Afternoon report 21/08/2026 17:09

The Match Out: ASX lower as healthcare and REITs drag; GYG shines and gold miners hold firm

The ASX 200 finished lower today taking the weekly decline to around 0.6% as the market gave back part of Thursday’s rebound. The index traded in a relatively narrow range through the day, but underneath the surface the tone remained patchy, with Real Estate, Technology and Consumer Discretionary doing most of the damage while Financials finally managed to stabilise after a very weak run.

Morning report 21/08/2026 09:30

ETF Friday: Will ETFs exacerbate the weakness in the “Big Four Banks”

The ASX 200 closed up +0.3% on Thursday with the resources, ably supported by tech, finally able to offset weakness from the banks, ending a six-day losing streak. On the day, the materials sector added 85-points to the ASX 200 while the financial sector caused a 57-point drag, big numbers when we consider the index only closed up +30-points. The polarisation in performance through August between the banks and miners has been almost unparalleled.

Afternoon report 20/08/2026 16:51

The Match Out: ASX up as Materials lead; gold miners surge as bullion rips

The ASX 200 finally broke a six-session losing streak on Thursday, although the headline gain overstated the strength of the broader market. Seven of the 11 sectors finished lower, with Materials, Healthcare and Technology doing the heavy lifting.

Alerts 20/08/2026 09:46

Trade Alerts – Active Growth & Emerging Companies Portfolios

We are making changes to the Active Growth and Emerging Companies Portfolios today.

Morning report 20/08/2026 09:31

What Matters Today: Does the analogy “Don’t fight the Fed” also apply to the US Treasury as they start buying bonds?

The US yield curve has been steepening sharply, with the gap between 2 and 30-year yields widening to ~111bp from ~69bp in late June. Importantly, this is a bear steepener: long-term yields have been rising much faster than short-term yields, reflecting growing investor concern around US deficits, sticky inflation, elevated oil prices and the enormous supply of government and corporate debt. At the same time, softer economic data and a Fed appearing to be on hold for now are keeping the 2-year yield relatively anchored.

Afternoon report 19/08/2026 17:42

The Match Out: ASX edges lower as tech tumbles; Mirvac & Stockland buck the weakness

The ASX 200 extended its recent pullback for a sixth consecutive decline. The market spent the session firmly in negative territory but recovered from its lows into the afternoon, with seven of the 11 sectors finishing lower as weakness across Technology, Real Estate and Financials outweighed another strong session for Healthcare and Energy and strong results in select Property stocks providing some support.

Morning report 19/08/2026 09:21

Portfolio Positioning: Reporting season finally offers a steadying hand to the ASX

The ASX 200 closed flat on Wednesday, experiencing a quiet day on the index level but anything but on the stock front following a bumper session for FY26 earnings. Only ~30% of the main board closed higher, but when CSL (+17%), BHP (+3%), and Goodman Group (+3%) dance to the same beat, adding 70 points to the ASX 200, it was always going to be a tough day for the bears, even if the crowd was in their camp.

Afternoon report 18/08/2026 17:12

The Match Out: ASX steadies as CSL posts best day in decades, BHP beats on copper strength

The ASX 200 finished around flat on Tuesday after trading between -0.2% and +0.4% in a blockbuster day for reporting with several index heavyweights out with numbers. CSL and BHP provided significant support adding ~56pts to the index between the two giants; without the pair, the underlying session was considerably softer, with the major banks, Staples, telcos and retailers mostly lower.

Alerts 18/08/2026 09:53

Trade Alerts – Active Growth & Income Portfolios

We are making a change to the growth and income portfolios

Morning report 18/08/2026 09:47

What Matters Today: Is Australian retail’s downturn just beginning?

The ASX 200 tried to reverse higher into lunchtime on Monday, only for steady, targeted selling throughout the afternoon to drag the index down by ~0.5%. On the stock & sector level, it was almost a carbon copy of August so far, with the miners again attempting to prop up an index weighed down by the flow-on effects of a softening housing market, where activity has ground to a near standstill since the May Budget. Consumer Discretionary, which we’ll revisit later, led the sell-off, falling 3%, while Financials and Real Estate also came under pressure, both declining more than 1%.