The financial media is in a fever. Nasdaq and FTSE Russell are rewriting their rulebooks to allow "fast-track" entry for three looming giants: SpaceX, OpenAI, and Databricks. The goal is to forced these names into the Nasdaq-100 in as little as 15 days after they list. For the "buy-and-hope" crowd, this looks like the opportunity of a decade. For those of us focused on protecting a SIPP or ISA, it looks like a classic valuation trap. Data reveals a "quality inversion" in these private giants....
26 days ago • 1 min read
On 3rd March, I made the decision to liquidate every single position in the North Tech 15. Since we launched on 24th August, the portfolio has gained 47.62%, compared to 25.52% for the S&P 500. For anyone managing their own SIPP or ISA, those are the kind of gains that demand protection. While many investors were still focused on the AI rally, the escalating conflict involving Iran introduced a level of systemic risk that the market simply hadn't priced in. I didn't sell because I lost faith...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Hi all Most UK investors are currently playing a game that no longer exists. They are told to "diversify," which in 2026 really means buying a basket of everything and hoping the average doesn’t kill you. They are told to trust the indices, even as those indices remain weighted toward legacy companies being eaten alive by the AI revolution. Since launching the North Tech 15 last August, we have seen a 47.62% gain, nearly doubling the S&P 500. This isn't because we are "playing the market",...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
On 3rd March, I made a difficult decision. I sold every single stock in the North Tech 15 portfolio. Since we launched on 24th August, the portfolio has gained 47.62%, significantly outperforming the S&P 500’s 25.52%. While it is tempting to stay invested during a run like that, the growing uncertainty in the Middle East gave me pause. Today, the index is already down nearly 3.5% from that peak. In my latest post, I explain why I believe protecting these gains is more important than chasing...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
I've just published the 2025 Annual Review of The Monthly Briefing. I wrote this for one reason: accountability. Good investment commentary should be judged on outcomes, not intentions. So this review looks clearly at how our model portfolio, the Global Tech 15, performed in its first full calendar year and how we approached a market that rewarded judgement more than headlines. The numbers, briefly: In 2025, the Global Tech 15 returned +28.02%, compared with +16.35% for the S&P 500. Since...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hi, there Some of you have been asking why gold has been rising so sharply recently. It’s a fair question. Gold has continued to push higher while parts of mega-cap tech and crypto have lost momentum. That divergence isn’t just about short-term fear. It reflects a shift in how investors are thinking about reliability, balance, and risk heading into 2026. This note looks at what’s changed beneath the surface, why this gold move feels different from past rallies, and what it may be signalling...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Nvidia is no longer just selling faster chips. What’s changing is where it sits in the AI stack and how much control it’s starting to exert over inference, software, and infrastructure. That shift matters for investors looking beyond the next quarter. In this piece, we focus on what Nvidia’s recent moves signal for 2026, the risks that still matter, and what would change our view over the next 12–24 months. This isn’t about hype or headlines. It’s about durability. You can read the full...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hi there. Most investors will spend 2026 reacting to headlines. Rates. Elections. AI noise. Market swings. That’s usually how people fall behind. The real work happens before the year starts, when you decide which businesses you want to own through the next cycle and which ones you’re happy to ignore. Lately, I’ve been thinking about a simple question: If I were starting a fresh ISA for 2026, which US tech stocks would I buy first? Not the most hyped names.Not the ones everyone already...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hey there. Microsoft has been one of the strongest companies in global markets for decades. It continues to grow earnings, expand its role in AI, and remain essential to businesses everywhere. But long-term investing isn’t just about strength. It’s also about price. Revenue and profit growth remain healthy. Free cash flow keeps rising. AI is increasing the value of Microsoft’s existing products. Yet the stock now trades at a premium valuation that requires ongoing near-perfect execution. In...
5 months ago • 1 min read