๐ฎ๐น The Art of Investing Heads to Rome
Rich is off to FX World in Rome, where he'll be joining panel discussions representing The Art of Investing. Wish him luck in the comments!
๐๏ธThe Long and Short ๐๏ธ
Can't wait until Friday? Rich McDonald and Piers Buckworth host
The Long and Short every single Wednesday - 45 minutes on single stocks and the tech sector.
๐ Download the full Portfolio Performance Slides
View the portfolio breakdown
here๐ง Get in touch: theartofinvesting@ig.com
๐ฑ Behind the scenes: @_theartofinvesting on TikTok
This week on The Art of Investing, the gents are suited and booted, just in time for the first big disappointment from a hyperscaler.
Rich McDonald, Mark 'Spice' Holden and Chris 'CJ' Fellingham unpack Google's cash burn, strong numbers from Microsoft and SK Hynix, and a market crash in Brazil.
Then CJ delivers his verdict on the "breathing room" Budget - 99 pages of changes for a net ยฃ7bn and 4p off gherkins - and what it means for gilts, banks and housebuilders.
And finally, the team pick apart the Fed's hawkish hold, ask whether the Fed put is back and weigh up a wave of AI-driven job cuts.
This Week's Highlights:
๐ Google Wobbles as the Hyperscalers Raise Billions
Google posts negative cash flow, while Meta, OpenAI and SpaceX raise vast sums of new capital.
๐ง๐ท Brazil's Market Crashes
The Bovespa falls 14% in a day after Lula is voted back in as president.
๐ฌ๐ง The "Breathing Room" Budget
CJ calls it the "rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic" Budget, and explains why gilt investors should take no comfort.
๐ฆ Banks, Housebuilders and Gambling
Spice runs through the Budget's winners and losers.
๐บ๐ธ The Fed's Hawkish Hold
Why the team still expect a US rate rise in December, and whether the Fed put is back.
๐ผ AI and the Jobs Cull
Microsoft, HSBC, Barclays and even the Dutch government announce major AI-driven job cuts.
Portfolio Snapshot โ Week 63:
๐ Weekly portfolio performance: +0.1%
๐ Total return since inception: +23.5%
๐
2026 year-to-date return: +10.9%
Top Performers:
๐ WisdomTree Copper ETF: +2.1%
๐ iShares Russell 2000 ETF: +1.5%
๐ Vanguard FTSE 250: +1.0%
Underperformers:
๐ iShares Physical Gold ETC: -1.8%
๐ iShares Core FTSE 100 ETF: -0.6%
๐ iShares Nikkei 225 ETF: -0.2%
Portfolio Changes:
No portfolio changes this week.
After two weeks of repositioning, the team are happy to wait until after the US midterms before making their next move.
Big Questions This Week:
- Are the cracks starting to show in the hyperscalers?
- Did the Budget do enough to calm the gilt market?
- Why is the government selling fewer long-dated gilts?
- Is the Fed put back?
- Will AI job cuts keep interest rates lower than expected?
What You'll Learn:
โ๏ธ What a Budget scorecard reveals
โ๏ธ How gilt issuance can affect mortgage rates
โ๏ธ What a "hawkish hold" means
โ๏ธ What the Fed put is and why it matters
โ๏ธ How equity dilution affects shareholders
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.
What is The Art of Investing?
Looking to turn Market Chaos into Investing Clarity?
Welcome to The Art of Investing - a brand new podcast that transforms market noise into clear investing strategies. Brought to you by IG, global investing platform, FTSE 250 and over 50 years in the markets.
This isn't your typical finance show.
Whether you're taking your first steps into the investment world or you're a seasoned investor looking to sharpen your edge, you've found your new secret weapon.
Every Friday, join hosts Rich McDonald, Mark Holden & Chris Fellingham โ three investing legends bringing you a combined century of market wisdom. They'll decode the week's biggest moves, reveal the hot topics that could make or break a portfolio, and share the insights that separate winners from wishful thinkers.
But here's where we blow every other podcast out of the water:
Introducing our live Model Portfolio. With IG's access to thousands of global markets, you'll watch our strategy unfold in real-time, unfiltered investment action, that you can follow.
Every week, we'll pull back the curtain on exactly how the portfolio is performing. The wins, the losses, the lessons learned โ it's all here. This is investing education with skin in the game.
Are you ready to master the art of investing?
This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only. The content presented is not intended as personal investment advice, financial planning guidance, or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any particular securities or investments. All discussions regarding the model portfolio are for educational purposes only. Past performance is not an indication of future results. 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.