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Become a Better Investor Newsletter – 4 October 2025

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Noteworthy this week

  • Global debt hits a new ATH
  • Gold hits new ATH
  • Silver nearing ATH
  • NVIDIA market cap surpasses US$4.5trn
  • There are more PE funds than Micky Ds

Global debt hits a new ATH: Global debt hit a new all-time high of US$338 trillion.

Gold hits new ATH: Gold hit US$3,900/oz t for the first time in history.

Silver nearing ATH: Silver > US$46/oz t, the highest price in 14 years.

NVIDIA market cap surpasses US$4.5trn: Nvidia shares climbed to a record, making the chipmaker the first company to hit a US$4.5 trillion market cap.

There are more PE funds than Micky Ds: There are 19,000 private equity funds in the US, and there are 14,000 McDonald’s. What a time to be alive!

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Weekly market performance

Click here to see more markets and periods.

Chart of the week

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Podcasts we listened to this week

No. 1 Sugar Expert: 17 Seconds Of Pleasure Can Rewire Your Brain! – The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

“Dr. Robert Lustig, a world-leading expert on sugar addiction, metabolism, ultra-processed food, and artificial sweeteners, reveals how they fuel obesity, dementia, dopamine overload, and addiction – and the dangers of RFK Jr.’s health approach.”

Listen on Apple or Spotify.

Readings this week

Cash Holdings: Data, Theory, and Alternatives

“We observe a positive correlation between the level of cash holdings and how much a company invests in intangibles, how small the company is, how concentrated the company is, and if it’s in the introduction stage of the life cycle.”

Read the article.

Book recommendation

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami

“Across two parallel narratives, Murakami draws readers into a mind-bending universe in which Lauren Bacall, Bob Dylan, a split-brained data processor, a deranged scientist, his shockingly undemure granddaughter, and various thugs, librarians, and subterranean monsters collide to dazzling effect. What emerges is a hyperkinetic novel that is at once hilariously funny and a deeply serious meditation on the nature and uses of the mind.”

Get the book on Audible or Kindle.

Audible is great; have you tried it? If not, click here to get 2 books for free.

Memes of the week

Published on Become a Better Investor this week

Great leaders know there’s no one-size-fits-all formula. In this episode, Bill Scherkenbach and Andrew Stotz discuss practical lessons on how to connect with people on physical, logical, and emotional levels to truly get things done. Discover why balancing “me” and “we” is the secret to lasting results—and why empathy might be your most powerful leadership tool.

Listen to A Leadership Playbook: An Insider’s View of Deming’s World (Part 3)

Asian markets were up in 9M2025 except for Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia in local currencies. Korea was the strongest performer in USD terms, and Vietnam was the strongest performer in local currencies.

Read Korea Was the Best Performer in Asia in 9M25

In September 2025, we published 1 new episode of the My Worst Investment Ever podcast. Listen to all of them here.

Listen to My Worst Investment Ever September 2025

Haisco Pharmaceutical Group Company Limited (002653 SZ): Profitable Growth rank of 5 was up compared to the prior period’s 7th rank. This is average performance compared to 360 medium Health Care companies worldwide.

Read Haisco Pharmaceutical Group – World Class Benchmarking

Bangkok Chain Hospital Public Company Limited (BCH TB): Profitable Growth rank of 4 was same compared to the prior period’s 4th rank. This is above average performance compared to 360 medium Health Care companies worldwide.

Read Bangkok Chain Hospital – World Class Benchmarking

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.

Posted in Newsletter