Afternoon report 18/05/2026 16:45

The Match Out: ASX sinks as inflation fears kick up, Tuas gets whacked

The ASX opened lower and looked weak throughout the session today, with the 8500 level providing some support through the afternoon, though there were few real signs of a meaningful bounce. Rising oil prices and another sharp move higher in bond yields continued to weigh heavily on sentiment as markets grapple with the prospect of higher for longer outlook on rates.

Morning report 18/05/2026 16:44

Macro Monday: Unsettled bond markets are starting to weigh on equities

Despite Friday’s pullback, US equities still enjoyed their 7th consecutive week of gains, although the rally has become increasingly concentrated on the stock and sector level. Eight of the 11 S&P 500 sectors have fallen so far this month, with most of the upside concentrated in “Big Tech” – just four stocks are responsible for more than half of the S&P 500’s gains this year. Even as key equity sectors wobbled and yields advanced, financial markets stayed firm into Thursday, helped by strong corporate earnings.

Weekend report 16/05/2026 09:26

Weekend Q&A: The Budget’s behind us, now back to Iran and Inflation

The ASX200 fell 1.3% last week, with market sentiment softened by Tuesday’s Budget and disappointing trading updates from ASX heavyweights CBA and CSL - as the saying goes, the trend’s your friend, with the previous market darling CSL, now down -43%, in 2026. As we all know, the budget played a dominant role last week, with the influential “Big Four Banks” retreating by an average of close to 6% on fears around Australia's pivotal housing market. It’s a good job the big miners enjoyed a great week, despite surrendering some of their gains on Friday. BHP Group (ASX: BHP) and RIO Tinto (ASX: RIO) posted fresh all-time highs, both advancing +4% by Friday's close.

Afternoon report 15/05/2026 16:45

The Match Out: ASX slips as miners cool, Tech rebounds and banks find some support

The ASX finished the week on a softer note, with the index dragged lower by a sharp reversal in the miners following a strong run in commodity-linked names. Materials had been the market’s engine room recently, helped by record highs in copper and gold, but profit-taking arrived today as copper eased on signs higher prices are starting to bite into Chinese demand, while gold also softened as traders reassessed the outlook for US rates following hotter inflation data during the week.

Morning report 15/05/2026 09:24

ETF Friday: Four ASX ETFs the Budget has brought into Focus

The ASX200 continued to feel soggy on Thursday, although it did ultimately reverse earlier losses into the close, ending the session up +0.1%, even though ~55% of the main board retreated. A bounce by the banks, led by Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA), combined with another positive session by BHP Group (ASX: BHP), was enough to see the main board eke out a small gain, with the index again attracting buyers around the 8600 level, albeit in a very selective manner.

Afternoon report 14/05/2026 16:57

The Match Out: ASX steadies as Materials push higher and CBA finds its feet

The ASX snapped a 4 session losing streak today and although the market lost momentum through the middle of the session, buyers gradually re-emerged into the close with the index finishing modestly higher.

Morning report 14/05/2026 10:28

What Matters Today: Budget winners & losers — The ASX stocks to buy or avoid right now

The ASX 200 retreated for its fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, ending the post-budget session down 0.5%, courtesy of a -10.4% plunge by Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA), which took almost 100-points off an index that only closed down 40-points.

Afternoon report 13/05/2026 17:13

The Match Out: Federal Budget 2026 – What it means for Portfolio’s

The ASX slipped for a fourth straight session today as a sharp selloff in CBA following a softer quarterly weighed heavily on the broader market, with the market also digesting the implications of last night’s Federal Budget and its proposed changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions.

Morning report 13/05/2026 09:45

Portfolio Positioning: Let’s get back to our knitting now the budget is behind us

The ASX 200 retreated 0.4% on Tuesday, ahead of the Albanese - Chalmers budget which had mostly been leaked. On the stock/sector level the story pretty much remained the same, with over 65% of the main board retreating and the miners unable to support the fragile ASX.

Afternoon report 12/05/2026 16:44

The Match Out: ASX softer ahead of the Budget, BHP hits record, tech sold off

The ASX was weaker today, with the market unable to follow a stronger offshore lead as investors turned more cautious ahead of tonight’s Federal Budget. Lots of leaks in recent days and suffice to say, this will be one of the more important budgets in recent memory with the ALP fiddling with capital gains tax.