Weekly Investment Update
Dominion Asset Management's research team provides a weekly overview of financial markets, covering key trends and insights for investors. The podcast is hosted on Acast and offers a concise analysis of market movements.
Episodes
Football, Fed Chairs and the Case for Experience
This week, we explore how some of the most talked-about events in the world today — from the 2026 FIFA World Cup to SpaceX’s historic IPO and the latest decisions from the Federal Reserve — highlight a fundamental lesson for investors: the importance of separating noise from genuine signals. In a landscape shaped by headlines, volatility and conflicting opinions, we examine why experience, discipl
The World Cup and the World of Fund Management
The 23rd FIFA World Cup is under way, running from 11 June to 19 July 2026 across 16 cities spanning the United States, Mexico, and Canada. For the first time in the tournament's history, 48 teams compete for the prize, up from the 32-team format that had been in place since France 1998. Over one thousand players, dozens of nations, and one trophy. The parallel with fund management is deliberate,
Ancient Wisdom in the Age of the Mega-IPO
Writing this from somewhere between the Acropolis and the agora, with markets falling on the day, it feels apt to contemplate what the ancient Greeks might make of the current investment landscape. As Athens has stood for millennia, so too has human nature, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the behaviour unfolding around what could be the most consequential IPO wave in market history. Host
What Value Do You Place on Trust?
It is a simple question, yet one that sits at the very heart of financial advice. When a client hands over their life savings, their retirement fund, or the proceeds of a business they have spent decades building, they are not simply transferring capital. They are extending trust. And that trust flows in two directions: from the client to the adviser, and from the adviser to the fund manager they
Active Versus Passive: The Question That Refuses to Go Away
The investment industry's most persistent debate continues to generate more heat than light. The argument is deceptively simple: most active fund managers fail to beat the index over time, so why pay higher fees when an S&P 500 tracker delivers the market return at a fraction of the cost? For many commentators, the case is closed. Buy the index, ignore the noise, done. If only sound investment
East and West: A Meeting of the Giants
History was made in Beijing last week. For the first time in nearly a decade, an American president set foot on Chinese soil for a state visit. President Trump's visit to China from the 13th to the 15th of May was his second state visit to the country and the first by any American president since his own trip in 2017. The world was watching, and with good reason. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri
Politics and Markets: A Spectator Sport That Doesn't Pay the Bills
There is a question that serious investors return to repeatedly, and it has perhaps never felt more pressing: does politics actually matter to your portfolio, or is it simply the most expensive distraction ever invented? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A Week That Revealed the Fault Lines
This has been one of the most consequential weeks of the year so far in financial markets, and the conclusions are not as comfortable as equity index levels alone might suggest. Three major central banks sat on their hands, four of the world's largest technology companies reported stunning earnings, a royal visit delivered an unexpected trade gift, and yet the shadow of a partially closed waterway
The Retirement Paradox
For decades, the financial services industry delivered a consistent message: start saving early, harness compound growth, stay invested through market cycles, and let time do the heavy lifting. Baby Boomers and Silver Surfers did precisely that. They saved, invested, and stayed the course through the dot-com crash, the 2008 financial crisis, and the pandemic shock of 2020. The result is a remarkab
Why the World Still Moves Forward, and Why Your Children's Education Cannot Wait
The past six weeks have been among the most turbulent in recent memory. A US-Israeli military campaign against Iran pushed the region to the brink of wider war before a ceasefire brokered by Pakistan halted hostilities. The relief was short-lived. Israeli strikes in Lebanon strained the truce almost immediately, and when JD Vance announced that US-Iran talks had collapsed, Trump declared a naval b
Why Larry Fink's Annual Letter Matters Right Now
Last week, Blackrocks CEO and Chairman Larry Fink published his annual letter to investors, and the timing could not be more instructive. It arrives at a moment of high market uncertainty, as the Middle East conflict disrupts and rocks the business world. Yet rather than adding to the noise, Fink's letter does the opposite. While the timing coincides with volatile global financial markets, Fink at
Lessons from Sun Tzu in Geopolitical Conflict and Investing
The US-Israeli war on Iran, now in its fourth week, is generating real economic turbulence. Global oil prices have surged more than 25 percent, roughly a fifth of global crude and natural gas supply has been suspended, and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has effectively stalled. Brent crude recently rose to $108.66 a barrel following an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field. Ho
Drawing Inspiration from Giants of Literature
Investors in the past two weeks could have benefitted from dusting off their old school literature exercise books and revisiting a poem by Nobel Prize winner Rudyard Kipling: "If". Written in 1910, four years before the First World War broke out, the poem deals with themes from patience and staying calm under pressure to rebuilding after loss. Its lessons feel remarkably, and perhaps uncomfortably
Global Markets React to Escalation in the Middle East
On 28 February 2026, Israel and the United States launched Operation Epic Fury, nearly 900 strikes in the first twelve hours, targeting Iran's leadership, nuclear programme, missile sites and air defences. The assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei marked the most dramatic opening salvo. Now in its tenth day, the conflict has deepened significantly. Israel's attacks on Iran's energy infrastr
Retirement Security: The Challenge We Can Actually Solve
During this week's State of the Union address, President Trump raised an issue that rarely gets prime-time attention: retirement security. Buried between applause lines was an acknowledgment that half of all working Americans lack access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. His proposed solution, a new savings account with a $1,000 annual federal match, signals something important: policymake
Market Volatility and the Challenge of Certainty in 2026
The opening weeks of 2026 have delivered relentless volatility that threatens to overwhelm even seasoned observers. From gold's surge to cryptocurrency's collapse, from Iranian protests to Venezuelan regime change, the velocity of events demands discipline: separating genuine structural shifts from transient noise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
AI Panic or Rational Repricing?
The market's relationship with artificial intelligence has undergone a sharp reversal, morphing from enthusiastic embrace to anxious recalibration. Software stocks have suffered the largest non-recessionary 12-month drawdown in more than 30 years, with the sector losing $2 trillion of market capitalization from its peak, reducing its weight in the S&P 500 to 8.4% from 12%. LPL Financial closed
The Illusion of Diversification: When 500 Companies Become Seven
Investment wisdom celebrates diversification as the cornerstone of prudent portfolio management. Yet investors increasingly face a paradox: portfolios appearing broadly diversified by company count yet dangerously concentrated by capital allocation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Seeing What Everyone Has Seen, Thinking What Nobody Has Thought
Albert Szent-Györgyi's observation about discovery applies perfectly to active investment management in 2026. While growth stocks have dominated markets for fifteen years, value investing has quietly delivered exceptional returns across multiple markets, yet few investors have paid attention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Geopolitical Theatre and Market Resilience
The week's events delivered a masterclass in distinguishing between political spectacle and genuine market-moving developments. President Trump's threats to impose tariffs on eight European countries over Greenland sent the S&P 500 down 2.1% on Tuesday 20th January, wiping more than $1.2 trillion in value from the index. Yet within 24 hours, Trump announced a framework agreement with NATO rega
Navigating Investment in an Era of Unprecedented Uncertainty
On 3 January 2026, the United States launched a military strike on Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. The world woke from New Year celebrations to confrontation unthinkable by the standards that had governed international relations since 1945. Yet what made this extraordinary event more remarkable still was markets’ muted response. Hosted on Acast. See acast
Celebrating Warren Buffett’s Unparalleled Investment Legacy
On 31st December 2025, one of the most significant transitions in financial history occurred with scant fanfare. After 55 years, Warren Buffett's final day as chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway marked the end of an era that produced returns so extraordinary they defy conventional understanding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Santa Rally: Why Long-Term Investors Should Ignore the Year-End Noise
The final trading days of December arrive with predictable commentary about the "Santa Rally" and its implications for portfolios, accompanied by the statistic that the S&P 500 has gained an average of 1.3% since 1950 during Santa Rally periods, with positive returns occurring approximately 79% of the time, though this compelling figure describes merely a seven-day window in a market that trad
The Investment Landscape for 2026: Navigating Opportunity and Uncertainty – Part Two
Last week In Part One, we explored the macro forces shaping the 2026 landscape: the scale and uncertainty surrounding AI investment, the deteriorating fiscal position of developed economies, and the tension between elevated valuations and cautious market sentiment. Whilst those themes continue to influence investor behaviour, Part Two turns toward asset classes and market dynamics that may offer d
The Investment Landscape for 2026: Navigating Opportunity and Uncertainty – Part One
As November draws to a close and portfolio managers finalise their year-end positioning, attention shifts toward 2026. The coming year presents investors with a landscape shaped by artificial intelligence’s advance, challenging fiscal positions in developed economies, and questions about whether equity markets can sustain their remarkable momentum. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i
The Case for Both: Why Active and Passive Management Deserve Equal Billing
The investment management debate persists: active or passive? Yet framing this as a binary choice misses a more sophisticated reality. Both approaches possess genuine merit, and the question isn't which to choose but how much of each belongs in a well-constructed portfolio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Emerging Markets Renaissance: Why the World's Growth Engine Deserves Renewed Attention
For over a decade, emerging markets have disappointed investors as developed market equities, particularly US technology stocks, delivered superior returns. The MSCI EM index (net total return USD) gained 8.3% in 2024 versus nearly 20% for MSCI World markets (net total return USD), continuing a pattern that cemented negative sentiment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Never Bet Against America
Warren Buffett's most famous investment maxim deserves careful consideration in November 2025, particularly as markets digest a year that has confounded pessimists and rewarded those who maintained conviction in American economic resilience. The US economy has demonstrated remarkable strength through 2025, with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's GDPNow model estimating third-quarter growth at 4
The Forward-Looking Calculus: Why Markets Price Tomorrow, Not Yesterday
Markets delivered another week of mixed signals as investors parsed through a deluge of consequential developments: earnings reports from technology's most influential companies, the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate decision, and a breakthrough in U.S.-China trade tensions. Yet beneath these headline events lies a more fundamental question about how investors should value companies in an env
The Enduring Paradox of Gold: Why a "Useless" Asset Remains Indispensable
Gold occupies a peculiar position in modern portfolio construction, simultaneously dismissed as an unproductive relic and coveted as an essential hedge against uncertainty. Warren Buffett has famously derided the metal for its lack of utility, observing that it generates no cash flow, pays no dividends, and contributes nothing to economic output. Yet despite this compelling arithmetic, gold has co
The Discipline of Doing Nothing: Why Market Pullbacks Demand Patience, Not Panic
Market corrections arrive with the inevitability of changing seasons, yet they never fail to trigger the same visceral response among investors: the overwhelming urge to do something. The S&P 500's average intra-year decline hovers around 14%, a statistic that sounds alarming until you consider that markets have still finished positive in roughly three out of every four calendar years over the
Markets Climb Despite Missing Data and Stretched Valuations
The past week delivered an intriguing paradox for equity markets. Even as the federal government remained shuttered into its second week, major indices marched relentlessly higher, with the S&P 500 climbing 0.58% on Wednesday to close at 6,753.72 while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.12% to finish at 23,043.38, both notching fresh all-time highs. This resilience speaks volumes about where inve
Markets Shrug Off Shutdown Drama as Fundamentals Remain Steady
The trading week concluded with markets displaying remarkable resilience in the face of Washington dysfunction, as major indices closed at fresh record highs despite a federal government shutdown that began October 1st at midnight. This performance speaks to the sophisticated way investors have learned to distinguish between political theatre and genuine economic headwinds. Hosted on Acast. See ac
Markets Test Post-Cut Resilience Amid Powell’s Valuation Warnings
The equity markets concluded a pivotal week navigating the delicate balance between celebrating monetary accommodation and absorbing cautionary guidance from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The S&P 500 fell to 6,637 points on September 24, 2025, losing 0.30% from the previous session, marking a measured retreat that speaks more to prudent profit-taking than fundamental concern. Hosted on
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