Skip to content
Learning that drives better investment decisions

Become a Better Investor Newsletter – 10 January 2026

|

Noteworthy this week

  • US captures Maduro
  • Venezuelan oil reserves may be misstated
  • Double US weight in the world index
  • Energy is <3% of the S&P 500
  • China continues to load up on gold

US captures Maduro: Maduro’s own VP, sworn in as President. The working hypothesis is that the US wants control over Venezuela’s oil.

Venezuelan oil reserves may be misstated: OPEC data are based on self-reported figures. In 2011, Venezuelan reserves jumped to above 200bn bbl from 100bn, and in 2013, they reached 300bn bbl.

Double US weight in the world index: The weight of the US in the MSCI All Country World Index has roughly doubled in the last 35 years.

Energy is <3% of the S&P 500: At its peak in 2006, the energy subsector accounted for 16% of the index. Contrarian trade?

China continues to load up on gold: China’s central bank extended its gold-buying streak to 14 months. Nobody truly knows how much gold China really owns.

Join the world’s toughest valuation training

Become a Valuation Expert. Valuation Master Class Boot Camp graduates can confidently value any company in the world and possess in-demand industry skills.

Click here to learn more.

Weekly market performance

Click here to see more markets and periods.

Chart of the week

Try 1 month of the Become a Better Investor Community for FREE today!

You can cancel at any time. Click here to learn more.

Podcasts we listened to this week

How to Think Like a World-Class Marketer | Rory Sutherland

“Ogilvy Vice Chairman Rory Sutherland reveals the formula for persuasion, why people make decisions and how you can use psychology to your advantage.”

Listen on Apple or Spotify.

Readings this week

Venezuelan Historical Primer: Friend, Foe, Vassal

“The Venezuelan Oil Saga is a series of interlinked analysis on the current situation. Please read all the linked dispatches at the bottom of this page. You will be missing critical background, nuance and math data.”

Read the article.

Book recommendation

Inflation: What It Is, Why It’s Bad, and How to Fix It by Forbes et al

“Inflation: What It Is, Why It’s Bad, and How to Fix It explains what’s behind the worst inflationary storm in more than forty years—one that is dominating the headlines and shaking Americans by their pocketbooks. The cost-of-living explosion since the COVID pandemic has raised alarms about a possible return of a 1970’s-style ‘Great Inflation.’”

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

New My Worst Investment Ever episodes

Ep816: David Siegel – A Smart Idea Nobody Wanted

BIO: David Siegel is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who has founded more than a dozen companies. He has written five books on technology and business, was once a candidate for the dean of Stanford Business School, and is now an AI thought leader leading an AI startup he hopes will pave the way for the agentic economy.

STORY: David invested heavily in launching a longevity coaching business, believing people would pay to extend their lives through lifestyle change. Despite strong science, personal results, and significant marketing spend, demand proved nearly nonexistent.

LEARNING: A great idea without real demand is still a bad investment.

Access the episode’s show notes and resources

Published on Become a Better Investor this week

Gold and Emerging Markets ex China outperformed. Performance review of our strategies in December 2025 – All Weather Inflation Guard gained 0.4%, All Weather Strategy gained 1.9%, All Weather Alpha Focus gained 1.2%.

Listen to A. Stotz All Weather Strategies – December 2025

Saha Pathanapibul Public Company Limited (SPC TB): Profitable Growth rank of 4 was down compared to the prior period’s 3rd rank. This is above average performance compared to 930 large Cons. Disc. companies worldwide.

Read Saha Pathanapibul – World Class Benchmarking

Sahathai Terminal Public Company Limited (PORT TB): Profitable Growth rank of 7 was down compared to the prior period’s 6th rank. This is below average performance compared to 860 small Industrials companies worldwide.

Read Sahathai Terminal – World Class Benchmarking

Christiani & Nielsen (Thai) Public Company Limited (CNT TB): Profitable Growth rank of 8 was same compared to the prior period’s 8th rank. This is below average performance compared to 1,190 medium Industrials companies worldwide.

Read Christiani & Nielsen (Thai) – World Class Benchmarking

Wattanapat Hospital Trang Public Company Limited (WPH TB): Profitable Growth rank of 3 was down compared to the prior period’s 1st rank. This is above average performance compared to 490 small Health Care companies worldwide.

Read Wattanapat Hospital Trang – 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