Weekend Q&A: Offshore buying propels the ASX higher

The ASX 200 surged another +3.4% last week, taking the main index up almost 15% from its April low, amazingly back within 4.4% of its February all-time high. We suspected “Offshore Buying” had been creeping into our market, and the last three sessions convinced us of it as the market again ended another week on its highs. All 11 main sectors finished the week higher, but a +9.6% surge by the tech sector stood out after strong earnings from US heavyweights Microsoft (MSFT US) and Meta Platforms (META US) re-ignited the “AI trade” and overall belief towards the tech/growth names:

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Afternoon report 29/05/2025 17:16

The Match Out: ASX creeps higher as U.S trade court trumps tariffs… for now

The local market edged higher today after opening mildly weaker, lifted by strength in energy and tech stocks. A strong result from Nvidia pre-market sparked bullish sentiment toward AI enabling a +1.9% jump in NASDAQ futures, while the U.S Court of International Trade ruled against the Trump-imposed tariffs, fuelling ~30pt lift on the ASX mid-morning.

Afternoon report 29/05/2025 10:46

The Match Out: ASX cools, Goodman reconfirms guidance, MinRes cuts production

The market opened on the firm side, pushing to a new high in this recent recovery, before sellers took control post a very mildly hotter monthly inflation read. It actually felt more like index selling that dominated today, shown through both the financials and materials being the weakest links, with selling persisting throughout the afternoon.

Morning report 29/05/2025 09:39

What Matters Today: The Energy Sector is warming up nicely

The ASX 200 failed to build on a strong session on Wall Street, finishing down 0.1% on Wednesday, with weakness in the banks more than offsetting broader buying, as over 55% of the main board closed higher.

Morning report 28/05/2025 09:46

Portfolio Positioning: The Path of least resistance remains up

The ASX200 advanced +0.6%, closing at a three-month high, on Tuesday. The index was trading lower into lunchtime before the S&P 500 futures got the proverbial “bit between its teeth,” pushing higher after Japan indicated it’s considering a reduction in bond issuance.

Afternoon report 27/05/2025 16:59

The Match Out: Stocks continue to climb the wall of worry

The direction of least resistance remains on the upside, with the ASX adding another 0.5% in what should have been a quiet day of trade. No noise (from Trump) is good noise, though it seems when noise does come out, the market is digesting it much better, on the expectation it will ultimately get diluted. Our premise going into and through the tariff meltdown was that this was a strategy rather than a policy, which is proving to be the case, though the market is becoming complacent as it trades only ~250pts below it’s all-time high.

Morning report 27/05/2025 09:45

What Matters Today: It’s Nvidia week: Have the “Data Centre/AI” names bottomed?

The ASX200 ended flat in a surprisingly quiet session on Monday, considering the market uncertainty around tariffs towards the EU and Apple, plus the recent volatility with the longer-dated bonds.

Afternoon report 26/05/2025 17:29

The Match Out: ASX flat, Uranium & Gold the place to be today

A weaker open was implied by SPI Futures, though an easing in time frames by President Trump towards the EU following a ‘nice talk’ between the two saw US equity futures rally, dragging our market with them. Uranium stocks the place to be today, and while news broke during our trading session on Friday (about Trumps executive orders to fast track Nuclear), the moves were undercooked, so, some further upside played out today. We think this is a material change in ‘vibe’ towards the sector that could be the catalyst to see the term contracting market fire back up.

Morning report 26/05/2025 09:38

Macro Monday: Bond yields weigh on US stocks as the ASX goes marching on

From the US to Japan, long-term borrowing costs for the world’s biggest economies are surging as investors question governments' ability to cover massive budget deficits.

Weekend report 24/05/2025 09:42

Weekend Q&A: The RBA supports the ASX, but Trump’s back on the prowl

The ASX 200 ended the week up 2.47% courtesy of the widely anticipated RBA rate cut and Michele Bullock's not-so-widely-expected dovish rhetoric. Credit markets are now looking for an additional three rate cuts by Christmas or February’26 at the latest. Not surprisingly, the rate-sensitive names led the advance, with tech, real estate, and financial stocks adding the most points to the index, riding the RBA wave of optimism, although there were plenty of losers on the stock level, as the macro and economic news kept on flowing.

Afternoon report 23/05/2025 17:03

The Match Out: ASX meanders into the weekend, Trump goes nuclear

A relatively quiet session played out on the ASX today after flat U.S markets overnight and mild Futures this morning with limited news on the corporate front providing limited direction for the local bourse