The Match Out: Volatility back in markets as Trump gets underway

Volatility is back as Trump gets his feet under the desk in the Oval Office; the ASX 200 trading in a broad ~100pt trading range today finishing around the mid-point as he pushed through ~100 executive orders that ranged from curtailing hiring of federal employees, freezing regulations, withdrawing the U.S. from a climate treaty to fight global warming, promoting development of domestic energy production, and taking action to reduce consumer costs, among others.

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Afternoon report 27/02/2026 18:19

The Match Out: The ASX closes at another all-time high, within a whisker of 9200

ASX experienced a quiet Friday managing to firm into the close ending the week at another all-time high. But again, there was still plenty of volatility on the stock level as we approach the end of reporting season.

Morning report 27/02/2026 08:52

ETF Friday: Looking at Battery Metal ETFs as Zimbabwe bans lithium exports

The ASX 200 posted another all-time high on Thursday, closing up +0.5% after flirting with the psychological 9200 level in the morning. IT stocks led gains, with the sector surging +5.2% amid a broad-based rally that saw 7 of 11 sectors trade higher. Health care rebounded 1.6% following recent weakness, supported by a strong interim result from Ramsay Health Care. The miners again provided meaningful support, rising 1.0% and pushing to fresh highs as BHP extended its record run, trading above $58 for the first time - even after closing 50c below its intra-day high Australia’s biggest stock added more than 20 points to the index, or more than 40% of the day's gain.

Afternoon report 26/02/2026 17:21

The Match Out: Earnings & BHP propels ASX towards 9200

The ASX pushed to another record close, extending its February rally with a strong bounce back in tech on a positive read through from Nvidia’s result, and the vast majority of companies reporting better than hoped earnings.

Alerts 26/02/2026 10:10

Trade Alert – Active Growth Portfolio

We are amending the Active Growth Portfolio

Morning report 26/02/2026 11:56

What Matters Today: Is it time to tweak holdings in the beaten-up Software Sector?

The ASX 200 powered to a fresh all-time high on Wednesday, ending the session with triple-digit gains. In character with recent action on the stock/sector level, gains weren’t as broad-based as we would usually expect for such a barnstorming day, with more than 30% of the main board closing lower, along with the consumer services, defensive utilities and consumer discretionary sectors. It's starting to sound like a stuck record, but the miners performed the heavy lifting with BHP Group (BHP) contributing ~28% towards the day's gain - the “Big Australian” is on fire, adding another +3.2%, extending its surge so far in 2026 to +24%, and we’re less than two months in!

Afternoon report 26/02/2026 10:38

The Match Out: Earnings propel ASX to all-time highs

The ASX powered to a fresh record high today, brushing off a hotter-than-expected inflation print as investors leaned into a sharp rebound in technology stocks and a blockbuster earnings response from several companies.

Alerts 25/02/2026 09:58

Trade Alerts – Active Growth & Income Portfolios

We are making several changes to the growth & income portfolios

Morning report 25/02/2026 09:44

Portfolio Positioning: BHP and fellow miners keep dragging the ASX towards new all-time highs

The ASX200 closed flat on Tuesday despite less than 40% of the main board advancing. The story at the stock/sector level remained the same, with miners and banks offsetting losses across the broader market. BHP, Westpac and NAB added 24 points to the index. BHP, often referred to as the Big Australian, made new all-time highs on Tuesday, trading above $55 for the first time while it reported strongly this month, its starting to remind us of the feeding frenzy where ETF and momentum buyers drove CBA towards $200 in the first half of 2025:

Afternoon report 26/02/2026 10:41

The Match Out: Benign index move masks underlying volatility

The ASX finished essentially flat after giving back early gains, as another bout of selling in technology and financial stocks with continued weakness across the insurance complex as AI disruption fears linger

Morning report 24/02/2026 09:43

What Matters Today: Three Companies that missed the mark, but has the market hit them too hard?

The ASX200 wobbled on Monday, as was largely expected, following Trump's tariff tantrum over the weekend, which created uncertainty around US trade policy. The local bourse slipped 0.6%, with over 70% of the main board retreating, but another strong session from the miners stemmed the losses, with heavyweight BHP again posting a fresh all-time high, closing up +19% year-to-date.