The Art of Investing

This week, Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham unpack one of the most volatile macro weeks of the year, from Japan’s bond market shock to Trump’s Davos comments, rising geopolitical tension, and a sharp shift in momentum across assets. With Japanese yields spiking to multi-decade highs, markets wobbling on Greenland headlines, and gold once again leading the leaderboard, the te...

This week, Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham are joined by Frances Donald, Chief Economist at the Royal Bank of Canada and regular commentator on CNBC, Fox News and Bloomberg. Tune in to talk what really matters in markets right now, and what most investors are still missing. With geopolitics flaring, commodities surging, and uncertainty everywhere from Washington to Tokyo, t...

The first episode of 2026 kicks off with a bang as Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham review a late but powerful Santa Rally, a standout quarter for commodities, and one of the strongest periods of performance since the portfolio launched. Listen to find out why we are cashing out our best performer! With markets pushing to new highs and geopolitics back in focus, the team bre...

Happy New Year and welcome to The Art of Investing’s 2026 Outlook Special . Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham are joined by economist Stu Thompson to cut through the noise and focus on the big themes that could shape markets in 2026. Not next week’s headlines, not bank price targets, but the forces that really matter for long-term investors. With consensus forecasts pointing...

Merry Christmas and welcome to a special Best Bits episode of The Art of Investing . To round off 2025, we’re revisiting some of the most memorable moments from 2025, the bold calls, the big debates, the lessons learned the hard way, and the moments that genuinely made us laugh. From investor psychology and AI optimism, to Budget chaos, bond market nerves and why selling well matters more than buy...

This week’s episode is the Christmas Party Special . The tone is festive, but the market conversation is anything but fluffy. Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham reflect on a volatile end to the year, asking whether the long-awaited Santa Rally is simply late… or quietly getting back on track. With US markets lagging, tech wobbling, commodities rallying and rate cuts finally la...

Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham are joined once again by economist Stu Thompson for a wide-ranging episode that uncovers why QE and the Fed Cuts might just be kicking off the Santa Rally, and how it's multiplying your portfolio returns. From blockbuster takeover bids and trillion-dollar IPO rumours, to a surprise return of quantitative easing and rising long-dated bond yiel...

🏆 NOW AN AWARD-WINNING PODCAST Huge thank you to everyone who voted! TAOI just won Best Financial Podcast , Best Financial Analysis , and Best Investing Education at the Good Money Guide Awards. This week, Rich McDonald, Chris Fellingham and Mark “Spice” Holden break down one of the most complex macro weeks of the year. From Japan’s shock rate-rise chatter to a crypto wipeout, a commodities surge...

🏆Enjoying the show? Cast your vote for us in the Good Money Guide Awards: https://goodmoneyguide.com/awards/finfluencer-awards/ This week on The Art of Investing , Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham break down one of the most dramatic weeks since the portfolio launched – a UK Budget that surprised market and confused economists. With the FTSE wobbling, the pound drifting, and...

🏆Enjoying the show? Cast your vote for us in the Good Money Guide Awards: https://goodmoneyguide.com/awards/finfluencer-awards/ This week on The Art of Investing , Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham are joined by Adam Smith , former Special Advisor to the Chancellor, for the most inside-Treasury Budget preview we’ve ever recorded. With Rachel Reeves’ first Budget just days aw...

🏆Enjoying the show? Cast your vote for us in the Good Money Guide Awards: https://goodmoneyguide.com/awards/finfluencer-awards/ Welcome to Episode 19 of The Art of Investing - brought to you by IG, the global investing platform. This week, the team hand over the mic to Lee Freeman-Shor , fund manager turned author of The Art of Execution - the book that proves great investors aren’t defined by th...

Welcome to Episode 18 of The Art of Investing - brought to you by IG, the global investment platform. Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden, and Chris Fellingham take a trip through financial history to explore one of the most important questions facing the UK government right now: what happens when a budget goes wrong? With just weeks until Rachel Reeves delivers her first budget, the team looks bac...

Welcome to Episode 17 of The Art of Investing – brought to you by IG, the global investing platform. Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham are joined by special guest Chris Bowie, one of the UK’s leading bond managers, to demystify the world of corporate bonds - what they are, how they fit into a portfolio, and when they shine. As markets hit fresh highs, the team unpack the late...

Welcome to Episode 16 of The Art of Investing - brought to you by IG, the global investing platform. Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham dig into a rollercoaster week for markets as crypto sells off, AI stocks wobble, and the FTSE 100 pushes back toward record highs. The trio debate whether this is just another healthy correction, or the first cracks in the bull market. And, th...

Welcome to Episode 15 of The Art of Investing - brought to you by IG, the global investing platform. Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham are joined by behavioral economist Stuart Thompson to unpack one of the biggest questions in finance right now: are we in a market bubble? From crypto crashes and record equity highs to the psychology driving investor behaviour, the team takes...

Welcome to Episode 14 of The Art of Investing - brought to you by IG, the global investing platform. This week, Rich McDonald, Mark “Spice” Holden and Chris Fellingham tackle the markets head-on - from new all-time highs and a stronger dollar, to Japan’s new Prime Minister and China’s next big play. It’s also decision week for the team as they decide whether to trim, add, or double down in their l...

This week, the team face a packed agenda: a looming US government shutdown , soaring global markets , and the first part of their quarterly portfolio review . Rich McDonald, Chris Fellingham, and Mark “Spice” Holden dig into everything from pharma stocks to sovereign wealth funds - before voting on whether the Chairman should keep his crown for another quarter. What’s Hot This Episode Best Septemb...

Rich McDonald, Chris Fellingham and Mark “Spice” Holden get their hands dirty with a deep dive into mining and metals - from copper powering AI data centres to uranium’s surprising comeback. Along the way, they tackle your big questions: is long-term investing really just about “time in the market,” or can timing it make all the difference? This week’s market action: Rate cuts + record highs : S&a...

This week, it’s all about monetary policy madness . With the Fed cutting rates for the first time in a year, the Bank of England holding fire, and central banks from Canada to Japan making moves, Rich McDonald, Chris Fellingham and Mark “Spice” Holden dive into what interest rate decisions really mean for markets. From Fed independence under Trump to the risks of policy mistakes, the team debate w...

This week marks a first: our debut guest, Charles Hall, Head of Research at Peel Hunt, joins Sophie (making her own debut as host) alongside Chris Fellingham and Mark “Spice” Holden. Together, they tackle one of the hottest topics in finance right now: what happened to the UK stock market, and can it make a comeback? From pensions and regulation to stamp duty and sovereign wealth funds, this episo...

September is here - historically the worst month for markets - and the team are all over the risks. Rich McDonald, Chris Fellingham and Mark “Spice” Holden dig into bond yields spiking to 25-year highs, gold smashing new records, and why Apple is cashing $20bn a year from Google. With the model portfolio up 1% since launch, this week is all about risk vs reward : which assets are fragile, which ar...

Rich McDonald, Chris Fellingham and Mark "Spice" Holden debate whether Jackson Hole’s dovish vibes can offset Trump’s Fed takeover plans. Spoiler alert: they disagree. A lot. This week’s drama includes French governments falling faster than their bond prices, Nvidia disappointing despite making buckets of cash, and our first portfolio shake-up as the team goes hunting for Russell 2000 gains. Plus:...

Welcome to Episode 7 of The Art of Investing – This week, Rich McDonald, Chris Fellingham, and Mark Holden dive into the strength of U.S. equities and ask the big question: can the S&P 500 keep climbing, or is a correction on the horizon? With U.S. indices testing record levels, shifting rate expectations, and mixed signals in global markets, the team break down what it all means for investors...

Welcome to Episode 6 of The Art of Investing – our deep dive into the UK market. Rich MacDonald, Chris Fellingham, and Mark Holden explore why the FTSE 100 has underperformed for years, the key factors driving its performance, and whether the tide might finally be turning. With 12 new all-time highs this year, could a catalyst spark a comeback? We also answer listener Matt Carter’s question: “I’ve...

Welcome to episode 5 of The Art of Investing , entitled "Live Portfolio Launch" - the moment when real-life investment decisions meet real-life consequences. Join Rich McDonald, Chris Fellingham, and Mark Holden as they launch their live model portfolio, unveiling the asset allocation for a targeted 10% annual return. This episode kicks off with a market update, including the recent 4% fall and qu...