Market Updates

The ASX 200 started strongly, but wilted in the summer sun, up only 17 points at 8887 (0.2%). Part of the reason was the banks which fell as ANZ Consumer sentiment slid on rate rises last week. WBC and ANZ in trouble with around 2% falls, CBA down 0.7% with the Big Bank Basket down to $278.71 (-1.0%). MQG gave up early strong gains, up just 0.8% on a solid update. Insurers were bashed as OpenAI released a new insurance app in the US. Much like Compare the Market her. Brokers punished, AUB and SDF down significantly. Other financials solid, SOL up 2.2% and ZIP rallying another 6.1%. REITs solid, GMG up 1.2% and Healthcare was solid with CSL up 1.8% ahead of the results. Retail mixed, JBH down another 1.5% again, tech better and showing some signs of life, WTC up 2.6% on a Macquarie report, XRO up 2.2% and the All- Tech Index up 2.2%. Data centres doing better, NXT up 3.4% and MP1 up 2.6%. 

In resources, BHP up 1.1% and RIO doing ok, Gold miners were mixed, NEM up 1.6% and GMD rising 2.8%. Lithium stocks better on a PLS price floor deal. Uranium stocks doing well too today, PDN up 5.5% and BMN up 10.9%. Oil and gas flat. 

In corporate news, EOS soared 11.8% on a rebuttal to the Grizzly.  NEM has flagged a Barrick IPO and TWE came to an agreement on its US distribution arm. CSL’s head honcho to retire immediately. Results tomorrow!

Asian markets - Japan up 2.2%. New record high. China unchanged and HK up 0.5%

US futures Dow up 19 and Nasdaq down 18. 10-year yields ease to 4.85%.

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The S&P 500 rose on Monday, boosted by technology stocks, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached new heights as investors awaited critical economic data and another batch of earnings reports following a volatile week that ended with the 30-stock index reaching a key milestone.

The broad-based index advanced for a second straight day, rising 0.47% and ending at 6,964.82. The blue-chip Dow eked out a 20.20-point gain, or 0.04%, and settled at 50,135.87. The Dow Industrials scored a fresh all-time intraday high and closing record. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 0.9%, closing at 23,238.67.

Nvidia and Broadcom were standouts yet again Monday, extending their gains from the previous session with an advance of 2.5% and 3.3%, respectively.

SPI up 32 – Results in focus. MQG Update. Commodities very firm.

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The ASX200 rose 161 points to 8870 (1.9%) as we wait for the next catalyst. US futures are slightly positive, but it’s a big week for earnings. CBA and CSL Wednesday. Banks were firm with CBA up 0.6% and the Big Bank Basket up to $281.52 (1.0%). MQG rallied 2.4% and other financials also doing well. ZIP up 3.8% and PPM rose % after a NBIO from CGF. Insurers rose too. REITs had a much better day, GMG jumped 6.5% on data centre outlook and SCG rose 1.8%. Industrials were firm, WES up 1.4% with CAR beating expectations, and rising 9.9%. Retail bounced, although JBH failed to get the memo. ALL up 2.4% and FLT bounce 6.2% in sympathy with WEB. Tech bounced but not really that convincing, WTC up 3.6% and XRO steadied up 1.4% with the All-Tech Index up 3.7%.

Resources saw money flood back in, BHP up 2.3% and FMG rallied 2.6% with gold miners better. NEM up 6.5% and NST rallying 3.6%. Lithium becalmed but copper and base metals did ok. SFR up 4.4% with ILU running hot. Uranium too glowing on US AI spend, LOT up 10.6% and DYL rallying 8.2% with coal also a merry old soul. 

In corporate news, WEB rallied hard as the company clarified the Spanish Inquisition. Up 18.6%. No one expected that. BVS also doing well on a guidance update, rallying 29.4%. SEK took a $356m impairment against its Zhaopin business in China. ARG slightly higher after a profit of $130.8m in the first half, and lifted its fully franked interim dividend to a record 18.5c.

In economic news, locally Household spending fell by 0.4% in December in nominal terms. The PBoC injected a total of 600bn yuan via a 14-day repurchase agreement late last week, ending a two-month hiatus.

Bitcoin up to $71716.

Asian markets flying on Japanese election result. Japan up 4.3%. New record high. China up 1.4% and HK up 1.6%

US futures - Dow up 60 and Nasdaq up 48. Superbowl dominating.10-year yields firms to 4.86%.

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Wall Street traded higher on Friday, paring losses from earlier in the week, with the Dow Jones index surpassing 50 000 for the first time. Almost all sectors saw gains on the S&P500, with tech stocks leading the index, up +4.1%. Communication Services underperformed, down -1.5%. Amazon declined -5.6% after forecasting a more than 50% increase in capex in 2026 after the bell on Thursday. Chip stocks rallied on expectations for increased AI spend, with Nvidia and Broadcom up +7.8% and +7.1% respectively.

Commodities rally - SPI up 108 - CAR in line - PPM bid from CGF.

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Marcus Today provides clear, practical commentary for self-directed investors – covering markets, portfolios, education, and decision-making without the noise.

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The ASX 200 fell 180points today to 8691 (2.0%). Biggest loss since Liberation Day! Across the board losses and no rally in sight this afternoon. Is this the climax of the selling? No where to run, no where to hide, Materials fell hard led by BHP down 3.1% as copper came under pressure in Asia, RIO held up on news the Glencore deal is off, FMG dipped 1.2%. Gold miners fell, although it could have been worse, NST down 1.7% and NEM off only 4.9% with uranium stocks falling hard too on AI trade impacts, LOT dropped 27.8% as it raised money, PDN fell 10.9% and oil and gas stocks fell, WDS down 1.6% and WHC down 4.1%. BPT continued to fall after the results yesterday. Lithium and other base metal stocks also fell, LYC down 3.2% and PLS off 1.2%.

Banks were holding up for a while, before gravity took over WBC down 1.2% and NAB down 1.6%.  The Big Bank Basket fell only 0.8% to $278.71.MQG dropped 2.2% and other financials under pressure, HUB off 6.1% and ZIP down 3.3%. Insurers eased and REITs dropped big time, GMG down 6.1% and SCG off 2.5%. Healthcare fell in a hole, CSL down 0.4% and COH falling 3.3% with RMD a bright spot. Retail on sale, JBH down 3.2% and WES off 1.3% with tech wrecked again, WTC down 4.7% and TNE off 5.0%. XRO trying to find a base. Escaping today. NXT dipped 3.9% and EOS down 16.2% and suspended on a research report from Grizzly.

In corporate news, RIO and Glencore are now just friends. REA dived 7.8% on its results on lower listings, NWS dipped 5.4% too on results, TWE ditched 8.0% after a UBS report, down % and WEB crashed 29.5% on a Spanish audit. HMC did a strategic deal with KKR and still fell 2.7%. The ASX Tech sector is on track for a 13% fall this week! Down 4.4% again today.

Asian markets eased, Japan up 0.8%, China up 0.2%, and HK down 1.3%

US Futures down, Nasdaq down 185, Dow down 136

10-year yields eases to 4.82%

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U.S. equities fell for another session on Thursday as investors took a risk-off stance, leading popular trades in technology and bitcoin to unravel.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed about 592.58 points, or 1.20%, ending at 48,908.72. The S&P 500 lost 1.23%, closing at 6,798.40 and landing in negative territory for the year. The Nasdaq Composite declined 1.59% and settled at 22,540.59. The 30-stock Dow was down nearly 700 points, or about 1.4%, at session lows, while the broad market S&P 500 and Nasdaq dropped 1.5% and 1.9%, respectively. 

Amazon dropped 9% after hours on results.

Alphabet was the latest of the “Magnificent Seven” companies to report earnings results. The company projected a sharp increase in artificial intelligence spending that spooked some investors, calling for 2026 capital expenditures of up to $185 billion. Shares lost 0.5%. However, shares of Broadcom climbed almost 1% following news of Alphabet’s spending plans, offering some hope for the artificial intelligence trade as the market deciphers its winners and losers.

SPI down 98 – Commodities fall – Bitcoin dumped.

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ASX 200 fell 39 points to 8889 (0.4%) as resources came under pressure again. One day up, one day down.  Silver tumbled 15% in Asian trade and dragged gold lower, miners responded with NST down 4.6% and EVN off 3.2%. The big miners eased back, BHP down 3.9% and RIO down 1.4%. Rare earth companies fell, LYC down 7.9% and lithium depressed too, PLS down 3.7% and IGO off 3.2%. Uranium shares were beaten up as the market took AMD forecast as a sign that power requirement would slow. PDN down 9.0% and LOT in a trading halt for a capital raise. Oil and gas stocks eased as tensions with Iran cooled. STO down 0.7% and BPT with its results off 4.4%.

Banks were firm, as CBA wrestled the #1 spot back off BHP, up 1.4%. The Big Bank Basket up to $280.82 (%). Insurers are also in demand, higher rates perhaps, QBE up 2.1% and SUN rising 1.7%. Industrials firmed, WES up 2.1% and a bounce in REA up 2.6% with the tech index showing some signs of stability. WTC still down 2.6% with XRO finding some friends, up 1.6%. The All –Tech Index rose 0.1%. Healthcare better as RMD breathed easy and rose 4.9%.

In corporate news, ELD has announced its succession plan, it fell 4.1% on the news. NEU fell 9.8% on FDA news in the US, RPL rose 5.1% as it announced a buyback.

Asian markets eased, Japan down 1.1%, China up 1.0% and HK down 1.3%

US Futures mixed Nasdaq up 20, Dow down 68

10-year yields steady at 4.85%

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The S&P 500 fell on Wednesday as the sell-off in technology stocks intensified, with losses in Advanced Micro Devices hindering the trade.

The broad market index slid 0.51% and closed at 6,882.72, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 260.31 points, or 0.53%, and settled at 49,501.30. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.51% to end at 22,904.58. Adding to the risk-off sentiment, bitcoin fell more than 3% after earlier breaking below the $73,000 level.

Meanwhile, ADP on Wednesday released its monthly look at private payroll growth for January, which showed an increase of just 22,000 on the month. That’s below the gain of 45,000 jobs that economists polled by Dow Jones had forecast.

The release generally precedes the Bureau of Labor Statistics report on nonfarm payrolls, but that won’t be out this week due to the partial government shutdown. Due now Feb 11.

SPI down 20 – Gold steady – Copper and uranium slip.

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ASX 200 rallied 71 points to 8928 (0.8%) throughout the day as banks and resources rose in tandem. Tech was shattered again with the All-Tech Index down 7.1%. BHP rose 4.5% to be #1 again as copper bounced back and held gains. RIO up 4.3% and FMG managed a 1.7% rise. Gold miners too bounced back hard as bullion sprinted back over $5000. NST up 6.2% and NEM up 4.3%. Uranium stocks also in demand, NXG up 2.8% and LOT gaining 7.9%. Both STO and WDS rallied hard on crude price rises. Copper stocks were also firm, SFR up 1.2% and CSC rising 3.4%. Lithium a little depressed. PLS down 1.8%. 

Banks were hot, CBA jumped 2.6% and WBC up 1.5% with the Big Bank Basket up to $277.95 (%). MQG dipped 1.4% and financials fell, ZIP down 9.0% and NWL falling 7.8%. Industrials fell, JBH dropped 1.9% and ALL off 2.8%. Healthcare fell, RMD off 1.6% and COH down 2.5%. Tech was massacred with WTC down 10.7%, XRO smashed 15.9% after an investor day, TNE off 10.5% and 360 off 5.9%.

In corporate news, YAL jumped 9.0% amidst Chinese coal demand. AMC rose 3.5% after reaffirming guidance. NEU in a trading halt pending an FDA announcement on NNZ-2591.

Nothing on the economic front. 

Asian markets eased, Japan down 0.9%, China up 0.1% and HK down 0.2%

US Futures slightly higher, Nasdaq down 20, Dow up 58 

10-year yields steady at 4.86%

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USS equities had a soggy Tuesday. Not disaster territory, but definitely a “this could’ve been worse” close after things looked uglier earlier. Tech was the problem child. Again. Software got smacked, dragging down the usual suspects — BDCs, private equity names and financial data plays all caught in the downdraft. The AI trade wasn’t spared either, with semis, Nvidia/OpenAI ecosystem stocks, retail favourites and crypto proxies all leaning the wrong way. Other soft spots: China tech, Payments, Rails, Entertainment. Basically, if it had momentum and a story, it got trimmed.

This wasn’t a full risk-off panic Under the surface, money didn’t leave the market — it just changed seats. Cyclicals actually had a decent day, which is not what you’d expect if recession fear was the driver.

Winners included: Small caps, Homebuilders (helped by the rumoured “Trump homes” affordability push), Industrial metals, Chemical Plus: Staples strong (yes, Walmart now a $1T stock — let that sink in)

This looked more like rotation than “sell everything and hide.”

SPI down 20 - Commodities rally - Gold up over 5%

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