August 2026 Economic & Market Review – Small Caps Shine, Reporting Season Splits the Market, and Inflation Bites Back
Talking points
- The index return hid almost everything that mattered: The ASX 200 returned 1.54% in August for its fifth consecutive positive month. Underneath that, the ASX 20 fell 0.63% while the Small Ordinaries rose 5.18% and the MidCap 50 rose 5.81%. If you owned the biggest names, you went backwards.
- Reporting season was stronger than
July 2026 Economic & Market Review – Capex, Earnings Growth and Australia’s Outperformance
Talking points
- Australia was the standout: The ASX 200 gained 2.26% in July, its fourth consecutive monthly rise, with easing inflation and reduced expectations of further RBA hikes underpinning the move. It was one of the world’s better-performing developed markets in July.
- The AI trade came under real pressure: The ASX 300 Information Technology sector fell
May 2026 Economic & Market Review – US Exceptionalism, RBA Tightening, and a Tale of Two Economies
Talking points
- Global share markets pushed higher again: Equities maintained strong momentum in May, supported by resilient earnings, an ongoing AI capex boom, easing energy prices and renewed risk appetite, with the MSCI World index up 5.1% in Australian dollar terms.
- US exceptionalism continues: The S&P 500 gained 5.2% in US dollar terms, with 84% of
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Podcasts
Our weekly audio guide to making the most of your money and investing. Listen to the Wealth Collective podcast on your favourite service including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
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Financial red flags for a relationship – Episode 127
In this weeks episode, Pete Pennicott and Zac Masters from Pekada take a look at a few financial red flags for a relationship. They look at what these canListen Here -
Investing in a bear market – Episode 126
We’re back! On this episode Pete Pennicott & Zac Masters discuss what is happening in the world at the moment with the US entering a bear market. They alsoListen Here -
Top 10 Financial Planning Jargon Terms – Episode 125
On this episode Zac Masters & Anthony Malvaso unpack the top ten financial planning jargon terms.Listen Here