Skip to main content

Soccer Would Cup and Paul the Octopus !

Looks like Soccer world cup mania is building up to such extent that we have to look to Paul The Octopus to predict what would happen in these matches. Evidently Paul, a Octopus has till now correctly predicted results of 5 matches in which Germany played (before the match:-). Now the real test would be next semi-final match between Spain and Germany. Who needs referees when you have Paul the Octopus - anyway, referees are not doing a very good job in this would cup !

It was disappointing to see both Brazil and Argentina crash out of Would Cup. But Germany was definitely a much better team on Saturday and deserved the big win ! It's good to see Spain win on Saturday just few minutes before match end. I hope Spaniards have celebrated which may help country's economy and prevent it from getting downgraded by Moody's.

Last two weeks in particular and Q2 in general was very brutal who has invested in stock markets. Not only all gains of Q1 got wiped out but Q2 also took markets down for the year. All indexes down by nearly 7-10% YTD, it's getting tough to predict which way markets are headed.

So this week, I am going to recommend looking at some mutual funds to invest using cost-average method (investing at periodic intervals). Here are some vanguard mutual funds which I particularly like.

  • Vanguard REIT Index Fund Investor Shares (VGSIX)  YTD: 3.29%
  • Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund (VGTSX) YTD: -11.45%
  • Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund Investor Shares (VWEHX) YTD: 3.44%
  • Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund Investor Shares (VIMSX) YTD: -3.29%
  • Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund Investor Shares (VEIEX) YTD: -6.76%
  • All of these funds have excellent long-term prospects, low fund charges and provide way to invest on regular basis so that one can cost average. Now that markets are down and don't know how they will go in short-term, it's good time to get started with these mutual funds and set up automatic investments.

So for now, forget that your portfolios are down for the year and enjoy exciting semi-finals and final of Soccer World Cup !

Have a great week

/Shyam

Comments

Unknown said…
Hi Shyam,
Curious why you picked total international stock market index fund, instead of say "international growth" or even "international value" which have better past history. While past history certainly is not indicator of future results, these two have a much longer track record(28yrs vs 14yrs) and are in similar domain except these two are a bit more focused. total international's performance history in my experience has been a bit of a disappointment even as dollar cost averaged investment. But I would certainly like to peek into your thinking a bit more on this.

Regards,
Sudarsan.
5:11 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Clicks to Tokens: Will 2026 Echo 1998's Boom or 2000's Bust?

My "blogging" was in hibernation last 8 months due to my self-imposed restraint given the environment as well as built-in inertia to get started despite so many interesting events and markets reaching all time highs after taking a big dump around "Liberation Day" in Apr...Around that time I had the blog ready that it would be repeat of Mar/Apr 2020 panic and recovery during onset of Covid Pandemic. The hunch happened to be correct and I was glad that I could keep and take some positions which I am still holding especially around AI theme. But that was then...as 2025 is about to wrap up in 10+ weeks, let's look at what's in store for rest of 2025 and 2026. And what's better time than to start writing again just before one of the most important week on the calendar with multiple key events coming up next week... Fed meeting to decide the course of interest rates - it's almost guaranteed that Fed will cut rates by 25 basis points (2nd time in 2025) and...
Post a Comment
Read more

2026: The Year of Convergence – Melt-up, Moonshots, or Mid-cycle Correction?

Happy New Year! After another period of self-imposed hibernation from the blog—partly due to the festivals, travel, intertia and partly to watch the dust settle on a chaotic 2025—I decided to use the quiet of this New Year’s morning to finally reboot.  Looking back at my October post,  “Clicks to Tokens,”  the hunch about the AI theme held firm. We spent much of 2025 debating whether we were in 1998 or 2000. As we enter 2026, the answer seems to be "neither and both." We have the roaring optimism of the 1920s fueled by "Silicon Spirits," but with the high-speed volatility of the 2020s. So, as the calendar flips, what is in store for 2026? Markets may experience melt-up (S&P touching 8000),  with some moonshots (like SpaceX and OpenAI) IPOs or even see mid-cycle correction bringing down S&P to 6000. That's a wide range and will be decided by Four R's... Here are my thoughts on the " Four R’s ":  Rates, Robots, Rotations, and Real Assets. 1. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stree-Dhan vs. Oracle of Omaha!

Happy February! After another brief hibernation from the blog—partly to digest the early year volatility and partly to observe the shifting sands of global liquidity—it’s time to look at some fascinating disconnects in the market. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the "Unbeatable Asset Class." No, I’m not talking about the S&P 500 or Nvidia. I’m talking about a collective force that has quietly outperformed the "Oracle of Omaha" for over two decades. 1. The Golden Saree: Indian Women vs. Warren Buffett If you look at the performance of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) since the launch of the GLD ETF (the first gold ETF) in late 2004, you’ll find a startling reality. While Buffett is the gold standard of value investing, the "Gold Standard" itself—specifically in the hands of Indian households—has been a formidable rival. Data shows that since the inception of the GLD ETF in November 2004, the total return on Gold has actually surpassed Berkshire Hathaway. I...
Post a Comment
Read more