Become a Better Investor Newsletter – 16 August 2025
Noteworthy this week
- US money supply hits new ATH
- Buffett Indicator hits new ATH
- China trade surplus hits ATH
- US gov’t deficit at US$291bn in July
- The public sector is stagnant
US money supply hits new ATH: US M2 money supply jumps to a new all-time high of US$22trn.
M2 Money Supply jumps to a new all-time high of $22 Trillion 🚀📈 pic.twitter.com/9810yZQge3
— Barchart (@Barchart) August 12, 2025
Buffett Indicator hits new ATH: The Warren Buffett Indicator, which measures stock market capitalization to GDP, has reached an all-time high of more than 211%, marking the most expensive stock market valuation in history.
Warren Buffett Indicator hits an all-time high of more than 211%, the most expensive stock market valuation in history 🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/pCzN9p9wZf
— Barchart (@Barchart) August 13, 2025
China trade surplus hits ATH: China trade surplus hits record high of US$1.2trn.
China Trade Surplus hits record high of $1.2 Trillion 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ndvQcdkRec
— Barchart (@Barchart) August 11, 2025
US gov’t deficit at US$291bn in July: In the month of July, the US Government collected US$338bn. Just one problem, they spent US$630bn. A US$291bn deficit in one month.
In the month of July, the US Government collected $338 Billion. Just one problem…
They spent $630 Billion.
A $291 BILLION deficit. In one month. pic.twitter.com/IQi7wczNKL
— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) August 12, 2025
The public sector is stagnant: The state is not the solution for anything; it throttles productivity and innovation. Only the free market and private sector drive growth and prosperity.
Amazing chart. The state is not the solution for anything, the state throttles productivity and innovation.
Only free market and private sector drive growth and prosperity. pic.twitter.com/5V7b60821p
— Michael A. Arouet (@MichaelAArouet) August 13, 2025
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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
The Hundred Year Pivot Ep. 7 – Edward Chancellor
“Our discussion traces the abandonment of gold-backed currency, the rise of fiat money, and the resulting waves of speculation, monetary intervention, and economic distortion.”
Readings this week
Cash Holdings: Data, Theory, and Alternatives
“The goal of this report is to discern the proper amount of cash a company should hold, which takes us into key topics around capital allocation and capital structure.”
Book recommendation
Beyond Stoicism: A Guide to the Good Life with Stoics, Skeptics, Epicureans, and Other Ancient Philosophers by Massimo Pigliucci et. al.
“What is a good life? And how can we create that life in a world filled with uncertainty? Beyond Stoicism invites you to find your own answers to these big questions with help from thirteen of the most prominent Greco-Roman philosophers—many of whom inspired, or were inspired by, the Stoics.”
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
My quants worked day and night to crack the very complex code underlying the new tariffs on Switzerland – and crack it we did… pic.twitter.com/ypkhNcJeZ4
— KKGB Kitty (@INArteCarloDoss) August 8, 2025
Jeff Bezos was 0 when he was first born
Mark Zuckerberg was 1 when he achieved his first birthday
Warren Buffett was 10 when he first scaled his life to a decade
Relax, you still have time
— Chase Passive Income (@chasedownleads) August 11, 2025
New My Worst Investment Ever episodes
Enrich Your Future 41 & 42: DIY Investing or Hire an Advisor? How to Avoid the Costliest Mistakes
In this episode of Enrich Your Future, Andrew and Larry Swedroe discuss Larry’s new book, Enrich Your Future: The Keys to Successful Investing. In this series, they discuss Chapter 41: A Tale of Two Strategies and Chapter 42: How to Identify an Advisor You Can Trust.
LEARNING: Passive investing is still the winner. If something is worth doing, it’s worth paying someone to do it for you.
Access the episode’s show notes and resources
Published on Become a Better Investor this week
What if you could tackle a persistent problem without guesswork? In Part 10 of the Path to Improvement series, John Dues and Andrew Stotz discuss how John’s team uses Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to calm a chaotic process with precision. Discover how to shift from blame to solutions by leveraging data and Deming thinking.
Listen to Mapping More of the Process: Path for Improvement (Part 10)
TIPCO Asphalt Public Company Limited (TASCO TB): Profitable Growth rank of 3 was up compared to the prior period’s 4th rank. This is above average performance compared to 820 large Materials companies worldwide.
Read TIPCO Asphalt – World Class Benchmarking
Glodon Company Limited (002410 SZ): Profitable Growth rank of 4 was up compared to the prior period’s 7th rank. This is above average performance compared to 630 large Info Tech companies worldwide.
Read Glodon – World Class Benchmarking
Cogna Educacao SA (COGN3 BZ): Profitable Growth rank of 6 was down compared to the prior period’s 3rd rank. This is below average performance compared to 970 large Cons. Disc. companies worldwide.
Read Cogna Educacao SA – World Class Benchmarking
Stocks continued up, China and Financials were strongest. Performance review of our strategies in July 2025 – All Weather Inflation Guard gained 0.4%, All Weather Strategy gained 1.3%, All Weather Alpha Focus gained 0.2%.
Read A. Stotz All Weather Strategies – July 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.