Rich McDonald, Chris Fellingham and Mark "Spice" Holden debate whether Jackson Hole’s dovish vibes can offset Trump’s Fed takeover plans. Spoiler alert: they disagree. A lot.

This week’s drama includes French governments falling faster than their bond prices, Nvidia disappointing despite making buckets of cash, and our first portfolio shake-up as the team goes hunting for Russell 2000 gains.

Plus: your burning questions on profit-taking, currency hedging, and why global ETFs are basically just expensive ways to buy American stocks.

What’s Hot This Episode

• The Spice Market Update: S&P 500 hits all-time highs while French politicians practice musical chairs
• AI Revolution 2.0: Snowflake surges 15% as companies finally figure out what to do with all that data
• Nvidia Reality Check: $38bn guidance gap sends shares on a rollercoaster (spoiler: they recovered)
• Fed Independence Crisis: Trump’s chess moves to stack the FOMC and what it means for your money
• The One Big Beautiful Bill: Manufacturing jobs vs. AI job losses in the ultimate economic cage match

Portfolio Action

• Our first live trade! The team dumps 5% of gilts to buy Russell 2000 exposure.
• Mark gets his way on US small caps while Chris mutters about political risks from the sidelines.
• Current performance: Up 0.59% (crypto leads the charge, India gives back last week’s gains)

Your Questions Answered

• Portfolio Building 101: The three factors that actually matter for the next five years
• Currency Headaches: Why your dollar ETF isn’t matching the S&P 500 (hint: sterling happened)
• Profit vs. Loss Paranoia: When to cut and run vs. diamond hands strategy
• 2008 PTSD: What the team learned from Lehman’s collapse and Mario Draghi’s “whatever it takes” moment

Book Recommendation

The Art of Execution by Lee Freeman-Shor – discover whether you’re a rabbit, assassin, hunter, raider, or connoisseur (spoiler: we’re all rabbits at heart).

📧 Get in touch: theartofinvesting@ig.com

Disclaimer:

This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, financial planning guidance, or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any securities. All portfolio discussions are for educational purposes only. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Your capital is at risk.