Episode Details

This Week on The Art of Investing, Rich McDonald returns from holiday to find oil at $126 a barrel and markets at all-time highs. The team try to make sense of it - rate cut expectations have collapsed, geopolitical risk has intensified, and yet the S&P 500 and Nasdaq keep climbing. Mark "Spice" Holden and Chris "CJ" Fellingham join Rich to dig into why US markets are defying every macro headwind, what it means for a portfolio that had a tough week, and whether now is the time to act or sit on their hands.

The episode also covers a deep dive into UK gilt fair value, the Bank of England rate decision, the rise of algorithmic trading and its impact on price discovery, and a listener Q&A on stop losses and what the team have genuinely learned since launching the podcast.

This Week's Highlights:

🛢️ Oil at $126 — Markets Shrug

Brent crude up nearly 20% in eight days on Straits of Hormuz fears, yet the S&P and Nasdaq hit all-time highs.

💻 Magnificent Seven Earnings Crunch

Four Mag Seven reports in two minutes - Alphabet surged, Meta fell, and the Nasdaq pushed higher.

🔧 Chip Stocks Explode

Qualcomm up 16%, Intel up 100% since April - AI chip demand is the trade of the moment.

🇬🇧 UK Gilts & the "Moron Premium"

CJ breaks down gilt fair value and why 5.75% yields may still not be cheap enough to buy.

🤖 Machines Are Winning

Algorithmic momentum trading is moving markets beyond rational levels and crowding out human investors.

Portfolio Snapshot - Week 37

No changes were made to the portfolio this week.

Weekly performance: –2.1%

Total return since inception: +16.9%

Top Performers:

🥇 iShares S&P 500 GBP Hedged ETF: +0.1%

🥈 Cash: +0.1%

Underperformers:

📉 VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators ETF: –9.5%

📉 BlackRock World Mining Trust PLC: –8.7%

📉 WisdomTree Copper ETF: –3.6%

Portfolio Positioning:

A tough week, with the oil price rise hitting commodities and oil-importing markets the hardest. The team agreed not to act while market direction remains unclear - CJ's view: when you're not seeing it well, making decisions is a recipe for mistakes. Watch and wait.

 • US equities and AI beneficiaries remain core - justified by 13%+ earnings growth for six consecutive quarters

 • UK and European exposure under review - the DAX would be first to go if forced to cut

 • A move into long gilts is being considered if 30-year yields push above 6%

 • Commodities suffering from oil rotation - mining and copper the biggest portfolio drags this week

📈 Download the full Portfolio Performance Slides

View the portfolio breakdown: here

📧 Get in touch: theartofinvesting@ig.com

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Disclaimer

This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only. The content presented is not intended as personal investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any particular securities or investments. All discussions regarding the model portfolio are illustrative and for educational purposes.

Your capital is at risk. The value of shares, ETFs and ETCs can fall as well as rise, which could mean getting back less than you originally put in.

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