Beyond Big Tech: ETF managers look to international assets for diversification

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  April 27, 2026 at 22:18  |  6:33  |  CNBC
Speakers
Mike Khouw — Chief Market Strategist, Fundstrat Global Advisors

Summary

Simplify Asset Management's Paisley Nardini and YieldMax's Mike Khouw discuss diversifying beyond Big Tech. Nardini favors international assets, commodities, and long-term bonds, while Khouw highlights specific holdings like Southern Copper, gold, silver miners, and Comfort Systems as non-correlated growth plays.

  • Paisley Nardini expects the dollar to weaken as Middle East tensions resolve, benefiting international assets.
  • She sees commodities and hard assets as underappreciated inflation hedges.
  • Nardini also recommends adding duration (long bonds) as a hedge against falling rates.
  • Mike Khouw owns Southern Copper, silver miners, and gold as a non-correlated sleeve.
  • Khouw highlights Comfort Systems (FIX) as an HVAC company with tech-like growth outside the AI trade.
  • Both speakers advocate moving away from concentrated mega-cap tech positions.
Trade Ideas
International assets benefit from weaker dollar.
As Middle East geopolitical risks resolve, the dollar is likely to weaken, which will benefit international assets outside the US. This is a trade she is actively looking at for diversification.
Commodities hedge sticky inflation.
Commodities and hard assets are underrepresented in portfolios and can better weather sticky inflation, making them a good diversifier in a higher-for-longer environment.
Mike Khouw Chief Market Strategist, Fundstrat Global Advisors 2:22
Copper, silver, gold as diversifiers.
Hard assets like Southern Copper, silver miners, and gold provide a non-correlated sleeve for portfolios, offering diversification away from the AI trade.
Mike Khouw Chief Market Strategist, Fundstrat Global Advisors 2:56
Comfort Systems offers tech-like growth.
Comfort Systems (FIX) is a Texas-based HVAC company with comparable topline growth to tech stocks but in a completely different, uncorrelated industry, making it a compelling diversifier.
Add duration to hedge falling rates.
Adding duration (long-term bonds) is attractive now because the market is underpricing the risk of falling rates; the 10-year yield near 4.3-4.5% is a technical level to add duration as a hedge or a new risk position.
Up Next

This CNBC video, published April 27, 2026, features Paisley Nardini, Mike Khouw discussing IXUS, DBC, SCCO, SIL, GLD, FIX, Duration (long-term Treasuries). 5 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Paisley Nardini, Mike Khouw  · Tickers: IXUS, DBC, SCCO, SIL, GLD, FIX, Duration (long-term Treasuries)