Bits & Pieces
Edition #276 | 24/04/2026
Most traded | Markets & Macro | Intel | Chart of the Week | ETFs
On Wednesday, the world celebrated Earth Day – a global plea for environmental protection and sustainability. But while everyone was busy talking up a green revolution, the ongoing standoff in the Strait of Hormuz proved just how deep our fossil fuel addiction still runs. Volkswagen is trying to break the habit, unveiling a new EV in Beijing that’s supposed to turn the tide – at least for the team in Wolfsburg. Meanwhile, Intel is posting numbers we haven't seen in decades, and hold the presses: Greece is officially a developed nation again.
Note: The data refers to the ratio of purchases and sales of the 100 most traded stocks in the Scalable broker between 17/04/2026 and 23/04/2026.
Cheap EVs and expensive tech dreams
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is currently playing a minor role on the stock market. Iran has taken note of Donald Trump's extension of the ceasefire and the market currently assumes peace as the base case. The focus is elsewhere: it is earnings season. This week, over 80 companies from the S&P 500 opened their books. So far, Wall Street is satisfied with the figures and pushed the S&P 500 to a new all-time high of over 7,140 points. Next week, another 180 companies will follow – including Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta und Apple.
Meanwhile, a German breeze is blowing at the world's largest motor show, currently taking place in Beijing. Volkswagen is presenting the Jetta X, an electric compact SUV that is expected to be available from the equivalent of around €12,500. While prices are being attacked in China, production lines in Wolfsburg and elsewhere are at a standstill. There are even plans to build cars in German VW plants destined for the Chinese market to cushion the impact of idle capacity. The competition has capitalised on this slump and overtaken VW: Germany’s most popular EV in terms of new registrations in March was the Tesla Model Y.
Speaking of Tesla: The Q1 figures were released on Wednesday. Although the EV manufacturer surprised on the upside with a net profit of $477 million, the share price slumped. The reason: CEO Elon Musk wants to shift the focus away from cars and toward robotics, AI, and semiconductors. To this end, he has ramped up investment plans for the current year to up to $25 billion.
Tailwinds thanks to Washington and NVIDIA
For a long time, Intel seemed like the dinosaur of Silicon Valley – quality issues with processors, billions in losses in chip contract manufacturing and completely missing the AI hype. However, a brilliant turnaround has been underway for a year. The share is performing better than it has in decades, driven by three key developments:
- Financial injection from the USA: In order to reduce dependence on Asia and TSMC in particular for microchips, the US government wants to massively expand semiconductor manufacturing in the USA. With investments in Intel of $11.1 billion, the state now holds around 10% of the shares.
- Dream team with NVIDIA: The chip giant invested around $5 billion in Intel in 2025 to further strengthen domestic US production. As part of this, Intel is now designing tailor-made processors that are perfectly matched to NVIDIA's graphics cards.
- 18A manufacturing process: With this new semiconductor manufacturing process, Intel is integrating a new transistor architecture and a more efficient power supply directly into the chips. This is intended to provide even more AI performance in the future.
The figures published after the close of trading on Thursday support the turnaround. Datacentre revenues increased by 22% in the first quarter. At the same time, a quantum leap in profitability was achieved: the group's operating margin rose from 5.4% to 12.3%.
Money in the bank
Top financial goals in Germany over the next 5 years
Source: Allianz Pension Index 2026
According to the Allianz Pension Index 2026, 70% of people in Germany are feeling optimistic about their financial future. The study surveyed 1,000 individuals aged 25 to 65 on topics like financial confidence and retirement planning.
- For the vast majority, the top priority is building a rainy day fund. Consumer advocates recommend stashing away two to three months of net income for unexpected expenses, ideally parked in a high-yield savings account to catch some interest.
- The harsh reality, though: Nearly half of the country has less than €2,000 in liquid savings.
- People in Germany also want to pad their retirement accounts. Capital markets put your money to work when invested for the long haul. To encourage more citizens to harness the stock market, the current administration in Berlin is rolling out a tax-advantaged Retirement account starting in 2027. Anyone contributing up to €1,800 a year will get matching subsidies from the state, putting the compound interest effect into overdrive.
- Additionally, one in four people in Germany plans to pay down debt over the next few years.
Keep in mind: Paying off debt and investing aren't mutually exclusive. If you're holding low-interest loans (under 3%), it can actually make sense to invest simultaneously, since the long-term returns on the stock market (e.g. via ETFs) generally outpace your borrowing costs. On the flip side, "bad debt" – think high-interest consumer loans for luxuries like new furniture or holidays – will eat you alive. Those should be wiped out as fast as humanly possible.
Goodbye, minor leagues?
Is South Korea a developed nation or an emerging market? The big index providers, MSCI and FTSE, can’t quite agree. They act as the ultimate gatekeepers, deciding whether the pocket change from your monthly MSCI World savings plan trickles into Polish equities or if Egypt gets to stay in the FTSE Emerging Markets index.
These classifications are reviewed regularly. When a country gets called up to the big leagues, demand for its domestic stocks skyrockets because ETFs are forced to rebalance to track their index accurately. The big question this season: Who just qualified for a promotion?
🇻🇳 Vietnam: Starting in September 2026, FTSE is officially graduating the Asian tiger economy from a Frontier Market to an Emerging Market. This could provide a serious tailwind for domestic heavyweights like the conglomerate Vingroup or steelmaker Hoa Phat.
🇬🇷 Greece: After years in the emerging market penalty box, FTSE is welcoming Greece back into the developed nations club this year. The comeback follows an absolute tear in the local markets: Factoring in distributions, the Amundi MSCI Greece has delivered a total return of around 200% over the past five years.
🇿🇦 South Africa: Having a sophisticated financial hub doesn't guarantee you a spot in the majors. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange might be the crown jewel of Africa, but the country still lags behind in infrastructure and GDP per capita. Still, the iShares MSCI South Africa proves you can deliver staggering returns even in the minor leagues: A whopping +75% in EUR over the last five years.
The tickers to watch:
Shine bright like FC Viktoria Berlin
Game on: This Sunday, Scalable is hitting the pitch to support FC Viktoria Berlin live at their home game against Eintracht Frankfurt. Catch a halftime chat with our Chief Marketing Officer Maximilian Meyer, score an exclusive Viktoria x Scalable jersey, and look just as sharp as the pros on the grass. Catch all the action this Sunday at Stadion Lichterfelde – you won't want to miss it.
Head start calculator
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Editorial deadline: Friday, 7 a.m.
Sources: Scalable and dpa-AFX