25th April 2025

Newsletter 25th April

Ariane Marie Ariane Marie
5 mins read

Markets have been anything but calm lately — from inflation jitters to record-breaking gold prices, volatility is making headlines. But if there’s one lesson history keeps teaching us, it’s this: trying to time the market rarely works. In fact, studies show that investing consistently over time — through the ups and the downs — can be an effective strategy for long-term growth. This strategy, known as dollar-cost averaging (DCA), involves investing a fixed amount at regular intervals, regardless of market conditions. By doing so, you purchase more shares when prices are low and fewer when prices are high, potentially lowering your average cost per share over time. Remember that when you invest, your money may go up as well as down and past performance does not indicate future performance.

In essence, consistently investing can smooth out the effects of market fluctuations, potentially leading to steadier long-term growth.​

Top 5 Market Headlines of the Week

Here are some of the biggest headlines we’ve seen this week that could affect you and your investments.

  • 🚓 UK Cracks Down on Private Equity Taxes
  • 💻 Intel Cuts Spending and Jobs
  • 💰 Argentina’s Currency Stronger Than Expected
  • 🇯🇵 Nomura Makes More Money Thanks to Market Swings
  • 💸 U.S. May Force Chinese Companies Off Its Stock Markets

Sources: FT, FT, FT, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Finance

Upcoming events

The recent weeks have shown us how emotional money can be. Many of us have felt a little sting when seeing the markets drop. Some of us probably even panicked. That’s all normal!

Next week, we’ll sit down to learn about how our money mindset affects us. Join us for an eye-opening webinar, “Mastering Your Money Mindset,”.

We only have a few spots left, grab your FREE ticket now!

Little learn of the week

🧠 Little Learn: ETF vs. Mutual Fund — Same Ingredients, Different Packaging

ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) and mutual funds often hold the same stuff — stocks, bonds, etc. — but the way you buy, sell, and interact with them is totally different.

The key difference?
👉 ETFs trade like stocks. You can buy or sell them throughout the day at market prices.
👉 Mutual funds settle once a day. You invest or cash out at the end-of-day price, no matter when you place your order.

Other quick contrasts:

  • Fees: ETFs often have lower fees.
  • Tax efficiency: ETFs tend to trigger fewer taxable events.
  • Minimums: Mutual funds may require a minimum investment; ETFs usually don’t (you just need the share price).

So, same grocery list — just one’s in a vending machine (ETF), and the other’s in a meal subscription box (mutual fund).

Major indexes & Propelle Funds

Last Week’s Major Indexes

Before we dive in…

Indices are lists of major sections of a market. Basically, they give a gauge of the health of a certain financial market. You’ll see below the value of some major global indices, as well as how much it changed last week, with a percentage.

FTSE 100 (UK): 8,421.43 +0.17%

S&P 500 (US): 5,474.60 -0.19%

Euro Stoxx 50 (Europe): 5,155.46 +0.79%

Nasdaq (US): 17,206.38 +0.23%

Dow Jones (US): 39,881.56 -0.53%

Accurate as of Friday 25th April 15:00

Propelle Funds

We have a selection of funds available on our Propelle investing app, specially selected to be diverse and suitable for a range of investors. Whilst all investing should be considered long-term (with a minimum of 5 years), it can be helpful to understand how each fund is doing. Here’s some notable updates from our Propelle funds.

Vanguard Lifestrategy 100%

We often get asked why we chose the funds we did and not just list ETFs in the Propelle app. To highlight this, we’ll be looking at the Vanguard 100% Life Strategy. It’s a fund that is invested in 10 funds. It’s across 26.000 holdings. This spread allows for great diversification, which is great for someone looking to balance out their portfolio. Here is the list of the 10 funds that Vanguard Lifestrategy 100% is invested in:

  1. Vanguard FTSE U.K. All Share Index Unit Trust – Not an ETF, but an index fund.
  2. Vanguard U.S. Equity Index Fund – Not an ETF, but an index fund.
  3. Vanguard FTSE Developed World ex-U.K. Equity Index Fund – Not an ETF, but an index fund.
  4. Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF – This is an ETF that tracks the S&P 500.
  5. Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund – Not an ETF, but an index fund.
  6. Vanguard FTSE Developed Europe ex-U.K. Equity Index Fund – Not an ETF, but an index fund.
  7. Vanguard FTSE 100 UCITS ETF – This is an ETF that tracks the FTSE 100 index.
  8. Vanguard Japan Stock Index Fund – Not an ETF, but an index fund.
  9. Vanguard Pacific ex-Japan Stock Index Fund – Not an ETF, but an index fund.
  10. Vanguard FTSE 250 UCITS ETF – This is an ETF that tracks the FTSE 250 index.

If you invest, your capital is at risk and your investments can go up as well as down. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.


Source: Vanguard

Mini Market Deep Dive

📈 Gold at All-Time Highs

Gold just hit a record high of $3,500.05 per ounce, fueled by a mix of political tension, central bank demand, and a softening U.S. dollar. Markets were rattled after Donald Trump criticized Fed Chair Jerome Powell, raising concerns about the Fed’s independence and sending investors flocking to safe havens. At the same time, central banks—especially in China—have been steadily accumulating gold, and Chinese insurers were recently given the green light to invest in it, pushing demand even higher. A weaker dollar has only added momentum, making gold more attractive globally. Goldman Sachs has already raised its year-end target to $3,700, signaling continued bullishness in the metal.

Source: BBC

Fear & Greed

The Fear & Greed Index is a way to gauge stock market movements and investor attitudes. The theory is based on the idea that excessive fear tends to drive down share prices, and greed tends to see share prices rise.

Whilst it’s based on the US, it matters to us in the UK because it helps us understand where general sentiment of the US market sits, which often has very close ties to other global markets and investment portfolios.

We move from extreme fear back into regular fear territory. With the announcements of the tariffs being paused, the sentiment of investors has recovered a little bit. Let’s wait to see how it changes in the coming weeks!

Keep your eyes open for next week’s latest and how these market movements affect your finances and investments.