Between the Bells

Overnight in the US, Wall St rebounded from yesterday’s sell off, spurred by software stocks as investors fears of AI disruption were eased. The tech heavy Nasdaq lead the way jumping 1%, while the S&P500 and Dow Jones both advanced 0.8%.

What to watch today:

• Back home the ASX is expected to follow suit, with the SPI futures pointing to a 0.75% jump at the open of trade.
• In reporting season, gaming machine supplier Light and Wonder (ASX:LNW) has reported a 4% rise in revenue to US$3.3 billion, an adjusted net profit before amortisation increase of 18% to US$567 million, which puts them firmly in line with guidance.
• Other major companies are due to release their results this morning, including Fortescue Metals (ASX:FMG), Woolworths (ASX:WOW) and WiseTech Global (ASX:WTC).
• So far this reporting season, 206 companies have reported their results, with 38% beating expectations, 32% in line, and 30% missing expectations.
• Following on from their results, Bell Potter have upgraded end-to-end mining technology solutions provided Imdex (ASX:IMD) from a hold to a buy, and increased their 12-month price target from $3.60 to $4.60 per share. This comes after they announced an underlying EBITDA increase of 22% YoY, which beat forecast by 9%.
• Similarly, they have maintained their Buy rating on electrical equipment distributor IPD group (ASX:IPG), with a 12-month price target of $5.30, after thei announced an 8% underlying EBITDA increase YoY, which represented a 2% beat on forecast.
• Additionally today, keep an eye on the January CPI data which is due at 11:30am Sydney today – NAB analysts have predicted that both headline and trimmed-mean inflation will remain unchanged for the month, so any unexpected changes could impact the markets.
• Finally ending with commodities news,
  • Crude oil has once again remained flat for the 3rd consecutive day, trading at slightly over US$66 per barrel.
  • For precious metals, both gold and silver have pulled back slightly from yesterday’s highs, with the former down 1.3% to US$5161 per ounce, and the latter down 1% to US$87.30 per ounce.

Starting abroad this morning, it was a tough start to the week in Wall St which saw all 3 major indexes tumble as investors weigh fears of AI disruption across various industries, as well as the announcement of further tariffs. The Dow Jones dropped 1.7%, the Nasdaq declined 1.1%, while the S&P fell 1%.

What to watch today:

• Back home, despite the rout in New York the ASX is expected to open in the green this morning, with the SPI futures indicating a 0.3% jump at the open of trade today.
• Turning to reporting season, we’ve seen some big announcements this morning already. Starting with Regal Partners (ASX:RPL), which announced substantial beats on its targets, with a 47% increase in income and a 65% jump in profit from last year.
• Monadelphous (ASX:MND) saw similarly positive results, announcing a record half year revenue which was 46% up from last year, while net profit climbed 53%.
• Keep an eye also on Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS), and Nine Entertainment (ASX:NEC), which will also be reporting today.
• So far, we’ve seen 173 companies report their results this reporting season. Of them, 69 companies or 40% have beaten expectations, 56 companies or 32% are in line, and 48 companies have missed expectations, making up the remaining 28%.
• Following their results yesterday, Bell Potter have maintained their buy rating on counter drone technology supplier Electro Optic Systems (ASX:EOS), however reduced their 12-month price target from $12 to $9.70, off the back of a combination of lower projected revenue and higher costs.
• The team have also upgraded employee benefits provider McMillan Shakespeare (ASX:MMS) from a Hold to a Buy with a 12 month target price of $18.50, following their results and FY26 guidance.
• And to end with commodities news:
  • very little change in the Crude Oil price, which is trading just about flat at US$66 per barrel.
  • However, it was a different story for precious metals, which have seen their rebound from the sell-off earlier this month continue as tariff uncertainty is back in the news. Gold is trading up 2.4% at around US$5230 per ounce, while Silver is up 4.7% to US$88.50 per ounce.

All three US equity benchmarks closed in the green after the US Supreme Court ruled against some of US President Donald Trump’s global tariffs. The Dow Jones closed 0.47% higher, the S&P500 up 0.69%, while the tech- heavy Nasdaq advanced 0.9%. 

What to watch today:

• Following US equities, our local market is set to rise 0.18% according to the SPI futures.
• As we enter the final week of reporting season, the local market continues to be driven by stock-specific movements. Some notable updates from this mornings financial reports include:
   
  • Fisher and Paykel Healthcare (ASX:FPH) have upgraded their earnings guidance for the year to March. 
  • Reece (ASX:REH) reported a 20% fall in profit for their first-half.
  • Kogan.com (ASX:KGN) increased its interim dividend by 14.3% to 8c, however profit dropped to $8.2 million.
  • Nuix (ASX:NXL) reached a net profit of $11.1 million for the half, in comparison to a loss of $10.4 million a year prior. 
  • And Ampol (ASX:ALD) has reported a 33% drop in net profit for the full year. 
• Two companies Bell Potter are watching this week include Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) and Telix Pharmaceuticals (ASX:TLX). The broker maintains a Buy rating on MIN with a 12-month price target of $70.00. At the current share price of $51.25, this implied 36.6% share price growth in the year. And Bell Potter also maintain a Buy rating on Telix, but have lowered their price target from $23.00 to $19.00. At the current price of $10.43, this implies 82.2% share price growth in a year. 
• Among the long list of companies reporting today are Adairs (ASX:ADH), Lendlease Group (ASX:LLC), Praemium (ASX:PPS) and Regis Healthcare (ASX:REG). 
• In commodities, 
  • Crude Oil is in the green at US$66.48 per barrel, nearing a six- month high following news that the US President is considering a limited military strike on Iran.
  • The price of Gold has rallied over 2% to US$5,109.17 an ounce. The appeal for gold was reinforced due to two key factors. First, following the Supreme Court’s ruling against reciprocal duties, the initial dollar retreat was quickly offset by statements from the US President around signing a new 10% global tariff. In addition to the trade policy pivot, US GDP data for Q4 was a disappointing report at 1.4%. 
  • And iron ore is trading lower at US$99.33 per tonne. 

It’s been the strongest week of reporting season so far, with a flurry of big companies releasing their results. Sophia Mavridis sits down with Bell Financial Group’s CIO Will Riggall to unpack the biggest stories, market movers, and sector trends.

In this week’s video, Sophia and Will cover:

• macro factors affecting the market at the moment
• notable results including JB Hi-Fi (ASX:JBH), Bluescope Steel (ASX:BSL), and CommBank (ASX:CBA) and what they mean for the market
• BHP’s (ASX:BHP) results and a look at the broader resources sector
• the best and worst performing stocks of the week
• stocks to watch out for next week.

Starting in the US this morning, where Wall St saw a positive day lead by a rally in the technology sector. Megacap Nvidia lead the way with a 2% gain, after Meta announced that they would be expanding their deal to use millions of Nvidia AI chips in their data centre buildout. At the close of the day’s trade, the S&P500 advanced 0.6%, the Dow Jones added 0.3%, while the tech heavy Nasdaq saw the biggest gains with a 0.8% jump.

What to watch today:

• Locally today, the ASX is expected to follow Wall St and add to its winning streak of late, with the SPI futures pointing to a 0.5% climb at the open of trade. 
• As for reporting season, it’s a busy day today with a stack of notable companies releasing results. Australia’s largest Telco Telstra (ASX:TLS) this morning announced a 9% increase in net profit to $1.1 billion, as its revenue remained flat however expenditure had declined. It will pay an interim dividend of 10.5 cents per share, up from 9.5 cents last year. 
• Although not released at time of recording, keep an eye on a number of big results to come out throughout this morning, including Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO), Wesfarmers (ASX:WES), Goodman Group (ASX:GMG) Whitehaven Coal (ASX:WHC), Downer (ASX:DOW) , among many more. 
• So far this reporting season, we’ve seen 83 companies release their results, with 31 beating expectations, 32 in line with expectations and 20 missing expectations. 
• Following their results yesterday, Bell Potter have upgraded their rating on TechnologyOne from a Hold to a buy, with a 12-month price target of $29 per share after the company reported their guidance for FY26. 
• And finally ending on commodities news, crude oil prices have jumped 4 and a half percent to US$65 per barrel as investors reacted to talks in both the US – Iran tensions and Russia – Ukraine conflict ending without clear breakthroughs. The geopolitical uncertainty has also affected precious metals prices, with gold rebounding 2% to just under US$5000 per ounce, while silver has jumped 5% to US$77 per ounce. 

Starting off overseas, it was a relatively quiet day for Wall St on its reopen from Monday’s public holiday, as all 3 of the major indexes advanced 0.1%.

What to watch today:

• Looking now at today, the ASX is set to extend on yesterday’s gains with the SPI futures indicating a 0.5% jump at the open of trade today.
• Pivoting to a reporting season update, NAB (ASX:NAB) reported a 30% jump in net profit to $2.21 billion, and a 16% jump in cash earnings to $2.02 billion for the quarter to December.
• Queensland based insurer Suncorp (ASX:SUN) saw a massive reduction in profit after a period of increased natural hazard events. November’s hailstorm in particular was costly, as claims drove Suncorp $453 million over allowance for natural disasters. Their cash earnings of $270 million represented around a third of last years, while the dividend has been cut from 63c per share to 17c per share. 
• And look out for other companies reporting today, including Dexus (ASX:DXS), Santos (ASX:STO) and TechnologyOne (ASX:TNE).
• So far this reporting season, 69 companies have released their results, with 26 beating expectations, 26 in line with expectations, and 17 missing expectations.
• Bell Potter’s research team have maintained their buy rating on diversified industrial services group SRG Global (ASX:SRG), and increased their 12-month price target from $3 per share to $3.15 per share off the back of solid results released yesterday and an upgrade in guidance.
• And in commodities,
  • Crude oil is trading down a further 1% to US$62.25 per barrel, after it was announced that the US and Iran had reached a ‘general agreement’ on a potential nuclear deal that would pave the way towards a lift in sanctions on Iran, and reduced risk of war in the region.
  • In precious metals both gold and silver are trading down over 2%, with gold falling to US$4882 per ounce, and silver down to US$73.50 per ounce. The decline can be attributed to a number of factors, including a strengthening US dollar, reduced market liquidity due to the public holidays, and geopolitical developments reducing safe haven demand.

Not much to report overseas from overnight, as Wall St was closed for the President’s Day public holiday. 

What to watch today:

• Jumping straight into today’s news, the ASX200 is set to jump 0.2% at the open to extend on yesterday’s gains. 
• Today’s major story is the results of mining giant BHP (ASX:BHP), which reported a 25% jump in underlying EBITDA to US$15.5 billion,  a net operating cash flow of US$9.4 billion, which is up 13%, and a dividend of 73 US cents per share, which is up from 50 US cents this time last year. 
• Additionally, funds manager Challenger Ltd (ASX:CGF) reported their results, with statutory net profit up $72 million to $339 million, and a fully franked dividend of 15.5 cents per share, which is up 7%. They also announced an on-market share buyback of $150 million. 
• Keep an eye on other notable companies who are due to release today, including Seek (ASX:SEK), Judo Capital (ASX:JDO) and Reliance Worldwide (ASX:RWC). 
• So far this reporting season, 53 companies have reported their results, with 18 beating expectations, 21 in line with expectations, and 14 misses. 
• After their results yesterday, Bell Potter’s research team have maintained their Hold rating on the a2 Milk Company (ASX:A2M), however reduced their 12 month target price from $9.70 to $9.55 per share, based on their key guidance figures heading into the next year. 
• They also maintain a hold rating on shipbuilder and defence contractor Austal (ASX:ASB), with a 12 month price target of $6.60 per share, which is down from their previous price target of $8 per share. This comes after its EBIT guidance was downgraded 18.5%, due to the discovery of accidental double counting of US$17.1 million of incentives during the preparation of its latest accounts. 
• Finally in commodities, Gold is trading down just over 1% at US$4990 per ounce, while silver has dropped 1.8% to $76.50 US$ per ounce. Crude Oil is up 1.4%, to US$63.80 per barrel. 

US equities closed mixed on Friday following the release of the inflation report which came in just slightly lower than the market was expecting. US CPI rose 0.2% in January, reflecting a gain of 2.4% on an annualised basis, while a 0.3% MoM gain was expected. 
 
 The S&P500 rose just above the flat light, up 0.05%, the Dow Jones flat, just 0.1% higher, while the Nasdaq declined 0.22%. 

What to watch today:
 
Locally, the ASX200 is set to gain 0.58% at the open this morning, ahead of the release of key earnings results from big names reporting today:

• JB Hi Fi (ASX:JBH) has just released their half year results this morning, with total sales and NPAT both up more than 7%, EPS increased by 19cps to 279.7cps from HY25 and an interim dividend of 210cps, up 23.5%, representing 75% of NPAT. Bell Potter currently have a Buy rating on JBH.
• The a2 Milk Company (ASX:A2M) posted a 18.8% rise in revenue and lifted FY26 guidance, as well as an interim dividend of 11.5cps fully franked. It’s share price will be on watch today. 
• Ansell (ASX:ANN), Aurizon Holdings (ASX:AZJ), BlueScope Steel (ASX:BSL) and New Hope Corporation (ASX:NHC) are also set to report today.

As for what Bell Potter are looking at today: 

• Following Nick Scali (ASX:NCK)‘s first half NPAT up 11% above expectations, Bell Potter maintain a Buy rating, however have lowered their price target by 11% to $25.00 due to softer growth into the second half, earnings revisions and the rising interest rate environment. 
• And one to watch in the resources sector following the release of first half earnings is Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST). Bell Potter maintain a Buy rating and have increased their 12-month price target from $31.10 to $35.00. At the current share price of $28.37 this implies 23.4% share price growth in a year. 

 In commodities: 

• Crude oil is up to US$62.89 per barrel, with a second straight weekly decline, amid persistent oversupply concerns. The International Energy Agency reiterated that the market is likely to face a surplus of just over 3.7 million barrels per day in 2026. 
• The price of gold is up almost 2.5% to US$5,043.92 per tonne, as softer-than-expected US inflation eased pressure on Treasury yields and weighed on the dollar. 
• Iron ore is down to US$99.66 and over the past month, Iron Ore's price has fallen 7.45%. So keep watch of iron ore miners this week as BHP Group (ASX:BHP) reports tomorrow.
• To end, AUD$1.00 is currently buying US$0.70. 

As reporting season reshapes the market landscape this week, Sophia Mavridis sits down with Bell Financial Group’s Chief Investment Officer Will Riggall to unpack the biggest results, emerging trends, and preview of what’s to come.
 
 In this week’s video, Sophia and Will cover:

• the impact of AI on global markets, especially in the tech sector
• Commonwealth Bank’s (ASX:CBA) results and the financial sector rally
• a look ahead to next week, including a preview of Treasury Wines (ASX:TWE), and JB Hi-Fi (ASX:JBH).

Note: This interview was filmed on 13 February 2026.

Overseas, Wall St traded slightly down overnight despite the much-anticipated jobs data coming in better than expected. Economists polled by Dow Jones had forecasted a gain of 55,000 jobs, and an unemployment rate of 4.4%, however the data revealed a gain of 130,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 4.3%. However, the beat failed to move the markets, as the Dow Jones ended the day down as the Dow Jones and Nasdaq both slipped 0.1%, while the  S&P500 ended the day flat.

What to watch today:

• Heading into today’s trading session, the ASX is expected to follow Wall St’s wavering session, with the SPI futures pointing to a 0.02% drop at the open
• Another busy day of results ahead as Reporting Season continues, look out for AMP (ASX:AMP), Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) and Northern Star (ASX:NST) releases, which are all due this morning. You can find all results once released at Bell Direct’s reporting season page
• So far this reporting season, 17 companies have released their results, with 3 beating expectations, 9 in line with expectations, and 5 misses
• Following their results yesterday, Bell Potter’s research team have maintained their hold rating on CSL (ASX:CSL), however cut their 12-month price target from $195 per share to $175 per share, after updating their Adjusted NPAT and revenue growth guidance off the back of underwhelming results.
• Bell Potter have also upgraded their rating on SGH (ASX:SGH) from a Hold to a Buy, with a 12-month price target of $56 per share. This comes after the company reported results that beat guidance, sparking a more optimistic medium term outlook.
• And in commodities, Crude Oil is trading up 1.6% at US$65 per barrel, Gold also jumped overnight 1.4% to just under US$5100 per ounce, while silver remains the most volatile, trading up 4.7% at US$84.50 per ounce