.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 02:39:19 von rono

Hi Morgan,

Geez, you ask a simple question and . . .

Ok. 3-5% of your permanent asset allocation in a PRECIOUS METALS fund
is a wise and prudent idea. I say precious metals, rather than gold
because you want the fund to include silver, platinum, etc. rather than
a pure play gold fund. When the great bull market of the late 70's
hit, gold doubled to ~850, but silver went up 10 fold to ~50. You want
to cover the squares.

I would not buy an ML fund because of the load. Period. You can do
much better with a noload fund.

My favorites are Vanguard Mining and Precious Metals VGPMX, Tocqueville
Gold (actually precious metals) TGLDX and US Global Worldwide PM's
UNWPX.

These are not listed by performance, but by their conservative bent
with Vanguard being the most so and USGlobal the most aggessive. I'll
let you run the numbers on their performance, but the bottom line is
that they ROCK.

Disclosure: wifey owns VGPMX in her rollover IRA from which she's
taking early distributions in the form of SEPP payments; TGLDX we own
in our taxable account and UNWPX I own tax -deferred. Note that I also
own about a dozen individual mining stocks, mostly silver and we own
some bullion in the form of american silver eagles, silver ingots and
rounds, and gold eagles. And I've collected coins for 50 years.

best,

rono

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 12:51:52 von Morgan

rono wrote:
> Hi Morgan,
>
> Geez, you ask a simple question and . . .
>
> Ok. 3-5% of your permanent asset allocation in a PRECIOUS METALS fund
> is a wise and prudent idea. I say precious metals, rather than gold
> because you want the fund to include silver, platinum, etc. rather than
> a pure play gold fund. When the great bull market of the late 70's
> hit, gold doubled to ~850, but silver went up 10 fold to ~50. You want
> to cover the squares.

That's why I was previously thinking the ML mining Fund style of thing
as it had more steady progress. The Gold part of the fund is 11.5%,
fund also covers base metals as well as precious so it should be more
stable. Although I'm also interested in European property funds as
well. Choices... I'll have to think about this all some more. (and buy
more investment books)

> I would not buy an ML fund because of the load. Period. You can do
> much better with a noload fund.

Ok, I'm opening an internaxx account soon, and they should have more
flexible a fund buying scheme than my bank. Likely I'll find no-load
funds there, I find that here in Ireland the brokers don't seem to
understand the word "no-load". How curious... ;-)

> My favorites are Vanguard Mining and Precious Metals VGPMX, Tocqueville
> Gold (actually precious metals) TGLDX and US Global Worldwide PM's
> UNWPX.
>
> These are not listed by performance, but by their conservative bent
> with Vanguard being the most so and USGlobal the most aggessive. I'll
> let you run the numbers on their performance, but the bottom line is
> that they ROCK.
>
> Disclosure: wifey owns VGPMX in her rollover IRA from which she's
> taking early distributions in the form of SEPP payments; TGLDX we own
> in our taxable account and UNWPX I own tax -deferred. Note that I also
> own about a dozen individual mining stocks, mostly silver and we own
> some bullion in the form of american silver eagles, silver ingots and
> rounds, and gold eagles. And I've collected coins for 50 years.

I'm enamoured by krugerrands myself (perhaps overly). They make for
very cool presents. Once I've some spare cash next to my investment, I
intend to buy me a couple.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 18:34:32 von sdlitvin

Ed wrote:
> "Steven L." <> wrote
> When newbies get
>> interested in an asset, that's when we should bail out of it!
>>
>>
>> --
>> Steven D. Litvintchouk
>> Email:
>>
>> Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.
>
> Yes Mr. FSDCX we should.

What the fuck are you talking about??? I never invested in that, not
even during the height of the 1990's bull market.

> What an idiot.

Thanks, I'm always glad to be appreciated.


--
Steven D. Litvintchouk
Email:

Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 18:41:34 von sdlitvin

Herb wrote:
> "Steven L." <> wrote in message
> news:9_BQf.2522$
>> Herb wrote:
>>> "Morgan" <> wrote in message
>>> news:
>>>> I'm looking to invest about 5% of my portfolio into Gold Funds and/or
>>>> Mining.
>>>>
>>>> Has anyone any advice, warnings that I should know about? I've looked
>>>> at the prospectuses and everything, but I want to know if there is
>>>> particular catchs I should know of.
>>>>
>>>> I was looking at these particular fellows:
>>>>
>>>> Merrill Lynch IIF World Mining Fund returnof: 40.67% over three years
>>>>
>>>> Merrill Lynch IIF World Gold Fund returnof: 24.68% over three years
>>>>
>>>> Any experienced advice is welcome.
>>> Morgan:
>>>
>>> Although I personally think any well diversifed portfolio should include
>>> gold and 5% seems reasonable enough, I can't help but wonder if you are
>>> chasing past returns (never a good idea).
>> I agree with this 100%.
>>
>> And while this may sound brutal, Morgan's post is yet another example of
>> my famous "Newbie Posters Sentiment Index": When we start getting
>> newbie posters here, asking about investing in an asset they know
>> nothing about except that it's been rising steadily for a few years, we
>> know that the bull market in that asset is coming to an end. Why?
>> Because now that market will depend on attracting not savvy investors,
>> but newbies and speculators to keep bidding up the asset's price. And
>> that can't be sustained indefinitely.
>>
>> In the past, that has been true with newbie posters asking about
>> high-tech funds in 1999-2000; asking about bond funds in 2003; asking
>> about energy funds and REIT funds in 2005; etc. When newbies get
>> interested in an asset, that's when we should bail out of it!
>
> Shouldn't we wait for the newbie rally to crest? ;-)

But seriously, Herb, I'm a very conservative investor (maybe I'm too
conservative sometimes).

I can't ever predict the exact month and year when a market will
"crest"--and with all due respect, Herb, I doubt you can do that either.

But I know what *RISK* feels like. And when I see newbies piling into
an "investment" just because they want to get "a piece of the action," I
get nervous. I got the same queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach
about dot.com stocks with no earnings in the late 1990's that I always
get with chain letters and MLM schemes. And yes, I missed out on those
last couple of years of the bull market. But I don't regret it.

Because after all, isn't a bull market in the terminal stage of mania a
lot like a pyramid scheme? Everybody is jumping in, hoping that lots
more people will jump in after them and bid up the shares they just
bought. That starts to sound awfully like a pyramid scheme. And
pyramid schemes always end badly.


--
Steven D. Litvintchouk
Email:

Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 18:47:37 von Gary C

"Steven L." <> wrote in message
news:IYYQf.4098$
>>
>> Yes Mr. FSDCX we should.
>
> What the fuck are you talking about??? I never invested in that, not even
> during the height of the 1990's bull market.
>
>> What an idiot.
>
> Thanks, I'm always glad to be appreciated.
>

Steven, look a little FURTHER in the thread. Ed typed a retraction.
Simple mistake and Ed apologized.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 19:00:05 von Flasherly

rono wrote:
> I would not buy an ML fund because of the load. Period. You can do
> much better with a noload fund.
>
> My favorites are Vanguard Mining and Precious Metals VGPMX, Tocqueville
> Gold (actually precious metals) TGLDX and US Global Worldwide PM's
> UNWPX.
>
> These are not listed by performance, but by their conservative bent
> with Vanguard being the most so and USGlobal the most aggessive.

Tack on 1%+ER for midsx. They're all aggressive, relatively, over a
comparative alpha quotient when stepping back thru timeframes.

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 19:16:50 von Herb

"Steven L." <> wrote in message
news:i3ZQf.4103$
> Herb wrote:
> > "Steven L." <> wrote in message
> > news:9_BQf.2522$
> >> Herb wrote:

{snip}


> > Shouldn't we wait for the newbie rally to crest? ;-)
>
> But seriously, Herb, I'm a very conservative investor (maybe I'm too
> conservative sometimes).
>
> I can't ever predict the exact month and year when a market will
> "crest"--and with all due respect, Herb, I doubt you can do that either.
>
> But I know what *RISK* feels like. And when I see newbies piling into
> an "investment" just because they want to get "a piece of the action," I
> get nervous. I got the same queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach
> about dot.com stocks with no earnings in the late 1990's that I always
> get with chain letters and MLM schemes. And yes, I missed out on those
> last couple of years of the bull market. But I don't regret it.
>
> Because after all, isn't a bull market in the terminal stage of mania a
> lot like a pyramid scheme? Everybody is jumping in, hoping that lots
> more people will jump in after them and bid up the shares they just
> bought. That starts to sound awfully like a pyramid scheme. And
> pyramid schemes always end badly.

Stephen:

I certainly agree that none of us can predict anything.

I think you raise an interesting point in that fools often rush in after an
asset class has already appreciated but fools rushing in does not, itself,
indicate an impending fall.

I think you could make the argument that all stock investment is, at least,
somewhat like a pyramid scheme. We like to multiply a stock's price by the
number of shares outstanding and say this is the value that the market
assigns to that company, but we do so knowing that this value can only be
maintained as long as more people want to buy the stock than sell it.

-herb

Re: Anyone here with Gold Funds experience?

am 12.03.2006 19:42:00 von Ed

"Steven L." <> wrote

> Ed wrote:
>> "Steven L." <> wrote
>> When newbies get
>>> interested in an asset, that's when we should bail out of it!
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Steven D. Litvintchouk
>>> Email:
>>>
>>> Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.
>>
>> Yes Mr. FSDCX we should.
>
> What the fuck are you talking about??? I never invested in that, not even
> during the height of the 1990's bull market.
>
>> What an idiot.
>
> Thanks, I'm always glad to be appreciated.

Steven, I hope you saw my other post. I must say that I think that is the
first time I've ever seen you use foul language. Nice to see you loosening
up.