Clem Chambes joined Zak Mir on Share Talk to talk markets, technology and why he launched aNewFN.com — a new financial network aimed at giving private investors the tools they actually need. We recorded a wide-ranging conversation: from why free real-time UK prices matter, to the structural problems of the London market, to the sectors I’m personally watching most closely right now.
Why I built aNewFN
The first thing people ask is: why another financial site? The practical answer is simple — the UK market has been starved of decent, affordable tools for active private investors. aNewFN is live in early alpha and the core offer right now is free, real-time UK prices. No charge, no catches. We’re starting small, building out the product based on what the community asks for.
Features I want the site to deliver are the ones you actually need: real-time data, tailored alerts (yes, RNS/news alerts on your favourite stocks delivered via WhatsApp or Telegram), better charts, and a community feedback loop so we prioritise the functions people use. We went live and, predictably, demand crashed our servers for a bit — good problem to have. The aim is a community-driven platform for active private investors who want practical access rather than corporate spin.
The markets I’m watching now
People want to know what I’m focused on. I don’t give personalised advice, but I do share themes and ideas I’m following closely — the sort of stuff I rant about on my YouTube channel Clem Chambers Alpha. Right now my main themes are:
- Precious metals — gold, platinum and palladium have been on the move and remain core defensive positions for many portfolios.
- AI and semiconductor plays — Intel has been a big winner and it’s at the heart of the AI story. If AI is the engine, semis are part of the gearbox.
- Copper and critical minerals — base metals are central to electrification and infrastructure. I’ve been talking about large copper names and miners that could benefit from the structural demand story.
- Silver producers and miners — remember miners often sit in strange places with chunky upside when metals rally.
- Defence and aerospace — not because I want conflict, but because defence stocks are geopolitical canaries. Watch the big US names (Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris, etc.) to sense changing budgets and risks.
Watch versus buy
With defence stocks and other cyclicals, my usual approach is to watch first: get familiar with the balance sheets, the business models and the catalysts. If the macro trend and valuations line up, then consider moving from observation to a position. They can be massive “exploding canaries” — when they move, markets and geopolitics are telling you something important.
“”If you treat the market like a casino, it will treat you like a punter. If you treat it like a farm, it will give you a crop.””
Why the London market is broken — and how that creates opportunity
The structural problems of the UK market came up a lot in the conversation. A few issues to highlight:
- Transaction taxes (stamp duty) are a constant bleed. Markets with transaction taxes — France, the UK, Belgium, Spain — get de-rated compared with markets that don’t have them. Removing stamp duty would boost liquidity and valuations; instead the tax acts like a stone in your shoe for market momentum.
- Strip-mining and private equity — foreign buyers and private capital often buy undervalued public assets and separate, strip or re‑package them. That’s partly why many public companies look like bargains: you’re seeing assets that have been devalued.
- Regulatory and advisory drag — AIM and small-cap markets get drained by layers of advisers, fees and complexity. That’s a structural deterrent to new listings and genuine growth capital.
- Public sector liabilities — pensions and public sector obligations put pressure on fiscal policy and can indirectly load the private sector with higher costs and less capital.
All of this sounds bleak, and in many respects it is. But structurally poor markets create distortions and mispricings — and that is where investors can find opportunities if they know where to look.
How the market flow is creating the current bull environment
We’re seeing money flows concentrate into fewer places: fewer listed companies, fewer quality assets readily available. The combination of less supply and cross-border demand pushes prices higher. That’s why you’ve seen the FTSE and many small caps rally — sometimes in surprising places.
At the same time, fewer sellers remain. Many retail investors abandoned public markets during long bear stretches; when that supply of sellers dries up, price moves can be dramatic. That re-rating is partly why some names are multi-bagging in short order.
Practical takeaways for private investors
Here’s how I’d translate the conversation into practical steps you can take:
- Use better tools — get real-time prices and alerts. I built aNewFN to give investors that capability without expensive barriers to entry.
- Watch first, then size — identify themes (AI, metals, defence, energy) and follow a handful of companies closely before committing large positions.
- Think long-term and agricultural — treat investing like farming: plant, tend and harvest. Short-term casino behaviour is a losing strategy.
- Learn about sector mechanics — for example, understand why a copper miner benefits from electrification or why semiconductors are central to AI.
- Stay adaptive — AI and productivity gains are changing everything. Be prepared to shift capital toward structural winners.
Five quick favourites
- AI exposure via semiconductors (e.g. big-cap chip makers)
- Gold and other precious metals as portfolio ballast
- Copper and other industrial metals tied to electrification
- Quality defence and aerospace names as geopolitical indicators
- Selected miners and producers exposed to rising commodity prices
Why I’m optimistic despite the doom loop
I’m not a pessimist. Yes, there’s a “doom loop” in certain political and market structures — too much public sector liability, stupid taxes that strangle liquidity, advisory bloat. But technology, and particularly AI, is a genuine Aladdin’s lamp: productivity gains, new business models and fresh demand for hardware and materials will create a significant boom.
If you align with those structural winners — AI platforms, semiconductors, critical minerals and select defensive and commodity producers — you stand to benefit from the next leg of growth. The trick is to be active, curious and prepared.
Where to go next
If you want the tools I think every active private investor needs, go to aNewFN.com — we’re in early alpha, offering free real-time UK prices, and we want your feedback on features you’d use (alerts, charts, news flows, indicators). Join the community, tell us what matters to you, and we’ll build it.
If you like the sort of rant and reasoning I do, check out my channel Clem Chambers Alpha where I publish short, blunt videos about themes I’m watching. And keep an eye on the sectors above: AI, metals, semiconductors, defence and miners.
Thanks to Zak Mir and Share Talk for the conversation — and to everyone reading: stay curious, avoid the casino, and prepare to farm your returns.
