Ask James: Central banks ease back support

The AX200 rallied almost 2% last week as bond yields fell even after the RBA abandoned its “yield curve control policy”, the impact is going to be felt by many homeowners with fixed rate mortgages already being hiked this week e.g. St George’s fixed 3-year increased from just over 2% to 2.39% courtesy of the RBA no longer anchoring local 3-year bond yields to 0.1% plus for good measure they’ve started to prime the market for potential rate rises in 2023.

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Afternoon report 15/04/2026 17:10

The Match Out: ASX consolidates as EVN leads the gold charge

The ASX looked set for a strong day early, but only finished marginally higher. We probably sound like a broken record at times – the ASX will struggle to push meaningfully higher without the banks leading, but today was the perfect example. The index briefly pushed above the 9,000 level intraday, though selling in financials capped the advance.

Morning report 15/04/2026 09:50

Portfolio Positioning: Cracks in the Consumer – Reviewing Exposure as Confidence Slides

The ASX200 limped to a 45-point gain on Tuesday, after opening with a bang it surrendered more than 50% of its early gains as the banks came under pressure, courtesy of Westpac (ASX:WBC). From a points perspective it was very much a market of two halves with the two heavyweight market sectors pulling in opposing directions:

Afternoon report 14/04/2026 17:21

The Match Out: ASX cracks 9,000 level then fades, Westpac flags Middle East conflict impacts

Today’s session kicked off with a strong open with the index pushing through the 9,000 level for the first time since early March before giving back some ground through the day, ultimately consolidating through the afternoon into the close.

Morning report 14/04/2026 09:44

What Matters Today: Four ASX200 Stocks With Plenty to Gain From AI Cost Savings

We felt the ASX200 delivered a solid performance on Monday given the weekend's disappointing developments out of Pakistan around the US-Iran war, and the headwind of weakening global futures throughout our session.

Afternoon report 13/04/2026 17:13

The Match Out: ASX closes lower but digs in as US-Iran talks sour

The ASX finished lower today though the move was somewhat contained considering the escalation in rhetoric around the Middle East conflict. The local market entered the session digesting the breakdown of peace talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan over the weekend, with President Donald Trump announcing plans for a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, causing a +7% spike in oil prices.

Morning report 13/04/2026 09:41

Macro Monday: The Bulls Fight Back – But the Ceasefire Calm is in Danger

Global equities posted a solid rally last week, driven by hopes that the US-Iran ceasefire would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz — removing a key inflation risk and clearing the path for global growth to regain momentum before any lasting economic damage was done.

Weekend report 11/04/2026 09:19

Weekend Q&A: A ceasefire propels the ASX200 within striking distance of fresh all-time highs

Afternoon report 10/04/2026 17:06

The Match Out: ASX takes a breather after its best week in months

The local market softened today, though not by much, with the ASX200 index still capping off a strong week, rising +3.3% over the period as markets continued to rebound following the US-Iran ceasefire. Risk appetite cooled with investors trimming positions ahead of talks between US and Iranian officials in Pakistan over the weekend, while uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz and the resumption of tanker traffic continues to cloud the near-term outlook for energy markets.

Morning report 10/04/2026 09:21

ETF Friday: Four ETFs Caught in the AI Crossfire – Winners and Losers

The ASX 200 recovered from early losses to close up +0.2% on Thursday taking the market to its highest close since March 3rd, just as the Iran war broke out. Over 55% of the main board closed lower on the day but a strong session by the banks was enough to push the index higher, shrugging off steep losses across the software stocks after Anthropic launched Claude Managed Agents and Meta unveiled a new AI model - the “AI Disruption Trade” reared its head again causing indiscriminate selling in the local Tech stocks, sending the sector down another -6.5%.

Afternoon report 09/04/2026 17:14

The Match Out: ASX holds firm as tech retreats and energy bounces

The ASX 200 edged higher today, extending the relief rally sparked by the Iran ceasefire announcement yesterday morning, though gains were modest as investors continued to weigh the fragility of the agreement and the ongoing disruption to traffic and oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The mixed tone across sectors reflected that backdrop, with energy leading gains while technology stocks gave back some of their strong advances from the prior session.