Ask Shawn: The Feds hawkish outlook weighs heavily on equities

The ASX200 tumbled into the Feds FOMC meeting on Wednesday only to compound the losses throughout an awful session on Friday which ultimately resulted in the local market falling over -2.4% for the week, with all 11-sectors closing lower led by the interest rate sensitive Tech, Utilities, Real Estate and Consumer Discretionary Sectors – all of which fell around 5%, or more. The Fed and Bank of England combined forces to dash market hopes that interest rates were approaching their peak, if anything the fight against inflation has been ramped up:

The Fed hiked rates by 0.75% and the BOE by an aggressive 0.5%, which poses the question what next from the RBA in 2-weeks’ time?
The big shake up from the Fed was delivered by its rhetoric – Jerome Powell said that a “soft landing for the US economy will be very difficult to achieve” i.e. buckle up for a recession.

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Weekend report 09/08/2025 09:08

Weekend Q&A: The Bull remains intact as the ASX posts new highs, breaking above 8800

The ASX200 slipped lower on Friday but still managed to snap a two-week losing streak. The index finished up +1.7% over the five days, driven by strong gains by miners and rate-sensitive names. On the sector level, only healthcare retreated courtesy of renewed tariff jitters while the Materials sector surged over 5% higher, led by gold, rare earth and lithium stocks. A more than 30c gain by BHP in the US on Friday nights suggests there's more in this move. The extent of the gains in miners saw a number of the best performers outperform IRESS (IRE), and it received a takeover bid!

Afternoon report 08/08/2025 17:40

The Match Out: Another good week for the ASX as reporting builds momentum

The ASX finished the week sluggishly as the market took its foot off the gas with US tariffs on ~90 trading partners becoming effective yesterday. Despite the tremors, the index still managed to gain 1.7% over the period and is within striking distance of fresh all-time highs

Alerts 08/08/2025 10:22

Portfolio Amendments – Growth & Income Portfolio

MM is adding a new position to the Income & Growth Portfolios

Morning report 08/08/2025 09:30

ETF Friday: Our 4 top macro calls, and way to play them via ETFs

The ASX 200 slipped 0.1% on a quiet Thursday, with the index remaining around all-time highs as the exchange where its shares are traded goes from one mess-up to the next.

Afternoon report 07/08/2025 17:40

The Match Out: ASX stalls as investors await Reporting Season

The ASX 200 plateaued today, failing to push to new highs despite a solid session overnight in the US, though there was no clear push in either direction after recent strength.

Morning report 07/08/2025 09:23

What Matters Today: Three companies MM believe may be takeover targets into 2026

The ASX200 surged another +0.8% on Wednesday, closing at a fresh all-time high, and well above the psychological 8800 for the first time. Over 75% of the main board closed higher, but the main drivers of the more than 70-point advance were the heavyweight financials and materials sectors, which combined made up almost 60% of the indexes gain.

Afternoon report 06/08/2025 17:24

The Match Out: News highs for the ASX, with 9000 now in sight!

A second day of strength for the ASX, breaking out to new highs as ‘risk on’ flows across the market. Futures were well supported overnight, even as the US market pulled back, implying a degree of overseas buying is hitting our bourse led by a reemergence of interest in the resources and energy sectors.

Morning report 06/08/2025 09:38

Portfolio Positioning: The bulls remain in charge as earnings support global equities

The ASX200 surged towards new highs on Tuesday, ending the session up +1.2%, only 6 points below its all-time high. Gains were broad-based, with over 90% of the main board advancing, led by the rate-sensitive consumer discretionary, real estate and financial stocks.

Afternoon report 05/08/2025 17:37

The Match Out: The bulls take back control – ASX up +100pts

181 stocks in the ASX 200 made gains today, all sectors were higher, intra-day dips were bought, and the market made a new all-time closing high up tripped digits – a bullish day all around as we move into local reporting season. US earnings have strong; we made the point this morning that S&P 500 companies are on track to post a +9.1% lift in profits, far above analysts’ projection of 2.8% before results began, with earnings, and importantly, positive earnings revisions ultimately driving stock prices. Now it’s our turn!

Morning report 05/08/2025 10:51

What Matters Today: Three defensives MM likes when it’s time to de-risk portfolios

The ASX200 recovered from early losses on Monday to end the session in positive territory, an impressive performance considering the Dow's more than 500-point drop on Friday night.