Investing feels easier when markets are messy. When volatility spikes and fear takes hold, putting fresh capital to work can feel rational, even opportunistic. But when markets are cruising near record highs, valuations look stretched, and AI stocks are powering ahead like a runaway train, adding to a portfolio can feel unnerving.

It’s a sentiment shared by many right now. With the ASX 200 trading at elevated multiples and earnings growth on track to post its third consecutive annual decline, the contradiction is hard to ignore.

But according to FNArena Editor Rudi Filapek-Vandyck, it’s not a bubble, and the market isn’t broken. The real problem? Investors are using the wrong lens.

“The averages are masking the detail,” he argues. High index-level valuations are being distorted by a handful of heavyweight stocks, while strong underlying growth is still coming through in key parts of the market.

In this episode of The Rules of Investing, Rudi joins Livewire’s James Marlay to unpack what’s really going on beneath the surface, why some companies are still worth owning at premium multiples, and how investors can navigate another volatile reporting season without getting spooked out of the market.

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