What Matters Today: Are the “short sellers” right to focus on consumer stocks?

Hedge funds have shifted their short positions away from ASX resource names that benefited from the recent commodities boom, targeting consumer-facing stocks such as Treasury Wine Estates, Domino’s Pizza and Guzman y Gomez amid concerns around weakening household spending. Just six months ago, five of the six most shorted stocks on the ASX were resource plays, including uranium names Boss Energy and Paladin Energy, alongside lithium producers Pilbara Minerals, Liontown Resources and Mineral Resources. Today, traders have pivoted, with Domino’s Pizza now the most heavily shorted stock on the ASX, while Treasury Wine Estates and Guzman y Gomez also feature among the top five most shorted names.

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Morning report 05/03/2026 09:40

What Matters Today: Are the “short sellers” right to focus on consumer stocks?

Afternoon report 04/03/2026 16:55

The Match Out: ASX knocked ~2% as resources & banks weigh

The ASX was sharply lower today with the two heavy weight sectors in Resources & Banks copping most selling which created a big impact on the index. BHP alone took ~30 pts from the ASX 200 and the big 4 banks accounted for another ~40pts. It wasn’t all bad news though, Energy did okay and some tech names had a better session as it looks like some selling pressure is drying up, perhaps a rotation from resources back into tech on global growth fears…

Morning report 04/03/2026 09:36

Portfolio Positioning: Rounding off report season as market volatility surges on oil price uncertainty

The ASX200 haemorrhaged on Tuesday, closing down 123-points or 1.3%, as weak US futures, and a cautious Michelle Bullock broke the market's stubborn resistance - the local 3-year yield surged 0.15% during our day session following the RBA chiefs’ hawkish comments. We discussed the drop in bonds (yields higher) yesterday afternoon - Here. The move in bonds weighed on rate-sensitive stocks/sector, with the consumer discretionary, real estate and tech sectors all underperforming the main board, and closing down by more than 2% - more of the same is likely this morning after bonds fell further overnight, although they did bounce into the close. However, losses were broad-based on Tuesday, with almost 75% of the market closing down on the day.

Afternoon report 03/03/2026 17:38

The Match Out: ASX falls as RBA hints of March rate hike, bond yields surge

The ASX was hit today, unwinding yesterday’s strong recovery from the lows, with commentary from RBA Chair Michelle Bullock at an AFR event dovetailing into higher oil prices driving a sharp increase in local bond yields on firming rate hike expectations at the next meeting.

Alerts 03/03/2026 09:58

Trade Alert – Active Growth Portfolio

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Morning report 03/03/2026 10:56

What Matters Today: 3 Stocks MM Likes, & 3 We Don’t, as Middle East Conflict Escalates

The ASX200 was firm on Monday, shrugging off the conflict in the Middle East to close marginally higher, trading and closing above 9200 for the first time - not a good day for the bears! The index clawed back early losses as heavyweight miners rebounded from initial weakness to push firmly into positive territory. BHP led from the front, rallying over $2 from its early low to end the session up +1.4% at another all-time high, adding 14-points to the index on its own. By the close, the Materials and Energy Sector combined to add 67-points to the main board, offsetting the 55-point negative contribution from the financials as the story remained the same on the performance front.

Afternoon report 02/03/2026 17:33

The Match Out: ASX proves resilient in the face of Middle East flare up

The ASX was hit early on the Iran conflict, down ~1% before recovering as the day progressed to finish a couple of points higher – not a great day for the bears who sold early. US Futures were trading down 1% at the outset, and while they recovered ~0.20% throughout the session, the resilience by the ASX was impressive, underpinned by Gold, Energy & defensives.

Morning report 04/03/2026 07:58

Macro Monday: Markets wake up to Private credit and War turmoil

Over the weekend, the US and Israel have launched coordinated strikes on hundreds of Iranian military targets, including Revolutionary Guard facilities, air defences and missile sites, in an effort to cripple Tehran’s capabilities and halt its nuclear ambitions, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel and US-linked targets across the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, although regional defences intercepted most threats. The escalation has heightened fears of a broader Middle East war, with airspace closures and rising geopolitical tensions.

Weekend report 28/02/2026 09:16

Weekend Q&A: It’s time for the dust to settle post-reporting season

Last week was again volatile at the stock level as the local reporting season drew to a close, but the index forged ahead, absorbing what was thrown at it and closing up 1.3% at a new all-time high. The materials sector continued to do the heavy lifting, closing up +7.4%, ably supported by the consumer staples, which ended up 5%, while the retailers were a notable weak link with the consumer discretionary sector ending the week down 3.3%. With BHP surging more than $5, also closing at an all-time high on Friday, the market enjoyed a huge uplift from the “Big Australian” while beats trumped misses, which bodes well through 2026, although there were some standouts in both camps.

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.