Good morning everyone and a green start to the first full trading week of 2026!

The year is barely five days old and there have already been numerous events around the world.

Probably the most eventful event (can you write it like that? 🤔) is the one at the weekend surrounding Maduro's arrest.

While the oil price remains volatile due to the global oversupply, clear winners are emerging today (05.01.2026) from the US intervention.

1. the "top dog": Chevron $CVX (+7,38 %)
🏗️

Chevron is the clear favorite today. As the only US company to remain operational in the country, they have the "first mover" advantage.

If the sanctions are lifted, the billions will flow into repairs first.

_________________________

2. the service giants: SLB $SLB (+8,14 %)
& $HAL (+8,86 %)
🛠️

No matter who is producing: The plants in Venezuela are dilapidated. Schlumberger is currently benefiting massively from speculation on major technology contracts.

Without Western know-how, Venezuela will not be able to significantly increase production.

_________________________

3. the US refineries: Marathon Petroleum $MPC (+5,94 %)
& Valero $VLO (+8,17 %)
⛽

The US Gulf Coast specializes in "heavy" crude oil from Venezuela. A return of this oil improves the margins of Marathon Petroleum and Valero massively, as expensive import alternatives are eliminated.

_________________________

4. US defense: Lockheed Martin $LMT (+1,58 %)
🛡️

Instead of European second-line stocks, the industry leader Lockheed Martin is moving into focus. The US intervention underlines the military presence in the region. very Such geopolitical tensions secure the group's long-term political backup for defense budgets.

_________________________

5. the "safe haven" effect: gold breaks records 🏆✨

Gold is the absolute rock in the surf today. Due to the uncertainty, the spot price fell by over 2 % upwards this morning and has passed the 4,420 USD per ounce!

- Barrick Gold $ABX (+1,88 %)
& Newmont $NEM (+1,81 %)
: Mining stocks rally strongly.

- Background: Venezuela is sitting on gold reserves worth around USD 22 billion - the question of who will have access to them is also driving speculation.

_________________________

What's your situation? Have you already invested in one of the stocks? Or are you planning to?

$GLDA (+2,23 %)
$4GLD (+2,27 %)
$GOLD

Two months ago, I was delighted to receive my first Onebagger - gold.

Today I can be happy again - the 10k have been cracked 🥳

I bought my last gold several years ago. Since then, it's been gaining value by stubbornly "lying around". What more could you want 😁

Tomorrow there will be a final update on the Tenbagger community project. And then we'll see you again in the new year.

$IGLN (+1,73 %)
$4GLD (+2,27 %)
$GDXJ (+2,01 %)
$SGLD (+2,16 %)
$GLDA (+2,23 %)
$GOLD
$GOLD (+0,93 %)
$DE000EWG0LD1 (+2,02 %)
$GOLD (+1,34 %)

00:00:00 General review of the year

00:56:45 Portfolio Max

01:16:00 Portfolio Shares_Max

01:36:20 Portfolio Stephan

01:53:22 Silver

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7xYrTlJrAcDCurbZuegA0Q?si=a12a20fac368446b

YouTube

https://openyoutu.be/GW48W_shLsk

Apple Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/123-jahresr%C3%BCckblick-depot-performance-silber/id1695869891?i=1000742923198

$TSLA (+1,64 %)
$AMD (+3,15 %)
$HOOD (+1,68 %)
$BTC (+2,12 %)
$SOL (+0,13 %)
$MSTR (+3,88 %)
$COIN (+4,02 %)
$DUOL
$4GLD (+2,27 %)
#gold
#silber

Gold broke its previous all-time high of just over $4,400 today.

On that note, have a good start to the last full week of 2025 😌

$GLDA (+2,23 %)
$GOLD
$4GLD (+2,27 %)
$GOLD (+0,93 %)
$GDXJ (+2,01 %)
$GDXJ (+2,67 %)
$EWG2 (+2,19 %)

A joint analysis by V-Bank and the Institut für Vermögensaufbau provides fascinating insights. More than 53,000 custody accounts managed by 170 independent asset managers were examined. V-Bank is a custodian bank that holds the securities and carries out transactions on behalf of the asset managers.

The first thing that stands out is that index funds (ETFs) now dominate when it comes to equity vehicles. While actively managed equity funds account for a good eight percent of portfolios, more than eleven percent are invested in equity ETFs. The situation is different for mixed funds or bond vehicles. Here, the professionals still rely on the skills of fund managers, i.e. actively managed products.

When selecting their products, the professionals rely on the large, liquid battleships of the ETF world with low costs from well-known providers. The logic behind this is simple and consistent: maximum diversification at minimum cost. The ongoing charges of the favorites are usually between 0.07 and 0.20 percent. Special sustainability criteria hardly play a role in the choice of ETF.

One thing is striking in the construction of the underlying investments. In their global index funds, the professionals do not rely on combined products that combine industrialized countries and emerging markets in one ETF, such as the MSCI All Country World or the FTSE All World, but prefer to invest separately in the MSCI World and the MSCI Emerging Markets and can thus mix the two components individually. The advantage: the emerging markets are weighted very low in the combined products, and this problem can be better addressed by the professionals' strategy.

Gold is a must for the professionals. It is not high-tech shares or exotic theme funds that dominate the professional portfolios, but the oldest safe haven in financial history. Xetra-Gold is by far the most frequently represented product: the ETC is held in 14,180 professional portfolios. Alternatives such as Euwax Gold II can also be found thousands of times over. And the courage to be safe has been rewarded. While traditional stock markets only made moderate gains in 2025 - the iShares Core MSCI World is up around 6.3% - gold shone with an impressive performance of 47.5%. The message is clear: in uncertain times, gold is not jewelry, but a foundation.

To stabilize the overall portfolio, asset managers are also turning to bonds. Around 28% of assets are invested in bonds, preferably in corporate bonds with good credit ratings. In the ETF segment, the iShares Global Corporate Bond EUR is in the top 20, combining a defensive approach with current yields. In the current year, the ETF has made 4.4 percent, while many bond products are in the red. In the money market, the Xtrackers II EUR Overnight Rate ETF is the most popular ETF product. The principle of balance applies to currency risk: although the euro dominates at 53%, the US dollar is a key component of the hedge at 34%.

In the end, the professionals' figures do not tell a story of hectic changes of direction, but one of structure, cost awareness and clear priorities. Gold serves as both a protective shield and a yield driver. Equities are broadly and favorably represented via global, US, emerging market and Japanese indices. Fees are consistently kept low. And ETFs and ETCs are playing an increasingly important role: almost 20 percent of customer funds are now invested in these instruments - and the trend has been rising since 2023.

This is a reassuring realization for the overburdened private investor. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. A look at the books of the professionals shows that it is often the simple, cost-effective and broadly diversified solutions - supplemented by a good portion of gold - that point the most reliable course in a storm.

$4GLD (+2,27 %) | $EWG2 (+2,19 %) | $CSEMU (+0,49 %) | $EIMI (+0,74 %) | $MEUD (+0,08 %) | $EXSA (+0,08 %) | $XMME (+0,84 %)

Source text (excerpt) & graphic: World, 20.12.25

🌟 Gold price soaring

The gold market remains in absolute rally mode. After several days of strong gains, the price remains at an extremely high level - and the jump to an all-time high could happen at any time.

_________________________

💸 Fed interest rate cut boosts precious metals

The latest push is mainly due to the Fed's decision:

• ✔️ Fed rate cut this week
• ✔️ Prospect of continued loose monetary policy
• ✔️ Start of a new bond purchase program (USD 40 billion per month)

The whole thing acts as fuel for gold and silver, as neither yields any current interest - making them particularly attractive in periods of low interest rates.

_________________________

🏅 Gold price scratches the record

• Current price: USD 4,337 per ounce
• All-time high: USD 4,381
• ➡️ Only 44 dollars away!

Three strong trading days in a row have catapulted the market upwards. Silver is also close to its own record.

_________________________

📈 Reasons for the mega rally

Precious metals are a phenomenon in their own right in 2025:

• Gold: +60% since the beginning of the year
• Silver: more than doubled
• Best performance in sight since 1979

The whole thing is driven by:

• ✔️ massive central bank buying behavior
• ✔️ withdrawal of many investors from government bonds
• ✔️ Increasing fear of currency devaluation (debasement trade)
• ✔️ geopolitical uncertainties

_________________________

🔮 Outlook: 2026 could be even hotter

According to market analyst Hebe Chen (Vantage Markets):

• The rally is likely to continue until 2026
• Central banks remain buyers
• ETF inflows pick up speed again
• Fed leaves "unusual room for surprises" - creating more volatility

The World Gold Council confirms:

→ Gold ETF holdings to rise almost every month in 2025

→ Silver additionally benefits from shortages and supply disruptions

_________________________

💹 Market overview (Friday morning)

• Gold: USD 4,337 (+ slightly)
• Silver: USD 63.63 (sideways)
• Platinum: slightly weaker
• Palladium: up
• Dollar index: stable after -0.3% the previous day

$4GLD (+2,27 %)
$GLDA (+2,23 %)
$GOLD
$GOLD (+0,93 %)
$NEM (+1,81 %)
$ABX (+1,88 %)
$AEM (+1,87 %)

Source:

https://finanzmarktwelt.de/goldpreis-nimmt-rekordhoch-ins-visier-fed-sorgt-fuer-auftrieb-373384/?amp

For those who have no plans today,

Aswath Damodaran (if you don't know him, please google him) has made a short but very precise analysis of gold as an investment.

Highly recommended!

https://youtu.be/FdlCocXHnMs?si=TyIjsezV_5QwLTXb

For those who prefer to read it:

https://aswathdamodaran.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-golden-year-2025-golds-price-surge.html?m=1

$4GLD (+2,27 %)

$GLDA (+2,23 %)
$EWG2 (+2,19 %)
$IGLN (+1,73 %)

$DE000EWG0LD1 (+2,02 %)

After two weeks, I have decided to sell the inliner warrant with a decent plus... (If the shutdown ends, this could cause a short-term setback, which I do not want to participate in)

This is where the advantage of inline warrants becomes particularly clear, while gold has only risen by just under 5% in this time, I have made a return of around 75%, for which I would need very high leverage if I wanted to do this with KO longs...

$GLDA (+2,23 %)
$GOLD
$DE000EWG0LD1 (+2,02 %)
$4GLD (+2,27 %)

October marks the end of one of the most turbulent months for my portfolio. My portfolio reached a new ATH and I had the highest absolute daily gain (approx. 50,000 euros) and the highest daily loss (also approx. 50,000 euros) within a few days.

Start: 1,116,452 euros

End: 1,152,698 euros

Deposit: 26,034 euros

Profit: + 10,212 euros (+0.89%)

Anyone who has ever looked at my portfolio will know that I am significantly overweight in gold, or more precisely in gold mines. This quickly explains the reason for the volatility. 🎢

In the shadow of the gold price, mines have of course also risen disproportionately. With the slump in the gold price by 10% in places in just a few days, the good performance of the mines also came to an end. Some of the junior mines recorded price falls of over 50% in just one week (fortunately not mine).

While gold $4GLD (+2,27 %) still rose by +3.8% in October, the October performance of K92 Mining (my largest position) was $KNT (+1,38 %) (my largest position) was +5.5% and Equinox Gold $EQX (+1,67 %) was +0.8%. I assume that gold will continue to perform well, as none of the problems (geopolitical tensions, inflation, etc.) have been solved. For this reason, I have also taken another small position $SCZ (-1,85 %) (SantaCruz Silver Mining) in the portfolio. The crash offered a very good opportunity! 📈

Novo-Nordirsk performed less well this month $NOVO B (+3,46 %) with -15% and PayPal $PYPL (+0,1 %) with +3.9%. PayPal is particularly disappointing here, as the quarterly figures were excellent. This sent the share price up almost 18% intraday. Unfortunately, it was subsequently sold off completely. But this confirms my belief that you just have to be patient with PayPal. The day of truth for Novo-Nordirsk will come next week... 📉

Otherwise, I received around 700 euros in dividends this month and realized around 3,000 euros in gains on Mercedes and Alibaba, among others. 💵

➡️🆓: On my way towards 4 million total assets, the target achievement rate is now 39.9%. 😊

Let's see how November turns out. As always, it remains exciting!