What Matters Today: Does MM see value in the Retail Sector?

European markets bounced strongly overnight, with the EURO STOXX 50 closing up +1.45% as dip buyers waded back into US futures. US stocks rebounded following their worst week since April as investors embraced a stronger Democratic candidate. This enabled them to focus on the looming major earnings reports, with Tesla and Alphabet facing the music on Tuesday. The political news is unlikely to materially impact the market unless Harris can dent Trump’s apparent significant lead, something Biden was unlikely ever to do. By the close, the S&P500 had risen the most since June, with the “Magnificent Seven” up around 2.5% while the small-cap Russell 2000 added +1.7%. Crowdstrike (CRWD US) fell another 13% as the magnitude of the weekend blackout hit home and, of course, the prospect of litigation on the horizon.

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Afternoon report 14/07/2025 17:15

The Match Out: Banks drag ASX lower, tech stocks take hit on U.S Open Banking shake-up

Energy & Resources led the charge today with BHP back knocking on the door of $40, and is now up more than 8% in FY26 relative to Comm Bank (CBA) which has fallen ~3%.

Morning report 14/07/2025 09:35

Macro Monday: Markets brace for renewed tariff ructions

Stocks have shown increasing complacency to US tariff threats, and they will face another test this morning after President Donald Trump declared a 30% rate for the European Union and Mexico, effective August 1st. He said Mexico had failed to do enough to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US and complained that the EU’s trade deficit with the US was unfair, almost ~$US150bn last year, as can be seen below.

Weekend report 12/07/2025 09:38

Weekend Q&A: Tariffs are back, but equities are still flaunting new highs

The ASX200 slipped 0.3% last week after dancing around the psychological 8600 level almost daily. While the index traded in a tight range, it was a very different story on the stock and sector level, with utilities surging +3.4% while real estate fell -3.2%, two theoretically rate-sensitive sectors moving in opposite directions. However, most of the action unfolded in the resources with a strong advance by iron ore in the back end of the week, helping heavyweight BHP Group (BHP) bounce over $2 to test its March high.

Afternoon report 11/07/2025 17:12

The Match Out: ASX dips, Rare Earth stocks roar, as U.S Govt buys in

The ASX 200 once again knocked its head on the 8600 level today, with a strong open sold into as US Futures tracked lower during our time zone after news emerged of a potential 35% tariff on imports from Canada to the US.

Morning report 11/07/2025 09:07

ETF Friday: Looking to small-cap ETFs for another leg higher in stocks

The ASX 200 closed up +0.6% on Thursday, a further 0.6% gain today, and it will post a fresh intra-day high. The rotation on the stock/sector level is currently chaotic, with yesterday's moves largely a reversal of Wednesday's, although the recovery by lithium names continues to gather bullish momentum.

Afternoon report 10/07/2025 17:04

The Match Out: ASX follows U.S higher, shrugs off tariffs

Between copper, pharmaceutical and country-specific tariffs sprayed across the globe by U.S President Donald Trump overnight, there was plenty on the macro front for the local bourse to digest today.

Morning report 10/07/2025 09:45

What Matters Today: Can the Utilities Sector Extend its Recent Outperformance?

The ASX200 fell 0.6% on Wednesday, its largest decline in two months, as the market spent its 26th day rotating in a relatively tight 200-point range. However, while the index has been very calm for almost six weeks on the stock level, it's been a very different story with the return of tariff uncertainty and the ever-changing perceptions around the future path for interest rates, spiking volatility across stocks – it’s just been a case of rotation between sectors instead of between stocks and cash.

Afternoon report 09/07/2025 17:42

The Match Out: Stocks hit as Trump ramps up tariffs

A weaker session today as Copper tariff news created some volatility amongst the resources, gold stocks were weak, while rate sensitive areas like property felt the pinch from the RBA reticence to cut rates yesterday.

Morning report 09/07/2025 09:46

Portfolio Positioning: The ASX shrugs off no rate cut in just a few hours!

The ASX200 had plenty of reasons to fall on Monday, but again, come 4 p.m., the bears were left disappointed: Trump is throwing around tariffs again like confetti, the Dow dropped over 400 points, and the almost guaranteed RBA rate cut failed to materialise.

Afternoon report 08/07/2025 18:00