The Match Out: Stocks pull back from early highs, IT continues to lag

Today’s session promised so much at the outset but delivered so little with the ASX 200 finishing ~100pts from the early morning highs. The bullish backdrop of what looked to be a short term top in bond yields, the passing of a US stimulus package + positive data from China over the weekend had stocks well bid on open with the market trading up to a 6835 high, only for sellers to kick into gear around lunchtime and push stocks back towards 6700. The performance gap continues to open for the market with the IT sector down -1.14% today while the Materials rallied +1.65% showing that the right sector calls are so important in this sort of market as the macro backdrop plays the tune for stocks.

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Alerts 18/07/2025 10:03

Trade Alerts – Active Growth & Core ETF Portfolio

We are making changes across two portfolios today

Morning report 18/07/2025 09:22

ETF Friday: Using ETFs to invest across the Banking Sector, home and abroad

The ASX 200 closed up +0.9% on Thursday, posting both a fresh intraday and closing high. The catalyst being a surprisingly weak June jobs report, which increased the case for three rate cuts before Christmas - two were already being fully factored in.

Afternoon report 17/07/2025 17:09

The Match Out: Soft jobs data surely means a rate cut in August! Stocks rally

A positive open this morning, but the buyers really kicked into gear following softer employment data out at 11.30am which opens the door for a rate cut at the next meeting, they should have cut last week! Rate sensitive sectors faired best, though the love was broadly spread with 80% of the main board ending higher.

Morning report 17/07/2025 09:48

What Matters Today: What’s MM’s pick from the “Magnificent Seven” as Nvidia soars past $US4 trillion?

The ASX200 took a 0.8% hit on Wednesday, its worst session since early May, with over 65% of the main board retreating. Rising long-term bond yields and ongoing uncertainty around tariffs proved too much for a market striving to post new highs.

Afternoon report 16/07/2025 16:51

The Match Out: ASX down, weakest session since early May

The ASX had its worst day since 5th May today, which implies we’ve had a pretty good run in stocks despite ongoing trade uncertainty. The market was hit on the open, with all sectors trading in the red before recent trends emerged; banks experiencing ongoing selling while resources bounced from their intra-day nadir.

Morning report 16/07/2025 09:52

Portfolio Positioning: Fed rate cut bets wane, even after a soft CPI

The ASX200 surged +0.7% on Tuesday following broad-based gains, which saw 70% of the mainboard close higher. The index posted a fresh record closing high for the second time in a fortnight, ignoring plenty of negative news along the way. Ironically, the only sector which slipped on the day was the materials even after China reported better-than-expected quarterly economic growth, although we wouldn't be surprised to see this translate to some buying in the miners into August.

Afternoon report 15/07/2025 17:04

The Match Out: ASX closes at a new high, HUB24 (HUB) reports strong flows

A new all-time closing high for the ASX today, with the index pushing comfortably above 8600 driven by broad based buying with 75% of the main board closing higher – only one sector failed the make gains.

Morning report 15/07/2025 12:37

What Matters Today: Should we follow the US Govt into Rare Earths?

The ASX200 closed down 0.1% on Monday, which was another solid performance considering overseas indices were weak on Friday night, and the S&P 500 futures fell further during our day session after the Trade War gathered momentum over the weekend. In typical bullish fashion, the index opened around its daily low, grinding higher as BHP and the materials sector offset losses in the financials; CBA and Westpac combined to take over 6 points off the index, which was almost perfectly offset by a +0.9% gain by BHP Group (BHP). The market may feel tired around the 8600 level, but it continues to frustrate the bears as stock and sector rotation remain the main game in town.

Afternoon report 14/07/2025 17:15

The Match Out: Banks drag ASX lower, tech stocks take hit on U.S Open Banking shake-up

Energy & Resources led the charge today with BHP back knocking on the door of $40, and is now up more than 8% in FY26 relative to Comm Bank (CBA) which has fallen ~3%.

Morning report 14/07/2025 09:35

Macro Monday: Markets brace for renewed tariff ructions

Stocks have shown increasing complacency to US tariff threats, and they will face another test this morning after President Donald Trump declared a 30% rate for the European Union and Mexico, effective August 1st. He said Mexico had failed to do enough to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US and complained that the EU’s trade deficit with the US was unfair, almost ~$US150bn last year, as can be seen below.