Media Interviews

Prudent Investing in Perilous Times with Matt McLennan

Prudent Investing in Perilous Times with Matt McLennan

Richer, Wiser, Happier | The Investor's Podcast

William Green talks with Matthew McLennan, who oversees about $130 billion at First Eagle Investments. Matt is head of the firm’s Global Value team & a portfolio manager of its Global Value, Global Equity, International Value, International Equity & US Value strategies. Here, he explores how to build resilient wealth by patiently holding a “non-uniform” portfolio of scarce assets that should endure & prosper even in difficult conditions. This episode provides a time-tested survival strategy for investors looking to navigate this period of extreme uncertainty.


Recorded March 18, 2026.
Data sources:
“Credit spreads were below average earnings multiples above average, and sovereign balance sheets came into this moment with some degree of stretch. Fiscal deficits are larger than average.” Bloomberg 
“…world’s most consumed commodity.” U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
“And that decade as a whole saw, equity market valuations declined from close to 20 times earnings to below 10 times earnings.” Bloomberg
“So the market, while diversified statistically, is over 70% in the US ...” MSCI Fact Sheet, World Bank, Bloomberg, 
“The total stock of gold above ground, a couple hundred thousand tons” World Gold Council
“…the amount of new gold being mined every year, it was only about 1.5% of that cube” World Gold Council
“…around 5% annualized with limited volatility.” Bloomberg
“…it’s about available at 12 to 13 times earnings. Bloomberg
“…the company trades at about eight to nine times EBITDA…” Bloomberg
“…that trades at 20 times EBITDA.” Bloomberg"

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Definitions:
LNG stands for Liquefied Natural Gas.

Magnificent Seven is widely used in the financial media and elsewhere to refer to seven very large US technology-related stocks—Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla. 

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Risk Disclosures
All investments involve the risk of loss of principal.

A principal risk of investing in value stocks is that the price of the security may not approach its anticipated value or may decline in value. “Value” investments, as a category, or entire industries or sectors associated with such investments, may lose favor with investors as compared to those that are more “growth” oriented. There are risks associated with investing in foreign investments (including depositary receipts). Foreign investments, which can be denominated in foreign currencies, are susceptible to less politically, economically and socially stable environments; fluctuations in the value of foreign currency and exchange rates; and adverse changes to government regulations.

Investment in gold and gold-related investments present certain risks, and returns on gold-related investments have traditionally been more volatile than investments in broader equity or debt markets. Gold is used as a potential hedge in portfolios.

Indexes are unmanaged and do not incur management fees or other operating expenses. One cannot invest directly in an index.

MSCI World Index (Net) measures the performance of large and midcap equities across developed markets countries. A net-return index tracks price changes and reinvestment of distribution income net of withholding taxes. 

Diversification does not guarantee investment returns and does not eliminate the risk of loss.

First Eagle defines "margin of safety" as the difference between a company's market price and our estimate of its intrinsic value. An investment made with a margin of safety is no guarantee against loss. 

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