Alternate LMBF methods

[Cactus]

Here are the returns through May:

[TABLE="width: 650"]
[TR="bgcolor: #87CEFA"]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]G
[/TD]
[TD]F
[/TD]
[TD]C
[/TD]
[TD]S
[/TD]
[TD]I
[/TD]
[TD]LMBF-1
[/TD]
[TD]C>S
[/TD]
[TD]CI>S
[/TD]
[TD]SIM
[/TD]
[TD]G>F
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Jan
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]2.13%
[/TD]
[TD](2.99%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.19%
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Feb
[/TD]
[TD]0.13%
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD]5.75%
[/TD]
[TD]6.05%
[/TD]
[TD]5.97%
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Mar
[/TD]
[TD]0.16%
[/TD]
[TD]0.47%
[/TD]
[TD](1.57%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD](1.43%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Apr
[/TD]
[TD]0.15%
[/TD]
[TD](0.28%)
[/TD]
[TD]0.96%
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD]4.11%
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]May
[/TD]
[TD]0.17%
[/TD]
[TD](0.26%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.29%
[/TD]
[TD]1.84%
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.84%
[/TD]
[TD](0.26%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #9AFF9A"]
[TD]YTD
[/TD]
[TD]0.79%
[/TD]
[TD]1.13%
[/TD]
[TD]3.26%
[/TD]
[TD]5.71%
[/TD]
[TD]9.59%
[/TD]
[TD](3.41%)
[/TD]
[TD](3.41%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.22%)
[/TD]
[TD](3.26%)
[/TD]
[TD](3.41%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
CI>S really differentiated itself form the pack this month, but none of our methods are doing that well this year. They are all negative while all the TSP Funds are positive. Here's looking up at the G Fund for ya. :suspicious:

 

[Cactus]

We will have to wait until tonight to get the final figures, but it looks like after the carnage in the market today the G Fund is the only fund showing green for the month of June. Even the rally in the F Fund wouldn't be enough to get it out of the red. That being the case, the following IFTs take place before noon tomorrow, 6/30/2015:

• LMBF-1 Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• SIM Remains in the F Fund til November
• C>S Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• CI>S Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• G>F Changes from the S Fund to the F Fund

And to think that Friday the S Fund was still in the lead. What a difference a day makes.

 

[Cactus]

Here is the monthly return as of 6/29/15:
[TABLE="width: 450"]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFEC8B"]
[TD]Date
[/TD]
[TD]G Fund
[/TD]
[TD]F Fund
[/TD]
[TD]C Fund
[/TD]
[TD]S Fund
[/TD]
[TD]I Fund
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #9AFF9A"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFEC8B"]29-June-15
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #9ACD32"]0.16%
[/TD]
[TD](1.11%)
[/TD]
[TD](2.20%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.22%)
[/TD]
[TD](2.13%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
The G Fund is indeed the winner.

 

[Cactus]

Here are the returns for the first half of the year:
[TABLE="width: 650"]
[TR="bgcolor: #87CEFA"]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]G
[/TD]
[TD]F
[/TD]
[TD]C
[/TD]
[TD]S
[/TD]
[TD]I
[/TD]
[TD]LMBF-1
[/TD]
[TD]C>S
[/TD]
[TD]CI>S
[/TD]
[TD]SIM
[/TD]
[TD]G>F
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Jan
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]2.13%
[/TD]
[TD](2.99%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.19%
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Feb
[/TD]
[TD]0.13%
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD]5.75%
[/TD]
[TD]6.05%
[/TD]
[TD]5.97%
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Mar
[/TD]
[TD]0.16%
[/TD]
[TD]0.47%
[/TD]
[TD](1.57%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD](1.43%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Apr
[/TD]
[TD]0.15%
[/TD]
[TD](0.28%)
[/TD]
[TD]0.96%
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD]4.11%
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]May
[/TD]
[TD]0.17%
[/TD]
[TD](0.26%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.29%
[/TD]
[TD]1.84%
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.84%
[/TD]
[TD](0.26%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]May
[/TD]
[TD]0.17%
[/TD]
[TD](1.07%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.93%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](2.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.07%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #9AFF9A"]
[TD]YTD
[/TD]
[TD]0.96%
[/TD]
[TD]0.05%
[/TD]
[TD]1.26%
[/TD]
[TD]4.96%
[/TD]
[TD]6.52%
[/TD]
[TD](4.10%)
[/TD]
[TD](4.10%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.92%)
[/TD]
[TD](4.29%)
[/TD]
[TD](4.10%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
What a horrible month! The G Fund was the only positive one of the month. Well at least our five TSP funds are positive for the year. That's more than I can say for our LMBF-1 methods. They're still all negative for the year and the year is half over. The best one of the lot is CI>S which is only losing half that of the others. There seams to be something to avoiding the I Fund. SIM is the worst of the lot so far. So much for Sell In May. Most of that is due to the poor showing of the F Fund in June. It is barely positive for the year.

Well, we shouldn't see much improvement next month since most of these systems are in the G Fund for July. G>F is in F so it will differentiate itself from the pack whatever happens.

 

[Cactus]

We will have to wait until tonight to get the final figures, but it looks like the C Fund is the winner for July. That being the case, the following IFTs take place before noon tomorrow, 7/31/2015:

• LMBF-1 Changes from the G Fund to the C Fund
• SIM Remains in the F Fund til November
• C>S Changes from the G Fund to the S Fund
• CI>S Changes from the G Fund to the S Fund
• G>F Changes from the F Fund to the C Fund

 

[Cactus]

Here is the monthly return as of 7/30/15:
[TABLE="width: 450"]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFEC8B"]
[TD]Date
[/TD]
[TD]G Fund
[/TD]
[TD]F Fund
[/TD]
[TD]C Fund
[/TD]
[TD]S Fund
[/TD]
[TD]I Fund
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #9AFF9A"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFEC8B"]30-July-15
[/TD]
[TD]0.19%
[/TD]
[TD]0.45%
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #9ACD32"]2.33%
[/TD]
[TD](0.43%)
[/TD]
[TD]0.95%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
The C Fund is indeed the winner for July.

 

[Cactus]

Here are the monthly returns as of 8/28/2015.

[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: left"] Date [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] G FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] F FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] C FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] S FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] I FUND [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: left"] 28-Aug-2015 [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CC00, align: right"]0.16%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (0.05%)
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (5.24%) [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (5.23%) [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (6.77%) [/TD]

The best fund is G so the following IFTs take place before noon eastern Monday, 8/31/2015:

• LMBF-1 Changes from the C Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 SIM Remains in the F Fund till November
• LMBF-1 C>S Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 CI>S Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 G>F Changes from the C Fund to the F Fund

 

[Cactus]

We will have to wait until tonight to get the final figures, but it looks like the F Fund is the winner for September. That being the case, the following IFTs take place before noon tomorrow, 9/30/2015:

• LMBF-1 Changes from the G Fund to the F Fund
• SIM Remains in the F Fund til November
• C>S Changes from the G Fund to the F Fund
• CI>S Changes from the G Fund to the F Fund
• G>F Remains in the F Fund

Congratulations to G>F! That has paid off for it again. That's the 2nd time this year. The previous month was July.

 

[Cactus]

Here is the monthly return as of 9/30/15:

[TABLE="width: 450"]
[TR="bgcolor: #FFEC8B"]
[TD]Date
[/TD]
[TD]G Fund
[/TD]
[TD]F Fund
[/TD]
[TD]C Fund
[/TD]
[TD]S Fund
[/TD]
[TD]I Fund
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #9AFF9A"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFEC8B"]30-Sep-15
[/TD]
[TD]0.17%
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #9ACD32"]0.72%
[/TD]
[TD](4.30%)
[/TD]
[TD](6.35%)
[/TD]
[TD](7.03%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
The F Fund is indeed the winner for September.

 

[Cactus]

Here are the returns through the 3rd Quarter of the year:
[TABLE="width: 650"]
[TR="bgcolor: #87CEFA"]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]G
[/TD]
[TD]F
[/TD]
[TD]C
[/TD]
[TD]S
[/TD]
[TD]I
[/TD]
[TD]LMBF-1
[/TD]
[TD]C>S
[/TD]
[TD]CI>S
[/TD]
[TD]SIM
[/TD]
[TD]G>F
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Jan
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]2.13%
[/TD]
[TD](2.99%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.19%
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Feb
[/TD]
[TD]0.13%
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD]5.75%
[/TD]
[TD]6.05%
[/TD]
[TD]5.97%
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Mar
[/TD]
[TD]0.16%
[/TD]
[TD]0.47%
[/TD]
[TD](1.57%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD](1.43%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Apr
[/TD]
[TD]0.15%
[/TD]
[TD](0.28%)
[/TD]
[TD]0.96%
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD]4.11%
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]May
[/TD]
[TD]0.17%
[/TD]
[TD](0.26%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.29%
[/TD]
[TD]1.84%
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.84%
[/TD]
[TD](0.26%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Jun
[/TD]
[TD]0.17%
[/TD]
[TD](1.07%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.93%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](2.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.07%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Jul
[/TD]
[TD]0.19%
[/TD]
[TD]0.74%
[/TD]
[TD]2.10%
[/TD]
[TD](0.12%)
[/TD]
[TD]2.08%
[/TD]
[TD]0.19%
[/TD]
[TD]0.19%
[/TD]
[TD]0.19%
[/TD]
[TD]0.74%
[/TD]
[TD]0.74%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Aug
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD](0.11%)
[/TD]
[TD](6.03%)
[/TD]
[TD](5.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](7.36%)
[/TD]
[TD](6.03%)
[/TD]
[TD](5.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](5.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.11%)
[/TD]
[TD](6.03%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Sep
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]0.75%
[/TD]
[TD](2.47%)
[/TD]
[TD](4.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](5.02%)
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]0.75%
[/TD]
[TD]0.75%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #9AFF9A"]
[TD]YTD
[/TD]
[TD]1.51%
[/TD]
[TD]1.44%
[/TD]
[TD](5.24%)
[/TD]
[TD](5.98%)
[/TD]
[TD](4.33%)
[/TD]
[TD](9.55%)
[/TD]
[TD](9.32%)
[/TD]
[TD](7.27%)
[/TD]
[TD](2.96%)
[/TD]
[TD](8.53%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
It was another horrible month for equities. It's time for a bounce here, wouldn't you say?

So, is anyone sill following these methods? Looking at the YTD things haven't gotten any better. There's still a lot of red in there.

What can we say? Our methods didn't lose anything this month because none of them were in equities. C>S still does better than LMBF-1 and CI>S still does better than both of them. But that doesn't buy you anything because they are all worse than our equity funds. This is not a buy-N-hold year but you would still do better to B&H than follow these methods. What do you think?

On the positive side, SIM is doing better then the other methods and all 3 equity funds. But why stop there? If you had B&H F Fund all year you would be doing even better and be positive to boot. This is just not the year for our methods. But I said that last year as well; and the year before that was disappointing too. It does look like another case of a system falling apart as soon as I analyze it. Does that mean it's time for it to turn around? I don't know. All I see is we are on course to having our worst year ever.

One more positive note is G>F. For the second time this year it parted company with LMBF-1 and on both occasions it profited from that course of action. By itself G>F isn't doing that great this year, but it still remains a viable option for a jump to safety move in some other system if you have one.

 

[Cactus]

Sorry, these are late. I got busy and totally spaced it out. The best you can do now is get in Monday before noon. That will be going back to LMBF instead of LMBF-1.

Here are the monthly returns as of 10/29/2015.

[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: left"] Date [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] G FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] F FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] C FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] S FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] I FUND [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: left"] 29-Oct-2015 [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"]0.16%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (0.10%)
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CC00, align: right"]8.97%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"]5.75%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"]7.06%[/TD]

The best fund is C so the following IFTs take place before noon eastern Friday, 10/30/2015:

• LMBF-1 Changes from the F Fund to the C Fund
• LMBF-1 SIM Changes from the F Fund to the C Fund
• LMBF-1 C>S Changes from the F Fund to the S Fund
• LMBF-1 CI>S Changes from the F Fund to the S Fund
• LMBF-1 G>F Changes from the F Fund to the C Fund

 

[Cactus]

Here are the monthly returns as of 11/27/2015.

[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: left"] Date [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] G FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] F FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] C FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] S FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] I FUND [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: left"] 27-Nov-2015 [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"]0.16%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (0.31%)
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"]0.77%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CC00, align: right"]2.18%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (0.57%) [/TD]

The best fund is S so the following IFTs take place before noon eastern Monday, 11/30/2015:

• LMBF-1 Changes from the C Fund to the S Fund
• LMBF-1 SIM Changes from the C Fund to the S Fund
• LMBF-1 C>S Remains in the S Fund
• LMBF-1 CI>S Remains in the S Fund
• LMBF-1 G>F Changes from the C Fund to the S Fund

 

[Cactus]

Here are the results through November:
[TABLE="width: 650"]
[TR="bgcolor: #87CEFA"]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]G
[/TD]
[TD]F
[/TD]
[TD]C
[/TD]
[TD]S
[/TD]
[TD]I
[/TD]
[TD]LMBF-1
[/TD]
[TD]C>S
[/TD]
[TD]CI>S
[/TD]
[TD]SIM
[/TD]
[TD]G>F
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Jan
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]2.13%
[/TD]
[TD](2.99%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.19%
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.85%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Feb
[/TD]
[TD]0.13%
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD]5.75%
[/TD]
[TD]6.05%
[/TD]
[TD]5.97%
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.91%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Mar
[/TD]
[TD]0.16%
[/TD]
[TD]0.47%
[/TD]
[TD](1.57%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD](1.43%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[TD]1.24%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Apr
[/TD]
[TD]0.15%
[/TD]
[TD](0.28%)
[/TD]
[TD]0.96%
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD]4.11%
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.50%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]May
[/TD]
[TD]0.17%
[/TD]
[TD](0.26%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.29%
[/TD]
[TD]1.84%
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD]1.84%
[/TD]
[TD](0.26%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.42%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Jun
[/TD]
[TD]0.17%
[/TD]
[TD](1.07%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.93%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](2.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.07%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.71%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Jul
[/TD]
[TD]0.19%
[/TD]
[TD]0.74%
[/TD]
[TD]2.10%
[/TD]
[TD](0.12%)
[/TD]
[TD]2.08%
[/TD]
[TD]0.19%
[/TD]
[TD]0.19%
[/TD]
[TD]0.19%
[/TD]
[TD]0.74%
[/TD]
[TD]0.74%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Aug
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD](0.11%)
[/TD]
[TD](6.03%)
[/TD]
[TD](5.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](7.36%)
[/TD]
[TD](6.03%)
[/TD]
[TD](5.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](5.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](0.11%)
[/TD]
[TD](6.03%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Sep
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]0.75%
[/TD]
[TD](2.47%)
[/TD]
[TD](4.80%)
[/TD]
[TD](5.02%)
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]0.18%
[/TD]
[TD]0.75%
[/TD]
[TD]0.75%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Oct
[/TD]
[TD]0.17%
[/TD]
[TD]0.02%
[/TD]
[TD]8.45%
[/TD]
[TD]5.61%
[/TD]
[TD]7.07%
[/TD]
[TD]0.02%
[/TD]
[TD]0.02%
[/TD]
[TD]0.02%
[/TD]
[TD]0.02%
[/TD]
[TD]0.02%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FF9A9A"]Nov
[/TD]
[TD]0.17%
[/TD]
[TD](0.24%)
[/TD]
[TD]0.31%
[/TD]
[TD]1.75%
[/TD]
[TD](0.86%)
[/TD]
[TD]0.31%
[/TD]
[TD]0.31%
[/TD]
[TD]1.75%
[/TD]
[TD]1.75%
[/TD]
[TD]0.31%
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #9AFF9A"]
[TD]YTD
[/TD]
[TD]1.86%
[/TD]
[TD]1.21%
[/TD]
[TD]3.08%
[/TD]
[TD]1.03%
[/TD]
[TD]1.55%
[/TD]
[TD](9.25%)
[/TD]
[TD](9.03%)
[/TD]
[TD](5.63%)
[/TD]
[TD](1.25%)
[/TD]
[TD](8.24%)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
They are not much to look at I'm afraid. You'd be better off in any of our TSP funds than following our methods. Looks like the SIM variant came through again against the other LMBF-1 methods. This looks like the worst year yet for our methods.

 

[Cactus]

Well it looks like the G Fund is the winner for December. The C Fund came close yesterday but just could not pull it off today. So that being the case the following IFT's for January will take place before noon eastern tomorrow, Dec 31, 2015.

• LMBF-1 Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 SIM Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 C>S Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 CI>S Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 G>F Changes from the S Fund to the F Fund

 

[userque]

Well it looks like the G Fund is the winner for December. The C Fund came close yesterday but just could not pull it off today. So that being the case the following IFT's for January will take place before noon eastern tomorrow, Dec 31, 2015.

• LMBF-1 Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 SIM Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 C>S Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 CI>S Changes from the S Fund to the G Fund
• LMBF-1 G>F Changes from the S Fund to the F Fund

I believe the markets are open tomorrow, 31 DEC 2015. ? :blink:

Or am I missing something.

 

[Cactus]

I believe the markets are open tomorrow, 31 DEC 2015. ? :blink:

Or am I missing something.

They better be or I messed up again. Even if they are only open half a day your TSP IFT should go through as long as you get it in on time.

Remember that the LMBF-1 methods choose their Best Fund on the penultimate trading day so you can get your IFT in by the end of the month. That is what the -1 means. We throw away the last day to enter the new month invested in the new fund. This was the initial difference between these methods and James' LMBF which entered after the first day of the month.

 

[userque]

They better be or I messed up again. Even if they are only open half a day your TSP IFT should go through as long as you get it in on time.

Remember that the LMBF-1 methods choose their Best Fund on the penultimate trading day so you can get your IFT in by the end of the month. That is what the -1 means. We throw away the last day to enter the new month invested in the new fund. This was the initial difference between these methods and James' LMBF which entered after the first day of the month.

Ahh, right. I remember now. Thanks.

I think it's a full day tomorrow.

 

[Cactus]

Here are the results through Dec 30, 2015.

[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: left"] Date [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] G FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] F FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] C FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] S FUND [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: center"] I FUND [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FFFF99, align: left"] 30-Dec-2015 [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CC00, align: right"]0.18%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (0.48%)
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (0.64%) [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (3.15%) [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (0.71%) [/TD]

Unfortunately the G Fund is indeed the winner.

 

[Cactus]

OK, 2015 is behind us, so here are the returns for the last year:

[TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]G[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]F[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]C[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]I[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]LMBF-1[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]C>S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]CI>S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]SIM[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #99CCFF, align: center"]G>F[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Jan[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.18%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.13%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (2.99%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.85%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.19% [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.85%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.85%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.85%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.85%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.85%) [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Feb[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.13%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.91%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.75%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]6.05%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.97%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.91%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.91%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.91%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.91%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.91%) [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Mar[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.16%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.47%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.57%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.24%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.43%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.24%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.24%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.24% [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.24%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.24%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Apr[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.15%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.28%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.96%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.50%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4.11%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.50%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.50%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.50%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.50%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.50%) [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]May[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.17%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.26%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.29%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.84%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.42%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.42%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.42%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.84%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.26%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.42%) [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Jun[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.17%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.07%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.93%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.71%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (2.80%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.71%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.71%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.71%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.07%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.71%) [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Jul[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.19%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.74%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.10% [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.12%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.08%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.19%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.19%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.19%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.74%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.74%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Aug[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.18% [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.11%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (6.03%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (5.80%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (7.36%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (6.03%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (5.80%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (5.80%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.11%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (6.03%) [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Sep[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.18%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.75% [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (2.47%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (4.80%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (5.02%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.18%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.18%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.18%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.75%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.75%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Oct[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.17%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.02%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8.45%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.61%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7.07%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.02%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.02%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.02%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.02%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.02%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Nov[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.17%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.24%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.31%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.75%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.86%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.31%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.75%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.75%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.31%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.31%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #FF99CC, align: left"]Dec[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.18%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.30%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.57%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (3.91%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (2.03%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (3.91%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (3.91%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (3.91%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (3.91%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (3.91%) [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: left"]YTD[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"]2.04%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"]0.91%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"]1.46%[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (2.92%)
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (0.51%) [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (12.80%) [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (11.33%) [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (9.32%) [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (6.45%) [/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCFFCC, align: right"] (11.82%) [/TD]

Ouch, that is ugly. There is a lot of red in that there chart.

 

[Cactus]

Ok, for you people who like numbers, here are the last 3, 5, & 10 year stats for our returns.

[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: left"]3 Year (2013 - 15)[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]G[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]F[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]C[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]I[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]LMBF-1[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]C>S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]CI>S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]SIM[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]G>F[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Mean[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.08%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.00%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]15.90%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]14.41%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.45%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.02%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.37%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.04%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3.27%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.06%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Standard Deviation[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.17%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3.50%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12.74%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]17.48%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11.95%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.29%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.14%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13.28%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8.53%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.21%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Annualized Return[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.08%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.94%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]15.20%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13.13%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4.80%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.55%)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.85%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4.22%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.92%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (0.45%)
[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Total Return[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]6.37%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.95%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]52.90%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]44.79%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]15.10%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (4.58%) [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.58%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13.19%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9.01%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"] (1.36%) [/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: left"]5 Year (2011 - 15)[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]G[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]F[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]C[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]I[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]LMBF-1[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]C>S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]CI>S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]SIM[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]G>F[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Mean[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.03%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3.64%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13.17%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11.68%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4.63%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.85% [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8.31%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.29%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8.63%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]6.98%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Standard Deviation[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.34%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3.56%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11.31%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]15.58%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13.39%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12.51% [/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13.21%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12.79%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9.38%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12.24%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Annualized Return[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.03%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3.58%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12.63%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.65%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3.78%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.09%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7.50%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9.52%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8.21%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]6.26%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Total Return[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.58%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]19.21%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]81.22%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]65.87%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20.41%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]28.19%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]43.59%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]57.60%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]48.37%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]35.48%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: left"]10 Year (2006 - 15)[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]G[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]F[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]C[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]I[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]LMBF-1[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]C>S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]CI>S[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]SIM[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #969696, align: center"]G>F[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Mean[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.95%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4.78%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9.20%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.48%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5.65%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8.28%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11.19%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]12.36%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.85%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]9.09%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Standard Deviation[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1.14%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.84%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]18.03%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]21.42%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]20.67%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11.94%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13.43%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]14.14%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.10%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11.70%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Annualized Return[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2.94%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4.74%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7.36%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8.03%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3.20%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7.59%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.34%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11.47%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10.39%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]8.43%[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #C0C0C0, align: left"]Total Return[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]33.65%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]58.95%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]103.39%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]116.57%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]36.96%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]107.81%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]167.50%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]196.07%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]168.75%[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]124.63%[/TD]

This doesn't look good folks. These methods were supposed to help us in down years but this year they were far worse. They were even worse than they were in 2008. What do you think? Is anyone still interested in these?