Monthly Investing Challenge – October 2026 Update
Welcome back to the October update from my monthly investing challenge.
After some fairly dramatic months recently, October was much quieter.
That was especially true for USD/JPY.
The market felt choppy, I took considerably fewer trades than I have in previous months, and the forex account only made a relatively small gain.
Strangely enough, I think I’m happier with that than I would have been if I’d forced ten trades just to feel like I was doing something.
October summary:
- Total contributed: $1,400.00
- Current portfolio value: $1,706.38
- Overall gain: +$306.38
- Overall return on contributions: +21.88%
- October gain after allowing for the new contribution: +$28.47
- October return: +1.70%
- Biggest lesson: Sometimes taking fewer trades is the right decision.
Financial disclaimer:
This challenge documents my own experience using real money. It is not financial advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or trade any investment.
Investments can fall in value and trading can involve significant risk. Always carry out your own research and consider regulated financial advice where appropriate.
Challenge Progress
The challenge started with $200 in April and I have continued adding another $200 each month.
| Month | Money Invested | Portfolio Value | Gain or Loss | Return on Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | $200.00 | $223.77 | +$23.77 | +11.89% |
| May 2026 | $400.00 | $434.22 | +$34.22 | +8.55% |
| June 2026 | $600.00 | $648.64 | +$48.64 | +8.11% |
| July 2026 | $800.00 | $930.17 | +$130.17 | +16.27% |
| August 2026 | $1,000.00 | $1,265.78 | +$265.78 | +26.58% |
| September 2026 | $1,200.00 | $1,477.91 | +$277.91 | +23.16% |
| October 2026 | $1,400.00 | $1,706.38 | +$306.38 | +21.88% |
As always, the return percentage is based on the total amount contributed so far.
The percentage can therefore fall even when the portfolio value increases because another $200 is being added every month.
October Portfolio Results
Each category has now received total contributions of $350.
For the October monthly figures, I’ve taken each September closing value, added the new $50 contribution, and then compared that with the October closing value.
| Category | Name | Total Invested | Current Value | October Change | October % | Overall Change | Overall % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Stocks | Johnson & Johnson | $350.00 | $361.74 | -$15.70 | -4.16% | +$11.74 | +3.35% |
| S&P 500 ETF | State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | $350.00 | $372.26 | +$4.43 | +1.20% | +$22.26 | +6.36% |
| Popular Stocks | Microsoft | $350.00 | $448.40 | +$28.71 | +6.84% | +$98.40 | +28.11% |
| Forex Trades | USD/JPY | $350.00 | $523.98 | +$11.03 | +2.15% | +$173.98 | +49.71% |
| Portfolio Total | $1,400.00 | $1,706.38 | +$28.47 | +1.70% | +$306.38 | +21.88% | |
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson had the weakest month of the four categories.
The position is now worth $361.74 from total contributions of $350.
That still leaves an overall gain of $11.74, or around 3.35%.
However, after allowing for October’s new contribution, the position fell by approximately $15.70, or 4.16%.
It has given back some of the gains from previous months, but this is also exactly why I wanted different types of investments in the challenge.
Nothing moves in a straight line.
Even the supposedly boring part of the portfolio will have weaker months.
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF
The S&P 500 ETF is currently worth $372.26.
That leaves an overall profit of $22.26, or approximately 6.36%.
October itself was fairly quiet, with a contribution-adjusted gain of around $4.43.
There isn’t much excitement here, but that is part of the appeal.
I keep adding to it and let the broader market do whatever it is going to do.
Microsoft
Microsoft continues to do most of the heavy lifting on the investing side.
The position is now worth $448.40 from total contributions of $350.
That represents an overall gain of $98.40, or approximately 28.11%.
October added another contribution-adjusted gain of around $28.71, or 6.84%.
It is still interesting looking back at how this challenge developed.
Microsoft started out as one of the positions I was questioning because it was sitting in the red.
Now it is comfortably the strongest of the three investments.
Another reminder for me:
One bad month doesn’t automatically make an investment bad, just as one excellent month doesn’t automatically make it a great investment.
USD/JPY – A Much Quieter Month
USD/JPY was very different this month.
It felt choppy.
There were fewer setups that I actually wanted to take, so I ended up making considerably fewer trades than I have in some previous months.
The result was only a small gain.
The trading account increased by approximately $11.03 after allowing for October’s new contribution.
That works out at around 2.15% for the month.
The account is now worth approximately $523.98 from total contributions of $350.
That still leaves an overall gain of $173.98, or around 49.71%.
Maybe Doing Less Was the Right Trade
September’s lesson was that I had possibly forced a USD/JPY trade simply because I wanted to be in the market.
That trade cost me around $50.
So October was a useful test.
Could I actually sit there and not trade when I didn’t like what I was seeing?
For the most part, yes.
This month’s forex result wasn’t exciting.
But taking fewer trades in a choppy market and finishing slightly ahead feels considerably better than forcing entries and taking unnecessary losses.
Choppy Markets Don’t Owe Me a Setup
This is probably the biggest lesson from October.
When a market has been good to you, it is easy to start expecting it to keep providing opportunities.
USD/JPY has been the strongest part of this challenge by a large margin.
That doesn’t mean I need to trade it every week.
The market doesn’t know:
- that I’m doing a monthly challenge,
- that I want another winning trade,
- that I haven’t traded for a few days, or
- that I’d like something interesting to put in this month’s article.
Sometimes there simply isn’t a setup I like.
That should be the end of it.
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