A. Stotz All Weather Strategies – July 2025
The All Weather Strategy is available in Thailand through FINNOMENA. If you’re interested in our allocation strategy, you can also join the Become a Better Investor Community. Please note that this post is not investment advice and should not be seen as recommendations. Also, remember that backtested or past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
What happened in world markets in July 2025
Performance of the World stock markets
- Tech-heavy NASDAQ was strong, while NYSE was flat
- Japan was strong, too
- And so was China, A-shares were best
- Europe was up a bit, too
Find the updated Performance of the World stock markets here.
US-EU deal ends with 15% tariffs on most EU goods
🧵 The EU-US trade deal is objectively bad for the EU, possibly even terrible.
It’s a deal that, despite its name, makes trade more expensive and unattractive. Most EU products will be subject to a whooping 15% tariff, tripling the 4.8% average rate before Trump’s second term. pic.twitter.com/68RR2pkstf
— Jorge Liboreiro (@JorgeLiboreiro) July 27, 2025
US-EU trade deal is about optics
The EU imported $420 billion worth of energy (oil, gas, etc.) in 2024.
Only about 15% of that came from the US.
So how are we supposed to buy $750 billion worth of US energy before 2028?
It’s just not going to happen.
Pure optics designed to charm Trump — and it worked.
— Andreas Steno Larsen (@AndreasSteno) July 29, 2025
- The EU imported US$420n worth of energy in 2024, and only about 15% of that came from the US
- So, the EU is unlikely to buy US$750bn worth of US energy before 2028
US-China trade truce extended 90 days
⚠️US-China Tariff Truce Extension: A Temporary Reprieve Amid Persistent Trade Tensions
Recent developments indicate that the United States and China are poised to extend their ongoing tariff truce by an additional 90 days. This extension preserves the temporary suspension of the… pic.twitter.com/1wXmAiX4uN
— Andrea Lisi, CFA (@Andrea_Texas_82) July 27, 2025
ECB kept rates unchanged at 2%
We kept our key interest rates unchanged.
We expect inflation to stabilise around our 2% target in the period ahead.
Read today’s monetary policy decisions https://t.co/vRPHEci5KW pic.twitter.com/D4jvSyRGD3
— European Central Bank (@ecb) July 24, 2025
Fed held rates unchanged to Trump’s dismay
BREAKING: President Trump issues a statement after Fed Chair Powell holds interest rates unchanged for the 5th-straight time:
Trump says Powell is “too late, too angry, too stupid, and too political.” pic.twitter.com/hgqygjIFRy
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) July 31, 2025
US$139bn in leveraged ETFs, the highest amount in history
JUST IN 🚨: Investors have now plowed $139 Billion into Leveraged ETFs, the highest amount in history 🤯 Risk on folks, Risk on 🤑🫡🚀 pic.twitter.com/VHuoUfWkGj
— Barchart (@Barchart) July 30, 2025
World Equity gained 1.1% in July
- The strategy has a core target allocation of 20%
- Progress on various US trade deals made trade war less likely, and stocks were up
Global Bonds fell 0.3% in July 2025
- The strategy has a core allocation to Global Bonds; the current target allocation is at 45%
- ECB kept rates steady, and the Fed is expected to do the same, which held back bond returns (bond prices and yields move opposite)
Commodities continued up in July 2025
- We had no allocation to Commodities
WTI oil closed July at US$70/bbl versus US$66/bbl in June
- US-EU trade deal and general strong demand led to higher oil prices
Energy was the strongest
- Livestock was strong too, as cattle prices reached new all-time highs
Gold was flat in July 2025
- We had a 10% target allocation to Gold
- Gold closed the month at US$3,290/oz t
- There is still geopolitical uncertainty, but July remained relatively stable, which was reflected in the gold price
Only US$ strengthened against Gold in July 2025
- Typically, a stronger US$ means a lower Gold price in US$ and vice versa
Performance review: All Weather Inflation Guard
All Weather Inflation Guard gained 0.4%
Since inception, the strategy up 11.6% and 6.3% above a 40/60 portfolio
- The strategy has also experienced less volatility
In July 2025, the strategy was up 0.4%, which was 0.2% above the 40/60 portfolio
- Our 5% tilt to Financials did great
- Our tilts to Infrastructure and Gold were below World Equity
- TIPS and the Money Market did better than Global Bonds
The strategy has underperformed a 40/60 portfolio by 1.3% 2025YTD
- The strategy beat a 40/60 portfolio by 1.0% in 2024
Performance review: All Weather Strategy
All Weather Strategy gained 1.3%
Since inception, the strategy was up 56.9% and 20.9% above a 60/40 portfolio
In July 2025, the strategy was up 1.3%, which was 0.9% above the 60/40 portfolio
- Our 25% allocation to Developed Europe did well, while Emerging Markets ex China performed on par with World Equity
- Our 25% target allocation to Gold dragged on performance, but beat Global Bonds
The strategy has underperformed a 60/40 portfolio by 0.4% 2025YTD
- The strategy has had a higher risk-adjusted return than 60/40
- The strategy beat a 60/40 portfolio by 7.0% in 2024
Performance review: All Weather Alpha Focus
All Weather Alpha Focus gained 0.2%
Since inception, the strategy was up 10.1% and 7.9% above a 60/40 portfolio
And 4.5% below World Equity, but with a lot less volatility
In July 2025, the strategy was up 0.2%, which was 0.2% below the 60/40 portfolio
- Our 15% tilt to Financials did great
- However, Europe Small Caps and Precious Metals Miners dragged on performance
The strategy has added 2.3% value compared to a 60/40 portfolio in 2025YTD
- The strategy beat a 60/40 portfolio by 3.5% in 2024
DISCLAIMER: This content is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Readers should not consider statements made by the author(s) as formal recommendations and should consult their financial advisor before making any investment decisions. While the information provided is believed to be accurate, it may include errors or inaccuracies. The author(s) cannot be held liable for any actions taken as a result of reading this article.