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Week 8 Portfolio Summary

28 April 2026. A mixed week after the Week 7 recovery, with the account still slightly above starting value and the main lesson being not to get comfortable after a strong rebound.

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28 April 2026 / Weekly Reviews

Week 8 Portfolio Summary

A mixed week after the Week 7 recovery, with the account still slightly above starting value and the main lesson being not to get comfortable after a strong rebound.

Snapshot
Current portfolio value
£2,008.07
Week 7 portfolio value
£2,025.84
Weekly change
-£17.77 (-0.88%)
Starting cost basis
£1,999
Overall result
+£9.07 (+0.45%)
Last month move
+£170 approx. (+9.7%)
The portfolio is now sitting at around £2,008. This is slightly lower than last week, when the account was at £2,025.84, so Week 8 was not another big push higher. However, the bigger picture is still much better than it was a month ago. The account is up roughly £170 over the last month, which is about a 9.7% recovery.
Against the starting cost basis of roughly £1,999, the portfolio is still just above breakeven. So the main takeaway is not that everything has suddenly become perfect, but that the account has held most of the recent recovery and is no longer under the same pressure it was earlier in the month.

How the week felt
This week felt more mixed than last week. Week 7 was a very strong recovery week, and the account finished above the original starting value. Week 8 has been more about whether the portfolio can hold onto those gains rather than make another large move higher.
The portfolio has pulled back slightly from last week, but it has not fallen apart. That is important, because after a sharp recovery it would have been easy for the account to give back much more if the move had only been a short-term bounce. Instead, the portfolio still looks fairly steady overall, even though some individual positions remain under pressure.
The account feels better than it did during the weaker period around £1,930 to £1,960, but not stronger than it did at the end of Week 7. The right way to describe it is that the portfolio has cooled off slightly after a strong recovery, while still holding a much better position than it had a few weeks ago.

What helped the portfolio
The main support is still coming from the growth and technology side of the portfolio. Alphabet, Meta, the Nasdaq ETF, the S&P 500 ETF, ASML, Airbnb and Symbotic are all helping the account stay around breakeven or slightly above the original cost base.
Alphabet is now one of the strongest positions in the portfolio, which is encouraging because it is meant to be one of the higher-quality core holdings. Meta also still looks strong and continues to justify its place as one of the main long-term positions.
Symbotic has recovered well compared with where it was earlier in the month. That is good to see, because it had been one of the more volatile parts of the book. However, because it can move sharply both ways, I still need to be careful not to treat one good recovery as proof that the risk has disappeared.

What still concerns me
The main weak spots are still Rheinmetall, SGLN, Realty Income and Berkshire Hathaway. Rheinmetall remains the biggest drag from a percentage point of view, and gold is still down despite being one of the largest positions in the portfolio.
Gold is frustrating because it has not helped as much as expected recently, but I still see it more as a hedge than a position that needs to perform every week. Its role is to protect the portfolio during uncertainty, not necessarily to move in a straight line.
Realty Income is also still under pressure, but that still feels more connected to rates and market sentiment than a complete break in the company thesis. Berkshire being slightly down is not a major concern because it is mainly there to add stability and quality rather than fast upside.
The wider market backdrop still needs watching. The Middle East situation, oil prices, inflation worries and interest-rate expectations can still affect the portfolio. If oil rises again or markets become nervous, the higher-growth and higher-beta names could become more volatile again.

Thoughts on positioning
I do not think this week calls for a major change by itself. The portfolio is slightly down from Week 7, but it is still much better than it was a month ago and still roughly back around the original cost base.
The main question is whether it makes sense to protect some of the recent recovery. Symbotic is the main position to watch for this, because it has bounced nicely but remains one of the more volatile holdings. I do not want to sell just because it has gone up, but I also do not want to ignore the chance to reduce risk if the position starts feeling too exposed again.
For now, the best approach is probably to keep the core holdings intact, avoid forcing trades, and only trim if there is a clear reason. Meta, Alphabet, ASML and the ETF sleeve still look like the positions doing the main structural work in the portfolio.

Main lesson from the week
The main lesson this week is that not every week after a recovery will keep moving higher. Week 7 was a strong improvement, but Week 8 is a reminder that the portfolio can still drift or pull back even when the broader structure is improving.
The positive is that the portfolio has held most of the last month’s recovery. Being up around £170 over the month shows that patience during the weaker period was useful. But the small pullback from last week also shows why I should stay disciplined and not get too comfortable after one strong stretch.

What I want to watch next week
• Whether the portfolio can stay around or above the £2,000 cost base area.
• Whether Symbotic holds its recovery or starts giving back gains.
• Whether Meta, Alphabet, ASML, QQQA and VUAG continue to carry the core of the portfolio.
• Whether gold starts to recover, especially because SGLN remains one of the largest positions.
• Whether Rheinmetall weakness is just a short-term reset or something that needs closer review.
• Whether oil prices and Middle East tension start to affect wider market sentiment again.

Overall conclusion
Overall, Week 8 was a steadier and more mixed week after the strong recovery in Week 7. The portfolio is down slightly from last week’s £2,025.84, but it is still sitting around £2,008 and remains slightly above the original cost base.
The most important point is that the account is up roughly £170 over the last month, or about 9.7%, which shows that the portfolio has recovered a lot from the weaker period. That does not mean every position is fixed, but it does mean the account is in a much better place than it was a few weeks ago.
For now, the right approach is to stay patient but cautious. The core holdings still look useful, the ETFs are helping balance the account, and the speculative names are no longer dragging the portfolio as badly as they were earlier. However, after a strong monthly recovery, I should keep reviewing risk carefully and not assume the next few weeks will be easy.