Analysis: Apple’s swoon exposes risk lurking in mutual funds

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The nearly 28 percent decline in shares of Apple Inc since mid-September isn’t just painful to individual shareholders. It’s also being felt by investors who chased hot mutual funds that loaded up on Apple as the stock raced to a record $ 705 per share.

Apple makes up 10 percent or more of assets in 117 out of the 1,119 funds that own its shares, according to data from Lipper, a Thomson Reuters company. Those big stakes have contributed positively to each fund’s annual performance to date, with Apple still up about 32 percent for the year. It was trading at $ 527.73 soon after the opening on Friday.

But that year-to-date outcome may not accurately reflect the performance of the funds for individual investors. All told, approximately $ 4.5 billion has been added to funds with overweight stakes in Apple this year, according to Morningstar data. The majority of these dollars were invested after March and after Apple first exceeded $ 600 per share – meaning many investors have been riding down with the decline.

The $ 302 million Matthew 25 fund, for instance, holds 17.4 percent of its assets in Apple, according to Lipper. The fund’s 31.9 percent gain through Thursday makes it one of the top performing funds for the year.

Most of its Apple shares were bought years ago at a bargain basement price of about $ 125 per share. But $ 158.9 million of the fund’s assets – or 53 percent – were invested after the end of March, when Apple was trading near $ 615 per share, according to Morningstar data.

For those investors that bought after March, all that concentration in Apple hasn’t led to a stellar gain but rather a drag on the portfolio. Someone who invested in Matthew 25 in early April has seen the value of the fund’s Apple stake fall about 19 percent, while someone who invested at the beginning of September has watched that outsized Apple stake drop 27.2 percent.

In turn, the majority of the fund’s investors have reaped a much more modest performance than its year-end numbers suggest. Since the end of March, the fund has gained 6.7 percent, according to Morningstar data, far less than its 31 percent year-to-date gain and about two percentage points more than the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 index.

Since, September the fund is down nearly 3 percent through Thursday’s close, compared with a 1.1 percent decline in the S&P 500 in that period.

The impact of Apple’s falling stock price shows some of the drawbacks of portfolio concentration, experts say. These stakes can leave the funds overexposed to the ups and downs of one company – counter to what most mutual funds are supposed to do for investors.

“Any time you get over 10 percent of the portfolio in one company it’s a red flag,” said Michel Herbst, director of active fund research at Morningstar. Many fund managers do have risk management rules that prevent them from devoting more than 5 percent to 6 percent of their portfolio to any one stock, he said.

Then again, some funds purposely invest in just a few stocks. Mark Mulholland, the portfolio manager of the Matthew 25 fund, said that taking concentrated positions in companies is the only way to beat an index over longer periods of time.

‘RIGHT-SIZING’ PORTFOLIOS

Along with concerns about iPhone sales in China and tax-motivated selling among people who want to avoid potentially higher capital gains taxes in 2013, the wide fund ownership of Apple may be a factor in the size of the stock’s recent declines, fund managers said. In addition, with so many funds already heavily invested in the high-priced stock, there may be fewer marginal buyers available to push prices up again when shares begin to dip.

“The stock didn’t go from $ 700 to $ 520 because people didn’t like the new iPad. It’s become a favorite short of hedge funds because they know they can get in on this,” said Mark Spellman, a portfolio manager of the $ 300 million Value Line Income and Growth fund with a small position in Apple.

Short interest in the stock rose to 20.6 million shares at the end of November from 15.1 million shares at the end of September, according to Nasdaq.

“Some of my competitors have 12 percent of their assets in Apple, which I think is ludicrous”, said Spellman, who said the company is no longer trading on its fundamentals.

Sandy Villere, who has a 2.5 percent weighting of Apple in his $ 276 million Villere Balanced fund, said that some mutual fund managers are selling shares because of the over-weighting.

“Right now many people who did take huge overweight positions are right-sizing their portfolios to get it in line with their regular weightings,” he said.

Still, some bullish investors see the stock’s recent declines as a buying opportunity.

Mulholland, the Matthew 25 portfolio manager, continues to say that shares should be priced at over $ 1,000 per share based on his valuation of the company at 10 times enterprise value divided by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). Apple trades at about 7 times that figure now.

Wall Street analysts’ average price target as of Thursday is $ 742.56, according to Thomson Reuters data. But Mulholland is happy to be more bullish than his peers.

“I’m glad that I’m able to get it at these prices,” he said.

(Reporting By David Randall; Editing by Jennifer Merritt)

Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Buzzmakers: New X Factor and Miss Universe Winners

What had ET readers buzzing this week?

1. 'The X Factor' Crowns A Winner!

And the $5 million recording contract goes to…

Tate Stevens! The 37-year-old country crooner beat out runner-up 13-year-old Carly Rose Sonenclar for the top prize Thursday night. 35 million votes were cast Wednesday to determine victory for L.A. Reid's mentee.

Near tears, the Raymore, Missouri native thanked his fans for their overwhelming support.

"This is the best day of my life," said an emotional Stevens.

Girl group Fifth Harmony, mentored by Simon Cowell, placed third in the competition. Earlier in the night, the holiday themed finale saw performances by One Direction and Pitbull.

Auditions for an all-new season of The X Factor USA have already begun online. In-person auditions will start on March 6, 2013 in Los Angeles.

The celebrity judging panel has yet to be announced, but L.A. Reid has already taken himself out of the running. Spears has expressed interest in returning to the show for season three, but nothing has been confirmed.

2. Miss Universe 2012 Crowned

Beauties from 89 countries strutted their stuff Wednesday night in pursuit of the Miss Universe crown, but only one woman would earn the coveted title.

In the end a panel of ten celebrity judges, including Cee Lo Green and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, appointed Miss USA Olivia Culpo the winner.

The 20-year-old Rhode Island native beat out Miss Brazil (Gabriela Markus) Miss Philippines (Janine Tugonon), Miss Mexico (Irene Sofía Esser Quintero), and Miss Australia (Renae Ayris) for the distinction.

Culpo follows in the footsteps of Miss Angola, Leila Lopes, who earned the crown in 2011.

The two-hour show was broadcast live from Las Vegas with musical acts One Direction and Train lending their talents to the annual extravaganza.

3. Exclusive: Arsenio on His Late Night TV Return

Break out the Woof! Woof! fist pump: Arsenio Hall is coming back to late night TV in the Fall of 2013 after a 17-year break from the game, and only ET is behind the scenes with the timeless talk show host as he shoots his first-ever promo for The Arsenio Hall Show!

"[This is] the first time America will see anything on television about the show," says Arsenio. "Instead of a commercial where I do something like say, 'I'm baaaaack' -- and everybody's, 'Ugh' -- they've come up with a real, unique, creative angle that -- actually, I looked at dailies, and it scared me. I looked at the dailies and I frightened myself."

The trailer-length promo from CBS Television Distribution pays homage to horror movies and begins airing today on all Arsenio Hall Show affiliate stations, kicking off the campaign for the new late night syndicated talk show that will be seen all across the country next year.

"I'm real excited about this; so many things have changed in pop culture since I left the air," says Arsenio about his return to late night. "I can't wait."

The Arsenio Hall Show premieres on 9/9/13. Look for much more with Arsenio between now and then, only on ET!

4. Claire Danes Gives Birth

It's a boy!

Homeland star Claire Danes and her husband Hugh Dancy welcomed their very first child together on Monday, December 17, her rep confirms to People Magazine.

The proud parents named their bouncing baby boy Cyrus Michael Christopher Dancy.

Danes, 33, wed Dancy, 37, in 2009 after two years of dating.

5. President Obama is Time's Person of the Year

For 2012, Time Magazine has selected President Barack Obama as their Person of the Year.

"For finding and forging a new majority, for turning weakness into opportunity and for seeking, amid great adversity, to create a more perfect union, Barack Obama is Time's 2012 Person of the Year," Time's Managing Editor Richzard Stengel explained.

He also cited both of the president's re-elections, snagging over 50 percent of the popular vote, as one reason he received this honor.

This is the second year Time has tapped Obama as their Person of the Year -- he previously was selected in 2008 for becoming the first black president of the United States.

Time previously named the eight finalists for 2012's Person of the Year. They included: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Malala Yousafzai (the Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for her crusade for better girls' education), Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and the three scientists who discovered the Higgs Boson particle.

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Staten Island man killed in early-morning house fire

A Staten Island man was killed when an early-morning fire swept through his home, police and relatives said.

Jameek Champagne, 23, died in the third-floor attic of the home on Osgood Avenue in Clifton. His brother and grandfather escaped the blaze uninjured.

A neighbor reported the blaze after seeing flames erupt from the house at about 5:40 a.m. He banged on the door in a frantic effort to awaken its residents.

The fire was extinguished about an hour after it started, according to an FDNY spokesman. Fire marshals are investigating what caused it.

About ten cars full of grief-stricken relatives and friends came to the scene to mourn Champagne. His devastated girlfriend said that the two had a newborn girl and a 1-year-old boy.

G.N.Miller/New York Post

The Staten Island house after it was damaged by the fire

“We’re just trying to find out how this happened,” Champagne's uncle said, weeping.

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Time’s up for holiday shopping procrastinators

Last minute shoppers like Josette Tyne are in luck this year.

With a long weekend before Christmas, retailers want to make it easier for procrastinators to finish their gift buying. Macy’s for the first time is keeping all its stores open around the clock from Friday until Sunday at midnight. Toys “R” Us and Walmart Supercenters will be open non-stop until Christmas Eve.

Even those retailers skipping the all nighter still have added extended hours often as late as 11 pm or midnight. Coupled with a flurry of last minute promotions, they hope to lure shoppers, many of whom have been largely sitting on the sidelines since Black Friday.

Tyne, 33, just starting her shopping this week at Aventura Mall, armed with a list of about two dozen people and the presents they wanted. The list would have been longer if the Fort Lauderdale resident hadn’t limited it to the kids in her family.

“I’ll probably be shopping every day from now till Sunday,” said Tyne, as she wheeled the youngest of her three boys around H&M in a stroller before heading on to Game Stop, Urban Outfitters and BCBG. “Whatever catches my eye. Luckily the kids usually like everything I get. I’m the awesome Auntie.”

A Consumer Reports Poll released earlier this week found that with just five shopping days left until Christmas, a whopping 68 percent of shoppers — a projected 132 million Americans — have yet to finish their holiday shopping.

With an early Thanksgiving leaving an extra week until Christmas and a long weekend before Tuesday’s holiday, shoppers have felt little need to rush. They also haven’t found December deals to be quite as compelling as the November sales.

Based on disappointing sales trends earlier this month, ShopperTrak said Wednesday it was cutting its holiday sales forecast. The company, which counts foot traffic and its own proprietary sales numbers from 40,000 retail outlets across the country, now expects a 2.5 percent sales increase to $257.7 billion, down from the 3.3 percent growth it initially predicted. The National Retail Federation is sticking with its prediction of a 4.1 percent sales increase.

Online sales trends are more encouraging, up 13 percent to $35 billion from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16, according to comScore, an online research firm. But that pace is below the forecast of 17 percent for the season.

“It’s coming down to the wire,” said David Bassuk, managing director and co-head of the retail practice at AlixPartners, a global consulting firm. “It’s going to require retailers to be more aggressive with their promotions than they were hoping heading into the weekend.”

While the economy is certainly in a better position than it was during the recession, many consumers still feel uneasy this year about their financial future. Some are worried about the U.S. job market and others fear the stalemate between Congress and the White House over federal “fiscal cliff’’ that could lead to tax increases and less disposable income for shoppers.

That was the case for Latonya Jones, on the hunt for bargains at Aventura Mall, coupon-loaded iPad in hand.

“I wasn’t going to buy anything this year, because I wanted to save money,” said Jones, 39, of Miami Gardens, who was shopping with her daughter Richelle, 12, this week in Macy’s. “But then I changed my mind.”

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Stand Your Ground motion denied in Janepsy Carballo case

It will be up to a jury to decide if Janepsy Carballo was justified in the killing of the man she said killed her husband.

The Stand Your Ground motion filed by her defense was denied on Friday, based largely on Carballo’s inadvertent confession to a confidential informant who was wearing a police wire to investigate an unrelated drug charge at the pain management clinic where she worked.

Miami circuit court judge Beth Bloom said the tape of that conversation and the circumstances of the shooting “belied the claims” of forced entry and self-defense.

In 2008, Carballo shot Ilan Nissim six times in the back and arm one month after her husband and toddler son were shot in front of her house. Her son survived; her husband did not. Nissim was a suspect in the murder.

The controversial 2005 Stand Your Ground law eliminated a citizen’s duty to retreat when using lethal force to meet a threat of harm. The law also allowed judges greater leeway to dismiss a charge based on a self-defense claim.

The law came under scrutiny earlier this year when police initially declined to charge a self-proclaimed neighborhood watchman in the killing of Trayvon Martin in Sanford.

Carballo will go to trial in April facing murder charges.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

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The Words Exclusive DVD Bonus Features Clip

Bradley Cooper has built his career on playing men stuck between a rock and a hard place -- from The Hangover to Limitless, audiences simply adore watching the actor wriggle out of sticky situations.

RELATED - Bradley Cooper Talks The Words

The Words promises to elate his fans once again as Cooper plays Rory Jansen, a struggling writer who finally achieves literary success after publishing what is called The Next Great American Novel. The only catch? He didn't write it.

When the original author surfaces, Jansen is forced to confront his choices and decide whether it's more important to keep up the lie or come clean. Throughout it all, one person is by his side: Dora (played by Zoe Saldana). 

VIDEO - Zoe Saldana's Avatar Sequel update

ETonline is pleased to present an exclusive clip off the DVD, where Cooper and Saldana talk about this epic cinematic love story. 

The Words will be released on December 24, click here to pre-order.

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Gunman shoots 3 dead, wounds trooper before he is killed on rural Pennsylvania road

HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. — A shooting along a rural road Friday left four people dead, including the gunman, and three state troopers injured, authorities said.

The shooting scene "extended over several miles" in Frankstown Township, about 70 miles west of Harrisburg, Blair County District Attorney Rich Consiglio said.

The dead were three men and one woman, Consiglio said. It wasn't immediately clear who killed the gunman.

The victims' identities weren't immediately released.

Three state troopers were also injured during the melee.

One trooper was shot in his bulletproof vest and escaped serious injury, a state police spokesman said.

A second trooper was struck by broken glass when his vehicle was fired on, and a third trooper was in a crash involving the gunman, Consiglio said.

The public is not at risk, Consiglio said. Nearby schools weren't placed on lockdown, township supervisor Mark Schroyer said.

Today's deadly attack came on the same day that the National Rifle Association broke its silence on the Newtown massacre that left 20 children and six adults dead in Connecticut.

The gun-rights group called for an armed guard in every school, and blamed the Newtown school shooting on violent video games, movies and the media.

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After its sale to South Beach neighbors, Raleigh brand to grow

The Raleigh hotel, an Art Deco gem famous for its curlicue black-framed pool, has sold to new owners with plans to turn the hotel into a national brand.

But before Raleigh siblings pop up in locales around the country, new owners David Edelstein and Sam Nazarian will pour $2-$5 million into the 1940 property at 1775 Collins Ave.

They certainly have experience in that area. Edelstein developed and owns W South Beach, about four blocks north of the Raleigh. And Nazarian, who is based in Los Angeles, opened the SLS Hotel South Beach just south of the Raleigh on the same block earlier this year.

Brilla Group is the seller. The all-in price for the hotel, a parking lot nearby and the brand was $55 million, Edelstein said.

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Orange Bowl donates thousands of pairs of sneakers to kids in need

Playing youth sports requires having properly fitting shoes. The Orange Bowl organization recently distributed more than 2,300 pairs of new and used sneakers to disadvantaged children who want to participate in sports and exercise.

The shoes were collected through the “Kicks for Kids School Challenge” in Miami-Dade and Broward County Schools, and the top four collectors were each rewarded with a $2,500 grant from the Orange Bowl Committee.

The winning schools were North Dade Middle School, Eugenia B. Thomas K-8 Center, Sunset Lakes Elementary School and McArthur High School. North Dade Middle School students celebrated with a dance, and even Orange Bowl mascot “Obie” attended the “orange carpet” event. Students were admitted to the dance by donating a pair of athletic shoes to Kicks for Kids. For more visit www.community.orangebowl.org.

TOYS FOR SICK KIDS

Children in the hospital for the holidays were cheered by visits from veterans and volunteers with the Hearing Research Institute, who each year purchase gifts for hundreds of young patients at Miami Children’s Hospital and Holtz Children’s Hospital at Jackson Memorial. The giving tradition has continued for 25 years.

Some of the toys and stuffed animals donated were part of “Toys from Tots to Tots” at Temple Judea of Coral Gables. The sharing program was created by Dr. Robert Pickard, a South Miami ear, nose and throat specialist, and a retired Army colonel. Pickard is the medical director of the Hearing Research Institute.

“Healthy children from the school at Temple Judea donated a present meant for a sick child which became part of those gifts distributed by the veterans group,” he said. “This is a double blessing both for the healthy child who gives and the sick child who receives. Isn’t that what the Chanukah and Christmas season is all about?”

The various veterans groups that gave funds to buy the gifts included Lions Clubs, Anthony Abraham Enterprises, Viet Nam Veterans, Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA), Jewish War Veterans USA, the American Legion, and Korean War Veterans. Any extra toys were given to the Child Life departments at the hospitals for children who will be hospitalized over the holidays. The Fallen Police Officers Association and the Children’s Home Society also received extra toys.

Some of the volunteers who participated in the toy sharing included Pickard, his wife Susan and their daughter Beke Pickard, Remy Gordon, Roberto and Miriam Molledo, David Magidson, Luis LaLama and his daughter Susana, Wesley Mejia, Steve Jockers, Dan Fischer, Harris Hershkowitz, George Becker, Ike Heller, and Dana Rogozinski

NEW BIKES

Getting a new set of wheels is a dream come true at the holidays and the bicycle police officers with the city of Miami now get to live it. The city received 13 special new bikes from the Hampton Inn & Suites Miami Brickell-Downtown. The hotel underwrote the $8,500 purchase in support of the not-for-profit H.E.L.P. Fund (Help Equip Law-Enforcement Personnel).

Miami City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff and the hotel’s developer, Bernard Wolfson of Hospitality Operations Inc, recently presented the bicycles at a dedication ceremony.

“I started the H.E.L.P. Fund to give our police and fire-rescue personnel the tools necessary to make our streets safer and give the business community, specifically, a way to directly invest in the well-being of our citizens,” Sarnoff said in a release. He is also chairman of the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA).

“Introducing additional police protection on our Downtown Miami streets will enhance quality of life in our neighborhood, ensuring our guests from around the world enjoy a secure and positive experience,” Wolfson said. The donation nearly doubled the bike force that patrols the area.

Businesses and citizens can get involved by donating to the city of Miami’s H.E.L.P. Fund at www.miamifoundation.org.

TOY DRIVE

Santa Claus and other celebrities recently joined with helpers from the South Florida Council of Fire Fighters at the 22nd annual Amigos for Kids Holiday Toy Caravan. The group delivered joy and gifts at locations throughout South Florida and the event drew hundreds of volunteers.

The Amigos For Kids tradition, which began in 1991, helps make the holidays brighter for thousands of needy children each year. The Amigos effort is designed “to fulfill each child’s specific wishes from his/her very own wish list.” The gifts are purchased to fulfill at least two of each child’s requests.

Individual sponsors also participated in the toy drive that brings contributions from family members, co-workers, members of church congregations and other groups. A large number of corporate sponsors assist in the success of this respected toy drive. For more on how to get involved go to www.amigosforkids.org.

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Nintendo’s amazing triumph in Japan may doom the company internationally

According to Japanese gaming bible Famitsu, Nintendo (NTDOY) 3DS sold 333,000 units in the week ending December 16, while Sony’s (SNE) PS Vita limped along at 13,000 units, the new Wii U did an okay 130,000 units and the PlayStation 3 managed to sell 46,000 units.  The utter hardware domination of the 3DS is reshaping the Japanese software market. Franchises that were thought to be fading have been revitalized in their portable versions. The 3DS version of the ancient Animal Crossing series, famed for being the game where nothing happens, hit a staggering 1.7 million units last week in Japan. Inazuma Eleven sold 170,000 units in its launch week, up from 140,000 units its DS version managed in 2011.

[More from BGR: RIM, HTC and Nokia could all be headed the way of Palm]

Nintendo’s portable console 3DS had a muted start in its home market in the spring of 2011. Many thought that Sony would have a fair shot at competing with Nintendo once Playstation Vita launched at the end of 2011. But once Nintendo executed an aggressive price cut for 3DS in the summer of 2011 and then launched a large-screen version of the console in mid-2012, the gadget has grown into a Godzilla in Japan, demolishing both Sony Vita and aging tabletop console competition.

[More from BGR: BlackBerry 10 browser smokes iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 in comparison test [video]]

3DS is doing well also in America, where its lifetime sales are moving close to the 6 million unit mark this holiday season. According to NPD, the 3DS sales in the United States topped 500,000 units in November. That’s a decent number, though far from the torrid volume the portable is racking up in its home market. The U.S. November video game software chart was dominated by massive home console juggernauts: new installments of Call of Duty, Halo and Assassin’s Creed franchises shifted more than 13 million units in retail. At the same time, the Japanese software chart remains in a ’90s time warp, dominated by Nintendo’s musty masterpieces: Super Mario Brothers, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, etc.

Japanese and American tastes have always been different. But what we are witnessing now is a particularly fascinating divergence. American consumers are spending more of their time and money on smartphone and tablet games, while console game spending is increasingly focusing on massive, graphically stunning blockbuster titles on Xbox360 and PS3. The casual gamers are shifting to mobile games, while hardcore gamers remain attracted to sprawling epics on home consoles. The overall video game spending in America keeps declining month after month, as casual titles and mid-list games slide. But the Triple A whales like the Call of Duty series are doing better than ever.

In Japan, Nintendo has been able to battle back iPhone and Android game invasion with a nostalgic series of portable games that basically recycle the biggest hits of ’80s and early ’90s. Mario, Pokemons and other portable heroes are slowly losing their grip on U.S. and European consumers. But in Japan, some form of national nostalgia is keeping Nintendo on track.

The problem here is that the Japanese success of the 3DS may now be convincing Nintendo that it does not have to reconsider its business strategy. The smartphone and tablet game spending continues growing explosively across the world. Unlike console games, mobile game sales in China are legal. The global gaming spending is shifting towards new hardware platforms even as console mammoths like Halo still reign in America. At this critical juncture, Nintendo has managed to cocoon its home market in a web of nostalgia, turning the 3DS console and its Eighties left-over franchises into epic bestsellers yet again.

This means that there is no sense of urgency to push Nintendo into rethinking its long-term plans. The company may continue simply ignoring the smartphone and tablet challenge, designing new portable consoles and the 28th Mario game to support it. Twenty years ago, Japan’s insularity doomed its chances to succeed in the mobile phone business. And now the idiosyncratic nature of Japan may be leading its biggest entertainment industry success astray.

This article was originally published by BGR

Gaming News Headlines – Yahoo! News

Title Post: Nintendo’s amazing triumph in Japan may doom the company internationally
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