$AIXA (+5,78%)

Aixtron is to be included in the broad-based European share index Stoxx Europe 600. According to the index operator Stoxx, there will be the following further changes to the index, which will come into effect at the start of trading on March 23, 2026.

ETFs for this:

$EXSA (+0,45%)

$XSX6 (+0,33%)

$XSX7 (+0,24%)

A brief look back:

I started investing 5 years ago (still 23 years young at the time).

At the time, I was still in the final stages of my dual studies when Corona suddenly hit.

My original plan to buy my own car was quickly changed to a loan-financed purchase.

The 17k that became available went public in April 2020. Looking back, there was probably no better time.

First learning:

The father of my current fiancée advised me to invest in 50% Msci World $IWDA (+0,47%) and 50% Dax $DBXD (+0,83%) to invest. This in the form of two ETFs.

Without any knowledge of the stock market, I went to my bank (Sparkasse) and told the advisor that I would like to invest in the two ETFs mentioned and open a custody account for them.

I was presented with two funds. Deka Champions and DWS Dax or something like that.

When I asked her that these were not ETFs but funds, she simply said that the benchmark was the same and that the nice saleswoman would also invest in the products mentioned.

So 10k was invested. The 3% and 4% issue and sales charges were thus paid.

Later, after I got to grips with the stock market, these were liquidated and I switched to Smart Broker for individual shares and Trade Republic for ETFs.

2nd learning what goes up can also go down:

One of my first stocks was $KO (+0,34%) and $ALV (+1,89%) the good $ETSY (+0,23%) . EK was 53€ and about 1.5k was invested.

Etsy went up to 110€ and I made my first 50% partial sale ever. Etsy rose to 240€ and nothing was done on my part. Etsy sinks to 90€ and I got back in with the partial sale. Etsy was finally sold completely at 70€.

My first learning on individual stocks was followed by the second. FOMO:

Cannabis = Bevcanna Enterprise 1.5k invested 99% loss

Independent mining corp. = 1k invested sold with 60% loss.

Today I am very thankful that I only paid 2k in tuition fees. I seriously believe that it saved me from bigger losses in the following years.

3rd learning:

An investment in a pure ETF $VWRL (+0,32%) from the beginning would have given me almost 15k more return by 2024.

I spent 2022 to 2024 reducing a difference of almost 20k, from mistakes made in 2020 and 2021, to my what if portfolio (ETF only). In 2025, however, I settled the amount for the first time to now plus minus zero through my portfolio outperformance.

4th learning:

In all this time, I have been studying the stock market in depth. I don't think I would have gone long with a pure ETF. All the non-fiction books, conferences, streams and videos have also given me a more comprehensive understanding of world events beyond the stock market. I have also made a noticeable change on the subject of money. And no, I don't turn over every penny. My savings ratio is 50% consumption / vacation and 50% retirement provision.

My latest learning:

Being debt free at 29 and having 100k gives you peace of mind. You shouldn't live your 20s in complete consumption, but you shouldn't oversleep either. My trips around the world to Asia, Central America, Europe and Africa, some with friends, some with family, have brought me more than just money.

But everyone is different. I am happy to have taken the middle path.

I have now increased my initial savings rate of €400 per month to €840. However, the €800 for vacations and consumption are just as important to me.

Thoughts on my current portfolio:

Trade Republic:

About the ETFs $IWDA (+0,47%)
$EIMI (-0,04%) and $XSX6 (+0,33%) I don't have to say anything. This is my core investment.

$SGBS (+0,33%) and $GDXJ (-2,01%) are my way of diversifying with gold. When I added gold to my savings plan on December 31, 2024, both positions almost automatically reached the 5% weighting.

What is new $VNA (+0,07%) . I selected these at the end of 2025 together with $O (+0,43%) for my 10% weighting in the real estate sector. For me, Vonovia is wrongly valued too much as an interest rate bet. Fundamentally, there is a lot right with the exception of the debt. I hope for a nice turnaround and even if not just under 6% dividends are very attractive.

As my individual stocks have performed very strongly, my allocation has become unbalanced. The goal is 50% ETFs, gold, real estate, cash and 50% individual stocks.

I won't say anything about my individual shares so as not to prolong the article too much.

Except:

$ALV (+1,89%)
$BATS (+2,14%)
$SHEL (+0,38%)
$GOOGL (-1,04%) are long-term stocks

$AAPL (-0,01%)
$BABA (-2,25%)
$1211 (-2,13%)
$EUZ (+0,84%)
$AXON (-0,7%) medium-term

$OXY (+1,67%)
$ARM (-1,69%)
$UNH (-0,56%) short term bets

and unfortunately I can't get the tracking 100% correct. Getquin crashed in March, which is why only Trade Republic is displayed as the previous value and Smart Broker as the capital invested in March / April.

In addition, due to the change of custody account Sparkasse -> Smart Broker -> Smart Broker plus -> Trade Republic (Etfs sorted out) I had no power to enter everything since 2020

France is experiencing one of the most serious political crises in its recent history. The government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier was toppled after just 3 months by a vote of no confidence, supported by an unusual alliance of the left-wing alliance and the right-wing nationalists. These events not only have domestic political consequences, but also implications for the economy, financial markets and European stability.

The fall of the government: how & why?

The government under Michel Barnier failed in a vote of no confidence with 331 out of 577 voteswhich just exceeded the required majority. A total of 58 MPs had to table a motion for this. An alliance from the political left and the right-wing nationalist parties under Marine Le Pen, which are ideologically far apart but were united in their opposition to the center-right government.

Reasons for the fall

• France's political landscape is very mixed, meaning that no party has its own majority.
• The attempt to push through a strict austerity budget met with resistance from both left-wing and right-wing MPs.
• Prime Minister Barnier was unable to gain broad support within the National Assembly.

Impact on France

• Important reforms and laws remain on hold, including the austerity budget for 2025. Without the budget being passed, deficits could continue to rise.
• Although Macron remains formally untouched, he must form a new government and restore the confidence of the French people. The confidence of investors must also be taken into account, as they are skeptical about the stability of the eurozone's second-largest economy. I will come back to this later.

Overview of yields

• The yields on ten-year French government bonds rose to 3,02%the highest level since the European sovereign debt crisis in 2011/2012.
• The spread to German government bonds reached 90 basis points a record high for more than a decade. Analysts expect the spread to rise to 100 basis points in the future.

It is also interesting that French bonds are now approaching "crisis states" such as Italy and Greece in terms of their risk assessment. Investors are also massively withdrawing from French government bonds, which is depressing prices and causing yields to rise significantly further.

Danger of spillover effects

• Contagion in the eurozone: Uncertainty in France could affect yields in other EU states and jeopardize the stability of the eurozone.
• Nevertheless, I do not believe that there is any spillover from the current situation.

Benjamin Melman, Global CIO at Edmond de Rothschild, argues that French blue chip equities have already priced in most political risks, including the possible collapse of the government. However, a "short squeeze" could occur, where investors who short the market are forced to buy back shares, which could push prices higher. The CAC 40 index has underperformed other European indices in 2024, falling by 3.5%, while the $XSX6 (+0,33%) has risen by 7.9%. The volatility of the $CAC (+0,1%) remains high.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a Euro Etf?

$XSX6 (+0,33%) perhaps?

I've been wondering for a while whether I really need to save extra in Europe... When I look at the top 10, apart from ASML there is nothing that I would actively invest in. Hence the switch to a simple "70/30".

I've wanted to increase my World share for a long time anyway

Savings plan (increased)

Don't panic, these are only partial sales due to a portfolio transfer. Is already reinvested as mentioned a few posts earlier :)