Between the Bells

Defence spending surged to a record $2.7 trillion in 2024, with NATO and Indo-Pacific nations ramping up budgets amid ongoing geopolitical risks. Bell Potter sees strong growth ahead, with opportunities in direct plays like DroneShield (ASX:DRO) and broader exposure through ETFs like DFND and ARMR. While the sector has rallied, tailwinds remain - but investors should be mindful of risks like policy shifts and supply chain pressures.In this week's wrap, Grady covers:• (0:14): factors behind the defence sector surge• (2:16): risks facing the sector• (2:50): opportunities for exposure in defence• (4:26): how the market performed this week so far• (5:28): the most traded stocks and ETFs by clients this week• (5:54): economic news items to look out for.

US equities were higher on Wall Street overnight of the back of news headlines that President Donald Trump has denies firing Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chairman, which initially sent the S&P500 index lower. The three major benchmarks rallied at the close. The Dow Jones added 200 points or 0.53%, the S&P500 gained 0.32% while the tech heavy Nasdaq added 0.25%.European markets were all in the red. The German DAX down 0.2%, France's CAC down 0.57%, the FTSE100 down 0.13% and the STAXX600 down 0.57%.Locally yesterday on the ASX200, information technology and energy sectors were the only two to close in the green. Tech posted most of the market gains, closing 0.85% higher, while the ASX200 was down 0.79% at the close.What to watch today: Our local market is set to rebound today. The SPI futures are suggesting a 0.62% rise at the open this morning.In commodities,Crude oil is 0.2% in the green, trading at US$66.66 per barrel at the time of recoding, following three straight days of losses, amid the concerns over the impact of the US trade tariffs on global economic growth and fuel demand.The price of gold is up 0.75% to US$3,349.73 an ounce, following a two-day decline, as investors assessed a pick-up in US inflation and ongoing trade developments.And iron ore is up 0.58% to US$97.06 per tonne.Trading ideas:Bell Potter maintain a Speculative Buy rating on NexGen Energy (ASX:NXG), a Canadian focused Uranium explorer and developer. Bell Potter have reduced their valuation to $13.55 from $16.90. They expect NXG will trade in-line with the uranium spot price, given the leverage to volume linked (spot priced) contracts. The current share price is $10.24, therefore implying 32% share price growth in a year.And Trading Central have identified a bearish signal in Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) indicating that the stock price may fall from the close of $177.57 to the range of $162 to $165 over 8 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall St closed mixed amid concerns over inflation after the latest data out for June overnight revealed US inflation increased from May with CPI rising 0.3% MoM to an annual rate of 2.7% while core inflation rose 0.2% MoM or 2.9% on an annual basis. The Dow Jones fell 0.98%, the Nasdaq gained 0.18% and the S&P500 ended the day down 0.4%.In Europe overnight markets closed lower for a third straight session amid caution over a trade deal yet to be done with the US ahead of the tariff introduction date on August 1. The STOXX 600 fell 0.37%, Germany's DAX lost 0.42%, the French CAC fell 0.54% and, over in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.66%.Locally to start the new trading week the ASX200 closed lower on Monday before a strong rebound on Tuesday where the key index gained 0.7% to reset its record high at the closing bell. A broad tech rally was the key driver of the market's surge yesterday while investors also shrugged off the latest US Trump tariff threats.Westpac consumer confidence data for July came out yesterday showing consumer confidence jumped 0.6% in July to 93.1 points despite the RBA rate hold as investors still expect a number of rate cuts this year.What to watch today:Ahead of Wednesday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.73%.On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 0.54% lower at 66 US dollars and 16 cents a barrel, gold is down 0.35% at 3331 US dollars an ounce and iron ore is up 0.05% at 96.76 US dollars a tonne.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has downgraded Technology One (ASX:TNE) from a hold to a sell and have slightly raised the 12-month price target on the company to $35.75 following recent share price appreciation. The sell rating is not due to a negative catalyst, but the market already expecting the company to beat expectations, so we don't see a positive catalyst as there is not much upside risk to our and the market's FY25 forecast.Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on SRG Global (ASX:SRG) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 14-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $1.69 to the range of $1.87 to $1.91 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street closed higher to start the new trading week in the green despite President Trump's latest tariff threats over the weekend. The S&P500 rose 0.14%, the Nasdaq added 0.27% and the Dow Jones ended the day up 0.2%. Investors will gauge the first hit of tariffs on the region's inflation this week when the latest U.S. inflation reading is out.In Europe overnight markets closed mostly lower despite the UK finishing at a record high. The STOXX 600 fell just 0.06%, Germany's DAX lost 0.39%, the French CAC fell 0.27%, and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.64% to a fresh record high.Across the Asia region on Monday, markets closed mixed as bitcoin hit a fresh record high while cautious investors assessed the latest Trump tariff threats. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.26%, China's CSI index ended flat, Japan's Nikkei lost 0.2% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day up by 0.83%.The latest slew of China's economic data is out this week and yesterday we had the first glimpse with coal imports falling to the lowest level in more than 2-years in June amid weak demand and higher domestic production. China's steel exports on the other hand leapt to a record in Q2 reaching 30.7 million tonnes, up 11% from last year. The surge defied expectations, driven by strong demand and despite trade restrictions across Asia and Europe. The first-half total also rose by 9%. China's trade balance for June showed exports jumped 5.8% which topped expectations and showed a 1% increase MoM while imports rose 1.1%, below expectations but above the -3.4% reported a month prior, leading to the trade surplus rising to $114bn which also topped expectations.Another round of tariffs, another spike in investor uncertainty sparking a flee to safe-haven investments across the broad market yesterday. The ASX200 posted a 0.11% loss to start the new trading week lower after see-sawing all-day. Energy and materials stocks closed with gains over 0.5% while industrials and discretionary stocks were the hardest hit to start the new trading week.Gold miners were all the rage for investors to start the new week amid heightened volatility brought on by renewed tariff uncertainty. Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST) rose 1.72%, Evolution Mining (ASX:EVN) added 1.88% and Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS) ended the day up 3.4%.Counter drone technology company DroneShield (ASX:DRO) soared another 15% yesterday after the company reported the expansion of its R&D capabilities including a $13m initial investment to lease and fit out a brand new 3000 sqm production facility in Alexandria. Most traded securities:The most traded investments by Bell Direct clients to start the new week were led by BHP (ASX:BHP)DroneShield (ASX:DR)Andean Silver (ASX:ASL)Betashares Global Defence ETF (ASX:ARMR) What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 2.28% lower at US$66.89/barrel, gold is down 0.4% at US$3343/ounce and iron ore is up 0.05% at US$96.76/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 65.47 U.S. cents, 96.75 Japanese yen, 48.55 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 10 cents.Ahead of Tuesday's trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.64%.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) from $6.50 to $9.20 and maintain a buy rating on the uranium producer ahead of some catalysts coming up including the outlook for a re-rate on the company over the coming quarters with predicted fresh ore processing outperforming the stockpile issues which plagued FY25.Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on PWR Holdings (ASX:PWH) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 15-days which is roughly t

Wall Street closed lower on Friday after President Trump announced a 35% tariff on Canada and threatened higher tariffs across the board. The S&P500 retreated 0.33% a day after posting a fresh record high, the Nasdaq lost 0.22% and the Dow Jones ended the day down 0.63%.In Europe on Friday, markets closed lower as investors awaited the highly anticipated tariff letter to arrive from President Trump outlining the damage of tariffs set to come. The STOXX 600 lost 1.1%, Germany's DAX and the French CAC each lost 0.9% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.4%.Across the Asia region on Friday, it was a mixed session after President Trump announced a blanket 15% or 20% tariff on most trade partners. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.75%, China's CSI index rose 0.12%, Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.19% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day down 0.23%.Locally to end the last trading week, the ASX200 posted a 0.11% loss as every sector aside from materials stocks ended the day in the red. For the week, the ASX200 posted a 0.27% loss as strong declines among REIT and tech stocks offset strength among utilities and materials stocks.Rare earths producers locally surged on Friday after the US Department of Defence agreed to take a 15% stake in MP Materials, a US-based rare earths producer. Lynas Rare Earths (ASX:LYC) rose over 16% on Friday while Arafura Rare Earths (ASX:ARU) added 5.56%.Johns Lyng Group (ASX:JLG) soared over 21% on Friday after announcing it has agreed to a $1bn takeover offer from Pacific Equity Partners, an Australian-based private markets fund manager.Most traded securities:The most traded stocks by Bell Direct clients on Friday were led byCSL (ASX:CSL)Neuren Pharmaceuticals (ASX:NEU)NAB (ASX:NAB)And the most traded ETFs were led byVanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX:VAS)Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX:NDQ)Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF (ASX:VGS)What to wach today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 3.27% higher at US$68.75/barrel, gold is up 0.92% at US$3354.76/ounce and iron ore is down 0.05% at US$96.71/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 65.64 U.S. cents, 96.60 Japanese yen, 45.91* British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 9 cents.Ahead of the first trading session of the new week, the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.15% tracking the global market turbulence overnight.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has initiated coverage of Kinatico (ASX:KYP) with a buy rating and a 12-month price target of 30cps. The company is a leading provider of ‘know your people' solutions to organisations across Australia and NZ with a legacy business – CVCheck – which provides employment screening to over 10,000 repeat corporate customers. Bell Potter's analyst sees the buy rating is supported by upcoming catalysts including FY25 results, positive outlook statements and the successful launch of ComplianceX this quarter with strong initial take-up of the solution.And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Tasmea (ASX:TEA) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 22-days which is roughly the amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $3.37 to the range of $2.65 to $2.80 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

The RBA held rates steady this week, surprising markets but aligning with its wait-and-see approach ahead of upcoming CPI data. Meanwhile globally, Trump confirmed tariffs will rise from August 1, sparking volatility across the markets. On one hand, copper jumped on news of a 50% US import tariff, with traders rushing to reroute shipments. However, the prospect of a 200% tariff on imported drugs has rattled healthcare producers, with CSL advocating for targeted measures over blanket tariffs to avoid disrupting global supply chains.In this week's wrap, Grady covers:(0:10): the RBA's shock rate hold and future outlook(1:13): Trump's August 1 tariff date and how the market reacted(2:02): the impact of fresh tariff threats on the copper and healthcare sectors(4:38): how the market performed this week so far(5:20): the best and worst performing stocks and ETFs this week(5:48): economic news items to look out for.

Wall Street recovered to close higher on Wednesday as investors shrugged off the latest tariff noise to buy into tech and other growth market areas again. The Nasdaq rose 0.94% boosted by Nvidia shares climbing 1.8%, the S&P500 added 0.61%, and the Dow Jones ended the day up 0.5%. On Wednesday, Trump sent a further 6 letters to countries outlining new tariffs on imports of goods bound for the U.S.In Europe overnight, markets closed at a four-week high boosted by the banks as investors await progress on trade talks between the U.S. and the EU. The STOXX600 rose 0.78%, Germany's DAX added 1.42%, the French CAC climbed 1.44%, and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.15%.Across the Asia markets on Wednesday, it was a mixed session after President Trump ruled out any extension to the tariff deadline of August 1. Japan's Nikkei added 0.33%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.06%, China's CSI index lost 0.18% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day flat.The Australian share market dropped 0.61% on Wednesday following US President Donald Trump's escalation of his protectionist trade war, as he reiterated threats to impose higher tariffs on copper imports.Lifestyle Communities (ASX:LIC) saw a dramatic drop of over 40% following a landmark tribunal ruling that deemed its profitable deferred management fees, or exit fees, imposed on residents to be invalid under state tenancy laws.Telix Pharmaceuticals (ASX:TLX) surged 6% following the announcement that its prostate cancer imaging product, Gozellix, has been assigned a permanent code by the US Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services, effective October 1.Most traded securities:Most traded stocks and ETFs of the day yesterday by our clients were led byBHP (ASX:BHP)Ampol (ASX:ALD)Global X Physical Gold ETF (ASX:GOLD)What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 0.21% higher at US$68.32/barrel, gold is up 0.36% at US$3313.36/ounce and iron ore is up 0.35% at US$95.55/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.34 U.S. cents, 95.61 Japanese yen, 48.05 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 9 cents.Ahead of Thursday's trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.5%.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has decreased the 12-month price target on Lifestyle Communities (ASX:LIC) from $8.55 to $5.00 and maintain a hold rating on the company following the receipt of judgement from ongoing VCAT proceedings relating chiefly to its use of a deferred managed fee structure.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Data3 (ASX:DTL) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 182 days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $7.79 to the range of $9.80 to $10.20 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street closed mixed on Tuesday as investors assessed the latest comments out of President Trump on the tariff front whereby he said there will be no exceptions to his August 1 tariff start date. The S&P500 lost just 0.07%, the Dow Jones dipped 0.37% and the Nasdaq ended the day up 0.03%.In Europe overnight, markets in the region closed higher as investors hope trade deals can be done between the US and key European countries in the near future. The STOXX 600 rose 0.3%, and Germany's DAX, the French CAC and the UK's FTSE 100 ended the day up 0.5% each.Across the Asia region on Tuesday, it was positive despite investors assessing President Trumps' latest tariff threats on 14 key trading partners. Imports from Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia among other countries are now set to face tariffs of 25% starting August 1 according to Trump's latest post on his social platform, Truth Social. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.26% on Tuesday, South Korea's Kospi Index ended the day up 1.81%, China's CSI index rose 0.84% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1.09%.The local market closed Tuesday's session flat as investors were shocked by the RBA's surprise rate hold announcement whereby Australia's cash rate will remain at 3.85% for the next period amid global uncertainty on the tariff front and Australia's tight labour market. RBA governor Michele Bullock said Australia's central bank is really conscious of not wanting to end up with a fight against inflation again and they want to make sure they have ‘nailed' inflation before cutting again.Following the RBA's shock rate hold on Tuesday afternoon, the ASX dipped but recovered just before the closing bell with staples and utilities stocks taking the biggest hit, while tech and communication services offset some of the losses.Some broker moves sparked stock reactions yesterday with South32 (ASX:S32) sliding almost 2% after Goldman Sachs cut its outlook on the company to Neutral while Domino's Pizza (ASX:DMP) rallied over 2% after UBS upgraded the stock to a buy, and Guzman Y Gomez (ASX:GYG) fell 4% after JPMorgan initiated coverage on the stock on Monday with an underweight rating. What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 0.7% higher at US$68.40/barrel, gold is down 0.92% at US$3306/ounce and iron ore is up 0.35% at US$95.55/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.31 US cents, 95.77 Japanese Yen, 48.12 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 9 cents.And ahead of the midweek trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.08%.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Cobram Estate Olives (ASX:CBO) from $1.95 to $2.35 and maintain a hold rating on the olive oil producer following the company's provision of a FY25 production and earnings guidance update. CBO expects production to come in below BPe but EBITDA expectations of $115m top BPe of $113m.Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Lycopodium (ASX:LYL) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 99-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $11.29 to the range of $12.50 to $12.80 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall St closed lower to start the new week as President Trump reportedly posted letters to countries indicating new tariff terms and amounts that will come into play once the July 9 waiver deadline ends. The Dow Jones fell 0.94% on Monday, the S&P 500 lost 0.79% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 0.92%.Imports from at least 7 countries will face hefty tariffs from August 1 according to Trump's latest posts on his social platform, Truth social.In Europe overnight, markets mostly rose before Trump's latest tariff updates were revealed. The STOXX 600 rose 0.4%, Germany's DAX added 1.1%, the French CAC climbed 0.4%, and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down just 0.2%.Across the Asia region overnight, markets closed mixed as Trump's tariff deadline day tomorrow looms and on the back of Trump announcing reciprocal tariffs will commence from August 1. China's CSI index fell 0.43%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.61%, Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.56%, and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day up 0.17%.Locally to start the new trading week, the ASX200 slipped into the red to post a 0.16% loss following the record close on Friday as investors await the RBA's rate announcement today and ahead of Trump's tariff waiver deadline tomorrow.Investors are increasingly on edge ahead of Trump's tariff waiver deadline ending on Wednesday 9th July as widespread concerns revolve around trade deals not being done thus leading to hefty tariffs disrupting trade moving forward. The local market is following the trends of global markets from late last week as investor optimism fades ahead of Wednesday's tariff deadline. Given the key index is trading around record territory of late, investors are also likely awaiting the RBA's rate decision today before making any big moves.Ahead of the RBA's anticipated rate cut out today, investors also took profits from the banks as banks tend to perform worse in a lower interest rate environment.Investors and the market are factoring in a 97% chance of a rate cut out of the RBA today to the effect of a 25-basis point cut. Should the RBA announce a cut we will likely see the tech, REIT and discretionary sectors continue to rally as such sectors tend to outperform in a lower interest rate environment.Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST) tumbled 6% on Monday after the gold miner announced its production showed output at the lower end of guidance, while Origin Energy (ASX:ORG) rose over 5% on reports that UK start-up Octopus Energy, which Origin has a 23% stake in, is planning to demerge its tech division.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 2.36% higher at US$68.02/barrel, gold is up 0.03% at US$3336.19/ounce and iron ore is down 1.06% at US$95.22/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 64.89 US cents, 94.77 Japanese yen, 47.76 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of Tuesday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.55%.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has initiated coverage of Titomic (ASX:TTT) with a speculative buy rating and a 12-month price target of $0.50/share. Titomic is an Australian company at the forefront of industrial-scale metal additive manufacturing and Bell Potter's analyst sees the increasing spend in defence, especially to come in the US, as a growth opportunity for Titomic.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Origin Energy (ASX:ORG) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 15-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $11.55 to the range of $12.00 to $12.20 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall St was closed for the July 4 Independence Day holiday on Friday.Over in Europe on Friday markets closed mostly lower ahead of Trump's looming tariff deadline day. The STOXX 600 fell 0.5%, Germany's DAX lost 0.6%, the French CAC fell 0.8%, and, in the UK, the FTSE 100 ended the day flat.Across the Asia region on Friday, markets similarly closed mostly lower as investors fear the end of the tariff waiver deadline will mean tariffs will be imposed immediately with a high effect. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.64%, Japan's Nikkei closed flat, China's CSI index rose 0.36% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day down almost 2%.Locally on Friday and to end the first trading week of July, the ASX200 posted a 0.1% gain, resetting its record for a second time already this financial year and for the last trading week the index rose 1.04%.Following a stellar year for financial stocks in FY25, we have seen valuations stretched above growth outlook which prompted investors to take some profits and diversify into areas of the market that either have a high growth outlook like the AI movement in tech or that have been sold off sharply in FY25 presenting strong buy opportunities at present. CBA (ASX:CBA) shares fell almost 1% on Friday.Shares in small-cap container operator Silk Logistics (ASX:SLH) jumped 22.4% after receiving approval from the competition regulator for its acquisition by Dubai-based DP World.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 65.63 US cents, 94.77 Japanese yen, 48 British pence, and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 0.56% lower at US$66.46/barrel, gold is up 0.3% at US$3335/ounce and iron ore is up 1.17% at US$96.24/tonne.Ahead of Monday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day flat.And now let's dive into some trading ideas for your consideration today.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has downgraded the rating on Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) from a buy to a hold and have raised the 12-month price target on the leading imaging healthcare tech company to $320/share following the company announcing the renewal and extension of its contract with Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System in Louisiana and announced a second and larger deal with U. Colorado Health.Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on AMP (ASX:AMP) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 88-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $1.43 to the range of $1.66 to $1.72 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

FY25 ended with the ASX200 up 10%, driven by gains in tech, financials and discretionary stocks. Meanwhile, materials and energy lagged amid tariffs, China's slow recovery, and global tensions. Looking to FY26, rate cuts, easing trade risks and sector catalysts could support further growth. Bell Potter sees opportunities in healthcare, uranium, and select defensives and REITs poised to benefit from lower rates and shifting investor sentiment.In this week's wrap, Grady covers:(0:42): winning and losing sectors in FY25 (2:35): Bell Potter's outlook for FY26 and sectors to watch(4:27): how the market performed this week so far(5:08): the best and worst performing stocks and ETFs this week(5:036): economic news items to look out for.

Wall Street closed mostly higher on Wednesday after President Trump announced a U.S.-Vietnam trade deal has been reached to the effect of 20% tariffs on goods imported from Vietnam into the U.S. Investors welcomed the news despite fresh economic data also out yesterday showing private payrolls in the U.S. surprisingly declined in June. The S&P500 ended the day up 0.47% to a fresh record high of 6227.42 points while the Dow Jones fell just 0.02% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day up 0.94%. In Europe on Wednesday, markets in the region closed mostly higher despite volatility in the UK. The STOXX 600 rose 0.2%, Germany's DAX added 0.5%, the French CAC climbed 1% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.1%.Across the Asia region on Wednesday, markets closed mixed as investors assessed US Fed Chair Jerome Powell's latest comments around further rate cuts would have already happened if it weren't for President Trump's tariff initiatives. China's CSI index closed flat, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.73%, Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.5% and South Korea's Kospi Index ended the day down 0.47%.The local market reset its record yesterday with the key index ending the day up 0.66% with 10 of the 11 sectors ending the day higher led by materials stocks rallying 1.83%.Retail sales data out yesterday locally for May came in at a rise of 0.2% MoM which fell short of the 0.4% rise markets were expecting, signalling consumer discretionary spend remains subdued due to higher cost-of-living pressures and overall uncertainty. Much to the listed retailer relief though, retail spend in May was boosted by a bounce-back in clothing purchases, albeit at a time when a large number of retailers held higher promotional activity to reduce inventory levels. Other than clothing spend rebounding, retail spending was otherwise restrained this month, with a drop in food-related spending and flat results across household goods.Qantas (ASX:QAN) shares tumbled 2.2% after the flying kangaroo confirmed it has been hit by a cyber attack affecting the personal data of more than 6 million customers.Lenders Mortgage Insurance provider Helia Group (ASX:HLI) sank over 20% yesterday on news that another major long-term partner in ING Bank was negotiating a deal with alternative providers. The move comes just months after CBA pulled the pin on its LMI deal with Helia.Domino's Pizza (ASX:DMP) shares also fell almost 16% after the company's CEO Mark van Dyck announced he will step down from the role after just 12 months at the helm.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 3.2% higher at US$67.54/barrel, gold is up 0.57% at US$3357.35/ounce and iron ore is up 1.84% at US$95.13/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.86 US cents, 94.59 Japanese yen, 48.28 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of Thursday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.21%. Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has decreased the 12-month price target on Santana Minerals (ASX:SMI) from $1.30 to $1.18 and maintain a speculative buy rating on the gold miner following the release of the company's updated Pre-Feasibility Study for its 100% owned Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project in New Zealand. It is well placed to complete its Fast Track application, commence early site works in 2HCY25, make a Final Investment Decision in early CY26 and commence construction in 1HCY26. It remains one of the nearest term, new gold development projects on the ASX and is why the analyst has maintained a spec buy rating on the company.

Wall Street closed mixed to start the new quarter as investors rotated out of tech stocks to start the new quarter. The Dow Jones rose 0.91%, the S&P 500 fell 0.11% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 0.82%. Investors are also weighing the latest developments with President Trump's major tax and spending bill while assessing comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell around the rate outlook in the US.In Europe overnight, markets closed mostly lower as investors monitored the European Central Bank's annual forum in Portugal. The STOXX 600 fell 0.2%, Germany's DAX lost 0.8%, the French CAC closed flat, and, in the UK, the FTSE 100 ended the day up 0.3%.Across the Asia region on Tuesday, markets closed mixed as investors assessed record gains on Wall St to end June and remain concerned over the global impact of tariffs amid the looming deadline day next week. China's CSI index rose 0.17%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was closed for a public holiday, Japan's Nikkei fell 1.24%, and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day up 0.6%.The ASX200 started the new trading month virtually flat as investors regrouped to navigate the start of FY26 with headwinds in the form of geopolitical tensions, trade wars and elevated valuations creeping in from FY25.Over the last 12-months financials stocks have soared over 26% led by sector heavyweight CBA (ASX:CBA) which has experienced share price appreciation of 45% as investors flocked to safe haven investments during the last 12-months of elevated volatility and uncertainty. For the same reason, gold stocks have also been on a tear over the last financial year.Heading into the new year, the first session of FY26 was uneventful as investors still await clarity on the tariff front, particularly on the outcome of talks between the US and China. Both rate sensitive sectors in tech and real estate stocks offset weakness among industrials and materials stocks on Tuesday.Superannuation takeover target Insignia Financial (ASX:IFL) rallied over 5% on Tuesday after final takeover bidder, CC Capital, said it would continue working toward making a binding offer for the company after months and other bidders involved in the deal.And in the healthcare space Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) shares rose over 8.5% after the company announced progress of its treatments with the US FDA toward commercialisation, with the company intending to file by the end of the year for accelerated approval. What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 0.45% higher at US$65.40/barrel, gold is up 1.04% at US$3337.65/ounce, and iron ore is down 1.12% at US$93.41/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 65.72 US cents, 94.51 Japanese Yen, 47.85 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of the midweek trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.21%.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has maintained a buy rating on Perenti (ASX:PRN) and have raised the 12-month price target to $1.80 from $1.45 following the announcement of a contract win at the Great Fingall underground project with Westgold Resources (ASX:WGX) in WA worth $200m over 3-years.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Yancoal (ASX:YAL) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 9-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $5.91 to the range of $6.70 to $6.90 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

US equities brushed off the mid- session nerves as both the S&P500 and the Nasdaq reset the closing record highs, advancing 0.52% and 0.47% respectively, while the Dow Jones climbed 275 points or 0.63%. Gains followed the announcement that Canada revokes its digital service tax to facilitate trade negotiations with the US. And as President Donald Trump's 90- day tariff postponement is scheduled to expire next week, investors are watching out for announcements of any trade deals between the US and its trading partners.  European markets closed in the red. The German DAX down 0.51%, France's CAC down 0.33%, the FTSE 100 down 0.43% and the STOXX600 down 0.42%. Locally yesterday, the ASX200 advanced 0.33% with healthcare, industrials and consumer discretionary industry sectors in the lead. Meanwhile, materials declined the most, with Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL), Nickel Industries (ASX:NIC) and Lynas Rare Earths (ASX:LYC), the worst performing stocks of the session.  What to watch today:The Australian market is set to open slightly lower this morning, down just 0.07% according to the SPI futures. In commodities, Crude oil is down 0.8% and more than 5% over the week, now trading just under US$65 per barrel, amid easing tensions in the Middle East as well as prospects that OPEC+ will further increase its oil output. The safe-haven gold price is 1.1% in the green, trading at US$3,304 an ounce, after hitting an over one- month low earlier in the session as trade talks progress. And iron ore is trading flat at US$94.47 per tonne.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter maintain a Speculative Buy rating on WA1 Resources (ASX:WA1) and have reduced their valuation from $26.50 to $25.70. At the current share price of $15.84, this implies 63% share price growth in a year. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Regis Healthcare (ASX:REG) indicating that the stock price may rise from the close of $7.84 to the range of $8.60 to $8.80 over 21 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Wall Street closed higher on Friday as investors looked past President Trump's latest swipe at Canada. The S&P500 rose 0.52% to close at a fresh record high while the Dow Jones added 1% and the Nasdaq ended the day up also 0.52% and also to a fresh record high. On Friday President Trump posted on truth social, his social media platform, that talks between the U.S. and Canada were being terminated. Investors remain confused about the global tariff situation amid the looming July 9 tariff delay deadline, but pushed stocks higher on Friday on reports that the U.S. is close to announcing trade deals with 10 major partners.In Europe on Friday, markets closed higher on optimism of improving trade talks between the U.S. and China. The STOXX 600 rose 1.1%, Germany's DAX added 1.5%, the French CAC climbed 1.8% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.7%.Across the Asia region on Friday, markets closed mixed as investors assessed China's May industrial output data indicating industrial profits fell 9.1% over the first 5-months of the year. China's CSI index fell 0.61%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.17%, Japan's Nikkei rose 1.43% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day down 0.77%.Locally on Friday the key index posted a 0.43% loss as a sharp sell-off in financials, healthcare and REIT stocks weighed on the key index. For the week, the ASX200 posted a 0.1% gain though led by financials and materials stocks posting over 1.5% gains each.Reece (ASX:REH) tumbled over 18% on Friday after announcing its FY25 earnings were expected to fall significantly from the year prior, while Woolworths (ASX:WOW) shares fell 1% despite the supermarket giant announcing it will close its loss-making MyDeal marketplace just 3-years after purchasing it. What to watch today:The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 65.38 U.S. cents, 94.36 Japanese yen, 47.62 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.On the commodities front this morning oil has continued to retreat, trading down 0.26% at US$65.07/barrel, uranium is up 0.7% at US$ 79.05/pound, gold is down 1.65% at US$3273.67/ounce, and iron ore is up 0.01% at US$94.49/tonne.Ahead of the first trading session of the new week the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.06%.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has decreased the 12-month price target on Chalice Mining (ASX:CHN) from $5.75 to $4.10 and maintain a speculative buy rating on the copper miner following key updates out of the company confirming the development plan for its 100%-owned Gonneville project near Perth. The updates give the market greater clarity on the project development milestones with the plan striking the right balance between value extraction and mining and processing routes that minimise capex.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Data3 (ASX:DTL) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 59-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $7.51 to the range of $8.90 to $9.30 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Markets remained volatile this week as global indices pushed toward record highs despite geopolitical tensions and the looming end of the tariff pause on July 9. Gold briefly lost ground as ceasefire hopes between Israel and Iran settled nerves, but upside risks remain. Meanwhile, Bell Potter's latest Analyst Outlook & Stock Picks report highlights opportunities in agriculture, tech, healthcare and gold. Discover their standouts, each backed by strong fundamentals and sector-specific tailwinds.In this week's wrap, Sophia covers:(0:12): the impact of tariffs and geopolitical tensions on the market(0:50): Bell Potter's stock picks(2:54): factors behind gold's recent performance(3:50): how the market performed this week so far(4:50): the best and worst performing stocks and ETFs this week(5:16): economic news items to look out for.

Wall Street closed mixed on Wednesday as investors await clarity on ceasefire reports out of Iran and Israel. The S&P 500 was little changed, the Nasdaq added 0.31% and the Dow Jones ended the day down 0.25%.Investors bought into the some of magnificent 7 overnight sending Nvidia shares up 4.3% to a fresh record high while Alphabet added 2.3%.In Europe overnight, markets closed lower despite a strong rally for defence stocks amid uncertainty over the Middle East war. The STOXX600 fell 0.7%, Germany's DAX dropped 0.6%, the French CAC lost 0.8%, and in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.5%.Across the Asia region on Wednesday markets closed mostly higher as investors weighed up ceasefire hopes against fresh commentary out of the U.S. Fed where Powell said policymakers were "well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance." Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.22% on Wednesday, China's CSI index climbed 1.44%, Japan's Nikkei added 0.4% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day up 0.15%.Locally on Wednesday, the ASX200 posted a mere 0.04% gain as a more than 1% rally for financials stocks offset weakness among the materials and energy sectors.The monthly CPI read coming in below market forecasts at a rate of 2.1% for May signals the RBA is on track to consider another rate cut in the very near future which fueled tailwinds for the REIT and Discretionary sectors today, both of which perform better in lower interest rate environments. Sentiment remains shaky though on a global scale as investors are stuck in a limbo of asking if the ceasefire is or is not going ahead in the Middle East. It is a watch-and-wait situation as it continues to unfold.As global defence spend ramps up, DroneShield (ASX:DRO) shares are flying with the company announcing yesterday the receipt of a $61.6m for European military, marking its biggest contract in company history. Shares in the counter drone tech company soared over 20% on Wednesday following the deal announcement. What to watch todayOn the commodities front this morning oil is trading 0.87% higher at US$64.93/barrel, uranium is up a further 0.45% at US$77.90/pound, gold is up 0.3% at US$3332.26/ounce and iron ore is down 0.12% at US$94.52/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.17 U.S. cents, 94.41 Japanese yen, 47.71 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of Thursday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down half a percent. Trading IdeasBell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on DroneShield (ASX:DRO) from $1.50 to $2.60 and maintain a buy rating on the counter-drone technology company following the announcement of the company's record contract receipt valued at $61.6m, indicating significant earnings growth, increasing scale and frequency of contracts and industry tailwinds.And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Fletcher Building (ASX:FBU) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 79-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $2.67 to the range of $2.21 to $2.31 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall St closed higher on Tuesday as investors hold onto hopes of a ceasefire in the Middle East. The Dow Jones rose 1.2%, the S&P500 added 1.11% and the Nasdaq ended the day up 1.43%.While President Trump reported on Tuesday morning that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been agreed upon, reports then followed that Iran has not agreed to a ceasefire thus sparking fears of prolonged tensions. Despite this confusion, markets still rallied, and energy stocks plummeted amid the dive in the price of oil overnight.In Europe overnight, global hopes of a ceasefire boosted markets in the region with the STOXX 600 rising 1.2% on Tuesday while Germany's DAX added 1.6%, the French CAC rose 1% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day flat. Oil and gas stocks weighed on market gains in the region amid the tumbling price of energy commodities due to the lack of supply concerns from the Middle East that initially led to a spike when the war between Iran and Israel first broke out.Across the Asia region on Tuesday, positive global sentiment on ceasefire hopes extended into the region with markets closing higher led by South Korea's Kospi Index rising 2.96%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 2.06%, China's CSI index gained 1.2% and Japan's Nikkei added 1.14% on Tuesday.Ceasefire talks in the Middle East boosted global investor sentiment overnight leading to the local market rallying 0.95% on Tuesday led by materials stocks posting a near 2% gain, while the energy sector tumbled almost 4% on the sliding price of oil.Two local IPOs had investors hitting the buy button yesterday with Greatland Gold (ASX:GGP) jumping 7.9% on debut while Virgin Australia (ASX:VAH) shares also took flight on IPO with the airline ending its re-debut session up over 8%.KFC Australia operator Collins Food (ASX:CKF) soared 16.5% yesterday despite announcing weaker results for FY25 including NPAT down almost 15% and the full year dividend down 7%. Investors likely welcomed the strength of results in the second half of FY25 and revenue increasing over 2%. What to watch today On the commodities front this morning oil has extended its decline to trade 5.92% lower at US$64.45/barrel, uranium is up 2.17% at US$77.55/pound, gold is down 1.51% at US$3317.46/ounce and iron ore is down 0.02% at US$94.75/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.04 US cents, 94.12 Japanese Yen, 47.86 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of the midweek trading session in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.06% tracking global market gains overnight.Trading IdeasBell Potter has downgraded the rating on Adairs (ASX:ADH) from a buy to a hold and have reduced the 12-month price target on the company from $2.65 to $2.10 following the release of Adairs' Q4 results including higher fixed costs and the company's Focus on Furniture division down 9.3% on the PCP amid tough market headwinds.And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Ampol (ASX:ALD) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 33-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $25.34 to the range of $23.40-$23.80 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street started the new trading week with a surprising but welcome rally as investors welcomed the delayed reaction by Iran to the U.S. launching an attack on its nuclear facilities over the weekend. Oil prices tumbled overnight as investors now bet the impact of the Middle East war won't be as great as was first expected on global oil supply from the region. The S&P500 rose 0.96% on Monday, the Dow Jones gained 0.89% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day up 0.94%.In Europe overnight markets extended their losing run to close lower as investors in the region still fear retaliation from Iran may be incoming. The STOXX 600 fell 0.25% on Tuesday, while Germany's DAX lost 0.3%, the French CAC closed 0.7% lower and, in the UK, the FTSE 100 ended the day down 0.2%.Across the Asia markets on Monday it was a mostly negative session following the U.S. attack on Iran over the weekend sparking further concerns of escalated and prolonged tensions in the Middle East and beyond. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.13%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.67%, China's CSI index gained 0.2% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day down 0.24%.The ASX started the new trading week in the red with a 0.36% loss at the closing bell as investors fear Iran will respond to the US attacks over the weekend, which is the key driver of oil and uranium prices rising further overnight. The US entering the Middle East war takes the conflict from a regional to global war, spreading fear and further uncertainty among global markets and investors. Financial stocks were up due to their safe-haven nature in the local market while energy stocks are on a run amid fears of impact on global oil supply due to the Middle East war. Industrial, healthcare and staples stocks took the biggest hit on the local market to start the week with losses over and near 1% each.Homewares retailer Adairs (ASX:ADH) followed the recent retailer trend by plunging over 20% on Monday after warning the FY25 earnings will come in below FY24's amid elevated promotional activity eating into margins on the back of a slow down in consumer spend.What to watch todayOn the commodities front this morning oil has tumbled 8.85% to trade at US$67.49/barrel, uranium is up 1.5% at US$75.90/pound, gold is up 0.03% at US$3370/ounce and iron ore is down 0.02% at US$94.75/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 64.64 U.S. cents, 94.41 Japanese yen, 47.63 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of Tuesdays trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the new trading day up 0.73%. Virgin Australia is also set to rejoin the key index today through an IPO pricing the company at $2.90/share.Trading IdeasBell Potter has downgraded the rating on Smartpay Holdings (ASX:SMP) from a buy to a hold and have reduced the 12-month price target on the full-service provider of payment solutions after the company announced it has entered into a Scheme Implementation Agreement with Shift4Payments to be acquired at a cash price of NZ$1.20/share. The analyst believes the offer is opportunistic and undervalues the quality of the asset.Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Woolworths Group (ASX:WOW) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 28-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $31.41 to the range of $30.20 to $30.50 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street ended Friday's session mixed as investors remained concerned about escalating tensions in the Middle East. The S&P500 fell 0.22%, the Dow Jones rose 0.08%, and the Nasdaq ended the day down 0.51%. Chip stocks came under pressure on Friday on reports that the U.S. may revoke some wavers placed on tariffs for chip stocks, leading to Nvidia shares dropping 1% on Friday.In Europe on Friday markets closed mostly higher for the session but lower across markets for the week amid escalating tensions on a global geopolitical scale. The STOXX 600 rose 0.1% on Friday, Germany's DAX added 1.21%, the French CAC rose 0.5% and, in the UK the FTSE 100 ended the day down 0.2%.Across Asia markets on Friday, it was a mixed session as investors assessed the potential U.S. involvement in the Middle East at the same time as China held rates steady despite its economy being in deflationary mode. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.26%, China's CSI index closed flat, Japan's Nikkei fell 0.22% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day up 1.5%.Locally to end the last trading week, the ASX200 posted a 0.21% loss amid growing investor uncertainty on a global scale. Utilities stocks rose 0.74% on Friday while consumer staples and discretionary stocks fell 0.87% and 0.63% respectively.Betr rose 5.3% on Friday after lobbing an all-scrip bid for PointsBet (ASX:PBH), while Bowen Coking Coal (ASX:BCB) plummeted almost 50% after announcing the weak coal markets and the ‘unsustainable' QLD coal royalty regime could spark the company to temporarily pause operations.What to watch todayOn the commodities front this morning oil is trading 0.73% higher at US$74.04/barrel, gold is down just 0.05% at US$3367.91/ounce, uranium is up 1.47% at US$75.90/pound after the US attacked 3 nuclear sites in Iran, and iron ore is trading 0.06% higher at US$94.77/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 64.33 US cents, 94.35 Japanese Yen, 47.95 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of Monday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.24% after the U.S. attacked Iran over the weekend, further escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.Trading IdeasBell Potter has downgraded the rating on REA Group (ASX:REA) a buy to a hold and have slightly reduced the 12-month price target on the leading online real estate platform from $267 to $262 following soft May volumes of national listings and the outlook for eased listings into FY26.And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on TechnologyOne (ASX:TNE) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 23-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $40.58 to the range of $36.40 to $37.20 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Rising Middle East tensions pushed oil prices up over 10% this week, boosting local energy stocks while leaving broader markets lacking direction. Retailers continued to struggle amid soft consumer spending and delayed rate cuts, with Cettire (ASX:CTT), Accent Group (ASX:AX1) and KMD(ASX:KMD) Brands issuing cautious updates. Iron ore miners also remain under pressure as China's mixed recovery continues to cloud the outlook.In this week's wrap, Grady covers:(0:27): the oil price surge and what it means for the market (1:05): volatility in the retail sector(2:38): pressures affecting the iron industry(3:58): how the market performed this week so far(4:43): the best and worst performing stocks and ETFs this week(5:15): economic news items to look out for.

Wall Street closed mixed on Wednesday after the US Federal Reserve's latest policy update kept the US interest rate steady with Chair Jerome Powell signalling it would wait to see the impact of President Trump's tariffs on inflation before proceeding with rate cuts. The Dow Jones fell 0.1%, the S&P 500 slipped just 0.03% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day up 0.13%.In Europe overnight, markets in the region closed mostly lower as investors continue to monitor the latest developments in the Middle East. The STOXX 600 fell 0.34%, Germany's DAX and the French CAC each lost 0.4% and the FTSE 100 ended the day up 0.1%.Across the Asia region on Wednesday, markets in the region closed mixed amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.9%, South Korea's Kospi Index climbed 0.74%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.12% and China's CSI index ended the day up 0.12%.The local market's lacklustre performance this week extended into the midweek session with the key index ending the day down 0.12% as Iran-Israel attacks entered a 5th straight day and global markets were sold off on Tuesday as a result with no end-date or macro certainty in sight.Profit taking has hit the gold stocks yesterday with investors cashing in recent gains to capitalise on the soaring gold price which topped another record just days ago.Retailers have done it tough lately with widespread sell-offs amid elevated promotional activity leading to margin contraction as well as downgraded guidance and weaker outlook. Lovisa tumbled 5% yesterday despite no news out of the fashion jewellery retailer.What to watch todayOn the commodities front this morning oil is trading 0.4% higher at US$75.15/barrel, gold is down 0.36% at US$3375/ounce and iron ore is trading 0.16% lower at US$94.71/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.07 US cents, 94.34 Japanese Yen, 48.33 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar 8 cents.The SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.23% extending on yesterday's losses.Trading ideasBell Potter has downgraded the rating on Centuria Office REIT (ASX:COF) to a sell from a hold and have reduced the 12-month price target on the externally-managed REIT from $1.20 to $1.10 as the analyst feels the share price has run ahead of market conditions.And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Duratec (ASX:DUR) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 113-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $1.36 to the range of $0.95 to $1.03 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street closed lower across the major averages on Tuesday as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise, hitting a 5th day of attacks between Iran and Israel. The Dow Jones lost 0.7%, the S&P500 fell 0.84% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 0.91%.President Trump took to Truth Social, his social media platform, demanding ‘unconditional surrender' from Iran's leader as he departed the G7 conference early to deal with the situation in the Middle East.In Europe overnight, markets in the region fell as the Israel-Iran conflict continues. The STOXX 600 fell 0.8%, Germany's DAX lost 1%, the French CAC fell 0.8% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.5%.Across the Asia region on Tuesday markets closed mixed as investors assessed the escalating tensions in the Middle East. Lingering uncertainty and rising energy costs are weighing on global investor sentiment due to the conflict, at a time where volatility and uncertainty was already heightened due to US tariffs and global tensions rising on the trade front. Japan's Nikkei added 0.6%, China's CSI index closed flat, Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.34% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day up 0.12%.The local market started the new trading week virtually flat with a 0.01% gain on Monday before see-sawing between positive and negative on Tuesday to close down 0.08% as investors reacted to escalating tensions in the Middle East and Trump urging for Tehran's evacuation amid the Iran-Israel attacks. Volatility, rising geopolitical tensions and macro and market uncertainty have been the core drivers of market movements in recent times weighing on investor sentiment. Rate sensitive sectors posted gains yesterday with Tech and REIT stocks ending the day up 0.32% and 0.23% respectively while utilities stocks took the biggest hit with a 0.68% loss.Gold miners regained some ground on Tuesday following Monday's sell-off as investors fled to safe-haven assets again in the face of growing geopolitical tensions, while uranium miners extended their recent surge on nuclear power demand rising.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil continues to climb, trading up 4.6% at US$75.06/barrel, gold is up 0.2% at US$3390/ounce and iron ore is down 0.16% at US$95.23/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 64.70 US cents, 93.96 Japanese Yen, 47.79 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of the midweek trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.19% tracking the global market sell off overnight.Trading IdeasBell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on IVE Group (ASX:IGL) following the company's investor strategy session where it upgraded guidance for FY25 for underlying NPAT to come in around $50m, representing a 4.7% upgrade, driven by margin expansion.Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Lendlease (ASX:LLC) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 21-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $5.55 to the range of $5.20 to $5.26 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

US equities rallied overnight off the back of optimism that the Israel and Iran conflict will be contained. The Dow Jones gained 300 points or 0.75%, the S&P500 gained 0.94% and the tech- heavy Nasdaq advanced 1.52%. Following Israel's strike on Iran on Friday, the market took comfort in the fact that this wouldn't escalate on Monday, after Iran reportedly spoke with several countries to pressure for an immediate ceasefire.European equities also rallied with all markets closing in the green. The German DAX and France's CAC both up 0.8%, the FTSE100 up 0.3% and the STOXX600 index up 0.36%.Locally yesterday, the Aussie market closed flat, up just 0.01% as the energy sector rallied following the spike in oil prices amid the Israel - Iran conflict. Energy producers posted very impressive gains, including Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL) advancing over 20% yesterday, Boss Energy (ASX:BOE) up more than 17%, Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) up over 15% and Santos (ASX:STO) up over 10%.What to watch today:Our local market is set to open higher this morning, with the SPI futures suggesting a 0.06% rise at the open this morning.In commodities:Crude oil has eased, now trading 2.7% lower at US$71.00 per barrel, following Friday's sharp 7% rally. This came after reports Iran sought to de-escalate tensions with Israel and resume nuclear negotiations. The decline followed an overnight surge to US$77.49 after Israeli strikes targeted Iran's South Pars gas field and an oil depot near Tehra Meanwhile, gold is trading 1.3% lower at US$3,386 an ounce and iron ore is also in the red at US$95.23 per tonne.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter maintain a Speculative Buy rating on clinical stage biotech company Syntara (ASX:SNT). They've valued the company at $0.12 and at its current share of $0.057 this implies 110.5% share price growth in a year.And Trading Central have identified a bearish signal in Perpetual (ASX:PPT) indicating that the stock price may fall from the price of $17.96 to the range of $14.80 to $15.40 over 34 days according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

Escalation of attacks between Iran and Israel hit global markets on Friday.Wall Street closed lower as investors assessed the worsening tensions in the Middle East with the S&P500 dropping1.13%, while the Dow Jones lost 1.8% and the tech heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 1.3%. Oil and defensive stocks rose on Friday amid the rising price of oil due to Middle East tensions and as investors buy into the defence sector driven by rising geopolitical tensions.In Europe on Friday markets closed in the red after Israel launched air strikes on Iran. The STOXX 600 fell 1%, Germany's DAX and the French CAC each lost 1.1% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.5%.Across the Asia region on Friday markets closed mixed as investors assessed an announcement by Trump that a deal had been done with China to the effect of 55% on imports from China into the U.S. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.11% on Friday, China's CSI index closed flat, Japan's Nikkei fell 0.65% and south Korea's Kospi index rose 0.45%.Locally on Friday, the ASX200 posted a 0.2% loss after Israel attacked Iran's nuclear program sites in a significant escalation of tensions in the Middle East.Luxury online fashion retailer Cettire tanked a further 20% on Friday following a 31% drop on Thursday after the company announced its second profit downgrade in less than two months, citing uncertainty around tariffs and elevated promotional activity as the drivers of the downgrades.Gold miners jumped on Friday amid the renewed geopolitical tensions driving investor uncertainty hence leading to a flock to safe-havens, while energy stocks also soared on the 13% spike in brent oil prices amid the rising Middle East tensions.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 7.26% higher at US$72.98/barrel, gold is up 1.36% at US$3432/ounce and iron ore is down 0.08% at US$95.38/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 64.85 US cents, 93.59 Japanese Yen, 47.96 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of Monday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.23%.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has reduced the 12-month price target on Accent Group (ASX:AX1) from $2.60 to $2.10 and maintain a buy rating on the footwear and fashion retailer following the company providing a FY25 trading update last week including group like-for-like sales down 1% in 2H25 to date, and gross margins fell 80bps on the PCP.Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on New Hope Corporation (ASX:NHC) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 85-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $3.87 to the range of $4.60 to $4.75 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Markets were stirred this week by fresh data revealing the impact of US tariffs, with China's exports to the US plunging and deflationary pressures deepening. While a trade deal appears imminent, uncertainty lingers. In the US, softer than expected inflation figures helped ease pressure on the Fed for the moment. Meanwhile, Japanese business sentiment slipped into the red, while back home CBA soared to a world-first record high, triggering scrutiny over the influence of Aussie super funds on local markets. In this week's wrap, Grady covers:• (0:10): US-China trade talk amidst the release of economic data• (2:42): what is driving investor sentiment in the Japanese market• (3:48): CBA's historic surge and its ramifications on investors• (4:35): how the market performed this week so far• (5:25): the best and worst performing stocks and ETFs this week• (5:55): economic news items to look out for.

Investors weighed inflation data as the consumer price index rose 0.1% in May from April, less than the 0.2% estimate from economists were expecting. Core CPI, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, also increased 0.1%, less than expected. All three major US benchmarks closed lower. The Dow Jones lost 1.1%, the S&P500 lost 0.27%, following a 3- day winning streak, while the Nasdaq closed down 0.5%.European markets were mixed as focus remains on the US - China trade discussions, which occurred this week in London. Germany's DAX is down 0.16%, France's CAC down 0.36%, the FTSE100 was in the green, up 0.13%, while the STOXX600 closed 0.27% lower.Yesterday, the Australian market gained 0.06% by the close, with real estate, energy and materials sectors leading the market's gains. On the other end, information technology was the biggest mover, declining 1.5%, so keep watch of tech stocks today, with the Nasdaq also lower overnightWhat to watch today:The SPI futures are suggesting that our local market will open 0.23% higher this morning, however the futures lost earlier gains this morning, following reports that the US are preparing to partially evacuate the Iraq embassy over regional security.In economic data, consumer inflation expectations will be out at 11:00am this morning.And in commodities:Crude oil has rallied 4.9% trading at US$68.15 per barrel, after President Donald Trump announced a preliminary trade deal with China, raising hopes for stronger energy demand. The agreement includes China supplying rare earth minerals and the US easing restrictions on Chinese students, however final approval is still pending.Gold has gained 1% trading at US$3,363And iron ore is up 0.3% at US$95.78 per tonne.Trading ideas:Bell Potter have maintained their Buy rating on marketing and communications business IVE Group (ASX:IGL) and have increased their price target by 7% to $3.00 as the broker expects a positive trading update and upgrade in FY25 guidance. At the current share price of $2.66 this implies 12.8% share price growth in a year.And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in ResMed (ASX:RMD) indicating that the stock price may rise from the close of $39.02 to the range of $44.50 to $45.75 over 36 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

 Wall St rallied on Tuesday as investors focus on the outcome of US and China trade talks which entered a second day in London. The S&P500 gained 0.55% to post a third straight winning day while the Dow Jones added 0.25% and the Nasdaq ended the day up 0.63%. Investors are hoping a stable deal can be done, with some officials saying the negotiations are ‘going well and they expect the talks to continue all day again'.In Europe overnight, markets closed mixed as investors brace for US – China trade updates. The STOXX 600 rose 0.08%, Germany's DAX fell 0.58%, the French CAC rose 0.17% and, in the UK, the FTSE 100 ended the day up 0.24% just shy of its previous record set. Across the APAC region on Tuesday, markets in the region closed mixed as investors await details of the US – China trade talks. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.32%, China's CSI index lost 0.51%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed flat and South Korea's Kospi Index ended the day up 0.56%.The local market started the holiday-shortened trading week with a fresh record close buoyed by strength among energy stocks amid the rising price of oil.Progress in talks between China and the US on Monday night through a 6-hour meeting and NAB business confidence data for May out on Tuesday morning beating expectations were the key drivers of the local index posting a 0.84% gain on Tuesday. Investor sentiment is very news and noise driven right now so any positive news and outlook drives markets higher.Yesterday, we had the release of NAB Business confidence for May released and Westpac Consumer Confidence for June released with business confidence rising 2 index points for May, well exceeding the fall to -3 index points economists were expecting, but consumer confidence rose just 0.5% which fell short of the 2.5% rise markets had expected as consumer fears remain elevated on the global trade uncertainty front.MonashIVF (ASX:MVF) tanked over 25% yesterday after news surfaced that the company has encountered a second IVF embryo implantation incident with the wrong embryo being inserted into a patient, marking the second event of its kind to hit the headlines in a month.Gold miners retreated on Tuesday as investor appetite for growth stocks regained momentum amid the sliding price of gold on the back of trade negotiation progress between the world's largest economies.What to watch today: The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.19 US cents, 94.47 Japanese Yen, 48.11 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.On the commodities front this morning, oil has pulled back from yesterday's spike to trade 0.91% lower at US$64.68/barrel, gold is down 0.1% at US$3322/ounce and iron ore is down 0.6% at US$95.62/tonne.Ahead of Wednesday's trading session in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.28%. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Catapult Group (ASX:CAT) and maintain a hold rating on the leading sports technology company following the company's announcement of its latest acquisition of US-based Perch for an initial consideration of US$18m. The analyst sees the acquisition will provide a large cross-sell opportunity to its existing 3600 pro teams.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Yancoal (ASX:YAL) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 60-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $5.51 to the range of $6.25 to $6.45 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street closed mostly higher on Monday as investor optimism remains elevated on hopes of trade talks progress between the U.S. and China. The S&P500 rose 0.09%, the Dow Jones fell just 1.1 points and the Nasdaq ended the day up 0.31%.In Europe overnight, markets closed lower as investors awaited the outcome of talks between the U.S. and China in London. The STOXX 600 fell 0.08%, Germany's DAX lost 0.54%, the French CAC dropped 0.17%, and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.06%.Across the Asia markets on Monday, it was a sea of green as investors welcomed some favourable economic data out of China and awaited key trade talks between the world's largest economies. Consumer price inflation fell by 0.1% YoY in May which was lower than the 0.2% economists were expecting, while producer price index fell by 3.3%.China's CSI index rose 0.3%, South Korea's Kospi index rose 1.55%, Japan's Nikkei added 0.92% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended the day up 1.63%.The ASX was closed on Monday for the King's Birthday public holiday.Last week though, the ASX posted a near 1% gain for the 5-trading days to notch the first positive trading week for June and the fourth consecutive weekly gain as progress talks between Presidents Trump and Xi resumed and ended with an in-person meeting agreement.Gold producer Ora Banda took a hit on Friday after downgrading its gold production guidance for FY25 to 5% below the low end of the initial guidance range, while also increasing the costs expected by 4% with the driver of the update being extended downtime required for the processing plant.What to watch today:Ahead of Monday's trading session in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.06%.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.18 US cents, 94.19 Japanese yen, 47.98 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 1.24% higher at US$65.32/barrel, gold is up 0.42% at US$3325.58/ounce and iron ore is down 0.6% at US$95.62/tonne.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Develop Global (ASX:DVP) from $4 to $5 and maintain a buy rating on the hybrid underground and owned-mine operator following the release of recent updates out of the company including Woodlawn's plant commission and underground mine production ramp-up progressing ahead of Bell Potter's expectations.And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on REA Group (ASX:REA) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 26-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $232.52 to the range of $219 to $223 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Nuclear energy has become one of the key beneficiaries of the AI- driven spike in electricity demand from data centers. This week we saw Uranium stocks advance following Meta's announcement of a 20-year nuclear facility agreement. Meta's announcement follows similar nuclear power agreements from peers Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.  In this week's wrap, Grady covers: (0:27): what's driving the nuclear power surge in 2025 (1:52): why tech giants are creating strong tailwinds for uranium producers (3:35): Bell Potter's uranium stock picks  (5:15): how the market performed this week so far (5:28): the best & worst performing stocks & ETFs this week (6:10): the most traded stocks by Bell Direct clients (6:38): economic news items to watch out for. 

US equities closed mixed overnight. The Dow Jones dropped 0.2%, ending at four day winning streak as lower than expected payroll data dragged down sentiment. The S&P500 and the Nasdaq however, both closed in the green, gaining 0.44% and 0.32% respectively.European markets were all in the green with the STOXX600 up 0.47%.Our local market rallied yesterday as the energy sector lead the market with strong gains. Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) and Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) were among the top performers.Uranium stocks jumped at the open following news that one of the world's biggest technology companies had stepped up demand for nuclear power.The rise came after Meta overnight signed a 20-year contract to buy 1,121 megawatts from Constellation's nuclear plant, with power supply beginning in 2027. This follows similar deals struck by peers Microsoft, Amazon, and Google parent Alphabet. Nuclear power has emerged as one of the biggest winners from the AI-fuelled surge in electricity needed for data centres. New nuclear reactors are an important source of uranium demand growth. This follows Microsoft's recent deal to fulfil all AI power needs from a US Nuclear power plant.Also yesterday, the GSP growth rate was released. GDP grew at 0.2% in the March quarter following a 0.6% expansion in the prior quarter. Markets were expecting a 0.4% rise so the data out today indicating stalled growth.What to watch today:The Australian market is set to open slightly in the red. The SPI futures are suggesting a 0.1% drop at the open this morning.And in commodities,Crude oil has dropped more than 1% and is trading at US$62.69 per barrel as Saudi Arabia signalled it may push for a large production increase, raising fears of a global oil oversupply.The price of gold has rebounded, advancing 0.6% trading at US$3,373.44 an ounce, and approaching a one-month high, as a series of weak US economic reports renewed concerns over the outlook.And iron ore has jumped more than 1% trading at US$96.26 per tonne. The price is still hovering around eight- month lows as weak economic data from China clouded the metal's demand outlook.Trading ideas:Bell Potter maintain their Buy rating on Elders (ASX:ELD), a leading supplier to fertiliser, agricultural chemicals and animal health products. Their 12- month price target is unchanged at $9.10, and at ELD's current share price of $6.15, this implies 48% share price growth in a year.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal in ResMed (ASX:RMD) indicating that the stock price may rise from the close of $38.33 to the range of $40.60 - $41.20 over 10 days according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall St tor on Tuesday as investors anticipate details on potential US trade deals will come to light very soon. AI stocks lead the gains with Nvidia up more than 3% at the sessions' end. The S&P500 rose 0.58% on Tuesday, while the Nasdaq added 0.81% and the Dow Jones ended the day up 0.51%.In Europe overnight, markets closed slightly higher after the eurozone inflation reading eased to a cooler-than-expected forecast 1.9% in May. The STOXX 600 rose 0.01%, Germany's DAX added 0.64%, the French CAC climbed 0.33% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.13%.Across the Asia region on Tuesday, the US Customs and Border Protection agency's move to extend a tariff pause on some Chinese goods boosted risk-on sentiment during Asian trading. This also helped the US dollar strengthen, recovering some of Monday's sharp losses against major currencies. China's CSI index rose 0.31% on Tuesday, Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 1.4%, Japan's Nikkei ended the day flat and South Korean markets were closed for polling day.The Australian share market had its best day in a month, rising 0.6% as optimism about revived US-China trade talks boosted investor sentiment. The S&P/ASX 200 gained 52.6 points to close at 8466.7, with financials leading nine of 11 sectors higher. The rally followed gains on Wall Street after news that Presidents Trump and Xi will discuss tariffs this week.Investors bought into the banks on Tuesday due to the safe-haven nature of such investments over the last year, while Iron ore miners declined in line with a drop in iron ore futures, triggered by China's manufacturing activity hitting its lowest point in over two years. BHP (ASX:BHP) fell 0.6%, while Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) slipped 0.7%.IDP Education (ASX:IEL) recorded the biggest loss on the market, tumbling 44.8% after warning investors that global policy uncertainty has impacted its student enrolment pipeline. The company also revealed it is conducting a review of its profitability and cost structure.Meanwhile on a macro level, from 1st July, 2.6 million workers will benefit from a historic 3.5% minimum wage increase; the $32 weekly rise brings the national minimum wage to $24.95 per hour or approximately $948 per week. While this wage rise is one of the largest above-inflation increases ever, it is expected to have only a modest impact on inflation.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 1.38% higher at US$63.38/barrel, gold is down 0.9% at US$3352/ounce and iron ore is down 0.7% at US$95.30/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback overnight to buy 64.67 US cents, 93.03 Japanese Yen, 47.93 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of the midweek trading session in Australia, the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.27%.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Aspen Group (ASX:APZ) from $3.05 to $3.90 and maintain a buy rating on the real estate company following the company's successful raising of $70m via an institutional placement with a further $4m to be raised via SPP at $2.90/unit.Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Rural Funds Group (ASX:RFF) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 30-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $1.79 to the range of $1.91 to $1.93 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street started the new trading week with all three major benchmarks closing in the green, despite the tensions in global trade. The Dow Jones gained 0.08%, the S&P500 up 0.41%, while the Nasdaq gained 0.67%. European markets closed mixed overnight as President Trump's 50% steel tariffs inflate EU trade tensions. The STOXX600 closed 0.14% lower, the German DAX down 0.28%, France's CAC down 0.19%, while the FTSE 100 was slightly higher up just 0.02%. Locally on Monday the ASX200 posted a 0.24% loss to start the new trading month lower, as energy and utility stocks weighed on market gains, while only 3 of the 11 sectors ended the day in the green.  Brickworks (ASX:BKW) soared over 25% on Monday after the company announced a $14 billion merger with Washington H. Soul Pattinson (ASX:SOL), with the arrangement initially valuing BKW shares at a 10.1% premium to the previous closing price. The market's reaction signals investors are positive about the strategic outlook for the merger and diversification the new merger offers in the building, property and diversified financials space. What to watch today:The Australian market is expected to rebound, with the SPI futures suggesting a 0.82% rise at the open this morning. In commodities, Crude oil has rallied 3.67%, trading at US$63.00 per barrel, following OPEC+'s announcement of a steady production increase. The price of gold is also in the green, up 2.78% to US$3,380.76 an ounce While iron ore has dropped over 3%, trading at US$95.95 per tonne, so keep watch of companies such as Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) or Fortescue (ASX:FMG). Trading ideasBell Potter maintains its Buy rating on Bega Cheese (ASX:BGA) as the diversified food company continues to execute against its strategy to deliver FY28 EBITDA of more than $250 million. Bell Potter's price target remains unchanged at $7.00, and at BGA's current share price of $5.55, this implies 26% share price growth in a year. And Trading Central have identified a bearish signal in Goodman Group (ASX:GMG) indicating that the stock price may fall from the close of $32.64 to the range of $26.25 to $27.50 over 29 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Wall Street closed mixed on Friday but posted strong gains across the key indices for the month of May as investors shrugged off Trump's tariff turmoil and global trade uncertainty to send equities higher for the month. The S&P500 closed flat on Friday but gained 6.2% for the month, the Dow Jones rose 0.13% on Friday and 3.9% for the month, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 0.32% but posted a 9.6% surge for the month of May.On Friday a trade deal between the U.S. and UK was reached, boosting investor optimism that more deals of this kind can be done.Across the European region on Friday, markets closed mostly higher on the UK trade deal and as investors welcomed the potential blocking of his tariffs on certain regions.The STOXX600 rose 0.1%, Germany's DAX added 0.3%, the French CAC fell 0.36%, and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.64%.Across the Asia region on Friday markets closed mostly lower as the appeals court in the U.S. allowed majority of Trump's tariffs to be re-instated. Japan's Nikkei fell 1.22%, China's CSI index lost 0.48%, South Korea's Kospi index declined 0.84%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended the day down 1.2%.Locally on Friday, the ASX200 posted a 0.3% gain despite Trump's tariff-related volatility weighing on the key index early in the session. Investors again moved into defensive and safe-haven stocks like the banks and staples, while shifting out of riskier stocks like tech on Friday as uncertainty arose again on the tariffs front. The local market posted a second straight monthly gain for the month of May despite heightened volatility and macro uncertainty.On Friday morning it was announced that a federal appeals court temporarily upheld many of President Trump's tariffs on China and other countries, pausing a lower court ruling that had challenged them. This move allows the tariffs to remain in place while the court reviews the case and considers the administration's request for more time. The appeal success came not even 12-hours after a federal court announced a blockage of the tariffs amid overuse of Presidential power. This week will be an interesting time for tariffs as the appeals process unfolds, but we are no closer to clarity on exactly what tariffs are allowed to remain and the implications on our locally listed companies.Retail sales fell by 0.1%, missing the forecasted 0.3% increase, with warmer weather contributing to reduced clothing purchases. Clothing and department store spend were the key contributors to the weaker-than-expected reading for April, while cafes and food related spend was still on the rise. Surprisingly, niche retailers like Accent Group and Universal Stores still rallied on Friday despite the retail spend figure being released.In data out this week, Q1 2025 GDP figures are also expected to show a slowdown in growth to 0.2%, down from 0.6% in Q4 2024, primarily due to weaker household consumption. Markets are now factoring in a 73% chance of a rate cut out of the RBA when it next meets in July, up from the 59% chance expected prior to the retail sales data being released. What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 0.25% lower at US$60.79/barrel, gold is 0.9% lower at US$3288.58/ounce and iron ore is down 0.15% at U.S.$99.12/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 64.37 U.S. cents, 92.57 Japanese yen, 47.76 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of Monday's trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the first trading session of June up 0.09%.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has decreased the 12-month price target on IPD Group (ASX:IPG) from $4.60 to $4.10 and maintain a buy rating on the leading Australian distributor of electrical equipment and industrial digital technologies, following the company provid

The ASX200 posted a 0.73% gain so far this week (Mon – Thurs), led by the technology and energy sectors amid the rising price of oil and growing investor appetite for growth stocks. In this week's wrap, Grady covers:(0:23): the US Federal Court's ruling against Trump's tariffs (2:30): Nvidia's earnings results signaling demand for AI(3:18 ): Telstra's reaffirmed FY25 guidance(3:58): what the latest CPI reading means for markets (4:32): the best & worst performing stocks this week(5:20): the most traded socks & ETFs by Bell Direct clients (5:49): economic news items to watch out for. 

US equities declined overnight with all three major benchmarks in the red. The Dow Jones declined 0.58%, the S&P500 down 0.56%, while the Nasdaq dropped 0.51%. S&P500 futures are on the rise after Nvidia posted earnings that beat expectations, its price advancing more than 4% in after-hours trading, so this may mean good news for tech investors today. Keep watch of ASX- listed AI stocks such as WiseTech (ASX:WTC), Xero (ASX:XRO) or NextDC (ASX:NXT).European markets were also in the red, with the STOXX 600 closing 0.61% lower.Locally yesterday, the ASX200 declined 0.13%. Financial and materials took the biggest hit, while energy and real estate were in the lead, following a rise in the consumer price index for April, which was held at 2.4% YoY. The market consensus was for it to slow to 2.3%. The RBA is looking at the data closely to ensure inflation, which is now back in the Central Bank's target band, keeps tracking in the right direction.What to watch today:The Australian share market is set to open higher, with the SPI futures suggesting a 0.15% rise at the open this morning.In commodities,Crude oil has advanced 1.43%, currently trading at US$61.94 per barrel, as investors await an OPEC+ meeting expected to decide on increasing oil output. They'll likely approve a 411,000 barrel per day production hike for July, continuing a trend of accelerating supply growth following a similar increase planned for June.The price of gold is down 0.73%, trading at US$3,284.88 an ounce following the Fed's meeting minutes revealing concerns around inflation and labour market weakness.While iron ore is trading steady at US$99.39 per tonne.Trading ideas:Bell Potter see Telstra (ASX:TLS) shares as fully valued. They have maintained a Hold trading on TLS with an improved 12- month price target of $4.65, up 7%.And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Whitehaven Coal (ASX:WHC) indicating that the stock price may rise from the close of $5.68 to the range of $6.90 to $7.90 over 50 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall St closed higher on the first trading session of the holiday shortened trading week as investors welcome the delay in tariffs on the EU announced on Monday. The Dow Jones rose 1.78%, the S&P500 climbed 2.05% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day up 2.47%. Tesla shares rose 7% on Tuesday after Elon Musk said he is shifting his focus away from politics and back into his companies, while AMC's shares soared 22% after a record-breaking domestic box official over the Memorial Day long weekend that saw $326m spent at the movies over the highest holiday weekend ever.In Europe overnight markets closed mostly higher in the wake of tariff delays on the EU region. The STOXX 600 rose 0.33%, Germany's DAX gained 0.83% to close at a fresh record high, the French CAC fell 0.02% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.7%.Across the Asia region on Tuesday, markets closed mixed as investors continue to assess the global trade climate following Trump's delay to the EU tariffs until July. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.51%, South Korea's Kospi Index fell 0.27%, China's CSI index lost 0.54% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended the day up 0.43%.The local market started the week flat before rising on Tuesday as tech and the big banks buoyed the local index to a 0.56% rise at the closing bell yesterday.Capstone Copper (ASX:CSC) led the ASX200 gains yesterday with a rise of 6.72% amid the rising price of the commodity on the back of Ivanhoe halting production at Africa's largest copper mine due to seismic activity, pressuring supply side in a time where demand is escalating.Floods in the Northern NSW Hunter region have already hit IAG (ASX:IAG) with the insurance provider announcing yesterday it has received around 2500 claims related to the flooding. Earlier this month, IAG said its net natural perils claims were estimated to be approximately $900m to the end of April, which is around $250m lower than the year-to-date expectation. Shares in IAG rose 0.7% yesterday.Telstra shares rose yesterday after the telco giant reaffirmed FY25 guidance, expecting to hit the top end of free cash flow and capex targets, and launched its “Connected Future 30” strategy aiming for over 50% NPAT growth, stronger AI integration, and mid-single digit cash earnings CAGR by FY30.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 1.05% lower at US$60.88/barrel, gold is down 1.36% at US$3301/ounce and iron ore is down 0.08% at US$99.81/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 64.48 US cents, 93.03 Japanese Yen, 48.06 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of the midweek trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.60% tracking Wall Street's rally on Tuesday.We have the all-important monthly CPI reading out today locally with markets expecting the annual inflation rate to fall to 2.2% for the 12-months to April.Trading ideas: Bell Potter has maintained a buy rating on Propel Funeral Partners (ASX:PFP) and have slight lowered the 12-month price target on the leading full-service funeral providers following an update including guidance that has a midpoint of around 8% miss to consensus expectations amid lower seasonality uplift in April and May. The company is well funded and has strong pricing power hence the buy rating, the downgrade in price target is simply due to the company navigating some short-term volatility.And Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Wisetech Global (ASX:WTC) from $112.50 to $122.50 and maintain a buy rating on the leading logistics software provider following the recent acquisition announcement of e2open and a delay in the launch of Container Transport Optimisation to 1HFY26.

Wall St was closed on Monday for the Memorial Day public holiday.In Europe on Monday, markets closed higher as investors welcomed the delay of U.S. tariffs on the region until July. The STOXX 600 rose 1%, Germany's DAX added 1.6%, the French CAC climbed 1.2%, and, in the UK, the FTSE100 was closed for a public holiday.Across the Asia markets to start the week, markets closed mixed as investors digested Trump's latest tariff move on the EU. South Korea's Kospi index jumped 2% to its highest level since 2024, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.35%, China's CSI index lost 0.6% and Japan's Nikkei ended the day up 1%.Locally on Monday, the ASX200 closed flat as investor sentiment was once again dampened by Trump's tariff turbulence.The Trump rollercoaster took another loop again from Saturday to Monday. In the space of 2 days the US president announced and postponed new 50% tariffs on Europe, like he has done in recent times with China and other regions. While the step may be to prompt negotiation talks, the on-again-off-again tariffs reignited investor uncertainty on Monday which has prompted global market selloffs both late last week and locally to start the new weeks on a sour note.Uranium miners extended their rally from Friday following Trump's move to sign an executive order to ease the regulatory process for new nuclear reactors and enhance supply chains in attempt to ease dependence on China and Russia for uranium supplies and production. For companies like Boss Energy that has an interest in a South Texan mine, demand for Aussie uranium producers is set to rise following Trump's latest move, which boosts the growth outlook for such stocks in the eye of investors. Boss Energy rose 7.29% on Monday while Deep Yellow soared 13.65% to start the week on a strong note. What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 0.02% lower at US$61.52/barrel, gold is down 0.5% at US$3341/ounce and iron ore is down 0.08% at US$99.81/ounce.The Aussie dollar has weakened slightly against the greenback to buy 64.91 US cents, 92.68 Japanese Yen, 47.99 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of Tuesday's session on the ASX, the SPI futures are anticipating the local market will open the new trading day up 0.32%. Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has initiated coverage of Region Group (ASX:RGN) with a buy rating and a 12-month price target of $2.65. The internally managed REIT and largest owner of Australian supermarket-based shopping centres has strong near-term income growth potential, underpinned by its liquidity and resilient income streams according to the analyst.And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Woolworths (ASX:WOW) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 8-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $31.89 to the range of $29.60 to $30.10 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street re-entered sell off mode on Friday after President Trump threatened tariffs on the EU, which on Saturday turned to reality with a 50% tariff announced on the region set to come into effect from June 1. The Dow Jones lost 0.61% on Friday, the S&P 500 fell 0.67% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 1%.Apple shares fell 3% on Friday after Trump posted on Trump social that iPhones sold in the US must be made in the US and if they are not, a tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple.In Europe on Friday, markets closed lower amid threats of U.S. tariffs and on the back of corporate earnings results being released in the region. The STOXX600 fell 1%, Germany's DAX and the French CAC each lost 1.6%, and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.2%.Across the Asia region on Friday, markets closed mixed as investors digested a slew of economic data released in the region. Japan's Nikkei rose almost half a percent, South Korea's Kospi index closed flat, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng and China's CSI index also each closed flat. Japan's core inflation rose to 3.5% in April boosted by surging rice prices and the BoJ pausing the assess tariff implications. Singapore's inflation for the same period came in at 0.7%, slightly higher than markets were expecting.Locally to end the last trading week, the ASX200 posted a second weekly gain as a pullback in bond yields and the outlook for further rate cuts out of the RBA boosted investor sentiment. On Friday, the ASX200 ended the session up 0.15% driven by a rally for tech and energy stocks.Uranium stocks surged on Friday on reports Trump will sign an executive order to ease the regulatory process for new nuclear reactors and enhance supply chains in attempt to ease dependence on China and Russia for uranium supplies and production. Boss Energy rose 12.82%, Paladin Energy climbed 7.02%, and Deep Yellow ended the day up 9.13%.What to watch todayOn the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 0.54% higher at US$61.53/barrel, gold is up 1.76% at US$3358/ounce and iron ore is down 0.08% at US$99.81/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 64.91 U.S. cents, 92.47 Japanese Yen, 47.97 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of Monday's trading session in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.36%.Trading ideasBell Potter has slightly lowered the 12-month price target on Duratec (ASX:DUR) from $1.95 to $1.80 and maintain a buy rating on the leading Australian infrastructure contractor following the company's release of a trading update outlining FY25 revenue guidance and EBITDA lower than previously expected attributed to delays in project awards and weather disruptions.Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on APA Group (ASX:APA) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 32-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $8.13 to the range of $7.55 to $7.65 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Investor sentiment remains upbeat as M&A activity accelerates, commodities shift gears as the big players look to diversify earnings, and key macro trends point to a busy second half of 2025.In this week's wrap, Grady Wulff covers: (0:09) Why M&A is back on the agenda, and what's fuelling it(1:01) The Insignia Financial deal twist and what's next(1:51) Big mining plays: BHP's copper push & Rio's lithium leap(3:03) Mayne Pharma takeover on thin ice – what it means(5:30) ASX200 performance this week, sector winners & losers(6:16) Most traded stocks & ETFs by Bell Direct clients(6:42) Key economic data to watch next week.

Wall Street closed lower for a second day on Wednesday as a spike in treasury yields prompted investors to sell equities on growing fears that a new US budget bill would place even more pressure on the country's already large deficit. The S&P500 fell 1.61%, the Nasdaq lost 1.41% and the Dow Jones ended the day down 1.91%. Across the European region on Wednesday, markets closed mixed as hotter-than-expected inflation out of the UK and a slew of corporate earnings results weighed on investor sentiment. The STOXX 600 fell 0.3%, Germany's DAX lost 0.2%, the French CAC slipped 0.3% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.2%. UK inflation data for April came in at a rise to 3.5%, topping expectations of a rise to 3.3%, which slashes hopes of a rate cut in the near term.Across the Asia region on Wednesday markets closed mostly higher led by South Korea's Kospi Index rising 0.91%, while China's CSI index rose 0.47%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.62%, but Japan's Nikkei ended the day down 0.61%.  Locally on Wednesday, the ASX200 posted a 0.52% gain as investor optimism carried from the prior day and multiple factors boosted the local market. Investor sentiment was driven by the RBA's rate cut in Australia and outlook for more policy easing in months to come and, on a global scale, by China and the US making progress on the tariff negotiations front. Bond yields are also falling which drives investor appetite for equities and a rise in commodities fuelled investor appetite for materials and energy stocks yesterday so broadly it was a great day on the market. Nine of the 11 sectors ended today's session in the green led by energy and healthcare sectors rising around 1% each. Mayne Pharma shares tumbled near 30% on Wednesday amid uncertainty over the Cosette takeover offer. Cosette, a US pharmaceutical giant now believes there has been a material adverse change in the company's financial performance since the offer was first made in February including Mayne issuing weaker-than-expected earnings guidance and disclosed a potential US regulatory issue regarding its contraceptive pill. What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 1.33% lower at US$61.21/barrel, gold is up 0.81% at US$3317.30/ounce and iron ore is flat at US$100.05/tonne. The Aussie dollar has further strengthened against the greenback to buy 64.34 US cents, 92.67 Japanese Yen, 48.01 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents. Ahead of Thursday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX 200 will open the day down almost 1% tracking Wall Street's slide overnight. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has raised the 12-month price target on Catapult Group (ASX:CAT) from $4.40 to $5.00 and maintain a hold rating on the sports tracking and data technology company following the release of the company's results yesterday including revenue and gross profits for FY25 modestly ahead of BP expectations, as well as free cash flow of US$8.6m which was a positive surprise. And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Sims (ASX:SGM) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 41-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $15.42 to the range of $11.60 to $12.30 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street closed lower on Tuesday as investors await clarification on the tariffs front following a strong rally in recent weeks. The S&P500 fell 0.4%, the Dow Jones lost 0.27% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 0.38%. The recovery rally since Trump announced negotiations were underway with China has seen the S&P500 rally more than 20% since hitting an April low, so investors have just pulled back on Tuesday in anticipation for further clarification on the tariffs front.In Europe overnight, markets closed higher as strong corporate earnings results in the region boosted investor sentiment. The STOXX 600 rose 0.7%, Germany's DAX gained 0.3%, the French CAC added 0.75% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.9%.Across the Asia region on Tuesday, markets rose as investors assessed the latest rate cuts in the region including out of the RBA and the People's Bank of China trimming the 1-year loan prime rate from 3.1% to 3% and the 5-year to 3.5%. China's CSI index rose 0.57% on Tuesday, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.5%, Japan's Nikkei added 0.8% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day flat.The local market closed 0.6% higher yesterday as investors welcomed the RBA's 25 basis point rate cut amid cooling inflation and escalating cost of living pressures.The RBA cut to 3.85% came despite the latest inflation reading and labour market data coming out of favour for a rate cut, however, the overall picture is positive for Australia's economic stability in taming inflation over the long-run.Rate sensitive sectors like tech and real estate stocks led the gains yesterday with the sectors rising 2.3% and 1.4% respectively.Technology One soared over 10% on Tuesday after the software giant increased its interim dividend by 30% on the back of strong revenue growth in the first half. Telstra shares also rallied after the telco giant said it would be raising prices, which is good for investors but not so great for customers.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 0.22% lower at US$62/barrel, gold is up 2.04% at US$3288/ounce and iron ore is down 0.08% at US$100/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback overnight to buy 64.16 US cents, 92.75 Japanese Yen, 48.22 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 8 cents.Ahead of the midweek trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.62%, extending on Tuesday's rally.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has maintained a hold rating on Technology One (ASX:TNE) and have raised the 12-month price target on the software giant from $31.00 to $35.50 following the release of 1H25 results including revenue and profit before tax topping BPe and FY25 guidance was slightly below BPe. The analyst maintains a hold rating as the new price target is a modest discount to the current share price.And Bell Potter has initiated coverage of AML3D (ASX:AL3) with a speculative buy rating and 12-month price target of 30cps with the analyst seeing the company is at an inflection point given accelerating demand from the US defence industrial base driving material increase in system sales over the next 3-years. AML3D is a welding, metallurgical science, robotics and software business that produces automated 3D printing systems that utilise Wire Additive Manufacturing technology.

Wall Street ended the first trading session of the new week in positive territory as investors overlooked the latest moody credit rating downgrade on the U.S. on Friday, and instead favoured optimism from the trade negotiation progress with China. The S&P500 rose 0.09% to post a 6th straight winning day, while the Nasdaq climbed 0.02% and the Dow Jones ended the day up 0.32%. The debt downgrade on Friday pushed bond yields higher early on Monday before they retreated in afternoon trade hence sending equities higher to start the week.Over in Europe on Monday markets in the region closed mostly flat ahead of key corporate earnings results out this week. The STOXX 600 closed flat, Germany's DAX rose 0.6% to yet another fresh record high, the French CAC fell 0.04%, and, in the UK, the FTSE 100 ended the day up 0.17%.Across the Asia markets on Monday, it was a sea of red as investors assessed the Moody's credit rating downgrade on the U.S. and latest slew of economic data out of China including retail sales data rising at a weaker rate than expected for April, while industrial output for the same period rose more than economists were expecting.Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.05%, China's CSI index lost 0.5%, Japan's Nikkei fell 0.68% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day down 0.89%. China's retail sales for April rose 5.1% in data out yesterday which fell short of expectations of a 5.8% rise and indicates the impact of sluggish post-pandemic era and tariffs on consumer spend in the region.Locally to start the new trading week, the ASX200 posted a 0.58% loss on Monday as a sharp selloff in energy and materials stocks weighed on the key index and investor sentiment ahead of the RBA's rate announcement today.What to watch today:The price of gold rebounded on Monday following Moody's downgrade of the US credit rating to AA1 from AAA amid mounting concerns over US economic outlook and growing budget deficit. Gold producers including Northern Star Resources, Evolution Mining and Ramelius Resources posted gains over 1%, 3% and 2% respectively.On a corporate level, we saw Domino's and Mineral Resources shares both slide yesterday after announcing respective changes at the board level, with Domino's Chief of Australia and NZ business, Kerri Hayman, stepping down in August after 37-years with the pizza giant, while Mineral Resources announced the appointment of Malcolm Bundey as successor to outgoing chairman James McClements, who will step away from the company's board in July.On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 0.32% higher at US$62.69/barrel, gold is up 0.81% at US$3229.67/ounce, and iron ore is down 0.08% at US$100/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback overnight to buy 64.60 US cents, 93.53 Japanese yen, 48.30 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar at 9 cents.Ahead of Tuesday's trading session in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the market will open the day up 0.82%.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has upgraded the rating on Paragon Care (ASX:PGC) from a hold to a buy and have a 12-month price target on the company of 52cps following the analyst seeing EPS growth in FY26 which is expected to drive all valuation metrics lower including the PE ratio to below 20x. Management are heavily invested in the long term success of the business and remain laser focused on delivery of the integration, according to the analyst.Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 19-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $18.88 to the range of $24.50 to $24.50 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street closed higher again on Friday as investors overlooked disappointing consumer sentiment data and continued to welcome progress on the trade talk front between China and the U.S. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% on Friday and 5.3% for the week, the Nasdaq gained 0.52% on Friday and 7.2% for the week and the Dow Jones ended the day up 0.78% and rose 3.4% for the week. The latest consumer sentiment reading out on Friday showed investor sentiment fell to the second lowest Level on record in the latest reading while consumer prices are also expected to rise 7.3% over the next year, up from reported 6.5% expected last month.Moody's downgraded the US credit rating on Friday though from AAA to AA1 citing concerns around rising US debt.Over in Europe on Friday, markets closed higher on Friday led by Germany's DAX rising 0.3% to another record high close, while the STOXX 600 gained 0.4%, the French CAC rose 0.42% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.6%.Across the Asia region on Friday, markets closed mixed as investors digested weaker-than-expected GDP data with a 0.2% contraction reported over the March quarter. Japan's Nikkei closed flat on Friday, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.46%, China's CSI index fell 0.4% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day up 0.21%. China's stocks were weighed down by Alibaba missing earnings expectations on Friday.Locally on Friday, the ASX ended the week at a 3-month high after Australian economic data and global investor sentiment boosted markets to strong gains throughout the week. The ASX posted a 0.56% gain on Friday led by REIT stocks jumping 2.3%.Stock specific news, Appen soared 18.7% on Friday after unveiling full-year revenue target of between $235m-$260m.Uranium miners came under pressure on Friday with Boss Energy, Deep Yellow and Paladin falling over 6% each.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is up 0.13% at US$62.57/barrel, gold is up 1.12% at US$3240/ounce and iron ore is down 0.34% at US$100.08/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 64.13 US cents, 93.04 Japanese Yen, 48.23 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 9 cents.Ahead of Monday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.08%.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Temple & Webster from $15.60 to $21.00 and maintain a hold rating on the leading online homewares retailer after the company released a 2H trading update to-date with revenue growth of 18% on the PCP and EBITDA margins toward the top end of guidance. The hold rating is maintained as growth to $21.00/share is in-line with Bell Potter's hold rating criteria.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on GR Engineering Services following the formation of a pattern over a period of 49-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $2.82 to the range of $3.30 to $3.40 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Investor optimism fuelled a strong start to the week following the announcement of a temporary 90-day trade agreement between the US and China. This positive sentiment propelled the ASX200 up 1.3% so far this week (Monday to Thursday), with gains in technology stocks overshadowing declines in the utilities, staples, and REIT sectors.In this week's wrap, Grady covers:(0:36): the latest update on US – China trade(1:41): wage price growth & jobs data out this week(3:13): the rally in Xero, Aristocrat Leisure, GrainCorp & Life360(4:45): how the ASX200 performed this week so far(5:24): the most traded stocks & ETFs by Bell Direct clients(5:51): economic news items to watch out for.

We've had a strong start to the week with the S&P500 and the Dow up more than 4% and 1% respectively, and the Nasdaq advancing more than 6% with investors embracing AI and mega caps. Overnight the major benchmarks closed mixed, the Dow 0.2% in the red, while the S&P500 up 0.1% and the Nasdaq up 0.7%. And the 10 year Government bond yield hit a 3 month high in the last session.European markets were all lower with the STOXX600 down 0.24%. Locally yesterday, the ASX200 closed in the green with energy and information technology leading market gains.What to watch today:Australian shares are expected to end a 6- day winning streak today, ahead of jobs data. The SPI futures are suggesting the market will drop 0.43% at the drop this morning.In economic data today, the unemployment rate for April will be released as well as consumer inflation expectations for May.In commodities, Cruide oil is 1.7% lower at US$62.59 per barrel, ending a four-day rally as traders likely took profits amid a surprise rise in US crude inventories and renewed demand concerns. The price of gold is down more than 2% at US$3,181.98 an ounce, as easing trade tensions between the US and China continued to weigh on its safe-haven appeal.And iron ore is up 1.25% at US$100.75 per tonne.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter have downgraded athlete tracking solutions company Catapult Group (ASX:CAT) from a Buy to a Hold and have increased their price target from $4.00 to $4.40. Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Sevcorp (ASX:SRV) indicating that the stock price may rise from the close of $5.26 to the range of $5.52 to $5.58 over 28 days according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall St closed mostly higher again on Tuesday as soft inflation data and progress on the trade talk front continue to boost investor sentiment. The S&P500 rose 0.72%, the Nasdaq gained 1.61% and the Dow Jones fell 0.64% as United Health declined 17% to pressure the benchmark index. US CPI data for April came in at an increase of 2.3% on an annual basis which was lower than economists' were expecting and indicate the US inflation journey remains under control despite fears of tariffs boosting CPI.In Europe overnight, markets in the region closed slightly higher as uncertainty over global trade outlook remains positive amid China and the US agreeing to a temporary deal. The STOXX 600 rose 0.07%, Germany's DAX added 0.23% to close at another fresh record high, the French CAC gained 0.3%, and, in the UK, the FTSE 100 ended the day flat.Across the Asia region on Tuesday, markets closed mixed as investor outlook beyond the 90-day US China tariff deal remains uncertain. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.87%, China's CSI index rose 0.15%, India's Nifty 50 fell 1.27% and Japan's Nikkei ended the day down 1.43%.The local market hit an 11-week high yesterday, ending Tuesday's session up 0.43%, taking lead from the global market rally on Monday as investors welcomed the latest deal tariff between China and the US.With the outlook for lower tariffs on imports into the US from China and vice versa, investors regained appetite for risk and growth stocks, while investors sold out of safe-haven assets like the banks and gold.Mining giants recovered yesterday with the rising price of oil and iron ore fuelling investor appetite for BHP (ASX:BHP), Woodside (ASX:WDS), Rio (ASX:RIO) and Santos (ASX:STO).Location tracking tech giant Life 360 (ASX:360) soared over 10% yesterday after releasing record Q1 results including a 33% increase in total subscription revenue to US$81.9m, a 32% increase in total revenue to US$103.6m and positive operating cash flow of US$12.1m, up 13% YoY, and the company ended the quarter with cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of US$170.4m. What to watch todayOn the commodities front this morning oil is trading 2.76% higher at US$63.66/barrel, gold is up 0.41% at US$3249/ounce and iron ore is up 1.22% at US$99.75/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback overnight to buy 64.76 US cents, 95.50 Japanese Yen, 48.69 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 9 cents.Ahead of the midweek trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.22%. Before the bell this morning CBA (ASX:CBA) released its Q3 trading update including cash profit for the quarter of $2.6bn which is flat on 1H25 quarterly average and up 6% on the PCP, while operating income rose 1% and operating expenses also rose 1%. Net interest income for the big bank rose 1% while the net interest margin was stable.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on JB Hi-Fi (ASX:JBH) following the release of the company's Q3 trading update including sales up 6% on the PCP, while outlook for Q4 remains strong and the company remains as one of the most productive retailers globally.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on AMP (ASX:AMP) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 50-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $1.32 to the range of $1.56 to $1.62 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street started the new trading week significantly higher as investors welcomed the temporary progress in trade talks between China and the US. The Dow Jones rose 2.81%, the S&P500 climbed 3.26% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day up 4.35%. Shares in companies that rely on production and supply chain elements from China like Tesla, Apple and Nvidia had investors buying in on Monday with each rising over 5%.The latest update from the China and US trade talks is that both nations have agreed to cut their respective tariffs on one another for 90-days, with tariffs on Chinese imported goods into the US to be 30% and tariffs on US good into China to be 10% for the period.In Europe overnight, markets also closed higher in the region as global investors welcomed progress on the global trade front. The STOXX 600 rose 1.1%, Germany's DAX climbed 0.2% to another fresh record high, the French CAC added 1.4% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.6%.Across the APAC region on Monday, markets rallied after the US and China temporary trade deal was unveiled. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 2.98%, China's CSI index climbed 1.16%, India's Nifty 50 gained 3.5%, and Japan's Nikkei ended the day up 0.38%.Locally to start the week, the ASX200 posted a 0.03% rise to start the new trading week as weakness among pharmaceutical stocks weighed on strong gains for the big miners amid progress in talks between China and the US.Trump's latest pharmaceutical tariff announcement hit locally listed healthcare providers hard this week with Botanix, Neuren, Telix and Clarity all dropping over 5% on Monday. Trump's latest move in the healthcare space is that he wants to cut the price of prescription drugs which will in-turn hurt the margins made by any pharmaceutical producer selling their treatments in the US.As progress talks between the US and China continue to make headway, safe-haven stocks were on the chopping block yesterday as market uncertainty begins to ease. Gold stocks retreated with Evolution Mining, Northern Star Resources and Genesis Minerals each fell over 3%.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 1.61% higher at US$62/barrel, gold is down 2.65% at US$3236/ounce and iron ore is up 1.22% at US$99.75/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback overnight to buy 63.70 US cents, 94.53 Japanese Yen, 48.57 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 9 cents.Ahead of Tuesday's trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 1.17% tracking global market strength overnight. Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has raised the 12-month price target on REA Group (ASX:REA) from $264 to $267 and maintain a buy rating on the leading online real estate platform following the release of the company's Q3 update including double-digit revenue growth, and strong yield growth which is set to continue amid the rate cut outlook.Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Technology One (ASX:TNE) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 25-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $31.62 to the range of $23.25 to $24.75 according to standard principles of technical analysis. 

Wall St had a negative end to the week last week as investors awaited clarity on US-China trade talks and the Fed held the US cash rate steady amid outlook for tariff implications sparking an inflationary rebound in the world's largest economy. The Dow Jones fell 0.3%, the S&P500 lost 0.07% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day flat.This morning, Trump has declared great progress after high-level trade talks began with China over the weekend, with the US president claiming the meeting as a ‘total reset' in the trade war which positions the markets for a strong start to the new trading week.In Europe on Friday, markets closed higher as investors hold high hopes of a positive outcome from the US and China's trade negotiations. The STOXX 600 rose 0.44%, Germany's DAX closed at a record high up 0.63%, the French CAC rose 0.64% and, in the UK, the FTSE 100 ended the day up 0.3%.Across the Asia region on Friday, markets closed mixed as investors digested the latest economic data out of China and awaited key trade talks between the US and China over the weekend. Japan's Nikkei rose 1.56% on Friday, China's CSI index fell 0.17%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 0.4% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day up 0.09%.Locally to end the week, the ASX 200 ended the week with a positive session on Friday as the key index rose 0.48% boosted by a strong tech and financial rally, but for the week the ASX 200 posted a slight decline of 0.08%. Healthcare stocks took the biggest hit over the last 5-trading days as investors fled the sector over concerns of Trump's pharmaceuticals tariffs set to be rolled out over the coming weeks.Liontown Resources soared 195 on Friday after the lithium producer released 2-key trading updates this week that were well received by investors, despite the spot price of lithium carbonate sinking to a four-year low this week.And Chrysos Corporation soared almost 18% on Friday after signing an agreement with gold production giant Newmont Corporation that will see Chrysos' PhotonAssay technology used for Newmont's gold mining projects.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 0.67% higher at US$61.43/barrel, gold is down 1.3% at US$3282/ounce and iron ore is up 0.33% at US$98.55/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 64.29 US cents, 93.79 Japanese Yen, 48.57 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 9 cents.Ahead of the first trading session of the new week, the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.19% amid positive sentiment from progress on the global trade war front.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has increased the rating on Catalyst Metals from a hold to a buy and have raised the 12-month price target on the gold producer following the acquisition of the Old Highway gold project for $32.5m cash from Sandfire Resources. With 2.1 million tonnes at 3g/t containing 206koz gold, and a higher-grade underground component, the project adds significant upside to Catalysts' portfolio and value.Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Super Retail Group following the formation of a pattern over a period of 45-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $14.14 to the range of $15.10 to $15.40 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

This week, Grady examines the key drivers of market activity: the latest quarterly updates, ongoing global trade tensions, and the trajectory of China's economic recovery. Plus, hear insights from Bell Potter healthcare analyst John Hester, who yesterday discussed the potential impact of pending pharmaceutical tariffs on Australian listed healthcare companies.In this week's wrap, Grady covers:(0:32): why WiseTech (ASX:WTC) declined on Tuesday(1:00): exclusive addition - Bell Potter's view on Trump's healthcare tariffs(3:48): Westpac (ASX:WBC) & NAB (ASX:NAB) 1H results(4:33): the latest on the US – China trade talks(5:56): how the ASX200 performed this week so far(6:28): the most traded stocks & ETFs by Bell Direct clients(6:56): economic news items to watch out for.

US equities all closed higher overnight after a volatile session as the Federal Reserve signalled that the risks for an economic slowdown and higher prices are increasing. The Dow Jones gained 0.7%, boosted by a nearly 11% jump in Disney shares following their fiscal second quarter report which saw a surprising increase in subscriber numbers. The S&P500 gained 0.43% while the Nasdaq gained 0.27%.Additionally, the Federal Open Market Committee held its held its benchmark overnight borrowing rate in a range between 4.25% to 4.5%, where it has been since December. Rates were held steady, with officials adopting a wait-and-see approach amid growing fears of economic stagnation fuelled by President Trump's tariffs.European markets all closed in the red with corporate earnings the main focus for investors. The STOXX600 closed 0.5% lower.Locally yesterday, the ASX200 gained 0.33% with energy and real estate in the lead, while healthcare and tech were the only two sectors to close in the red.What to watch today:The SPI futures are suggesting our local market will rise slightly, up 0.1% at the open this morning.In commodities,Crude oil is trading almost 2% lower at US$57.93 per barrel, hovering near four-year lows due to muted optimism ahead of upcoming U.S.-China trade talks. The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, as officials adopt the wait-and-see approach on tariffs.The price of gold is 1.07% lower at US$3,364.21 an ounce with the rising risks of both inflation and unemployment, reinforcing a cautious stance on future rate adjustments.And iron ore is up 0.7% at US$99.33 per tonne.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter maintain a BUY rating on Bega Cheese (ASX:BGA) with a 12- month price target of $7.00. At BGA's current share price of $5.93, this implies 18% share price growth in a year.And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in New Hope Corporation (ASX:NHC) indicating that the stock price may rise from the close of $3.75 to the range of $4.21 - 4.31 over 33 days according to the standard principles of technical analysis.