Boys Town

We have known some sharp cookies on Wall Street over the years...an inordinate number have been women.

Wall Street has long been just another Boys Town. But women continue to fight the good fight. Equal pay for equal work...and recognition for their accomplishments. Progress, however slow, is being made.

Some of Wall Street’s finest women work in media...and part of our obsession with Wall Street revolves around the Fox News Channel’s Saturday morning block of shows.

Every year “Cashin’ In”, hosted by Terry Keenan, and crew engage in a year long Cashin’ In challenge...a contest to pick a portfolio of mutual funds.

For the third year in a row Dagen McDowell won, once again beating Jonas Max Ferris, Jonathan Hoenig and Wayne Rogers. Dagen was the only panelist to beat the S&P 500 in the 2006 contest...her mutual fund picks gained 15.4%. The guys barely put up a fight.

_____Jonas_________Jonathan__________Wayne________
_____+7.0%__________+9.5%___________+4.8%________

Jonathan bill himself as the Capitalist Pig....but returns like that won’t sate the appetite of truffle hunters on the Street. Jonas is a mutual fund expert...at least in real life. On television he is a wannabe. And Wayne...poor Wayne...needs to be airlifted back to his M*A*S*H unit to stop the bleeding.

We are here to defend the honor of men. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

We are breaking out our alpha male mascot again...he is no pushover like the guys on Cashin’ In. He also has a huge, uh, fan base.

Dagen offered up four picks for the new year...all solid-citizens.

Vanguard Growth Index (VIGRX)

Artisan International (ARTIX)

T. Rowe Price Health Sciences (PRHSX)

Harbor Bond Fond (HRBDX)

Our mascot is no fan of John Bogle...he loves active managers who know where acorns are hidden. Squirrel’s love high wire acts too...fixed Income funds are too boring for Sciurus griseus.

We will counter Dagen’s index growth fund with an active manager who has an innate sense of timing...given that he Bailed out of Janus at the right time…

Marsico Focus (MFOCX)

Tom Marsico and his team are running ungodly amounts of money at his eponymously-named firm...they have witnessed truly staggering inflows. All the money that left Putnam and the other growth shops had to find a home.

His saga is one of the more compelling in fund-land...this is his moment to shine. He is flying the colors for Large-cap growth…

We don’t know if Tom Marsico will beat the S&P this year. But we do know that Tom walked away from his job at Janus to do things his way. No doubt many reader’s of underthercounter share the same dream. But he faces challenges building an organization that can handle the inflows...we will keep tabs on him to see how things are going.

There are other folks at his firm shooting the lights out...but we will go with Tom.  Just win, baby

Squirrels love Milwaukee and have no problem with Dagen’s friends at Artisan...but there are lots of acorns buried in Chicago too....

William Blair International Growth (WBIGX)

The squirrel is also nesting with a few proven small-cap managers:

Jennison Small Company (CHNDX)

and will see if Jenny Jones can continue to leave men in the dust…

Schroder U.S. Opportunities (SCUIX)

Numbers don’t lie...people do. These track records are some of the best in the business. Can they keep it going?

Dagen embarrassed those other guys three years in a row. Maybe the squirrel is next.

But for now its…

Game on

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The content contained represent the opinions of 1440 Wall Street. This commentary in no way constitutes a solicitation of business or investment advice. It is intended solely for the entertainment of the reader, and the author. No position in any mutual funds mentioned.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments:

<< Back to main