Publication Date: June 18, 2026
How founder Ruud Hoefnagels views the market, selects stocks, and tries to beat the global index.
On Tuesday evening, June 17, Ruud Hoefnagels and Simeon Hoefnagels hosted a live webinar on Systems2follow’s Global Strategy portfolio. Ruud Hoefnagels is the platform’s founder and the trader behind Global Strategy; Simeon served as the host. The session featured over an hour of insights, with live questions from the audience. For those who couldn’t attend or would like a quick recap of the key points, here’s a look back.
It was also a particularly significant evening to hold this discussion. While Ruud was explaining his portfolio, the Federal Reserve announced its interest rate decision that same evening, and ASML—fueled by the ongoing AI rally—hit a record price of around 1,629 euros, making it the most valuable publicly traded company Europe has ever seen. Exactly the kind of market in which the question “What makes a strong company, and what are you willing to pay for it?” matters more than ever.
What made this broadcast special was that Ruud Hoefnagels himself hosted it—the founder who launched the platform years ago as one of the first independent copy-trading initiatives in the Netherlands. By his own account, he has been investing for over 45 years, day in and day out. “It’s all off the cuff,” he joked about his approach, only to add immediately that decades of experience back it up. Simeon has been involved with the platform since 2023 and runs its day-to-day operations.
Global Strategy is an actively managed equity portfolio focused on global growth and strong, profitable companies. Ruud’s core philosophy: stock markets don’t rise as a single entity. There are always sectors and regions that outperform the rest, and the trick is to be invested in those.
“You just have to be invested in the sectors that are rising,” he summarized. Three years ago, that was defense; today, it’s primarily artificial intelligence. His selection process goes from broad to narrow: first, he identifies which sector is gaining momentum, and then, within that sector, he chooses the best, most profitable company—even if the price-to-earnings ratio seems high at first glance.
Ruud doesn’t see AI as a fleeting fad, but as a shift that can drive the market for years to come. “I truly believe AI will continue to change the world for another 5 to 10 years,” he said, drawing a comparison to the early days of the internet. In line with that, he’s looking at data centers and chips, and keeping an eye on emerging themes he wants to enter step by step: rare earth metals, energy, cybersecurity, drones, and self-driving cars.
He’s just as outspoken about what he’s leaving out. He finds banks and traditional consumer goods unattractive: “Banks don’t have a future anyway; they’re slowly being phased out.” His ASML example took on real-world relevance that very evening: he said he had once bought the stock around 600, now sees it hovering around 1,600, and doesn’t rule out a price heading toward 2,000. With ASML closing at a record high just this week, this aptly illustrated his point, though he also emphasized that extreme rallies are eventually followed by corrections.
A recurring theme throughout the webinar was why most retail investors underperform the index in the long term. According to Ruud, about 80% of retail investors underperform the market, and this is rarely due to a lack of knowledge. It comes down to behavior: buying at the peak, selling after the first month of losses, and trading based on tips and emotions.
“The power of systematic investing really comes down to this: rules over emotions,” said Ruud. A pre-designed and tested system makes the decision when things get tough—precisely when emotions are pulling you in the wrong direction.
Since the portfolio’s inception (fall 2024), Global Strategy has delivered a return of approximately +174%, according to Ruud. By comparison, the global index returned around +123% over the same period, and the AEX around +117%. Year-to-date, the portfolio is up about +33%. The objective is therefore clear: to outperform the global index.
That requires some volatility. The largest monthly decline was about -10%, occurring in part during the turmoil surrounding import tariffs in the spring. Ruud manages a concentrated portfolio of about 7 to 13 stocks, deliberately holds onto winners for the long term, and makes an average of only about 25 trades per year. “It’s about making money, not about trades,” he said.
Global Strategy is more volatile than the market-neutral systems on the platform and therefore requires an appropriate investment horizon. Ruud’s advice to viewers: enter the market in stages and give it at least 3 to 4 years. Anyone who exits after a dip of just a few percent is doing themselves a disservice. He told the story of an investor who entered on Friday, was down 3% by Monday, and sold everything: “If you can’t handle that, you shouldn’t be doing this.” For those seeking more stability, he pointed to the more stable, market-neutral systems used by traders such as Ruud van Megen and Bram Voermans.
Three takeaways from this webinar:
The full recording (1 hour and 14 minutes) is available on our YouTube channel:
Watch the Global Strategy webinar.
Want to follow Global Strategy yourself? During the webinar, a one-month trial for 1 euro was offered, with full access to the positions and a link to your own investment account.
Click here for a one-month trial Global Strategy €1,-
Investing involves risks; you may lose (part of) your investment. This article is intended for educational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. The returns mentioned are based on past performance and are no guarantee of future results; the results shown on the site include transaction costs but exclude subscription fees.