Investors Are Becoming Cornered by Risk. Here’s Something Unexpected You Can Do About it This Week

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On paper, the markets look up. 

In reality, data suggests these five problems are reported to be stacking up for investors at the same time.

Problem #1: The market is even more concentrated than it looks.

As of the end of 2025, the top five stocks made up about 40% of the S&P 500, as valuations sat near 20-year highs. 

Problem #2: Returns hinge on one major story.

A huge share of recent gains reportedly depends on AI capex continuing uninterrupted.

Problem #3: Bonds aren’t diversifying like they once did.

Institutions report that stocks and bonds, a historically less volatile and risky investment mix, are now moving together more often due to risking risks across governance, rates, and debt.

Problem #4: The dollar quietly dropped ~10% last year.

Still the backbone currency globally, that’s one of its worst stretches in nearly a decade. And nearly every asset most investors own is priced entirely in dollars or highly exposed to its value. US Stocks, US Bonds, Cash, US real estate, etc. 

Problem #5: The usual safe havens are already crowded.

Gold is making all-time highs. Real estate is still especially rate-sensitive.

So what’s left? What’s one asset you could find in a billionaire’s portfolio you wouldn’t typically find elsewhere?

For centuries, wealthy investors have devoted a slice of their portfolios to scarce, globally priced assets.

Blue-chip art.

By established artists like Basquiat, Picasso, and Banksy. These assets trade internationally, outside the stock market, and aren’t completely tied to earnings or interest rates.

Historically, post-war and contemporary art has outpaced the S&P 500 over long periods while showing low correlation to stocks and bonds.*

Sounds crazy, right? After all, besides the likes of Bezos and Gates, who has a small fortune to gamble on an art collection? Where would you even start?

Meet Masterworks

You can fractionally invest in SEC-qualified shares in museum-quality artwork, with minimums starting in the thousands, not millions.

Thousands of investors have already allocated over $1.3 billion across over 500 works.

Masterworks handles sourcing, authentication, insurance, storage, and sale. 

You get exposure to an asset Wall Street doesn’t control.

Across completed sales, Masterworks has delivered net annualized returns like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.*

Shares in new offerings can sell quickly, but this is something you can do this week to potentially improve your portfolio performance.

[Click here to skip the waitlist and see current art offerings with Masterworks]

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This article contains sponsored content. Barchart has not reviewed, approved, or endorsed the content and was paid up to $3.00 per click for placement and promotion of the content on this site and other forms of public distribution covering the period of January 2026. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.

Investing involves risk. Past results are not indicative of future outcomes.

Masterworks is providing this communication as an agent for its issuer entities, not Masterworks Advisers.  Content does not contain legal, tax, investment advice, or a personalized recommendation.  Masterworks is not a licensed broker-dealer by the SEC or FINRA.  

Masterworks can only make and accept sales after an offering statement has been filed, and “qualified”, by the SEC.  Any offers may be revoked before notice of qualification.  Indications of interest involve no obligation.  For further disclosure visit the offering documents filed with the SEC and Important Disclosures at masterworks.com/cd. 

Art correlation and appreciation data based on repeat-sales index of historical Post-War & Contemporary Art market prices and S&P 500 annualized return (includes dividends reinvested) from 1995 to 2025, developed by Masterworks. There are significant limitations to comparative asset class data. Indices are unmanaged and a Masterworks investor cannot invest directly in an index.

Celebrities referenced are not investors in Masterworks Offerings.  Their affiliation with artists is not an endorsement of Masterworks.  

SEC ‘qualification’ only means that the issuer of those shares may make sales of the securities described by the offering statement. It does not mean that the SEC has approved, passed upon the merits of, or passed upon the accuracy or completeness of the information in the offering statement

“Net Annualized Return” refers to the annualized internal rate of return, or IRR, net of all fees and costs, to holders of Class A shares from the primary offering, calculated from the final closing date of such offering to the date the sale is consummated.