What is your favorite International ETF or Mutual Fund?

panda, methinks you're getting a bit too cute with your investment portfolios. based on everything you've ever posted here it sounds like you're trying to arbitrage everything. a home in georgia, maybe one in irvine, some commercial properties, maybe some traditional etfs in your 401k, some on the side in asian currencies, some in gold, what about arbing your portfolio returns vs your mortgage, etc. it's way too much.



if i had to make a bet on the outcomes, i'd guess half the investments work out and the other half don't. and you end up with returns no better or worse than if you just did nothing. that's not a knock against you but the reality for even the best fund mgrs in the world. sustained outperformance are rare exceptions, across a variety of investment classes and over a long period of time. the truth is most active investors -- whether private investors or professional managers -- make their fortunes off hitting one big a home run in their career... once. that's it. even supposed gurus like peter lynch and bill miller made their reputations off early success which they haven't been able to replicate. james paulson, george soros, even jim simons of renaissance technologies.



not investment will pan out. too few and you expose yourself to risk. to many, and well you're really no better off than passive investing. more likely than not, if you think you've got a mind-blowing money in the bank investment, that's going to be your one shot in your investment lifetime -- better be sure you've done your homework. that means not wasting your time on the other 100 ideas floating around in panda's brain. don't spread yourself out too thin. awgee is going to make his fortune off gold. that's his belief and no one here has probably studied that one investment more than him. whether you agree or not, if you want to hit a home run, you need to have a particular conviction in something the way he has and be willing to bet the farm. otherwise just accept the mkt returns.



not a big fan of motley fool but liked this one article. its easier said than done, of course.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/07/18/the-hunt-for-the-next-10-bagger.aspx
 
I also like FXI although I am still waiting to purchase some. I never thought of EWC before, but I will definitely consider adding it to my portfolio. I just picked up some FCTFX which are CA municipal bonds as part of my bond portfolio. Federal and CA tax free! Other funds that I am considering picking up (have not yet or have a small amount of) are AGG, QQQQ, SPY, ILF (Latin America), EFA (Europe). I also have some small picks in AAPL and GOOG along with a decent size chunk in CDs and cash.
 
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[quote author="biscuitninja" date=1219712610]Awgee,

Yep I've been a Brk.B fan for a while now. Admitted I don't purchase very many shares, just a few a year, but they have been a very steady performer for me since 2000.



Nice thread.

-bix</blockquote>
I like Brk.B as well; however, I'm nervous that the stock will plummet if and when something happens to Warren Buffet. Even though he has brilliant portfolio managers, people still buy the stock for Warren Buffet.
 
I am waiting for Buffet to croak before I go back into BRK.B. That should be the best opporunity to buy his basket of premium companies as a discount.
 
[quote author="CapitalismWorks" date=1219790775]I am waiting for Buffet to croak before I go back into BRK.B. That should be the best opporunity to buy his basket of premium companies as a discount.</blockquote>
Totally agree.
 
If you're going to go the mutual fund route, BRK.B would get my vote. Yes it's not a mutual fund, but the end result is virtually the same, and the management fees? Zero, and you get what some consider would be the best money manager available.
 
[quote author="PANDA" date=1219402499]I know that the international equities have been taking a beating lately, but the valuations are starting to look more and more attractive these days, especially Asia. Just like Irvine Real Estate, you've got quality products at discounted prices.



The Asian economies have all the ingredients of fertile investment soil: high growth rates, low taxes, a pro-business regulatory environment, a high savings rate, and educated populance, and a huge appetitite for consumption that will soon surpass the U.S. I believe that Asia will talk off in the years ahead, leaving the U.S. stock market in the dust.



Here are some of my favorite mutual funds:

Matthews Asian Tiger - used to be closed to new investors, but recently reopened.

T.Rowe Price New Asia

Matthews China

Matthews India

Janus Overseas

Dodge and Cox International Stock



Here are some of my favorite international ETFs

IFN - India Fund

FXI - China ETF

EEM - Emerging Markets

GRR - Asian Tigers



In North America, I like Canada (ETF symbol: EWC), which, suprisingly, now has one of the best positioned economies in the world. Canada happens to be part of the natural resource block, which includes Australia and New Zealand and, to a lesser extent, South Africa and the Scandinavian countries, like Norway. Canadian Oil Stocks, in my opinion are also a great play as they consistently pay high dividends.



These are my favorite Asian equities i like to invest in order:



1. Hong Kong

2. Singapore

3. Japan

4. S. Korea

5. Taiwan

6. China

7. India



Asians equities have been seriously beaten down, which is why you want to buy them while they are cheap. Panda loves 40% off sales.



So when is the 40% off SALE EVENT happening at Villa Rosa in Woodbury????



Panda</blockquote>


I dunno about a 40% off SALE EVENT in Irvine, but the funds Panda picked are on sale for more than 40% off. Here are the charts for his wonderful ideas with the red line being the S&P 500 to compare it too.



http://xs233.xs.to/xs233/08455/pandawifn816.jpg



http://xs233.xs.to/xs233/08455/pandawfxi405.jpg



http://xs233.xs.to/xs233/08455/pandaweem871.jpg



http://xs233.xs.to/xs233/08455/pandawgrr872.jpg



I don't need to look at his fund picks, as I am sure they are just as bad, if not worse.



Even his Canadian ETF, in which he proclaimed has such a better economy that US.



http://xs233.xs.to/xs233/08455/pandawewc533.jpg



Now, lets take a look at his currency picks. In bold is how much the dollar is UP or if negative DOWN compared to the currency YTD as of today's WSJ.



[quote author="PANDA" date=1219442549]Also, I would like to add that these are the Asian currencies i like to hold over the EURO and USD long term. My preference for the Asian currencies are in the following order.



1. Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY <strong>-6.6%</strong>

2. Singapore Dollar SGD <strong>4.2%</strong>

3. Japanese Yen JPY <strong>-12.3%</strong>

4. Taiwan New Dollar TWD <strong>1.2%</strong>

5. Hong Kong Dollar HKD <strong>-0.6%</strong>

6. Korean Won KRW <strong>42.3%</strong>

7. Indian Rupee INR <strong>20.9%</strong>

8. Malaysian Ringgit MYR <strong>7.2%</strong>

9. Indonesian Rupiah IDR <strong>16.0%</strong>

10. Thailand Baht THB <strong>16.4%</strong>

11. Philippines Peso PHP <strong>17.5%</strong>



Panda</blockquote>


Now, aside from the Yen carry trade unwind, and the currencies that peg themselves to the dollar, that is some serious whackage. If you converted those currencies back to dollars to buy gold, would you be able to buy more or less gold?



Actually, here is a chart of the dollar index DXY vs. gold GLD. It looks like if you invested in DXY back then, then you could buy a lot more gold today!



http://xs233.xs.to/xs233/08455/pandawdxy707.jpg



Of course Panda will whine that I am picking on him, but as I have said before, I am trying to make sure IHBers do not make the same mistakes as Panda. I have tried to get him to listen, IR has tried to get him to listen, but instead he just wants to believe the dollar is trash, even after we both said to not bet against the dollar. I think the more appropriate term should be don't bet against IR and Graph, because they seem to have a pretty good track record when it comes to assets.
 
Cherry pick 7 years back instead of 3 months, it looks a little different.



Equities have now confirmed the trends of 1973/1974 as repeating IMO. Look at DIG in the past few weeks, or exxon - even with this week's pullback, they're still way up. So, IMO, a dangerous time to think the greenback is all that... the dollar rally in 1974 ended ugly very soon after that, with commodities not just going back to the '68-'72 double, but quintupling, and never really looking back.
 
Graph, Graph, Graph, Graph... Panda shaking is head.....



You are like comparing someone who bought a house in Turtle Rock in 1994 to someone who bought a house in Woodbury in 2006.
 
[quote author="PANDA" date=1226151027]Graph, Graph, Graph, Graph... Panda shaking is head.....



You are like comparing someone who bought a house in Turtle Rock in 1994 to someone who bought a house in Woodbury in 2006.</blockquote>


Really? Will you please, the not but six months a ago asking IHBers how to invest, now all of sudden and uber wise Panda please explain his great wisdom? Because seeing as how you didn't live in Irvine in 1994 or 2006, and how all of your investment ideas have tanked harder and faster than I ever imagined, I'd really like to know what brilliant idea you have now, so I can go against it. Like I did with the puts on FXI and the double short Euro ETN DRR. Panda, unlike you, I like to make money, not lose it. You unfortunately have a losing record. So you think you will have better returns than me if you wait until 2020 (the same time period of 94-06), than me by then while I continue to make multiple short term returns?



You're a smart guy Panda, I'm just trying help you and everyone else not lose money, and making them smarter in the long run.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1226155193][quote author="PANDA" date=1226151027]Graph, Graph, Graph, Graph... Panda shaking is head.....



You are like comparing someone who bought a house in Turtle Rock in 1994 to someone who bought a house in Woodbury in 2006.</blockquote>


Really? Will you please, the not but six months a ago asking IHBers how to invest, now all of sudden and uber wise Panda please explain his great wisdom? Because seeing as how you didn't live in Irvine in 1994 or 2006, and how all of your investment ideas have tanked harder and faster than I ever imagined, I'd really like to know what brilliant idea you have now, so I can go against it. Like I did with the puts on FXI and the double short Euro ETN DRR. Panda, unlike you, I like to make money, not lose it. You unfortunately have a losing record. So you think you will have better returns than me if you wait until 2020 (the same time period of 94-06), than me by then while I continue to make multiple short term returns?



You're a smart guy Panda, I'm just trying help you and everyone else not lose money, and making them smarter in the long run.</blockquote>


Graph, I guess if you want to make some serious money, why don't you do exactly the opposite of the Panda... I will tell you what i am doing.... I've been holding Swiss Francs, Japanese Yen, Euro, Canadian, mostly physical precious metals, and some GLD, GTU, and CEF shares. Currently, holding about 5% in the U.S. Dollar. Yup, I just got rid of it all in the past couple of weeks.



So why don't make some Serious Money by banking 95% of all your money in the U.S. dollar. You can have it sit in Country Wide Bank Savings Link paying you interest rate less than inflation. Graph, I truly wish you the best of luck! You mentioned in your prior post don?t bet against IR and Graph. If you bet against Awgee, you are going to be one sorry dude. His safety life boat is already sailing 500 feet away from the Titanic Ship that is sinking fast. Did i tell you that Obama and Washington is going to totally fix all of our problems? That's what you believe right?
 
[quote author="PANDA" date=1226157880]Graph, I guess if you want to make some serious money, why don't you do exactly the opposite of the Panda... I will tell you what i am doing.... I've been holding Swiss Francs, Japanese Yen, Euro, Canadian, mostly physical precious metals, and some GLD, GTU, and CEF shares. Currently, holding about 5% in the U.S. Dollar. Yup, I just got rid of it all in the past couple of weeks.



So why don't make some Serious Money by banking 95% of all your money in the U.S. dollar. You can have it sit in Country Wide Bank Savings Link paying you interest rate less than inflation. Graph, I truly wish you the best of luck! You mentioned in your prior post don?t bet against IR and Graph. If you bet against Awgee, you are going to be one sorry dude. His safety life boat is already sailing 500 feet away from the Titanic Ship that is sinking fast. Did i tell you that Obama and Washington is going to totally fix all of our problems? That's what you believe right?</blockquote>


Funny, you accuse me of having a time machine, and yet you seem to change your strategy from ridiculously risky to slightly conservative. Quick... go back and delete those posts that your say your investing in X but now are invested in Y. See... I didn't do that. You missed the thread, or didn't comprehend that I made a bad bet on Lehman being bailed out, but they didn't. At least I have the balls to show my failed trades, where you like to change with whatever goldbug newsletter you get. The reason why I wanted you to join the Panda challenge was to actually show people how bad your picks were vs. mine and many others. Unfortunately you somehow have the excuse of technical error that you can't join. Funny that, it seems everyone else was able to join including awgee.



Now, I have a tremendous amount of respect for awgee, and I would consider him a friend. Hell, I feel if I needed help for whatever reason, I could give him a call and he would be there. He truly is a great guy, and he has been spot on with so many investment choices. However, if you look at the Pandaless challenge, you would see that awgee had a good start but now is royally hurting. Much like you portfolio is, and what is cool is since you haven't edited your comment before me, then it is now on record, so I will come back to see how your picks haven't done. Granted, we haven't been doing much in the panda challenge, but here if you copied awgee's picks then this is what it would look like...



http://xs233.xs.to/xs233/08456/awgeeivp464.jpg



Now, here is what my portfolio looks like, and I have truly been half assing it. You should check out the trade history, the anti-panda trades worked out really well.



http://xs233.xs.to/xs233/08456/graphivp267.jpg



Last, but not least, show me, I double dare you, to show me where I posted Obama or our government is going to fix our problems. Where, please tell me where I posted that? You can't find it, because I never did. I will keep bringing your posts from the up dead, and showing you where you were dead wrong. At least I am not a sissy who has to edit my posts when I am wrong, unlike you, I have the balls to show where I have been wrong. Time to pony up Panda, unless you like taking a beating in your portfolio and in public with all your great picks. I got your time machine buddy, and I will keep digging up your horrible money losing picks.



BTW, how is all the saving/intervention going over there in China? Is the government going to save them too? Looks like they are not nearly as solid as you dreamed them to be.



<em>Please, everyone do your own research before investing. Graph is a nutter and his investments are crazy for any normal person. Anyone who follows Panda's advice might as well throw darts at the Wall St. Journal. So please, do your own in depth research before you invest, and for gawdsakes don't get pissed when you lose a bunch of money investing in something someone says on the intarwebs named Panda.</em>
 
Graph,



It seems that you need to prove to this virtual communiity that you are the better man. That you are right and I am wrong. To be honest with you, I can really care less. Even the Doom & Goom guys like Jim Rogers and Peter schiff never predicted that the dollar would rally as it has. I am sure that Peter Schiiff didn't know that the international and Emerging Markets would get damaged as much as it did going down 50 - 60%. I knew that the DOW would drop big time, but i had no idea that international equities will go down as much as it did. I was very lucky to sell out of my China and Emerging Market ETFs when i did back in 2007, and it was not by listening to Peter or Jim. I made that decision after sitting on a 13 hour flight back from Seoul, and a nice Asian gentleman sitting next me told me that there is a bubble in Chinese equities and to get out when you can. During my trip back to Hong Kong, my manufacturer was telling me the same thing. These two men are the ones who saved me at least a $100,000 - $150,00 in losses, not Peter Schiff. Graph, you may truly be the winner over me in 2008, but let me remind you that my portfolio was concentrated in overseas equities from 2002 - 2007, and i did not starting buying precious metals just recently. Though, I strongly believe in Jim and Peter's long term view of Commodities and Asia, in 2008... people who followed their advice are all under water this year.



Graph, it doesn't make a man who purchased a new Woodbury home in 2006 a loser. It is only when the home owners sells his house today at huge loss that makes him a loser today. If he holds his house until 2013 - 2015... He will be just fine, and eventually he will become a winner. Irvine has been and always will be a great product. I feel the same way about Commodities and International Equities for the long run, except they much, much more undervalued than buying a home in Irvine right now. In 2008, I have been buyer and have not sold one share or one ounce of anything in my portfolio.
 
ETFs are the best when used as a trading vehicle. The double short and long funds are the most productive. DXO and SMN have been very lucrative for me. I don't like to short commodities in the actual market...too much risk. These provide a vehicle with a decent amount of liquidity to trade short term moves in price.
 
"Graph, it doesn?t make a man who purchased a new Woodbury home in 2006 a loser"



Yes he is. I haven't sold my wamu stock yet, guess I'm not a loser either lol.
 
[quote author="PANDA" date=1226186666]Graph,



It seems that you need to prove to this virtual communiity that you are the better man. That you are right and I am wrong. To be honest with you, I can really care less. Even the Doom & Goom guys like Jim Rogers and Peter
 
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