Powerfund Portfolios Performance Review

Powerfund Portfolios Commentary

May 2016 Performance Review

June 2, 2016
Category: 
Powerfund Portfolios

The U.S. stock market is back to beating global markets. Riskier U.S. assets have been strongest lately and interest rates remain low. In this environment we've just got too much short and too much abroad to keep pace with the U.S. market. ...read the rest of this article»

Stock Funds1mo %
Gold Short (DZZ)12.59%
iShares Mortgage REIT (REM)4.17%
Artisan Global Equity (ARTHX)2.58%
[Benchmark] Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX)1.78%
Vanguard Utilities (VPU)1.63%
Homestead Value (HOVLX)1.27%
Vanguard Value (VTV)1.06%
Vanguard Telecom Services ETF (VOX)-0.16%
Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (VEA)-0.30%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Tax-Managed Intl Adm (VTMGX)-0.42%
Vanguard European ETF (VGK)-0.50%
ETRACS 1xMonthly Short Alerian MLP (MLPS)-1.88%
PowerShares DB Crude Oil Dble Short (DTO)-2.39%
iShares MSCI BRIC Index (BKF)-2.70%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Emerging Mkts Stock Idx (VEIEX)-3.40%
iShares MSCI Italy Capped (EWI)-4.41%
Proshares Ultrashort Russel2000 (TWM)-5.02%
Proshares Ultrashort NASDAQ Biotech (BIS)-10.12%
Bond Funds1mo %
Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury (EDV)1.02%
Artisan High Income Fund (ARTFX)0.99%
Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index ETF (BLV)0.06%
Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities (VMBS)0.03%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Total Bond Index (VBMFX)0.01%
SPDR Barclays Intl. Treasury (BWX)-2.69%

April 2016 Performance Review

May 4, 2016
Category: 
Powerfund Portfolios

The dramatic rebound seems to be running out of gas—or rather, oil. Recently, corporate earnings have been weak while stock prices have been strong. This can't continue for long. Either earnings will have to head back up or prices will have to head down—otherwise, we'll have late-1990s-style high P/E ratios, only without the expectation for high earnings growth. That's not going to happen. ...read the rest of this article»

Stock Funds1mo %
iShares MSCI Italy Capped (EWI)4.18%
Vanguard European ETF (VGK)2.76%
iShares MSCI BRIC Index (BKF)2.46%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Tax-Managed Intl Adm (VTMGX)2.43%
Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (VEA)2.31%
Homestead Value (HOVLX)2.19%
Artisan Global Equity (ARTHX)2.18%
iShares Mortgage REIT (REM)1.65%
Vanguard Value (VTV)1.52%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Emerging Mkts Stock Idx (VEIEX)0.78%
[Benchmark] Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX)0.37%
Vanguard Telecom Services ETF (VOX)-0.19%
Vanguard Utilities (VPU)-1.95%
Proshares Ultrashort Russel2000 (TWM)-4.00%
Proshares Ultrashort NASDAQ Biotech (BIS)-7.92%
ETRACS 1xMonthly Short Alerian MLP (MLPS)-12.10%
Gold Short (DZZ)-14.16%
PowerShares DB Crude Oil Dble Short (DTO)-30.58%
Bond Funds1mo %
Artisan High Income Fund (ARTFX)3.75%
SPDR Barclays Intl. Treasury (BWX)1.52%
Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index ETF (BLV)1.12%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Total Bond Index (VBMFX)0.38%
Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities (VMBS)0.25%
Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury (EDV)-1.10%

February 2016 Performance Review

March 2, 2016
Category: 
Powerfund Portfolios

The market slide turned around in mid-February but still left the S&P 500 down a fraction for the month. In the grand scheme of market slides, this is more of a snowslip than an avalanche — at least here in the U.S. Our stock market has largely avoided major drops since 2009, so this drop might seem a little more dramatic than it is. ...read the rest of this article»

Stock Funds1mo %
PowerShares DB Crude Oil Dble Short (DTO)9.26%
Proshares Ultrashort NASDAQ Biotech (BIS)7.16%
Vanguard Telecom Services ETF (VOX)3.97%
iShares Mortgage REIT (REM)2.54%
Vanguard Utilities (VPU)1.78%
Homestead Value (HOVLX)0.71%
Vanguard Value (VTV)0.10%
[Benchmark] Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX)-0.15%
ETRACS 1xMonthly Short Alerian MLP (MLPS)-0.62%
Proshares Ultrashort Russel2000 (TWM)-0.78%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Emerging Mkts Stock Idx (VEIEX)-0.87%
iShares MSCI BRIC Index (BKF)-1.80%
Artisan Global Equity (ARTHX)-2.93%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Tax-Managed Intl Adm (VTMGX)-2.96%
Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (VEA)-3.08%
Vanguard European ETF (VGK)-3.23%
iShares MSCI Italy Capped (EWI)-6.55%
Gold Short (DZZ)-21.82%
Bond Funds1mo %
Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury (EDV)4.07%
SPDR Barclays Intl. Treasury (BWX)3.30%
Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index ETF (BLV)2.11%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Total Bond Index (VBMFX)0.66%
Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities (VMBS)0.29%
Artisan High Income Fund (ARTFX)-0.95%

January 2016 Performance Review

February 2, 2016
Category: 
Powerfund Portfolios

In Wall Street lore, the January effect is the historical pattern where stocks do well in January relative to other months for dubious reasons that include year-end tax loss selling and reinvestment. The first few weeks of 2016 have turned out to be the worst start of any year on record. ...read the rest of this article»

Stock Funds1mo %
PowerShares DB Crude Oil Dble Short (DTO)25.50%
Vanguard Telecom Services ETF (VOX)1.23%
[Benchmark] Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX)-4.98%
Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (VEA)-5.53%
Vanguard European ETF (VGK)-5.55%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Tax-Managed Intl Adm (VTMGX)-5.75%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Emerging Mkts Stock Idx (VEIEX)-6.05%
Artisan Global Equity (ARTHX)-8.60%
iShares MSCI BRIC Index (BKF)-9.22%
Gold Short (DZZ)-10.60%
Bond Funds1mo %
Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury (EDV)8.43%
Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index ETF (BLV)2.34%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Total Bond Index (VBMFX)1.43%
Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities (VMBS)1.23%
SPDR Barclays Intl. Treasury (BWX)0.29%

December 2015 Performance Review

January 6, 2016
Category: 
Powerfund Portfolios

For the year, our Aggressive Portfolio managed a market-beating 3.06% return, while our Conservative Portfolio slid 1.36%, largely weighed down by bonds and ill-fated stock funds. There are over 1,000 unique fund of fund mutual funds (funds that own other funds to build a total portfolio like our model portfolio). Nobody that owned stock and bond funds was up more than 3.06% in 2015. ...read the rest of this article»

Stock Funds1mo %
PowerShares DB Crude Oil Dble Short (DTO)27.87%
Gold Short (DZZ)0.91%
Wasatch Frontier Emerg Sm Count (WAFMX)0.54%
PRIMECAP Odyssey Growth (POGRX)0.51%
Vanguard Telecom Services ETF (VOX)-0.38%
Artisan Global Equity (ARTHX)-1.05%
[Benchmark] Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX)-1.59%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Tax-Managed Intl Adm (VTMGX)-1.81%
Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (VEA)-2.15%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Emerging Mkts Stock Idx (VEIEX)-2.49%
Vanguard MegaCap Growth (MGK)-2.49%
Vanguard European ETF (VGK)-2.63%
iShares MSCI BRIC Index (BKF)-3.47%
Satuit Capital Micro Cap (SATMX)-5.14%
Wasatch Long/Short (FMLSX)-5.65%
Bond Funds1mo %
SPDR Barclays Intl. Treasury (BWX)1.18%
Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities (VMBS)0.11%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Total Bond Index (VBMFX)-0.38%
Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury (EDV)-0.75%
Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index ETF (BLV)-1.17%

November 2015 Performance Review

December 2, 2015
Category: 
Powerfund Portfolios

Shorting commodities is really what pushed the Aggressive portfolio above the market benchmarks in November, with our two holdings in this area generating double-digit returns. ...read the rest of this article»

Stock Funds1mo %
PowerShares DB Crude Oil Dble Short (DTO)23.60%
Gold Short (DZZ)13.57%
PRIMECAP Odyssey Growth (POGRX)1.62%
Wasatch Long/Short (FMLSX)1.07%
Satuit Capital Micro Cap (SATMX)0.65%
[Benchmark] Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX)0.29%
Vanguard MegaCap Growth (MGK)0.15%
Artisan Global Equity (ARTHX)-0.62%
Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (VEA)-0.76%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Tax-Managed Intl Adm (VTMGX)-0.90%
Vanguard Telecom Services ETF (VOX)-1.01%
Vanguard European ETF (VGK)-1.25%
iShares MSCI BRIC Index (BKF)-1.72%
Wasatch Frontier Emerg Sm Count (WAFMX)-2.87%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Emerging Mkts Stock Idx (VEIEX)-3.25%
Bond Funds1mo %
Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities (VMBS)-0.24%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Total Bond Index (VBMFX)-0.27%
Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index ETF (BLV)-0.85%
Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury (EDV)-1.43%
SPDR Barclays Intl. Treasury (BWX)-2.41%

October 2015 Performance Review

November 4, 2015
Category: 
Powerfund Portfolios

While we have stock funds that did well, with a large weight to bonds, shorts that lost money, and foreign funds that are still lagging the U.S. market, we'll have to settle for just so-so performance in October, relatively speaking. ...read the rest of this article»

Stock Funds1mo %
Vanguard MegaCap Growth (MGK)9.81%
Vanguard Telecom Services ETF (VOX)8.79%
[Benchmark] Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX)8.42%
PRIMECAP Odyssey Growth (POGRX)7.54%
Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (VEA)7.20%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Tax-Managed Intl Adm (VTMGX)6.82%
Vanguard European ETF (VGK)6.38%
Artisan Global Equity (ARTHX)5.98%
Wasatch Long/Short (FMLSX)5.91%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Emerging Mkts Stock Idx (VEIEX)5.57%
iShares MSCI BRIC Index (BKF)5.44%
Satuit Capital Micro Cap (SATMX)3.52%
Wasatch Frontier Emerg Sm Count (WAFMX)0.72%
PowerShares DB Crude Oil Dble Short (DTO)-1.94%
Gold Short (DZZ)-4.80%
Bond Funds1mo %
Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index ETF (BLV)0.68%
SPDR Barclays Intl. Treasury (BWX)0.42%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Total Bond Index (VBMFX)0.01%
Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities (VMBS)-0.01%
Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury (EDV)-0.40%

September 2015 Performance Review

October 4, 2015
Category: 
Powerfund Portfolios

The stock market continues down, but in September bonds did well again, notably longer-dated government and investment grade bonds. This bond boost, plus our short positions, kept us falling less than the market — even with many foreign funds underperforming the S&P 500. ...read the rest of this article»

Stock Funds1mo %
PowerShares DB Crude Oil Dble Short (DTO)13.97%
Gold Short (DZZ)3.44%
Wasatch Frontier Emerg Sm Count (WAFMX)-1.42%
[Benchmark] Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX)-2.49%
Vanguard MegaCap Growth (MGK)-2.73%
iShares MSCI BRIC Index (BKF)-2.74%
Vanguard Telecom Services ETF (VOX)-3.06%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Emerging Mkts Stock Idx (VEIEX)-3.25%
PRIMECAP Odyssey Growth (POGRX)-3.82%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Tax-Managed Intl Adm (VTMGX)-4.08%
Artisan Global Equity (ARTHX)-4.43%
Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (VEA)-4.50%
Vanguard European ETF (VGK)-4.56%
Wasatch Long/Short (FMLSX)-5.00%
Satuit Capital Micro Cap (SATMX)-5.19%
Bond Funds1mo %
Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury (EDV)2.20%
Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index ETF (BLV)1.02%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Total Bond Index (VBMFX)0.76%
Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities (VMBS)0.69%
SPDR Barclays Intl. Treasury (BWX)0.50%

August 2015 Performance Review

September 2, 2015
Category: 
Powerfund Portfolios

The Powerfund Portfolios are both ahead of the S&P so far in 2015 — down less than 1% in the Aggressive portfolio and less than 2% in the Moderate. ...read the rest of this article»

Stock Funds1mo %
Vanguard Telecom Services ETF (VOX)-3.13%
Wasatch Long/Short (FMLSX)-4.27%
Wasatch Frontier Emerg Sm Count (WAFMX)-4.75%
PowerShares DB Crude Oil Dble Short (DTO)-5.02%
Satuit Capital Micro Cap (SATMX)-5.81%
PRIMECAP Odyssey Growth (POGRX)-5.83%
[Benchmark] Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX)-6.04%
Vanguard MegaCap Growth (MGK)-6.53%
Artisan Global Equity (ARTHX)-7.01%
Vanguard European ETF (VGK)-7.02%
Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (VEA)-7.23%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Tax-Managed Intl Adm (VTMGX)-7.28%
Gold Short (DZZ)-7.42%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Emerging Mkts Stock Idx (VEIEX)-9.32%
iShares MSCI BRIC Index (BKF)-10.33%
Bond Funds1mo %
Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities (VMBS)-0.13%
SPDR Barclays Intl. Treasury (BWX)-0.19%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Total Bond Index (VBMFX)-0.36%
Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury (EDV)-0.79%
Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index ETF (BLV)-1.11%

July 2015 Performance Review

August 4, 2015
Category: 
Powerfund Portfolios

With interest rates heading back down and a global commodity slide intensifying, the Powerfund Portfolios are back to doing well relative to benchmarks. Our Aggressive portfolio matched the performance of the S&P 500 in July, even with the Aggressive port's 40% (roughly) bond allocation.  ...read the rest of this article»

Stock Funds1mo %
PowerShares DB Crude Oil Dble Short (DTO)43.06%
Gold Short (DZZ)13.61%
Vanguard European ETF (VGK)4.37%
Vanguard MegaCap Growth (MGK)3.50%
Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (VEA)2.79%
PRIMECAP Odyssey Growth (POGRX)2.17%
[Benchmark] Vanguard 500 Index (VFINX)2.08%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Tax-Managed Intl Adm (VTMGX)1.25%
Artisan Global Equity (ARTHX)0.62%
Vanguard Telecom Services ETF (VOX)-0.60%
Wasatch Frontier Emerg Sm Count (WAFMX)-1.01%
Wasatch Long/Short (FMLSX)-3.55%
Satuit Capital Micro Cap (SATMX)-4.08%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Emerging Mkts Stock Idx (VEIEX)-6.81%
iShares MSCI BRIC Index (BKF)-7.77%
Bond Funds1mo %
Vanguard Extended Duration Treasury (EDV)7.04%
Vanguard Long-Term Bond Index ETF (BLV)3.07%
Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities (VMBS)0.80%
[Benchmark] Vanguard Total Bond Index (VBMFX)0.76%
SPDR Barclays Intl. Treasury (BWX)-0.21%
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