It’s the New Year, and many are wondering how their stock portfolios performed in 2025. For most Filipinos, the results have been disappointing. Headlines talk about political uncertainty and weak growth, while the Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) hovers near 6,000—roughly the same level as it was
I was recently revisiting Morgan Housel’s insightful book, The Psychology of Money. In one chapter, he recounts working as a valet when he was younger. He got to park expensive cars—Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royces—for people far wealthier than himself. He wanted a car like that someday. He thought
On Oct. 10, 2025, global markets plunged after United States (US) President Donald Trump announced he would impose an additional 100-percent tariff on goods from China. The reaction was immediate and violent, particularly in the cryptocurrency market, which suffered its largest liquidation event ever. Around $19 billion in positions were
On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I spent a lot of time using their subway, and it struck me how seamless the experience was. No matter what time of day I walked into a station, I could always board the next train. Even during rush hour, I never had
Recently, one stock has dominated conversations among investors in the Philippines: PLUS. This stock has become the hottest topic in the local market, and for good reason. PLUS saw massive profit growth, jumping from about ₱1.2 billion of earnings in 2022 to an impressive ₱12.5 billion in 2024.
Global political tensions are on the rise in the Middle East. Many investors are tempted to quickly sell their portfolios in response to recent news, and while this reaction seems reasonable, it likely won't be profitable. Let's look at a local example to understand why you
Here’s a riddle that checks how well you understand the mathematics of growth. Let’s say we have a pond with a single lily pad. It’s a special lily pad that grows very fast, doubling in size every day. It’s expected that on the 30th day, the
In this newsletter, I share content I bumped into the past month that’ll help you become more financially savvy. This is not financial advice. It's just education. Please think through your situation before applying anything you read here. This Month’s Recommendation: Warren Buffett Is Stepping Down
It’s April 2025 as I write this, and the world is once again on edge. Earlier this month, former President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs, bringing the average U.S. tariff rate to 22%—the highest level since 1910 [1]. Markets responded swiftly. The S&P 500 dropped
In this newsletter, I share content I bumped into the past month that’ll help you become more financially savvy. This is not financial advice. It's just education. Please think through your situation before applying anything you read here. This month's recommendation: Cirtek Suspends Preferred Shares
In this newsletter, I share content to help you become more financially savvy. This is not financial advice. It's just education. Please think through your situation before applying anything you read here. Here's a couple of articles I wrote for the Manila Bulletin in the last
This article first appeared in the Manila Bulletin. You can read the original here: https://mb.com.ph/2025/1/1/don-t-settle-for-average-returns In 2008, Warren Buffett made an interesting bet. He bet 1 million dollars that a hedge fund would be unable to beat a basic index fund over a