Become a Better Investor Newsletter – 4 April 2026
Noteworthy this week
- Energy is on a tear
- The Strait of Hormuz doesn’t just move oil
- Foreigners are dumping Asian stocks
- Stagflation risk has increased
- Foreigners own less US Treasuries
Energy is on a tear: Following the US-Israel-Iran war, the energy index is up 14 weeks in a row.
The energy index is up 14 weeks in a row. This is unheard of pic.twitter.com/kBBNPe42kf
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 30, 2026
The Strait of Hormuz doesn’t just move oil: It moves the fertilizer that feeds half the planet, helium that manufactures your chips, and LNG that keeps hospital MRI machines running.
The Strait of Hormuz Doesn’t Just Move Oil
▪️It moves the FERTILIZER that feeds half the planet
▪️Helium that manufactures your chips,
▪️LNG that keeps hospital MRI machines running.
South Korea gets 65% of its semiconductor helium from ONE Qatari facility that is now… pic.twitter.com/IMsYFHYlug
— Katusa Research (@KatusaResearch) March 29, 2026
Foreigners are dumping Asian stocks: Investors from overseas have sold US$52bn of Asian Emerging-Market equities excluding China so far in March, the biggest monthly withdrawal on record.
Foreigners are dumping Asian stocks at a record pace:
Investors from overseas have sold -$52 billion of Asian emerging-market equities excluding China so far in March, the biggest monthly withdrawal on record.
This exceeds the previous full-month record set during the 2020… pic.twitter.com/6eVnaBOCbr
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 28, 2026
Stagflation risk has increased: The conflict in the Middle East and rising geopolitical tensions have shifted the macro narrative away from a Goldilocks backdrop. While this is not our base case, the risk balance has worsened, and the probability of stagflation has increased.
Goldman Sachs on European stocks:
“The conflict in the Middle East and rising geopolitical tensions have shifted the macro narrative away from a Goldilocks backdrop. While this is not our base case, the balance of risks has worsened and the probability of a stagflationary… pic.twitter.com/zzrQo42wuX
— Brian Sozzi (@BrianSozzi) March 31, 2026
Foreigners own less US Treasuries: The share of the outstanding universe of Treasuries held by foreign investors has steadily decreased over the past 15 years (in large part due to China).
“The share foreign investors own of the outstanding universe of Treasuries has steadily decreased over the past 15 years (in large part due to China).
Nevertheless, at the current 32.4%, the share foreign investors own of the overall universe of Treasuries has fallen its lowest… pic.twitter.com/bvOpTYPUTl
— Ayesha Tariq, CFA (@AyeshaTariq) March 30, 2026
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Weekly market performance
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Podcasts we listened to this week
#352 Jeffrey Gundlach: Private Credit Is An Unmitigated Disaster, And It’s Only Going To Get Worse| The Julia La Roche Show
“Gundlach makes the case that we are living through a fundamental regime shift — one where the next recession brings rising long-term interest rates and a falling dollar, the exact opposite of what most investors expect. He breaks down why the private credit market is shaping up to be the defining financial stress of this cycle, drawing parallels to subprime in 2006 and revealing just how opaque and potentially dangerous the marks in that market really are.”
Readings this week
In Annual Letter, BlackRock’s Larry Fink Omits Climate Change, DEI And ESG
“On March 31, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink released his annual Chairman’s Letter to Investors. After years of advocacy, in 2024, Fink began rolling back support of environmental, social, and governance as a priority. In 2025, ESG, sustainability, climate change, and DEI were notably absent as he pushed for more energy production and the expansion of nuclear power.”
Memes of the week
— Not Jerome Powell (@alifarhat79) April 1, 2026
— Wall Street Memes (@wallstmemes) April 1, 2026
Published on Become a Better Investor this week
Jardine Cycle & Carriage Limited (JCNC SP): Profitable Growth rank of 8 was down compared to the prior period’s 7th rank. This is below average performance compared to 920 large Cons. Disc. companies worldwide.
Read Jardine Cycle & Carriage – World Class Benchmarking
Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia were the only markets with a positive return in 1Q26. Korea was the strongest performer in USD and local terms.
Read Korea Was the Best Performer in Asia in 1Q26
In March 2026, we published 1 new episode of the My Worst Investment Ever podcast. Listen to all of them here.
Read My Worst Investment Ever March 2026
Cetc Potevio Science & Technology Company Limited (002544 SZ): Profitable Growth rank of 7 was up compared to the prior period’s 8th rank. This is below average performance compared to 730 medium Info Tech companies worldwide.
Read Cetc Potevio Science & Technology – World Class Benchmarking
STP&I Public Company Limited (STPI TB): Profitable Growth rank of 3 was up compared to the prior period’s 6th rank. This is above average performance compared to 380 small Materials companies worldwide.
Read STP&I – 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.