The first months of 2026 confirm that this will be a year in which geopolitics, energy prices and monetary policy play a major role in financial markets.
Tensions in the Middle East have continued to rise. The situation surrounding Iran and recent military actions in the region are again creating uncertainty in global markets. At the same time, conflicts in Ukraine and broader geopolitical relations between major powers continue to influence capital flows, energy prices and currency markets.
Such developments often create volatile movements in financial markets. It is precisely in such circumstances that it becomes clear why diversification and a structured strategy are more important than trying to predict market directions.
Commodity markets have shown strong movements this year. Precious metals have again performed well, partly due to geopolitical tensions and uncertainty surrounding interest rate developments. Oil prices have also risen sharply this year due to the war in the Middle East and tensions around energy supplies.
At the same time, currency markets continue to fluctuate, with the dollar showing clear movements against the euro. These movements directly affect strategies that trade in dollars.
In addition, the crypto market remained under pressure. Sentiment in this sector has remained volatile this year, which is visible in the performance of crypto-related strategies.
Our systems reacted differently to market dynamics in February. This again highlights the importance of diversification between different strategies.
Despite the turmoil in the financial markets, several systems managed to close positively. In contrast, other strategies experienced more volatility, which shows how differently markets and sectors are currently evolving.
By combining different strategies, investors can better cope with changing market conditions and the portfolio remains less dependent on one specific market or asset class.
Within Systems2follow, we work with different market-neutral strategies. These systems are less dependent on the direction of the stock market and can therefore take advantage of opportunities even in volatile market conditions.
Especially in a period when geopolitical tensions are rising and markets react strongly to news surrounding conflicts, energy prices and interest rate developments, a structured and rule-based approach can provide more stability within a portfolio.
The system The American Dream is this month's system of the month.
Despite recently making some adjustments and building additional coverage, the system still managed to achieve strong monthly returns. This shows that a structured approach can exploit opportunities even in troubled markets.
Within Systems2follow, we additionally have the NXT category. This category is for systems that have yet to prove themselves or have recently been redesigned.
Within this category, we are actually seeing strong performance this year. Both Blue Ocean and Big Win have shown clear positive results since the beginning of the year.
We have also decided to move OptionsBeleggen and the S2F Crypto portfolio back to the NXT category due to disappointing results. Within this category, systems will be given the space to rebuild their track record before possibly returning to the main strategy category.
Do you have questions about our systems or a specific strategy? Feel free to contact us at info@systems2follow.com or call +31 (0)851 309 247.