Become a Better Investor Newsletter – 7 February 2026
Noteworthy this week
- US becomes more active in Africa
- The US bond market’s historical drawdown
- US bonds yield negative for foreigners
- The American grid can’t support data center buildout
- AI agents to eat SaaS
US becomes more active in Africa: Glencore agrees to sell a 40% stake in its two African copper and cobalt businesses to a US government-backed group, as Washington continues to seek greater control over critical minerals.
BREAKING: Glencore agrees to sell 40% stake on its two African copper and cobalt businesses to a US government-backed group as Washington continues to seek more control over critical minerals. The deal values the 100% of the mines at $9 billion, including debt. $GLEN pic.twitter.com/huykIOrtUG
— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) February 3, 2026
The US bond market’s historical drawdown: The US Bond Market has now been in a drawdown for 66 months, by far the longest in history.
The US Bond Market has now been in a drawdown for 66 months, by far the longest in history. pic.twitter.com/BvLBivK1SN
— Charlie Bilello (@charliebilello) February 4, 2026
US bonds yield negative for foreigners: Amid ongoing dollar depreciation, hedging US fixed income often locks in negative yields for investors abroad, making domestic bond markets more attractive.
For decades, foreign investors enjoyed a free lunch: U.S. Treasuries offered attractive yields while the U.S. dollar provided natural equity hedging. That era is over. Amid ongoing dollar depreciation, hedging U.S. fixed income often locks in negative yields for investors abroad,… pic.twitter.com/r2JqTEfeJG
— PIMCO (@PIMCO) January 28, 2026
The American grid can’t support data center buildout: The US grid, in its current form, can not support US$600bn in new data centers without electricity prices going vertical.
Here’s the deal: the US grid in its current form, can not support $600BN in new data centers.
Only way this can happens with current capacity is to snuff non DC demand, i.e., for electricity prices to go vertical. https://t.co/epForDLUrX
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 4, 2026
AI agents to eat SaaS: A recent Goldman Sachs report projects that AI agents are set to capture a larger share of the software profit pool while expanding the market. Agents are expected to account for >60% of software economics by 2030.
A recent Goldman Sachs Research projects AI agents are set to take over the profit pool in software while also making the whole market bigger.
Agents are expected to account for >60% of software economics by 2030, so more of the dollars flow to agentic workloads rather than… https://t.co/XCyXh5VaH0 pic.twitter.com/fS1pXaJCW8
— Rohan Paul (@rohanpaul_ai) February 2, 2026
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Podcasts we listened to this week
The 100 Year Thinkers | Finding the Next Great Compounders
“In this premiere episode, join Matt Zeigler, Bogumil Baranowski, Chris Mayer, and Robert Hagstrom as they discuss market concentration, the dominance of mega-cap stocks, and how investors can think in decades—not days.”
Readings this week
Who Is On the Other Side? A Framework for Understanding Market (In)Efficiency
“We explain the factors that determine market efficiency and offer a taxonomy of the sources of inefficiency.”
Book recommendation
Human Action: A Treatise on Economics by Ludwig von Mises
“Ludwig von Mises is to economics what Albert Einstein is to physics. Human Action is his greatest work: a systematic study that covers every major topic in the science of economics. It is also one of the most convincing indictments of socialism and statism ever penned. When it first appeared in 1949, it ignited an eruption of critical acclaim.”
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
Finally figured out what this means in crypto pic.twitter.com/Dt4rODotL4
— Not Jerome Powell (@alifarhat79) February 4, 2026
This vending machine pays me $37,292 a month
And you can do this too
The secret:
Learning to lie online about your income pic.twitter.com/3qQ4wqjy4H
— Chase Passive Income (@chasedownleads) February 5, 2026
New My Worst Investment Ever episode
Ep818: Athena Brownson – What Happens When Trust Replaces Due Diligence
BIO: Athena Brownson is a Denver realtor, investor, developer, and former professional skier whose resilience through chronic illness fuels her refined, strategic, and client-focused approach to real estate.
STORY: Athena lost $130,000 in her first development project when a builder she considered a friend vanished with the upfront funds. Her trust and incomplete due diligence led to a total loss, teaching her that personal relationships can create dangerous blind spots in business.
LEARNING: Due diligence is non-negotiable. Trust is a liability.
Access the episode’s show notes and resources
Published on Become a Better Investor this week
Travis Timmons shares with host Andrew Stotz how a decade of frustration running his physical therapy practice turned into joy once he discovered Deming’s philosophy and embraced systems thinking.
Listen to Fitness Matters: A Deming Success Story (Part 1)
S&P Syndicate Public Company Limited (SNP TB): Profitable Growth rank of 3 was down compared to the prior period’s 2nd rank. This is above average performance compared to 850 medium Cons. Disc. companies worldwide.
Read S&P Syndicate – World Class Benchmarking
Readyplanet Public Company Limited (READY TB): Profitable Growth rank of 3 was down compared to the prior period’s 2nd rank. This is above average performance compared to 270 small Comm. Serv. companies worldwide.
Read Readyplanet – World Class Benchmarking
AI Energy Public Company Limited (AIE TB): Profitable Growth rank of 3 was down compared to the prior period’s 2nd rank. This is above average performance compared to 170 medium Energy companies worldwide.
Read AI Energy – World Class Benchmarking
In January 2026, we published 2 new episodes of the My Worst Investment Ever podcast. Listen to all of them here.
Listen to My Worst Investment Ever January 2026
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.