Mutual funds that register with the Securities and Exchange Commission as “diversified” cannot put more than 25 per cent of their assets into large holdings — with a large holding defined as a stock that represented more than 5 per cent of the fund’s portfolio at the time of investment.
At the end of May, Fidelity’s US$108-billion Contrafund, for example, could not buy any more shares in Meta Platforms Inc., Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Microsoft and Amazon.com Inc., because they made up a combined 32 per cent of its portfolio. The SEC said in 2019 that it would not enforce the more stringent 25 per cent limit on passive investment funds that breach the guidelines while tracking an index, but the restrictions make it harder for active managers to make bets.
“I personally think valuations have gotten way ahead of themselves … suppose you think Apple and Microsoft’s future prospects are stupendous?”Article content