Morning report 31/08/2026 09:44

Macro Monday: Is September set to be a Warsh v Bessent arm wrestle?

Two weeks ago, Scott Bessent emerged as one of the most interventionist US Treasury secretaries in decades, in an attempt to stem the increasing burden of the rise in US borrowing costs.

Weekend report 29/08/2026 09:58

Weekend Q&A: The ASX 200 manages to shrug off a Hot CPI – just!

The ASX 200 edged +0.37% higher last week courtesy of a strong close on Friday afternoon and another strong performance from the Materials sector (+2.5%). Earnings season remained broadly constructive, with estimated profit growth running at ~11%, although the improvement remains heavily concentrated in resources and energy, stripping those sectors out reduces growth to around ~5%. Financials have now fallen for three consecutive weeks amid housing and mortgage concerns, while Consumer Discretionary also struggled as higher rates and slowing housing activity weighed on earnings & sentiment following this week’s higher than expected CPI.

Afternoon report 28/08/2026 17:10

The Match Out: Tech Roars Back as the ASX Shrugs Off Rate Jitters

The ASX 200 finished the week on a firmer footing, bouncing around after Thursday’s broad sell-off. The recovery was led by tech stocks, which snapped back strongly after a tough couple of sessions as Nvidia and Salesforce’s overnight rallies reignited enthusiasm for the AI trade and Software trades. The banks and miners also provided support, with seven of 11 sectors higher through the afternoon.

Morning report 28/08/2026 09:11

ETF Friday: Has NVIDIA just reignited tech ETFs?

The ASX 200 was clobbered on Thursday, as a trifecta of bad news overshadowed another impressive result from Nvidia. Selling was broad-based, with more than 75% of the main board leading the market's worst day since June. Globally, it was a session that favoured semiconductors over miners, an unfortunate combination for the local market given the ASX is heavily exposed to the latter and has virtually none of the former:

Afternoon report 27/08/2026 18:31

The Match Out: ASX tumbles as RBA rate hike fears take hold

It was a slow and painful session today with the ASX sliding hour by hour through to the close in a broad-based sell-off, with 10 of 11 sectors lower, as yesterday’s hotter-than-expected CPI print drove bond yields higher and sharply increased expectations for another RBA rate hike.

Morning report 27/08/2026 09:31

What Matters Today: Sticky inflation, opportunity or worry?

The ASX 200 surrendered early gains on Wednesday after inflation data came in far stronger than expected, weighing heavily on overall sentiment and specifically the rate-sensitive names. Just to compound the market’s woes, yesterday's reporting wasn’t kind, with major disappointments from Worley (-10.8%), WiseTech (-10.1%), and Flight Centre (-7.4%) offsetting further strength in gold and copper names.

Afternoon report 26/08/2026 17:28

The Match Out: Hot CPI knocks the ASX off its highs

The ASX 200 looked set for a third straight gain early on, trading as much as 0.6% higher to ~9220, before July inflation completely changed the tone of the session. The index reversed sharply after the release and ultimately finished lower with the market quickly pricing a greater chance that the RBA will need to go again on rates. Financials swung from an early gain into the red as higher rate expectations weighed on the market. Consumer Staples were the standout, holding onto a gain after a solid result from Woolies, while Materials remained one of the few reliable areas of strength early before giving back gains in the afternoon.

Morning report 26/08/2026 09:32

Portfolio Positioning: Copper stocks set for another big session

The ASX 200 enjoyed a more broad-based advance on Tuesday, with 70% of the main board closing higher, pushing the index up +0.7%. The banks finally gave the index a helping hand, but they still couldn’t figure in the top 3 stocks contributing to the market's 62-point advance; the podium was headed by BHP, again (+9 points), followed by CSL (+7-points), and Suncorp (+5-points). Elsewhere, we saw some profit-taking creep into the high-flying gold sector while the tech stocks more than picked up the slack, taking their cue from a reversal higher by the semiconductor-driven Korean KOSPI Index.

Afternoon report 25/08/2026 16:55

The Match Out: ASX rises as ARB surges on result, insurers jump on Tokio Marine takeover speculation

The ASX 200 put together one of its better sessions in recent weeks as the market built on Monday’s gains and breadth improved markedly. Ten of the 11 sectors finished higher with Healthcare continuing its rebound, now 44% above its low set back in June. Financials were also notably stronger, finally delivering their first meaningful bounce in around two weeks after falling almost 10% across the previous 12 sessions. BHP hit yet another record high, as weakness across lithium, rare earths, gold and parts of the iron ore complex offset strength in the diversified miners and copper exposures.

Morning report 25/08/2026 09:31

What Matters Today: Has Kazatomprom just reignited the Uranium Trade?

The ASX 200 rallied +0.5% on Monday to close just above the psychological 9100 level, but it wasn't all plain sailing with less than 55% of the main board closing higher. The story remained consistent on the sector front, with the gains by the materials (+61 points) minus the financials (-21 points) almost exactly equalling the day's +44-point net advance. The miners remain the driving force of the ASX, and the reason we’ve recently been outperforming the US, especially since the Treasury pledged support to try and rein in long-dated US bond yields. BHP Group (BHP) grabbed the headlines on Monday, posting new all-time highs, but there were plenty of standout performances amongst the big miners.