SanDisk $SNDK (-0,75%) up 28 percent, Western Digital $WDC (-0,9%) down 18 percent. Both in the same sector, in the same month. My model didn’t react to either of these movements, yet at the end of the month it was still up 3.03 percent.
August had two sides. At the beginning of the month, mild inflation data was released, and the S&P 500 hit an all-time high of 7,816 points on August 13. After that, sentiment on the bond markets shifted. The 30-year U.S. yield rose to its highest level in nearly twenty years, and U.S. gross debt exceeded forty trillion dollars. At the end of the month, Nvidia reported $NVDA (-0,07%) quarterly revenue of 96.2 billion, an increase of 106 percent. The next day, Fed Chairman Warsh signaled a pause in Jackson Hole, and the market priced in an interest rate hike in September.
📊 Monthly performance: +3.03%
📊 Max. Performance: 16.1%
📊 Price as of Aug. 31: €116.85
📊 Next Rebalancing: October 1, 2026
Performance & Comparison 🚀
August was a positive month for all major indices. The Nasdaq led the way, driven by Nvidia. The model performed in the middle of the pack and outperformed the broad indices.
Performance Comparison (August 1–August 31, 2026, end of day):
Global Quant 6-Factor: +3.03%
NASDAQ 100: +3.57%
S&P 500: +2.74%
FTSE All-World: +2.27%
DAX: +2.03%
Purchases & Sales 💶
None. The model trades only quarterly; the last rebalancing took place on July 1. Nothing happens between those dates, even if individual positions diverge significantly. That is precisely the point of the rules. The next rebalancing is scheduled for October 1, when a larger portion of the portfolio will be replaced.
Top Movers in August 🟢
The month belonged to gold mining stocks. Over the course of the month, gold rose at times to nearly $4,700, reaching its highest level since May. By the end of the month, it had given back some of those gains. The move was driven by a weaker dollar combined with ongoing central bank purchases. Mining stocks react to this with leverage because their margins rise disproportionately. Coeur Mining $CDE (+1,35%) topped the list with +35.68%, followed by Newmont $NEM (+2,4%) at +33.60% and Endeavour Mining at +28.33%. Fresnillo $FRES (+0,94%) rose +26.63%. All four have been in the portfolio since the spring. In addition, the storage stocks performed well. SanDisk $SNDK (-0,75%) rose by +28.07%, and Micron $MU (-0,21%) by +12.50%.
August’s Biggest Losers 🔴
AppLovin $APP (+1,08%) suffered the biggest loss at -20.78%. Western Digital $WDC (-0,9%) fell -18.77%, while SanDisk gained nearly thirty percent over the same period. Comfort Systems $FIX (-0,3%) fell by -13.00%, and Merlin Properties $MRL (-0,34%)
-9.79%. Among financial stocks, the decline was limited; HSBC $HSBA (+0,19%) lost -5.05%. Alphabet $GOOG (+0,25%) fell -4.18%.
Conclusion 💡
August demonstrated the value of a diversified portfolio. While technology stocks diverged and AppLovin fell 20 percent, gold mines carried the month. None of these positions are in the portfolio based on personal opinion; they’re there because the ranking placed them at the top. October 1 will be interesting because a large portion of the commodity stocks are on the sell list.
❓ Question for the Community
Did the volatility in August make you get cold feet, or did you stubbornly hold onto your positions? And how much gold do you currently have in your portfolio?
👇 Let us know in the comments!
➡️ Every month, you’ll find the full Wikifolio update here, along with research from the model in between.
🗞️ Newsletter: codeandcapitalquant.beehiiv.com
📈 Wikifolio: https://www.wikifolio.com/de/de/w/wf0gquant6
