Portfolio Positioning: Bond yields test equities yet again

Tuesday saw the Australian market slip just -0.1% after steadily surrendering the mornings gains through the afternoon, this morning we see another example of the ASX’s uncanny knack of picking major moves on overseas bourses. Yesterday saw only the Healthcare Sector move by over 1% and it was on the downside with losses pretty evenly spread throughout most stocks. At 4pm yesterday afternoon it felt like the regularly mentioned 7400 magnet was restraining local stocks but a few hours later as the US tech futures plunged 2% and bond yields surged to fresh 2-year highs the reason lurking beneath the surface became far more apparent.

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Afternoon report 04/11/2025 17:09

The Match Out: Stocks drop; RBA holds rates unchanged as expected

The ASX 200 slid to a six-week low with the RBA’s final decision of the year yielding no change to the cash rate – 10/11 sectors were down on low activity due to the Melbourne Cup shenanigans

Morning report 04/11/2025 09:29

What Matters Today: Can the Banking sector defy sceptics and follow Westpac higher?

The ASX 200 produced a strong recovery on Monday afternoon to close up +0.2%, more than 0.7% off its late morning low. Westpac (WBC) drove the banks and ASX higher as investors took an increasingly bullish view of its FY25 result, the longer the day progressed - more on the banks later. In typical 2025 fashion, moves on the stock and sector level were very polarised on the first trading day of November, with the financials adding more than +38 points to the main board while materials and healthcare names detracted over -28 points.

Afternoon report 03/11/2025 17:11

The Match Out: ASX edges higher, Westpac reports & rallies

The ASX finished mildly higher on the first trading day of November, largely underpinned by a solid day for the banks with the big 4 contributing +36pts to the main boards gain as Westpac reported FY results and rallied – more on their result below.

Morning report 03/11/2025 09:52

Macro Monday: Have Central Banks & inflation changed the market dynamic?

Wall Street ended October on a strong note, with AI enthusiasm, solid corporate earnings, and looser financial conditions propelling equities to a sixth straight month of gains, while credit markets marked their third consecutive advance.

Weekend report 01/11/2025 09:49

Weekend Q&A: With a rate cut off the table, the ASX has lost a major tailwind

The ASX200 ended the week down -1.5% as rate-sensitive stocks weighed on the market following Australia's hotter than expected CPI and Jerome Powell's message that another Fed rate cut in December was no foregone conclusion. Another strong week by uranium and copper names did little to dent the selling across the healthcare, tech, real estate and retail sectors, with some big and influential names front and centre, dragging the index back under the 8900 level, even as US indices continued to post fresh highs:

Afternoon report 31/10/2025 17:09

The Match Out: ASX rallies early, closes in negative territory

The ASX was a story of two tales today, with early gains driven by gold miners and the major banks as global risk sentiment improved following progress in US–China trade talks.

Alerts 31/10/2025 09:56

Trade Alert – Emerging Companies Portfolio

We are making two changes to the Emerging Companies Portfolio

Morning report 31/10/2025 09:48

ETF Friday: Three ETFs that could benefit from higher bond yields/interest rates

The ASX 200 slipped 0.5% on the penultimate day of October, as strength across lithium, copper, and uranium names failed to offset another weak session for rate-sensitive sectors. Consumer discretionary (-4.2%) and real estate (-2.7%) led the declines, with notable heavyweights Wesfarmers (WES) -7.1% and JB Hi-Fi (JBH) -4.5% dragging the index lower.

Afternoon report 30/10/2025 17:51

The Match Out: Rate sensitive stocks hit, MinRes (MIN) turns the corner

The ASX extended its losses on Thursday, as investors continued to digest hotter-than-expected local inflation data and a more cautious tone from US Fed Chair Jerome Powell overnight

Alerts 30/10/2025 10:05