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Week 15 Portfolio Summary

16 June 2026. The account moved further above starting value, SpaceX became the biggest new winner, ASML profit-taking was reviewed, and the focus remained on protecting capital while letting winners work.

This website is a personal investment research and portfolio journal. It is not investment advice. I am not FCA-authorised, I do not manage money for other people, and nothing on this site should be treated as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any investment. All trades, holdings, research notes, and opinions shown here relate to my own personal portfolio and my own decision-making process. Do not copy my trades. Always do your own research and seek professional advice where appropriate.

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16 June 2026 / Weekly Reviews

Week 15 Portfolio Summary

The account moved further above starting value, SpaceX became the biggest new winner, ASML profit-taking was reviewed, and the focus remained on protecting capital while letting winners work.

1. Snapshot
Item
Figure / comment
Current account value
£2,055.86
Week 14 account value
£2,023
Move since Week 14
+£32.86
Starting cost basis
£1,999
Position versus starting value
+£56.86
Current return versus starting value
+2.84%
Investments
£1,937.39
Cash balance
£118.47
Cash as % of portfolio
About 5.8%
Main realised trade
Sold ASML for a strong realised profit
Main new position
Bought 1 share of SpaceX
Main portfolio winner
SpaceX
Main unrealised drags
Gold, Rheinmetall, Meta, Symbotic

Week 15 overview
Week 15 has been another positive week for the portfolio. The account is now sitting at £2,055.86, compared with around £2,023 in Week 14. That means the account has improved by about £32.86 since the last summary and is now around £56.86 above the original starting capital of roughly £1,999.
The main positive is that the portfolio is still above breakeven and has moved further away from the original starting point. That gives us a bit more breathing room. It does not mean I should become careless, but it does show that the decisions over the last few weeks have helped protect and grow the account.
The biggest development this week was buying SpaceX. That has worked very well so far. I bought one share early because I genuinely believe in the company long term and wanted to get exposure as early as possible. It was still speculative because I knew it could easily fall straight after listing, and I was prepared to take a small short-term loss if that happened. Luckily, the opposite happened, and SpaceX is now up strongly in the portfolio.
Another important development was selling ASML and locking in profit. ASML has continued to move well with the AI and semiconductor trade, so there is a part of me that can look at it and think I sold early. However, I still think the decision made sense. The trade was profitable, it protected capital, and it gave me cash to use if better opportunities come up.

2. What happened in the market
The market over the last week to ten days has been very active. There was a lot of volatility at first because investors were focused on the Middle East, oil prices, inflation risk and interest rates. When oil rises or geopolitical risk increases, markets usually become more nervous because higher oil can feed back into inflation and make it harder for central banks to cut rates.
That matters for my portfolio because I own a mixture of technology, growth stocks, ETFs, gold, defensive income-style holdings and more speculative names. When the market is worried about inflation and rates, positions like Realty Income and NextEra can struggle. When the market is more positive about AI and risk appetite, positions like QQQA, VUAG, Meta, Alphabet, Symbotic and SpaceX tend to benefit more.
Later in the period, the market improved sharply. The main reason was that investors became more positive about the possibility of de-escalation in the Middle East. Oil prices fell, which helped calm inflation fears, and technology stocks led the rebound. That helped explain why the Nasdaq-linked side of the portfolio improved and why the account had such a strong move over the last 24 hours.
The other major market event was SpaceX becoming available to trade. This was clearly one of the biggest individual events for the account because I bought one share early and the portfolio benefited directly from the early demand. SpaceX is now the biggest percentage winner in the portfolio, but because it is newly available and still highly speculative, I need to be careful not to treat the early profit as guaranteed.
Gold has also recovered nicely from where it was. It is still down overall in the account, but the extra share I bought is currently looking like a good addition because it helped reduce the average cost and has already benefited from the recent recovery. Gold is still doing what I want it to do in the portfolio: it gives me a hedge if markets become more nervous again.

3. What helped the portfolio
The biggest help this week was SpaceX. I bought 1 share for around £119, and it was showing around £160 on the Trading 212 snapshot, with the live price around $220 at the time of the latest check. That puts the position up around 30%+ in the portfolio. This is a very strong start, especially because the trade was only meant to give early exposure rather than be a guaranteed short-term winner.
QQQA also continues to be one of the best positions in the portfolio. It is up around £28.59, or roughly 24%. This is important because it shows that the Nasdaq exposure has continued to work well during the AI-led market rebound. Even after trimming one share previously, the remaining position is still doing a useful job.
VUAG has also been very strong. It is up around £23.30, or roughly 11.77%. This is exactly what I want from the S&P 500 position. It is not meant to be the most exciting holding, but it gives broad exposure to strong US companies and helps the portfolio grow without relying completely on single-stock decisions.
Airbnb is also positive, up around £7.11, and Berkshire Hathaway is slightly positive as well. These are not the biggest moves in the account, but they help because they show that not all the gains are coming from one single position.
Alphabet is also slightly positive after re-entering the position. I bought back into Google at around $360, and the position is now showing a small gain. I still like Google long term, but I am pleased that I waited for the price I wanted instead of chasing it higher.

4. What hurt the portfolio
Gold is still the biggest unrealised drag in cash terms. The total SGLN position is still down around £49.18, or about 12.03%. That is frustrating, but I am less worried about it than I would be with a normal equity holding because gold is there as a hedge. The most recent share I bought has helped bring the average cost down, and gold has recovered recently, so the position feels better than it did before.
Rheinmetall is still the biggest percentage loser apart from gold in cash terms. It is currently down around £33.05, or about 27.70%. Previously I considered cutting 50% of the position if it reached around a 30% loss, but I no longer think I should force that rule. I do not want to realise the loss right now. The position is clearly under pressure, but I still understand the long-term defence thesis, and I would rather keep holding it than sell at a weak point just to make the red number disappear.
Meta is also down around £15.56, or 6.33%. I am not worried about Meta as a business. It is still one of the strongest companies in the portfolio, and I understand its products personally because I use them all the time. The position is currently down, but it does not feel like a broken thesis.
Symbotic is down around £14.65, or 12.58%. I bought more Symbotic deliberately to average down and add to the robotics thesis. I know this is one of the more volatile positions, but I still believe in the long-term idea of robotics and automation. The important thing now is not to keep averaging down blindly. I have added more, and now I need to let the position prove itself.
Realty Income and NextEra are also still weak. Realty Income is down around £9.55, and NextEra is down around £8.45. These positions remain sensitive to interest rates, bond yields and investor appetite for defensive income-style holdings. I still think they have a role in the portfolio, but they have not been the positions driving returns recently.

5. Trades and decisions this week
The first major decision was selling ASML. This was a successful realised-profit trade. I sold it to lock in the profit and raise cash, and I still think that was the right decision from a risk-management point of view. ASML has continued moving well with the AI and semiconductor trade, so it is fair to say that I may have sold early. But I do not think that makes the decision wrong. I protected a strong gain, increased cash, and kept the account disciplined.
The second decision was buying one more share of gold. The reason was to reduce the average cost and increase the hedge in the portfolio. Gold has recovered since then, and the most recent share is likely in profit, even though the total gold position is still down. I am happy with that decision because it improved the balance of the account at a time when I still think markets could become volatile.
The third decision was buying more Symbotic. This was a deliberate average down and a continuation of the robotics thesis. I still believe robotics and warehouse automation can be important long-term themes, but Symbotic is not a safe or easy position. It moves around a lot, so I need to be patient but also honest with myself if the thesis starts to weaken.
The fourth decision was buying SpaceX. This was partly speculative, but it was also a long-term conviction purchase. I wanted to own SpaceX as early as possible because I genuinely believe it is one of the most important companies in the world. The stock could easily become volatile from here, but I am happy that the first entry has worked.

6. SpaceX plan
SpaceX is now the most exciting position in the portfolio. The share is already up strongly, and because it has only just become available to trade, there will probably be a lot of attention around it over the next few weeks.
The reason I bought SpaceX was not just because I thought it would pop immediately. I bought it because I believe in the company long term. SpaceX is exposed to rockets, satellites, Starlink, space infrastructure and potentially much bigger future markets. It is the type of company I would rather have at least some exposure to early.
That said, I need to be careful. A stock can be a great company and still be volatile or overvalued in the short term. I should not assume that because it is up immediately, it will continue rising in a straight line. For now, I am happy holding the position and watching how it trades after the early excitement settles.

7. ASML reflection
The ASML sale is one of the most important lessons this week. I sold it for a strong realised profit, which helped protect the account and raised cash. That is good discipline.
At the same time, ASML has continued moving with the AI trade, so there is a lesson in handling winners. Sometimes taking profit is the right thing to do, but I also need to keep learning how much room to give the strongest companies.
I do not regret the sale because the account is still in a better cash position and the realised profit is locked in. However, I should remember that when I own high-quality companies linked to major long-term themes, I do not always need to sell the full position quickly. In future, trimming may sometimes be better than selling the whole position.

8. Gold plan
Gold is still down overall, but the position feels better than it did. The extra share helped bring down the average cost, and the recent recovery shows why I wanted to keep a hedge in the portfolio.
I do not expect gold to perform every week. Its job is not to be exciting. Its job is to protect the portfolio if markets become more nervous, if inflation fears return, or if investors move away from risk assets.
For now, I am happy keeping the gold position. I do not think I need to add more immediately, but I am also not worried about holding it while the rest of the portfolio has exposure to growth, AI, technology and more speculative themes.

9. Rheinmetall plan
Rheinmetall remains weak, but I do not want to sell it just because it is close to a 30% loss. Previously I considered cutting half the position if it reached that level, but I no longer think that is the right move.
Selling now would lock in a meaningful loss. Unless the thesis has clearly broken, I would rather hold and give the position time. Defence stocks have had a difficult period, especially after peace-related headlines, but the long-term defence spending story has not completely disappeared.
The plan is not to average down aggressively. I do not want to keep throwing money at a falling position. But I also do not want to panic sell. For now, the best approach is to hold, monitor the thesis, and avoid making an emotional decision.

10. Cash and Google plan
Cash is now £118.47, which is around 5.8% of the account. I am happy with that. It gives me flexibility without leaving too much of the portfolio uninvested.
I have already bought back into Google at around $360, which was the level I had been waiting for. The position is slightly positive now, which is encouraging. I still like Google long term, but I do not need to rush into adding more unless the price gives me a better opportunity.
The main purpose of the cash now is patience. If markets drop, I can use it. If they keep rising, I do not need to force anything. Having cash is not a problem if it is there for a reason.

11. Main lessons from Week 15
The first lesson is that taking profits can be the right move even if a stock keeps rising afterwards. ASML has continued moving, but I still locked in a good gain and protected capital. I should not judge the decision only by what happened after I sold.
The second lesson is that early opportunities can work, but they come with risk. SpaceX has been a very good trade so far, but it was still speculative. I need to stay calm and not let one strong result make me too aggressive.
The third lesson is that averaging down needs to be deliberate. Buying more Symbotic and gold made sense because I had a reason for both. But I should not make averaging down a habit unless I still believe in the position and the size remains controlled.
The fourth lesson is that the portfolio is now benefiting from having different parts. SpaceX, QQQA and VUAG are helping growth. Gold is still there as a hedge. Cash gives flexibility. Some positions are weak, but the whole account is still positive.

12. What I want to watch next week
Whether the account can stay above £2,050 and continue building a cushion above the starting value.
Whether SpaceX holds its early gains or becomes volatile after the early trading excitement.
Whether QQQA and VUAG continue to support the portfolio if the AI and tech rally continues.
Whether gold keeps recovering and reduces the total unrealised loss.
Whether Rheinmetall stabilises or continues moving closer to a 30% loss.
Whether Symbotic starts to recover after the average down.
Whether Meta begins improving, because it is still one of the strongest companies in the portfolio even though the position is currently down.
Whether oil prices and Middle East news continue to affect wider market sentiment.
Whether holding 5-6% cash gives a better opportunity if markets pull back.

13. Action plan
Keep holding SpaceX for now and do not panic sell just because it is already up.
Do not chase more SpaceX immediately after a large early move.
Keep the ASML sale recorded as a successful realised-profit trade.
Keep gold as a hedge and do not worry too much about the overall position still being down.
Hold Rheinmetall for now and do not force a sale at a weak point.
Do not average down Rheinmetall aggressively.
Let the Symbotic average-down trade play out, but do not keep adding without a fresh reason.
Keep Google in the portfolio and only add more if the price gives a sensible opportunity.
Keep the remaining cash available for better entries rather than spending it just because it is there.

14. Overall conclusion
Overall, Week 15 has been a strong and important week for the portfolio. The account is now at £2,055.86, compared with around £2,023 in Week 14 and £1,999 at the original starting point. That means the account is now up around £56.86 overall, or about 2.84%.
The biggest positive was SpaceX. Buying early has worked very well so far, and the position is already up around 30%+ in the portfolio. I bought it because I believe in the company long term and wanted early exposure, but I still recognise that it is speculative and could be volatile.
The ASML sale was also important because it locked in a strong realised profit. Even though ASML has continued moving, I am happy that I protected the gain and raised cash. That cash now gives me flexibility if markets pull back.
The weak parts of the portfolio are still gold, Rheinmetall, Meta and Symbotic. Gold is still down overall but has recovered nicely, and the extra share helped lower the average cost. Rheinmetall is still weak, but I do not want to realise that loss right now. Symbotic is still volatile, but I deliberately averaged down because I still believe in the robotics thesis.
My main view is that the portfolio is in a better position than it was last week. The account is above the starting value, there is still cash available, and the strongest positions are doing enough to offset the weaker ones. The right approach now is to stay disciplined, avoid chasing, let the winners work, and keep protecting capital.