What Matters Today: Lithium & Rare Earths find their mojo – How is MM playing it?

There has been phenomenal hype in recent years around Lithium and other key commodities that underpin the global move towards Electric Vehicles (EVs), and we think there is a solid foundation to this sector, however, the shorter-term movements in the Lithium price for example, where a pullback of ~70% has recently played out, highlights a theme that MM often speaks of, around crowded trades creating risk.

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Latest Reports

Afternoon report 23/06/2025 17:12

The Match Out: Stocks experience only ‘mild’ reaction to US strikes on Iran

We were the first major market to absorb the weekend’s strikes on Iran, and while stocks fell, it was far from aggressive, with the ASX trading down ~80pts at the lows before the dip buyers emerged, pushing the index up ~50pts from the morning nadir.

Morning report 23/06/2025 09:33

Macro Monday: How could markets react to the US strikes on Iran?

Trump said he would take up to two weeks to decide on the US’s involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, but it ended up being closer to two days after American bombers struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites.

Weekend report 21/06/2025 10:48

Weekend Q&A: The ASX goes into holding pattern ahead of the EOFY

The ASX200 finished last week down 0.5% in a lacklustre period on the index level that was characterised by tight ranges with an overall net downside bias as the proverbial “Can” was kicked down the road in the Israel-Iran conflict. The ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East helped the energy sector advance by +5.3%, while the materials sector was the standout loser, driven by gold and iron ore names. Elsewhere, it felt like we were starting to see early signs of jockeying for the tax man and book ruling off into the EOFY.

Afternoon report 20/06/2025 16:42

The Match Out: ASX dips then bounces as Trump delays U.S involvement in the Middle East

It was a mixed day on the ASX today with half the main board higher/lower with the banks and materials sectors doing some damage early but the buy the dip mentality well and truly in play as we saw a significant grind higher through the session amounting to a +43pt move from the low of the day to the close.

Morning report 20/06/2025 09:37

What Matters Today: Using ETFs to Hedge or Short Stock Markets

The ASX 200 slipped another 0.1% on Thursday, with the song remaining the same on the stock & sector level. CBA scaled new highs, trading through $183, while weakness in the large-cap iron ore miners was enough to ensure the index closed mildly lower.

Afternoon report 19/06/2025 17:21

The Match Out: ASX resilient as missiles continue to fly

Another resilient session for the ASX, at the index level at least, with large cap, index heavy names continuing to find flows, though there was plenty of weakness across certain sectors, resources being an area that remained under pressure.

Morning report 19/06/2025 09:45

What Matters Today: Middle East uncertainty outweighs two Fed cuts in 2025

Wednesday saw the ASX200 close down 0.1% after rotating in another tight 0.4% range as the market remains in its “Middle East Conflict” holding pattern. The losers slightly beat the winners, with only two stocks moving by over 5%, illustrating the lacklustre nature of the day. At the sector level, weakness in the resources sector more than offset gains in tech, which we will examine later today

Afternoon report 18/06/2025 17:48

The Match Out: ASX slides on weaker Commodities

The ASX bounced between positive and negative territory today amid a sharp sell-off in materials after iron ore hit a 9-month low but ultimately closed toward its lows of the days narrow ~30pt trading range.

Alerts 18/06/2025 09:54

Trade Alerts – Active Growth, Income & Emerging Companies Portfolios

We are making several changes across Market Matters Portfolios today

Morning report 18/06/2025 09:31

Portfolio Positioning: Fears increase that the US will join the Middle East conflict

The ASX200 slipped 0.1% on Tuesday as uncertainty around the Middle East increased following some confusing and contradictory comments from President Trump et al, leading to a ~0.6% slide by the US S&P 500 futures, surrendering most of Monday's advance in the process.