National Australia Bank (NAB) v Westpac Bank (WBC)

08/05/2025

National Australia Bank (NAB) v Westpac Bank (WBC)

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Weekend report 17/05/2025

Weekend Q&A: The RBA will be centre stage this week, with a rate cut expected

The ASX 200 ended the week up +1.4 %, taking the month's gains to +2.7%, as the index pushed within striking distance of February's all-time high. The energy and tech sectors drove the gains, both ending the week by more than 5%, while defensive/rate-sensitive stocks dragged the chain, i.e. “risk on” was the order of the day. Out of the mainboard's 11 sectors, only the consumer staples, Utilities, and real estate sectors closed lower. The US-China “Trade Truce” set the platform for a strong start to the week, before the Australian market posted its highest level in three months on Friday after soft US economic data paved the way for interest rate cuts in Australia and the United States. The positive statistics are continuing to line up:

Afternoon report 16/05/2025

The Match Out: ASX books another strong week, now up 16% from the lows

SPI Futures were uber bullish overnight up nearly 100pts, outpacing gains in other markets and that drove a bump on open for stocks, however, it didn’t last with the main board giving back the lion’s share of gains as the day progressed, ultimately trading more than 50pts off the early highs – a sign of exhaustion in the short term after a great rally in stocks.