Ask James: Central banks ease back support

Afternoon report 16/10/2026 17:00

The Match Out: ASX jumps as beaten-up tech and miners lead recovery

The local market staged a broad recovery today as technology and materials stocks bounced back from heavy losses, supported by easing concerns around the global AI thematic, triggering renewed buying across oversold sectors though weakness in banks and consumer staples limited the advance.

Morning report 16/10/2026 09:17

Fund Friday: How to position for a broadening of the rally if bond yields have peaked?

The ASX 200 staged an impressive recovery on Thursday, clawing its way back from an early 1% decline to finish virtually unchanged at 8,720 (-0.1%), as weaker than expected employment data provided a welcome reprieve from the recent interest rate concerns.

Afternoon report 15/10/2026 17:06

The Match Out: ASX pares losses as softer jobs data lifts rate hopes

Local shares finished marginally lower as a defensive rotation into consumer staples and financials offset a sharp sell-off in miners, technology and data centre stocks, with softer domestic employment data providing some relief on interest rate expectations after hotter-than-expected US inflation reignited rate concerns overnight.

Morning report 15/10/2026 09:51

What Matters Today: Glencore (ASX: GLC) debut on the ASX – what may come next?

The ASX 200 was hit -0.6% on Wednesday for no obvious reason, with renewed selling in the banks the main weight, with the financials accounting for more than 70% of the index's decline. However, weakness was broad-based, with over 70% of the main board closing lower, and the miners adding to the market's woes, which unfortunately look set to extend today.

Afternoon report 14/10/2026 17:08

The Match Out: Banks reverse Tuesday’s rally as ASX snaps three-day winning streak

A weaker session on the ASX today, with the market snapping its recent winning streak as banks unwound yesterday’s rally. Financials and Materials weighed on the index, while Energy, Telecommunications and Real Estate provided some support.

Morning report 14/10/2026 09:27

Portfolio Positioning: Stock & Sector rotation determining portfolio performance

The ASX fought valiantly on Tuesday to reverse early losses ending the session basically flat. However, it was far from a quiet session on the stock and sector front with AI facing tech stocks whacked, with Megaport (-9.9%) and NEXTDC (-6.6%) enduring sessions to forget.

Afternoon report 13/10/2026 16:54

The Match Out: ASX treads water as global chip rout hits growth stocks

A mixed session on the ASX today, with the index recovering from intraday losses to finish almost unchanged. Defensive sectors, energy and banks provided some support, but a sharp global semiconductor sell-off weighed heavily on Technology, while Materials and lithium stocks also came under pressure.

Morning report 13/10/2026 10:12

What Matters Today: How should we value AI Infrastructure stocks after the Firmus debacle?

The ASX 200 big guns started firing on Monday in a rare session of solidarity between the banks and heavyweight miners, the financials and materials combined to add 79-points to the ASX 200, which only closed up 66-points on the day! For a 0.8% gain it was unusual to see almost 50% of the main board close lower, such was the dominance of the likes of BHP (+2.5%) and Westpac (+2.7%).

Afternoon report 12/10/2026 17:06

The Match Out: ASX extends rebound, Banks and Miners lead the way

A strong session on the ASX today, extending gains from the end of last week and bringing the index close to a one-month high. Miners, banks and Technology led the recovery, while Healthcare reached an eight-month high.

Morning report 12/10/2026 09:51

Macro Monday: Reasons to be bullish – part 3

Shawn reckons the current market reminds him of an old 1980’s song – Reasons to be Cheerful – part 3 (here), hence the title of today’s note – certainly showing his age! Despite the ongoing unsettling news across the newswires, we remain positive on equities here, and today we’ll outline some of the reasons that underpin that view.