March was a very weak month on the markets. The Iran war kept global stock markets on tenterhooks - rising oil prices, accelerated inflation and a massive risk-off move across almost all asset classes. The DAX lost over 10%, the Nasdaq slipped into correction mode and even broadly diversified world ETFs fell significantly.
Despite the difficult environment, my portfolio remained comparatively stable and outperformed all major benchmarks:
📊 Monthly performance: -3,69%
📊 Portfolio value: ~38.367 €
📊 Performance
max. (06.01.2022): +24,98%
📊 Performance
YTD: -2,80%
Performance & comparison 🚀
March was characterized by a broad sell-off, triggered by the escalation in the Middle East, rising oil prices and the associated reassessment of inflation expectations. The ECB kept the deposit rate at 2.00%, but signaled increased uncertainty - rate cut fantasies are off the table for now.
Performance in comparison (01.03-31.03.2026):
My portfolio: -3,69%
NASDAQ 100: -6,70%
S&P 500: -3,88%
DAX: -10,27%
FTSE All-World: -5,42%
👉 The portfolio performed significantly better than all benchmark indices in an extremely weak market environment. Particularly striking: the DAX lost over 10% - driven by the direct impact of rising energy costs on European industrial stocks. The global diversification and focus on quality in the portfolio clearly paid off in this environment.
Purchases, sales & allocation 💶
No purchases or sales were made in March.
👉 In an environment of war, rising oil prices and increased volatility, the conscious decision not to carry out any transactions was part of the strategy.
The existing allocation reflects the conviction - panic selling or frantic buying in times of maximum uncertainty are not part of the approach. Cash is held ready for potential opportunities in the event of further weakness.
Top movers in March 🟢
Despite the weak overall market, individual positions showed significant strength.
The strongest performer was Cloudflare ($NET (+4,46 %)) with +22.68% and a gain of +€339.97 - the share benefited massively from the AI edge infrastructure fantasy and strong Q4 figures with 33.6% revenue growth. CEO Matthew Prince is positioning Cloudflare as a central platform for the "Agentic Internet", which is going down well with investors. Also BYD ($1211 (+0,22 %)) also impressed with +15.01% (+€212.72) and once again showed relative strength in the EV sector, followed by CrowdStrike ($CRWD (+1,78 %)) with +9.47% (+€108.12), which recovered significantly after the previous month's weak performance.
Datadog ($DDOG (+1,71 %)) gained +7.82% (+47.22€), while Bitcoin ($BTC (-0,27 %)) showed a moderate recovery with +4.00% (+€37.26). Mercado
Libre ($MELI (+0,09 %)) rounded off the list of winners with +1.95% (+€12.50) - also a rebound after the weak February with -17.33%.
Flop movers in March 🔴
The weaker side of the portfolio was broadly diversified across various sectors and reflected geopolitical pressure.
American
Lithium ($AMLI) corrected the most with -31.11% (-128.90€) - the commodity sector is under pressure from falling lithium spot prices and weak demand forecasts from China. Hermès Hermès ($RMS (-0,31 %)) also came under pressure at -18.09% (€-0.54) - although the position was only established in February as a quality stock, Luxury is currently suffering from the general risk-off sentiment.
Siemens ($SIE (-0,9 %)) lost -16.75% (-€135.26) - as an export-oriented industrial stock directly affected by rising energy costs and the uncertainty caused by the Middle East conflict. Keyence ($6861 (-1,99 %)) lost -16.43% (-€105.85) - a significant setback after the strong February rebound of +16.21%. IREN ($IREN (+2,38 %)) continued the negative trend with -14.54% (-110.45€), already the second weak month in a row after -24.10% in February. The VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF ($NLR (+0,22 %)) rounded off the list of losers with -13.46% (-150.21€).
👉 Striking:
The setback at Keyence and Hermès shows how quickly relative strength can be lost again in volatile markets. Fundamentally, however, nothing has changed for most positions - the corrections are primarily driven by sentiment and macro factors, not by operational weakness.
Conclusion 💡
March was a stress test for the entire portfolio, but the relative outperformance against all benchmarks confirms the strategic orientation:
➡️ No panic selling - maintain discipline in the allocation
➡️ Relative strength against NASDAQ 100 (-6.70%), S&P 500 (-3.88%), DAX (-10.27%) and FTSE All-World (-5.42%)
➡️ Individual stocks such as Cloudflare (+22.68%) and BYD (+15.01%) as stabilizers in the portfolio
The environment remains challenging:
The Iran conflict, rising oil prices and the associated inflation risks will continue to shape the markets in April. The ECB has raised its inflation forecast for 2026 to 2.60% - interest rate cuts are a distant prospect. The focus remains on qualityglobal diversification and patience. In phases of maximum uncertainty, the wheat is separated from the chaff.
❓ Question for the community
Which stock surprised you the most in March - positively or negatively?
👇 Write it in the comments!
➡️ Follow @Derspekulant1 for transparent portfolio updates! 🔗 Link in bio: Getquin & Parqet Portfolio
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