Friday Fletcher Report — May 22, 2026

Hey, happy Friday! Time for another check-in on Fletcher.

For anyone new here, a quick refresher: Fletcher is an algorithm I built after getting fed up with my own investing habits. My emotions were running the show, my returns were all over the map, and I had zero real system to follow. So I built one. Fletcher sends me signals once a month, never more than six holdings at a time — sometimes as few as three, though historically it tends to land around four or five. The whole point is simple: try to outperform the alternatives.

I kicked things off on January 1st with about a third of my retirement portfolio riding on Fletcher. Since then, it's pulled ahead of my other holdings enough that it now makes up roughly 45% of my portfolio. These Friday reports are basically just my way of tracking Fletcher's performance against the S&P — and if there's another index you'd like me to throw into the mix, let me know. To be clear, there's no action item buried in here, no signals today. This is purely informational, mostly to satisfy my own curiosity and mark the passage of time with some numbers.

How's Fletcher Doing?

Good news: it's been a solid week. Fletcher is tracking right along with the broader market — no new signals to report, since those only go out on the first of each month. Overall sentiment has stayed positive, just like the market in general. Sure, there have been ups and downs, but the overall vibe is upbeat.

If you're the type who likes to glance at the fear and greed index now and then (I am), you'll notice the needle's sitting firmly in "greed" territory right now. I'm no expert on that index — the individual components feeding into it are honestly a mixed bag — but the overall mood feels pretty bullish. I'm not someone who trades daily, hourly, or even weekly based on market mood swings. Maybe I'll perk up if there's a big down day and an opportunity presents itself, but for the most part, my strategy is to just keep holding and let time do the work.

The Numbers

Here's where things stand:

- Last 7 days: Fletcher +3%, S&P +1%

- Since the last signal (May 1st): Fletcher +16%, S&P +3%

- Year to date: Fletcher ~149%, S&P ~9%

That S&P number is genuinely impressive — 9% puts it in record territory, and it looks like it could be on pace for somewhere around an 18–20% year. As for Fletcher, I'd love to see it cross 200% by year-end. Might be wishful thinking, but a guy can dream.

Headlines and Old Memories

I'll admit, headlines mostly do one thing for me these days: trigger old memories. With everything going on in Iran over the past six to eight weeks, my mind keeps drifting back to something from my childhood. I was twelve, Carter was president, and there was major turmoil in the Middle East. My cousin and I spotted an opportunity in it — literally. We were seeing long lines of cars at gas stations all over Dallas, and with the Texas heat in full force, we grabbed our bikes, mixed up a batch of Kool-Aid, and sold it to everyone stuck waiting in line. Funny how gas and oil headlines still take me right back to that memory.

Reader Questions

A couple of good ones came in this week.

"What's the ticker symbol for Fletcher?"

There isn't one — Fletcher isn't a fund or a stock. It's an algorithm, available through a monthly signal subscription.

"How did Fletcher perform during the 2007–2008 financial crisis?"

Good question, and one I can only partially answer right now. My backtesting currently goes back eight years, and I haven't gathered the data to push further back yet (it's on the to-do list). What I can share: across those eight years, Fletcher's average gain has been around 90% per year. Some years are obviously stronger than others — if you strip out the top three years and look at the remaining five, the average comes down to about 35% per year. I'm a numbers and charts guy at heart, so expect more detail on this down the road.

That wraps up another positive week for Fletcher. Thanks for reading along, and feel free to send over any questions. Want to learn more about how Fletcher works? Head to [FletcherInvestor.com].

Have a great week — see you back here next Friday.