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Become a Better Investor Newsletter – 15 November 2025

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Noteworthy this week

  • China is more indebted than the US
  • The US middle class is shrinking
  • US housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable
  • The most hated rally ever?
  • Gold has rebounded

China is more indebted than the US: As we have shown in our weekly charts before, China’s debt level has surpassed the US. The EU is at about the same level as the US.

The US middle class is shrinking: But it’s not because the lower class is expanding, it’s because people are getting richer and more people are joining the upper class.

US housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable: Before COVID, the average age of a first-time homebuyer never exceeded 33 years old. In 2025, it rose to a whopping 40.

The most hated rally ever?: Retail investors are bearish, yet the S&P 500 is up double digits.

Gold has rebounded: While not setting all-time highs, the yellow metal has been trading significantly above US$4,000/oz t.

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Weekly market performance

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Chart of the week

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Podcasts we listened to this week

Anthony Scilipoti: Reading the Footnotes – The Knowledge Project

“Anthony Scilipoti is one of the sharpest minds in investing. He’s the President and CEO of Veritas Group of Companies.

He called the collapses of both Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Nortel before they happened, and now he has some thoughts on AI.”

Listen on Apple or Spotify.

Readings this week

Uncomfortably Underwater: When K-Shaped Economics Breaks

“I don’t know what the tipping point is when something becomes common knowledge, but I think it is safe to say that when the chairman of the Federal Reserve publicly concedes ‘there is something there,’ we’ve arrived at it.  The K-Shaped Economy is no longer some obscure, clever alphabetical play by some unknown, wannabe academic hack.  It’s real.”

Read the article.

Book recommendation

Boom: Bubbles and the End of Stagnation by Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber

“From the Moon landing to the dawning of the atomic age, the decades prior to the 1970s were characterized by the routine invention of transformative technologies at breakneck speed. By comparison, ours is an age of stagnation.’”

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

Ep813: Scott Alldridge – Hot Coffee, Cold Reality: The $10,000 Drone Delivery Mistake

BIO: Scott Alldridge is CEO of IP Services and President of the IT Process Institute, a bestselling author of the VisibleOps series, and a Certified Chief Information Security Officer.

STORY: Scott’s worst investment was a stake in a startup promising to deliver hot coffee by drone. Excited by the futuristic idea, he invested before the concept was proven—but the project quickly crashed when the FAA banned drone deliveries and a prototype failed spectacularly.

LEARNING: Being first doesn’t always mean being right. Due diligence is non-negotiable.

Access the episode’s show notes and resources

Published on Become a Better Investor this week

Thaifoods Group Public Company Limited (TFG TB): Profitable Growth rank of 1 was up compared to the prior period’s 2nd rank. This is World Class performance compared to 540 large Cons. Staples companies worldwide.

Read Thaifoods Group – World Class Benchmarking

Venture Corporation Limited (VMS SP): Profitable Growth rank of 5 was same compared to the prior period’s 5th rank. This is average performance compared to 620 large Info Tech companies worldwide.

Read Venture Corporation – World Class Benchmarking

PharmaEssentia Corporation (6446 TT): Profitable Growth rank of 1 was same compared to the prior period’s 1st rank. This is World Class performance compared to 310 medium Health Care companies worldwide.

Read PharmaEssentia – World Class Benchmarking

MeiHua Holdings Group Company Limited (600873 SH): Profitable Growth rank of 2 was same compared to the prior period’s 2nd rank. This is World Class performance compared to 540 large Cons. Staples companies worldwide.

Read MeiHua Holdings Group – World Class Benchmarking

APAC ex JP, CN equity, and Gold outperformed. Performance review of our strategies in October 2025 – All Weather Inflation Guard gained 1.3%, All Weather Strategy gained 2.9%, All Weather Alpha Focus lost 1.0%.

Read A. Stotz All Weather Strategies – October 2025

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.

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