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Overnight in the US Wall St rebounded from Monday's drop as Cryptocurrency regained some of its losses, and investor confidence in an imminent Fed rate drop grows. The Dow Jones added 0.5%, the S&P500 gained 0.4%, while the Nasdaq was the biggest winner on the day, closing 0.8% in the green as tech stocks, especially those in the recently volatile AI trade, posted gains. It was a relatively stable day across the other global markets – in Europe the Stoxx600 index rose just 0.06% as a 0.5% gain for Germany's Dax was offset by a 0.3% drop for the French CAC, while the British FTSE ended flat. Meanwhile in Asia, China's CSI fell 0.5%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.2%, while Japan's Nikkei ended flat. Back in Australia yesterday, the ASX 200 posted a 0.2% gain, propelled mainly by a strong day for energy and materials. Major players in the energy space Woodside (ASX:WDS), Santos (ASX:STO) and Beach Energy (ASX:BPT) all added 1% on yesterday's trade, while materials were lead by BHP (ASX:BHP), Fortescue (ASX:FMG) and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO), which all posted gains of over 1%.What to watch today:And the SPI futures indicate that the momentum will continue, suggesting a 0.17% rise at the open of trade today. Investors should also keep an eye on key economic data being released today, specifically the GDP figures which are due at 11:30am Sydney time.Moving into commodities: Crude Oil continues to be volatile, trading down 1.2% to US$58.60 per barrel. The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to stay front and centre, as uncertainties around the peace plan remain. In precious metals, Gold has retreated slightly, trading 0.5% lower at US$4208 per ounce, while Silver continues to advance, trading 0.9% higher at US$58.53 per ounce. And Iron ore is trading 0.4% higher at US$107.35 per tonne.Trading Ideas:Finally, we'll end on some trading ideas for your consideration today. Bell Potter have initiated coverage on specialist retailer of lighting, fans and electrical accessories Beacon Lighting (ASX:BLX), with a 12-month target price of $3.35 per share. They expect that its trade business, which currently makes up around 40% of its revenue, will continue to expand over the next 2-3 years.And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO), indicating that the share price may rise from the closing price of $135 per share, to the range of $142 to $143.50 per share over a period of 23 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Wall St kicked off the festive season with a slide in the first trading session of December, as a broad Cryptocurrency sell off dented general investor sentiment. Flagship currency Bitcoin slumped over 6% to below US$86,000, adding to the over 30% drop in price experienced over the last 2 months from highs of $125,000 in October. The S&P 500 fell 0.4%, the Dow Jones lost 0.7%, and the Nasdaq shed 0.4%. It was a relatively stable day across the European markets, with the exception of Germany, where the DAX slid over 1% after monthly manufacturing data came in at a 9-month low, sparking a sell off. Asia saw a mixed day as the Chinese CSI and Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1.1% and 0.7% respectively, while the Japanese Nikkei slid 1.9%. Locally yesterday, the ASX 200 retreated 0.6%, with 8 of the 11 key sectors posting losses. The biggest story on the day however was a technical outage which prevented the ASX from publishing market-sensitive announcements for over 3 hours, causing around 80 companies to be put into a trading halt. What to watch today:The SPI futures indicate that the ASX 200 will edge slightly up, with a 0.07% gain at the open of trade today. In commodities: Crude Oil prices are trading up another 1.5% at US$59.45, as Ukraine launched a fresh wave of Drone attacks on Russia denting the potential for peace talks, and OPEC announced its decision to leave output levels unchanged in Q1 2026.Onto precious metals, gold has continued its recent rally and is now trading at a 6-week high US$4,240 per ounce. Meanwhile, Silver is trading just under 3% higher at US$58 per ounce, setting a fresh all-time high in the process. Today's increase means that the silver price has now hit a 100% year-on-year rise, outpacing Gold. And finally Iron Ore prices have increased by 2% to just under US$107 per tonne, driven by Chinese demand and a weaker US dollar.Trading ideas:And now we'll end on some trading ideas for your consideration today. Bell Potter have maintained their Buy rating on healthcare equipment provider Paragon Care (ASX:PGC) with a target price of $0.49 per share, after the company announced the acquisition of Indonesian based provider Haju Medical – expanding their presence into overseas markets. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in South32 (ASX:S32), indicating that the price may rise from the close of $3.31 to the range of $3.95 to $4.05 over a period of 45 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Wall Street closed in the green on Friday, climbing to near record highs in a shorten session for Thanksgiving, with retail gains and as tech stocks recovered. However, global futures markets fluctuated on Friday following a CME outage, which is the world's largest trading operator. This halted trading in stocks, bonds and commodities. The Dow Jones closed with a 0.6% gain, the S&P500 up 0.54% and the Nasdaq rebounded, closing 0.65% higher. European markets also ended the week in the green. All European markets closed just over 0.2% higher, and the STOXX600 advanced 0.25%. What to watch today:Following a strong end to the week across global markets, the SPI futures are suggesting our local market will rise 0.05% at the open this morning. Keep watch of Metacash (ASX:MTS) share price movements today, with then wholesale distributor set to release its first half results for FY26. In commodities, Crude oil is trading 1.35% higher at US$59.44 per barrel, however, has been pressured by oversupply concerns and posted a monthly loss. So, keep watch of ASX- listed energy producers. Gold is trading 1.4% higher at US$4,217.81 per ounce, reaching a fourth straight monthly gain markets priced a higher probability for a December Federal Reserve rate cut. And iron ore is trading steady at US$104.84. And AUD$1.00 is currently buying US$0.65. Trading Ideas:Bell Potter maintains their buy rating on HUB24 (ASX:HUB) and have lowered their price target from $135 to $125. At HUB's current share price of $104.38, this implies 19.8% share price growth in a year. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS) indicating that the stock price may rise form the close of $3.66 to the range of $4.20 to $4.30 over 17 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Overnight in the US, Wall St posted its 4th consecutive day of gains, with all 3 of the major indexes closing in the green. The Dow Jones climbed 0.8%, the S&P500 climbed 0.9%, while the Nasdaq saw the biggest wins of the day, advancing 1%. The S&P500 and Dow Jones are both up around 3% this week, putting them on pace for their best weeks since late June, while the Nasdaq has advanced more than 4%, giving it its best week since mid May.European markets saw similar gains – the pan European Stoxx600 index closed up over 1%, spurred by a 0.9% gain for the UK's FTSE, a 1.1% gain for Germany's DAX, and a 0.9% gain for the French CAC. And Asian markets too followed suit, with the Chinese CSI gaining 0.6%, Hong Kong's Hang Send gaining 0.13%, and the Japanese Nikkei jumping 1.85%.It was no different back home in Australia, as yesterday the ASX 200 closed up 0.81%, with 8 of the 11 key sectors posting gains. The market was trading up as high as 1.2%, however the release of hotter than expected CPI data dented the rally somewhat, as chances of the RBA lowering the cash rate become substantially slimmer.The materials sector was once again in the lead, with big names BHP (ASX:BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) posting gains of over 1%.In notable stock news, furniture maker Temple and Webster (ASX:TPW) shares plummeted 32% after the company reported results that were well short of expectations. What to watch today:Focusing on today, the SPI futures indicate that the ASX will continue its winning streak, predicting a 0.26% rise at the open of trade.Moving to commodities,Crude Oil prices settled up 1.1% after they had hit their lowest point in a month in the previous session. It is currently trading at US$58.56 per barrel.In precious metals, Gold is trading up 0.78% higher at US$4163 per ounce, while silver has jumped 3 and a half percent to US$53.62 per ounce, hitting a two week high.And Iron ore once again remains mostly flat at $104.63 per tonne.Trading ideas:Finally, we'll end on some trading ideas for your consideration today. Bell Potter has maintained its Buy rating on almond grower and processor Select Harvests (ASX:SHV), and increased its 12 month price target to $5.80 per share, after the company reported an 18% increase in YoY revenue, and a 63% increase in operating EBITDA.And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in gambling company Tabcorp Holdings (ASX:TAH), indicating that the price may rise from the close of $0.92 per share to the range of $1.09 to $1.13 per share over a period of 18 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

Starting in the US, Wall St maintained its rally as investors' optimism for a further rate cut in December continues to grow. It is estimated that there is now around an 80% chance of a rate cut in December, sparking hopes for a continued rally into the final month of the year. The Dow Jones gained 1.43%, the S&P500 gained 0.94%, while the Nasdaq posted a 0.67% gain, as an all time high for Google parent company Alphabet was offset by a 2.6% drop for Nvidia.  Europe and Asia saw similar rallies, breaking the previous trends of volatility with a sea of green across the major indexes. In Europe, the UK's FTSE, German DAX and French CAC posted gains of 0.78%, 0.97% and 0.83% - all contributing to the pan-European Stoxx 600 advancing 0.91%. And in Asia, the Chinese CSI advanced 0.95%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.69%, while the Japanese Nikkei edged 0.07% higher. Back locally, the ASX ended Tuesday's trading session 0.14% in the green, with 5 of the 11 key sectors posting gains. Materials were the biggest winner, mainly driven by gold miners and iron ore producers which saw solid gains on the day. Some notable stocks include Northern Star (ASX:NST) which gained 1.98%, Newmont Corporation (ASX:NEM), which jumped 4.63% and Fortescue (ASX:FMG), which gained 2.74%. On the other end, it was another tough day for financials as the big banks saw losses extended – lead by CommBank (ASX:CBA) slipping 1.17%. In other stock news, DroneShield (ASX:DRO) ended its torrid run of late with a 14.61% surge on the day, after the company announced a new $5.2 million contract to supply an unnamed European military. What to watch today:Looking ahead, the SPI futures indicate the ASX will follow Wall St, predicting a 1.13% rise at the open of trade today. Investors can also expect the release of the monthly CPI data at 11:30am Sydney time, which will provide further insight into the state of the Australian economy and may impact the share market. Moving over to commodities:Crude Oil has continued to slip with a further 1.43% decline in the price to US$58 per barrel, mainly driven by continuing uncertainty on the outcome of peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Precious metals saw a stable day in terms of price, as Gold and Silver are both trading nearly flat at US$4130 and US$51.37 per ounce respectively. And it was a similar story for Iron Ore, which remains flat at US$104.50 per tonne.Trading Ideas:Finally, we'll end on some trading ideas for your consideration today. Bell Potter has maintained its Buy rating on electrical equipment provider IPD Group (ASX:IPG), after the company reported Q1 and Q2 FY2026 EBITDA and EBIT guidance exceeding consensus expectations, indicating a solid upwards trajectory. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in gold miner Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS), indicating that the stock price may rise from the close of $3.56 to the range of $4.40 to $4.70 over a period of 27 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Starting in the US, overnight Wall St continued its rebound sparked by a revival of the AI trade, with gains primarily lead by Google parent company Alphabet. The S&P 500 increased by 1.59%, the Dow Jones gained 0.44%, while the Nasdaq jumped 2.69%, as other big tech names such as Broadcom, Palantir, AMD and Nvidia all followed Alphabet's lead and posted gains. Across other international markets, it was a mixed bag of results. In Europe, the broad Stoxx 600 edged slightly up 0.14%, as a 0.64% gain in Germany's DAX was offset by declines of 0.05% for the British FTSE, and 0.29% for the French CAC.And in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng posted gains of 1.97%, while the Chinese CSI fell 0.12%, and the Japanese Nikkei saw a 2.4% drop. Back home in Australia, the ASX 200 opened the trading week by advancing 1.29%, earning back some of the over 2.5% drop seen last week. 10 of the 11 key sectors posted gains, with the energy index the sole outlier. Notably the information technology sector, which has been hammered in recent trading sessions, saw a 2.39% advance, spurred by a 7.1% gain for Life 360 (ASX:360).Fertility services provider Monash IVF (ASX:MVF) saw its share price skyrocket up 44% after it rejected a $312 million takeover offer, sparking optimism for the long-term valuation of the company. What to watch today:And now looking ahead to today, the SPI futures indicate that the recent rally will continue, predicting a 0.53% jump at the open of trade today. Moving to commodities, Crude Oil is trading up 1.55% at USD58.96 per barrel, as investors react to increased bets of a US interest rate cut in December, and growing uncertainty over a peace deal in the Russia – Ukraine conflict. In precious metals, both Gold and Silver are trading higher on the release of fresh economic data out of the US – Gold is up 1.73% to USD4132 per ounce, while Silver has jumped 2.7% to USD51.35 per ounce. And Iron Ore remains nearly flat at USD104.42 per tonne. Trading Ideas:Finally, we'll end on some trading ideas for your consideration today. Bell Potter have upgraded their recommendation on mineral assaying provider Chrysos Corporation (ASX:C79) from a hold to a buy, with a 12-month price target of $9.40 per share. This comes after the company posted a 54% increase in YoY revenue, and a strong pickup in adoption globally. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in GPT Group (ASX:GPT), indicating that the price may rise from the close of $5.68 per share to the range of $6.10 to $6.25 per share over a period of 55 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

US equities ended the trading week with a strong rebound. All three industry benchmarks closed in the green on Friday. The Dow Jones up 1.08%, the S&P500 up 0.98% and the tech heavy Nasdaq up 0.88%. This rebound came after New York Federal Reserve President John Williams suggested the central bank could cut interest rates yet again this year.European markets closed mixed amid global volatility. The German DAX was down 0.8% while France's CAC was slightly higher, just 0.2%. The FTSE100 gained 0.13% while the STOXX600 ended 0.33% lower.Locally the ASX200 ended the week down 2.52% and on Friday closed 1.59% after a touch week in Australian and US markets.What to watch today:However following the US rebound, our local market is set to rise 1.09% at the open this morning, according to the SPI futures.Also on watch today will be the share price movements of Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) as the health imaging company holds its AGM and are set to provide a trading update.In commodities,Crude oil has dropped 1.59%, to US$58.06 per barrel the lowest in one month, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signaled a willingness to pursue peace talks, so keep watch of ASX listed energy producers today.Gold is trading 0.3% lower at US$4,063.98 an ounce, as markets digested stronger US labour data, dovish central bank signals and softer US yields.And iron ore is trading flat at U$104.26 per tonne.Trading ideas:Bell Potter maintain a buy rating on WiseTech Global (ASX:WTC), noting the stock could offer more than 50% upside over the next year. They have lowered their price target to $100.00, stating that in FY26 they now forecast revenue and EBITDA of US$1.40bn and US$569m which is towards the lower end of the guidance range for the former and close to the middle for the latter. They see more risk at revenue than EBITDA this year, particularly with the greater-than-usual revenue skew to H2. At the current share price of $65.76 this implies 52.1% share price growth in a year.And Trading Central have identified a bearish signal in NexGen Energy (ASX:NXG) indicating that the price may fall from the close of $11.82 to the range of $9.10 to $9.60 over 22 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

In the US overnight, Wall St rebounded after a 4 day losing streak with all 3 major indexes closing in the green. The S&P 500 gained 0.5%, while the Dow Jones edged 0.1% higher, and the Nasdaq advanced 0.8%, driven by a new all time high for Google parent company Alphabet, as well as a 3% gain for Nvidia ahead of its pivotal earnings release this morning. Markets across Europe were mainly down – the broader European Stoxx 600 Index edged less than 0.1% down, while the German DAX fell 0.1%, the French CAC 0.2%, and the British FTSE was the biggest slider, shedding 0.47%.In Asia, China's CSI gained 0.44%, but the other major markets all slid, including Hong Kong's Hang Seng retreating 0.38%, and Japan's Nikkei losing 0.34%.Locally yesterday, the ASX 200 extended Tuesday's rout with a further 0.25% slide, dropping the index to its lowest point in 6 months. Strong gains in materials, which were lead by the gold miners, were offset by a tough day for financials, as major banks including CommBank (ASX:CBA), Westpac (ASX:WBC) and Macquarie (ASX:MQG) all slid more than 1%, while ANZ (ASX:ANZ) fell 2%. In other major stock news, popular defence pick DroneShield (ASX:DRO) continued its tumultuous run from the last few weeks after it was announced that its US chief executive Matt McCrann resigned effective immediately, prompting a further 19% loss. After hitting peaks of over $6.50 per share as recently as October, the stock closed trading at less than $2 per share yesterday.What to watch today:The SPI futures indicate that the ASX will snap its losing streak and regain some of its recent losses, predicting a 0.63% jump at the open. Over to commodities, Crude Oil has dropped over 2% to US$59.50 per barrel, after reports indicated that the US government is renewing its efforts to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. In theory, this would reduce supply risks to Russian oil, which in turn caused the price to drop.In precious metals, Gold is trading more or less flat at US$4074 per ounce, while silver has gained just over a percent and is trading at US$52.21 per ounce. And Iron ore remains just about flat at US$104.26 per tonne. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has maintained its Buy rating on agricultural chemicals supplier Nufarm (ASX:NUF), and upgraded its 12-month target price from $3.55 per share to $3.60 per share, after the company reported FY25 underlying EBITDA slightly ahead of expectations, and upgraded its FY26 guidance. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in ResMed (ASX:RMD), indicating that the price may rise from the close of $37.98 per share, to the range of $43.50 to $44.75 per share over a period of 29 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Yesterday we saw another tough day in the markets across the board, continuing trends we have seen emerging so far this month. Starting in the US, it was another day of sliding for all 3 major indexes – The Dow Jones lost 1.07%, the Nasdaq lost 1.2%, while the S&P500 slid 0.8%, to mark its biggest losing streak since August. The pullback comes as 2 critical results come out later this week – Nvidia's Q3 earnings, and the US September jobs report – demonstrating how overevaluation of the tech sector, and the more general state of the US economy remain the most important issues for investors at the moment. We saw similar results across Europe, with major declines across the major markets. The Stoxx600, French CAC, German DAX and British FTSE all slid more than 1% in overnight trade. Meanwhile in Asia, losses were more pronounced, as Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 1.7%, while the Japanese Nikkei recorded a 3.22% decline. And back home in Australia it was no different, as the ASX 200 fell just under 2% to record its second worst individual day of 2025, only behind Trump's Liberation Day in April when sweeping tariffs were announced. All 11 key sectors posted losses, with materials and technology hit the hardest – the latter with a nearly 6% loss on the day. TechnologyOne (ASX:TNE), dragged down the technology sector the most, plummeting 17% after reporting revenue which fell short off expectations, and declining to provide FY26 guidance. In materials, Northern Star (ASX:NST) closed trading down 5.6%, as expectations of a US rate cut continue to shrink. What to watch today:Looking ahead to today's trading, the ASX is set to extend yesterday's losses, with the SPI futures predicting a 0.2% drop at the open. In commodities, Crude Oil is trading 1.2% higher at 60.6USD per barrel, as US sanctions placed on Russia in October are beginning to curb their export volumes. In precious metals, Gold is trading 0.5% higher at 4066USD per ounce, while Silver is up 1% at 50.7USD per ounce. And Iron ore is trading nearly flat at 104USD per tonne. Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has maintained its Buy rating on testing, inspection and certification company ALS (ASX:ALQ), and raised its target price by 10% to $25 per share, after the company reported results that beat forecast, and upgraded its FY2026 guidance. And Trading Central have identified a bearish signal on Westpac (ASX:WBC), indicating that the price may fall from the close of $37.87 per share, to the range of $34.60 to $35.20 per share over a period of 35 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Wall St saw a pullback to open this week, with the losses once again lead by the recently struggling tech sector. The Dow Jones lost 1.2%, the S&P500 dropped 1% while the Nasdaq slipped 0.9%. Nvidia was a big factor weighing down the market, dropping 3% ahead of its Q3 results which are scheduled for Thursday morning Sydney time, as investors remain anxious about stretched evaluations. The results are expected to shape the trajectory of the entire sector for the next few weeks.In other overseas markets, Europe and Asia saw similar results to the US, with a sea of red across all the major indexes, including the European Stoxx600, Chinese CSI and Hong Kong's Hang Seng which all dropped over half a percent.Locally yesterday, the ASX technically did buck the global trend and close in the green, although it was only 1.9 points or 0.02% up. This result did however ensure that the ASX avoided what would have been its longest losing streak since June, had it closed down again. What to watch today:Today however, the ASX is expected to follow the slip we saw abroad overnight, with the SPI futures indicating a 0.6% drop at the open. Crude Oil is trading down 0.64% at 59 USD and 71 cents per barrelPrecious metals have also seen similar drops, with gold down 1% to 4042USD per ounce, and silver down 0.76% to 50USD per ounce. Iron ore is trading up 0.45% at 104.42USD per tonne. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has maintained its Buy rating on agricultural chemicals supplier Elders (ASX:ELD) with a 12-month price target of $9.45, after the company reported strong results and positive guidance for FY26. And Trading Central have identified a Bearish signal in Aussie Broadband Ltd (ASX:ABB), indicating that the price may fall from the close of $5.51 to the range of $4.80 to $4.95 over a period of 60 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Well it was another mixed session on Walk Street to end the trading week. The S&P500 continued to fall with the High Beta segment down the most, while Energy held up the most among the S&P large cap segments. On Friday the S&P500 closed 0.05% in the red, the Dow Jones 0.65% in the ted, while the Nasdaq gained 0.13%, regaining losses after coming under pressure recently. Nvidia's earnings are also out on Wednesday, so investors will be watching out for that.European markets were all in the red as concerns around artificial intelligence stocks continue. The German DAX down 0.69%, France's CAC down 0.76%, FTSE100 1.11% lower, and the STOXX600 down 1.01%.On Friday our local market closed 1.54% lower over the week and 1.36% lower for the day, hitting a 4-month low. Losses were wide spread, however tech stocks dragged down the market the most on Friday, with the sector heavily falling 4.32%. A few key factors weighing down on the maker last week included hotter than expected jobs report which came out on Thursday, which slashed expectations for rate cuts this year. We also know that key monthly data on US inflation might not be released for the month due to the shutdown US. And weak economic data was released from China as well.However it's important to note that YTD number for the Australian and US market are still positive.What to watch today:The SPI futures are suggesting the local market will drop 0.2% at the open this morning.Elders (ASX:ELD) shares will be on watch today when the agribusiness company releases its FY 2025 results.In commodities: We'll keep watch of energy producers today, such as Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS) or Santos (ASX:STO) as oil prices pushed high on Friday, driven by news that a Russian port has suspended oil exports falling an attack. Crude oil is up 2.4% to US$60.09 per barrel. Meanwhile, gold has dropped over 2% now at US$4083.60 an ounce, though the metal remained on track for a weekly advance of roughly 3%. The market continued to grapple with uncertainty stemming from a significant backlog of US economic data following the end of the longest government shutdown in the country's history.And iron ore has dropped slightly, to US$103.95 per tonne.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter have a buy rating on medical device company Aroa Biosurgery (ASX:ARX) with a price target of $0.85. At the current share price of $0.72 this implies 18% share price growth in a year.And Trading Central have identified a bearish signal in NAB (ASX:NAB), indicating that the stock price of $41.48 nay fall to the range of $38.70 - $39.30, over 52 days according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

From copper's new “critical mineral” designation to major investment in Australian iron ore, markets were driven by shifting supply dynamics this week. Precious metals surged as the gold-silver ratio tightened, hinting at improving industrial sentiment, while oil prices weakened after OPEC projected a more balanced market ahead. Together, these moves underline how future supply and the global energy transition are shaping commodity pricing.In this week's wrap, Sophia covers:(0:26): copper's new designation in the US and what it means(2:00): gold and silver back in the spotlight(3:08): why oil prices have slumped on supply reports(3:43): how the local market performed this week(4:36): the most traded stocks and ETFs this week(5:03): economic news items to look out for next week.

Overnight in the US, Wall St saw a very similar trading day to yesterday's, with the Dow Jones advancing 0.7% to reset its record, while the Nasdaq slipped a further 0.3%, lead once again by reevaluations in the high flying AI sector. The S&P500 meanwhile edged 0.2% higher on the day.Across the pond Europe's strong momentum continued with another day of solid gains. The Stoxx 600 index closed up 0.71%, drive primarily by Germany's DAX and the French CAC, which added 1.22 and 1.04% respectively. The FTSE lagged behind, only edging up 0.1% higher.Asia saw a mixed session, as the Hang Seng and Nikkei added 0.85% and 0.43% respectively, while China's CSI index closed down 0.1%. Locally yesterday, the ASX saw its second straight day of the market opening higher, but ending the day in the red. The ASX 200 slipped 0.22%, despite 6 of the 11 key sectors in the green. Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) was the biggest winner, with investors impressed by the announcement of a new deal with South Korea's POSCO to sell a 30% stake in its lithium operations for 765 million USD. On the losing end, popular tech stock Life360 (ASX:360) tumbled 13% after reporting lower than expected user growth numbers, and Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) slipped a further 3% after yesterdays sell off as investors continue to weigh the disappointing results. What to watch today:Looking ahead to today, the SPI futures indicate that the ASX will open slightly higher, with a 0.12% gain. In precious metals, Gold and Silver continue to extend their recent rallies, with gold up a further 1.7% to just under $4200 USD per ounce, while silver is trading another 4.1% higher at 53 USD and 30 cents per ounce. Meanwhile, Crude Oil prices have plummeted nearly 4 and a half percent down to 58 USD and 40 cents per barrel, after a recent OPEC report suggested that global oil supply is expected to match demand in 2026, marking a shift from previous forecasts which had predicted a supply deficit. And Iron ore is trading up 0.6% to 104USD and 17 cents per tonne. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has maintained its buy rating on gaming machines supplier Aristocrat Leisure (ASX:ALL) and increased its 12-month price target to $80 per share, based on its forecasted NPAT and EBIT growth from ongoing R&D projects. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Regis Resources (ASX:RRL), indicating that the price may rise from the close of $6.88 per share, to the range of $7.40 to $7.60 per share over a period of just 17 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

In the US, Wall St saw a mixed session overnight, with the Dow Jones closing up 1.18% to set a fresh record high, while the Nasdaq slipped 0.25% as volatility in the AI sector continues. Nvidia pulled back 2% from yesterday's rally on news that Japanese investment holding company SoftBank had sold its entire 5.8 billion USD stake in the company. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 also saw gains overnight, adding 0.21%. In Europe, markets across the continent carried their momentum from yesterday as optimism following the end of the US government shutdown continued. The pan European Stoxx 600 index closed up 1.3%, as the FTSE and French CAC saw gains of over 1%, while the German DAX was slightly behind, only advancing half a percent.  Back home yesterday, despite opening in the green and seeing 8 of the 11 key sectors positive, the ASX 200 declined 0.2% on the day. It was primarily weighed down by the financial sector, where the big story was Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) shares tumbling 6.6%, after the bank reported higher net interest margin and cost pressure than expected. What to watch today:Looking ahead to today's trading session, the SPI futures indicate that the ASX will open up 0.2%.Both gold and silver have continued to rally, bringing them now to a 5% and 8.5% advance on the week so far respectively. Gold is currently trading at 4129USD per ounce, while silver is at 51USD per ounce.  Crude oil is trading 1.5% higher at nearly 61 USD per barrel, as the US recently announced fresh sanctions on Russian oil along with optimism on the impending end of the government shutdown. Iron ore is down 0.4% at 103 UD and 56 cents per tonne.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has upgraded its recommendation on pharmaceutical giant Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) from a hold to a buy, with a 12 month target price of $320 per share, based on its baseline revenue forecast along with the announcement of 3 new major deals in the US. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in pathology services provider Australian Clinical Labs (ASX:ACL), indicating that the price may rise from the close of $2.64 to the range of $2.99 to $3.07 over a period of 12 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

In the US overnight, investors were buoyed by renewed optimism following news that 8 Democratic senators broke from party leadership and voted to end the Government shutdown, which has been running now since the 1st of October. Wall St responded with strong gains – the Dow Jones advanced 0.9%, the S&P 500 gained 1.6%, while the Nasdaq saw a 2.3% jump, lead by strong rallies across the tech megacap stocks. Europe and Asia saw similar trends to the US, with a sea of green across all the major markets. In Europe, the British, German and French indexes all advanced more than 1%, while in Asia the Chinese CSI, Japanese Nikkei and Hong Kong Hang Seng gained 0.35, 1.26 and 1.55% respectively. Locally yesterday, the ASX opened the week on a positive note, advancing 0.8% in its strongest day in a month. 9 out of the 11 key sectors closed in the green, lead by a strong rebound in Information Technology, which has been hit particularly hard in recent trading days. Notable stocks in the sector include Life360 (ASX:360) which advanced 3.6%, and WiseTech Global (ASX:WTC), which rebounded 6.2%. What to watch today:And looking ahead to today, yesterday's positive momentum is expected to continue, with the SPI futures indicating a further 0.5% jump for the ASX at the open. In commodities, the price of both Gold and Silver have surged as investors react to soft economic data coming out of the US and increased belief that a further rate cut will come from the Fed in December. Gold is up 2.8% to 4114 USD per ounce, while Silver is up 4.3% to 50.5USD per ounce.  Meanwhile, Crude Oil is trading up 0.7% at 60.1 USD per barrel, while Iron Ore is trading up 0.6% to 104 USD per tonne. Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has upgraded its rating on Western NSW based copper and gold miner Aeris Resources (ASX:AIS) from a hold to a buy, with a target price of $0.65 per share. This comes on a trio of big announcements which are catalysts for future growth: an $80m equity raise, discovery of a maiden ore reserve at one of its key sites, and the sale of some small scale copper assets. And trading central have identified a bullish signal on Regis Resources (ASX:RRL), indicating that the price may rise from the close of $6.70 per share, to the range of $7.40 to $7.60 per share over a period of 16 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Wall Street ended the trading week mixed, as Tesla and artificial intelligence stocks put pressure on the Nasdaq. The Nasdaq closed 0.22% in the red, while the Dow Jones and S&P500 gained 0.16% and 0.13% respectively.European markets were all in the red, amid concerns around artificial intelligence valuations. The STOXX600 closed 0.6% lower.On Friday the ASX200 closed 0.66% in the red, with information technology and financials dragging down the market the most. Five of the eleven industry sectors were in the red.What to watch today:However, our local market is set to regain some of those losses, with the SPI futures suggesting a 0.26% gain at the open this morning, amid investor optimism that a US government budget will end the government shutdown.Investors will also be watching ANZ Group (ASX:ANZ)today, set to release it's full year results today. Macquarie analysts are expecting ANZ to report operating income of $22.3 billion, operating expenses of $12.74 billion, and cash earnings of $6.383 billion, in line with the consensus estimate.Looking at commodities:Crude oil is ending the trading week up 0.54%, regaining some of the week's loses, however overall, posted the second weekly loss as fears of a potential oversupply ccontinued to weigh on the market. OPEC+ output increased last month as key members resumed halted production, while non-OPEC producers also ramped up supply. In response, Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, slashed its December crude prices for Asian buyers.Meanwhile, Gold has climbed 0.6% to US$4,000.98, supported by soft US economic data that fuelled expectations that the Fed could lower interest rates in December.And iron ore reached the lowest in four months, amid poor demand. Steel exports out of China, the world's top producer, fell by more than 12% from the previous year. Despite this, iron ore imports were 10.2% higher reflecting the downward pressure on global demand for Chinese steel.Trading ideas:Bell Potter maintains their Buy rating on REA Group (ASX:REA) following a mixed quarterly update from the online property services business. REA operated online property advertising, property-related services and financial services, which includes leading residential property website realeastate.com.au. Bell Potter have reduced their price target from $256.00 to $244.00, and at the current share price of $209.20, this implied 16.6% share price growth in a year.And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Metcash (ASX:MTS) indicating that the stock price may rise from the close of $3.92 to the range of $4.04 - $4.08 over 32 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

Volatility remains high, but the local market continues to hold firm. October brought a mix of global rate cuts, easing geopolitical tensions, and steady domestic data, keeping investors cautious but optimistic. With the RBA likely to stay on hold until 2026 and small-caps leading the way, selective investing remains key as markets balance risk and resilience.In this week's wrap, Sophia covers:(1:10): factors from abroad - the US economy and geopolitical landscape (1:40): domestic news and its impact on the market(2:53): key risks to watch looking forward(3:24): how the local market performed over the last trading week(4:11): the most traded stocks and ETFs this week(4:52): economic news items to look out for next week.

Wall St rebounded overnight from yesterday's sell off with all three of the major indexes closing in the green. The Dow Jones added 0.48%, the S&P500 gained 0.6%, while the Nasdaq rebounded the most, up 0.9%. The AI sector which was hit particularly hard yesterday recovered a lot of ground lead by AMD, which posted strong third quarter earnings and beat guidance. European markets saw a similar rebound, with advances across the board. The pan-European Stoxx600 closed up 0.23%, the UK's FTSE gained 0.64%, the German DAX advanced 0.42% and the French CAC added 0.1%.Locally yesterday, the ASX closed down 0.1%, marking its 6 day of losses in the last 7 trading days. Materials were the main sector weighing down the market, with big names seeing losses across the board. Fortescue (ASX:FMG) and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) slipped 2.5% and 1.2% respectively, while in Gold Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS) and Capricorn Metals (ASX:CMM) also saw declines of over 1%. Popular defence stock DroneShield (ASX:DRO) tumbled 7.5% yesterday on news that it had vested more than 40 million performance options to employees upon hitting key revenue targets. What to watch today:Looking ahead to today, following overseas trends the SPI futures indicate that the ASX will rebound from recent losses with a 0.75% jump at the open. In commodities, Crude Oil is trading down a further 1.5% at 59.65USD per barrel, Gold and Silver have both rebounded 1.3% and 1.9% respectively to 3983USD and 48USD per ounce, and Iron Ore is up 0.2% to 104.73USD per tonne. Trading Ideas:Bell Potter have maintained their Buy rating on integrated marketing communications provide IVE Group (ASX:IGL), and increased their 12 month target price to $3.25 after the company announced two new business acquisitions and a marketing services agreement, with the impact of which expected to hit over the next 12 months.And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Woodside Energy Group (ASX:WDS), indicating that the price may rise from the close of $25.16 to the range of $27.10 to $27.50 over a period of 35 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Overnight in the US Wall St was a sea of red as all 3 major indexes saw sizeable declines. The Dow Jones fared the best, falling 0.53%, while the S&P500 retreated 1.17%, and the Nasdaq was hit the hardest, closing down 2.04%. The AI sector remains the most in focus as investors continue to be concerned that valuations far outweigh fundamentals - big names such as Oracle, AMD, Nvidia and Amazon all pulled back, while Palantir shares dropped 9% after releasing its quarterly results despite beating guidance.Both Europe and Asia saw similar trends overnight, as the majority of the major markets closed in the red. In Europe, the German DAX and French CAC fell 0.76% and 0.52%, although the UK's FTSE was the exception, advancing 0.14%. In Asia, China's CSI, the Hong Kong Hang Seng and Japan's Nikkei all closed down over 0.75%.Locally yesterday, the ASX200 dropped 0.9% to its lowest point in nearly 6 weeks off the back of the RBA's monthly cash rate meeting, as governor Michelle Bullock warned that there could be more inflationary pressure in the economy than expected. Although the RBA's decision to leave the rate unchanged was widely expected, the cautious tone regarding inflation in their monetary policy statement left investors concerned.Utilities saw the biggest decline on the day amid plans by the federal government to force power companies into offering customers 3 free hours of power in the middle of the day – Origin Energy (ASX:ORG) and AGL (ASX:AGL) slipped 3.8 and 3.7% respectively. What to watch today:Ahead of today's trading session however, the SPI futures indicate that the ASX will rebound with a 0.2% jump at the open. In commodities, prices across the board have seen drops over the last 24 hours. Gold has continued its slump, trading down 1.8% to 3930 USD per ounce, Silver has dropped over 2% to 47 USD per ounce, crude oil is also trading down 1.1% to 60USD and 37 cents per barrel, and Iron ore is down 1.25% to 104.50 USD per tonne. Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has maintained its Buy rating on cyber security provider Spirit Technology Solutions (ASX:ST1), and raised its 12 month price target from 60 cents to 65 cents per share. At the current price of 55 cents per share, this implies a 15% share price growth within the year. And Trading Central have identified a bearish signal in Bapcor Ltd (ASX:BAP), indicating that the price may fall from the close of $2.42 to the range of $1.65 - $1.80 over a period of 9 days according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

In the US, Wall St kicked off November with a mixed session overnight. The Dow Jones closed down 0.48%, the S&P advanced a little over 0.1%, while the tech heavy Nasdaq added 0.46%, spurred on by gains in the AI sector. The biggest news was the announcement of a major $38 billion deal between OpenAI and Amazon, which lead to Amazon shares jumping a further 4%. Europe too saw a mixed session – the Stoxx600 closed nearly flat as declines of 0.16% in the UK's FTSE and 0.14% in the French CAC offset a 0.73% jump in Germany's DAX. Meanwhile, Asian markets closed green across the board, lead by gains of 0.97%, 0.27%, and 2.12% in Hong Kong's Hang Seng, China's CSI and Japan's Nikkei. Locally yesterday, despite opening down and falling as low as 0.4%, the ASX200 closed out the day up 0.15%, driven primarily by gains across the banks. Westpac (ASX:WBC) saw the biggest gain, adding 2.8%, while CommBank (ASX:CBA), NAB (ASX:NAB), and ANZ (ASX:ANZ) all advanced 2.3%, 0.9% and 0.9% respectively. On the losing end, healthcare continued its run of poor performance, with major names ResMed (ASX:RMD) dropping 4.3%, and CSL (ASX:CSL) continuing its freefall with another 1.7% drop. What to watch today:Looking ahead to today, the SPI futures are predicting the ASX will open down for a second straight day, indicating a 0.1% drop at the open. In commodities, Gold, Crude Oil and Iron ore are all trading flat today with no changes in their prices. Gold remains at $4003 USD per ounce, Crude Oil at 61 USD per barrel, and Iron Ore at 105 USD per tonne. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has maintained its current Buy rating on defence name DroneShield (ASX:DRO) with its current 12 month price target at $5.30 per share, after they announced a new $25.3 million contract in Latin America with delivery and payment through the next 2 quarters. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Woodside Energy Group (ASX:WDS), indicating that the price may rise from the close of $25.12 to the range of $27 - $27.40 over a period of 33 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Wall St ended last week's trading session in the green, with all 3 key indexes closing up. The S&P500 added 0.26%, the Dow Jones advanced 0.09%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 0.61%, mainly driven by a nearly 10% surge in Amazon shares after announcing strong quarterly results.In contrast, European markets dropped across the board, as investors reacted to a flurry of quarterly results, regional economic data and recent policy announcements.  The Stoxx 600 ended down by 0.51%, The U.K.'s FTSE and France's CAC both closed lower by 0.44%, and Germany's DAX ended 0.67% down.Locally on Friday, the ASX closed flat to end the trading, as strong gains for gold miners across the market were offset by declines mainly in the consumer discretionary sector. Westgold (ASX:WGX) and Newmont (ASX:NEM) added 6% and 3.5% respectively, while on the other end JB Hi-Fi fell 3.4% and Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) lost 2.5%.What to watch today:Ahead of today's trading session, the SPI futures are indicating that the ASX will open the new week slightly down, predicting a 0.06% decline.In commodities, gold is trading down half a percent at 4004 USD per ounce. Crude oil is up 0.68% at 60.9 USD per barrel, and iron ore is trading up less than 0.1% at 105 USD per tonne.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has updated its recommendation on Endeavour Group (ASX:EDV) from a Hold to a Buy after positive Q1 FY26 results suggest its retail sales trajectory is improving.And trading central have identified a bullish signal in New Hope Corporation (ASX:NHC), indicating that the price may rise from the close of $4.19 per share to the range of $4.40 to $4.46 per share over a period of 21 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Grady Wulff from Bell Direct about the day's market action including how the interest rate outlook is impacting the market and AI profitability.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Grady Wulff from Bell Direct about the day's market action including how the interest rate outlook is impacting the market and AI profitability.

Has the AI rally run out of steam or is the train just taking off? Join Grady Wulff in her final Weekly Wrap for 2025, as she discusses the earnings results of the Magnificent 7 and how the AI revolution is impacting earnings growth.In this week's wrap, Grady covers:(0:46): Microsoft's standout quarter, beating Wall Street's expectations(2:02): how Alphabet's use of AI and cloud strategy boosted revenue(3:12): Investors react to Meta's third quarter results amid a major tax bill(5:05): how the ASX200 performed this week so far(5:54): the most traded stocks & ETFs by Bell Direct clients(6:22): economic news items to watch out for.

Submit your stock picks here: ausbiz.co/callpicksGrady Wulff from Bell Direct and Howard Coleman from Teaminvest go in-depth and stock specific on ‘the call.' Australian Strategic Materials (ASM) Breville (BRG) Universal Stores (UNI) Smartgroup (SIQ) Chorus (CNU)Magellan Financial Group (MFG) Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (CLW) Generation Development (GDG) Credit Corp (CCP) CSL (CSL)Stock of the day: Mineral Resources (MIN) to listen go to https://ausbiz.co/STODGet your stock pick to the front of the queue by becoming an ausbiz contributor: https://ausbiz.co/contributorsAnd we'd love it if you could leave us a review below! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US overnight saw an overall mixed trading session - the Dow Jones retreated 0.16% and the S&P500 0.11% from their record highs on comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell suggested that there may not be further interest rate cuts this year. Meanwhile, the tech heavy Nasdaq bucked the trend and advanced 0.55%. The jump was primarily driven by Nvidia, which added a further 3% overnight and became the first company in history to hit the 5 trillion US dollar market cap milestone.All eyes are now on the post close, where investors will react to the biggest earnings day for the megacap tech stocks, with Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet results all due.Europe overnight also saw a mixed session – the Stoxx600 traded nearly flat, The UK's FTSE gained 0.61%, while Germany's DAX and France's CAC retreated 0.64% and 0.19% respectively.Locally yesterday, the ASX200 slid almost 1% in its worst trading day since September as worse than inflation results dashed investors hopes for another interest rate cut this year. The major banks were among the hardest hit, with CBA (ASX:CBA), NAB (ASX:NAB) and Westpac (ASX:WBC) falling 2.1 2.6 and 3.1% respectively. The real estate sector, which is also sensitive to interest rates declined as well – Stockland (ASX:SGP) and Mirvac (ASX:MGR) closed down 3.9% and 2.1%.Of the key sectors, healthcare performed the worst of all largely weighed down by CSL (ASX:CSL), which slid a further 4% to its lowest price since 2018 following a downgrade on its projected earnings. On the winning side, Uranium stocks performed very well after the US Government, Brookfield and Cameco announced a transformational partnership, with at least 80 billion USD committed to building new nuclear power reactors. The highlight of the day was Boss Energy (ASX:BOE) which jumped nearly 20%, while the broader Uranium ETF ticker code ATOM was up 8.7%.What to watch today:Looking ahead to today's trading session, the SPI futures indicate the ASX200 will open down a further 0.36%, building on yesterday's losses.In commodities, Gold is trading down a further 0.58% at 3929 USD/ounce, crude oil is trading 0.35% higher at 60 US dollars and 36 cents per barrel, and Iron ore is trading nearly flat at 105 US dollars and 66 cents per tonne.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has updated its rating on Woolworths Group (ASX:WOW) from a Hold to a Buy and increased its 12 month target price to $30.70 per share, off the back of promising Q12026 results showing growing revenues across multiple areas of the business.And trading central have identified a bearish signal in James Hardie Industries (ASX:JHX), indicating that the stock price may fall from the close of $33.87 to the range of $26.25-$27.50 per share over a period of 21 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street closed higher on Tuesday as investors bought back into the AI thematic ahead of the Fed's anticipated rate cut announcement at the conclusion of the FOMC meeting this week. The major averages reset record highs again on Tuesday with the Dow jones rose 0.34%, while the S&P500 gained 0.23% and the Nasdaq ended the day up 0.8%.In Europe overnight markets closed mixed as the UK's FTSE100 hit a fresh record high closing up 0.44% while the STOXX 600 fell 0.22%, Germany's DAX lost 0.12% and the French CAC ended the day down 0.27%.Across the Asia region on Tuesday, markets closed mostly lower as investors digested a new rare earths deal signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan's new Prime Minister Senae Takaichi. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.58%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.33%, China's CSI index fell 0.51% and South Korea's Kospi index retreated 0.8% on Tuesday.Locally on Tuesday, the ASX200 posted a 0.48% loss despite records set on Wall St on Monday and prospects of a trade deal between the US and China nearing fruition. The local market sell-off was due to heavy weights tumbling like WiseTech Global which plunged over 15.5% and CSL which also ended the day down over 15.5%.WiseTech Global (ASX:WTC) had investors fleeing yesterday after reports surfaced that the Australian Federal Police and ASIC allegedly raided the offices of the company in search of information related to share sales by the company's founder and several colleagues.CSL (ASX:CSL) tanked after downgrading guidance amid softer demand for influenza vaccines in the US and the company also announced it is delaying the demerger of Seqirus, its vaccine division, until market conditions improve.Investors also sold out of Liontown yesterday after the lithium miner released a quarterly update outlining a small increase in production but a sharp decline in sales and higher costs during the period.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 2.25% lower at US$59.93/barrel, gold is down 0.65% at US$3955.58/ounce and iron ore is down 0.01% at US$105.56/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.89 US cents, 100.09 Japanese yen, 49.02 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 14 cents.Ahead of the midweek trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.17%.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR) from $1.15 to $1.30 per share and maintain a buy rating on the lithium producer following the release of the company's Q1 trading update including lithium concentrate production and sales that topped Bell Potter's expectations while revenue fell slightly short due to weaker realised prices and a delayed shipment.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Universal Stores (ASX:UNI) following the formation of a pattern over the period of 259 days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $9.10 to the range of $11.80 to $12.50 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

US stocks saw a record-breaking session overnight, with all 3 major indexes closing at new all times highs off the back of cooling US-China tensions and optimism over a trade deal later this week. The S&P 500 advanced 1.23%, the Nasdaq rallied 1.86% - largely bolstered by strong gains for Nvidia and other chip stocks – while the Dow Jones jumped 0.71%.Similarly, Asian markets saw a large jump, lead by a 1.19% jump for China's CSI index, and a 2.46% jump for Japan's Nikkei. Europe also saw gains but to a lesser extent – the Stoxx600 advanced 0.22%, Germany's DAX advanced 0.28%, the French CAC saw a 0.16% jump, while the FTSE closed 0.09% higher.Locally yesterday the ASX200 advanced 0.41% - despite 8 of the 11 key sectors in the green, it was slightly weighed down by a 0.63% drop in the healthcare index. It was a tough session too for Rare Earths Miners off the back of optimism that the US and China will come to an agreement to resume normalised Rare Earths trade, cooling off some of the building steam in the sector. Iluka Resources (ASX:ILU) saw a 6.87% drop, while Arafura Rare Earths (ASX:ARU) dropped nearly 10%.What to watch today:In commodities, Gold has continued its recent retreat, down another 3.18% to 3981 US dollars per ounce, meaning it is now down nearly 9% over the last week. Crude Oil is trading flat at 61.5 US dollars per barrel, while Iron Ore is up 0.15% to 105 US dollars and 57 cents per tonne. Despite the strong gains in the US overnight, the ASX200 is actually expected to fall at the open this morning, with the SPI futures indicating a 0.43% drop.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has maintained its buy rating on Bega Cheese (ASX:BGA) with a 12 month target price of $7 per share. At the current closing price of $5.34 per share, that implies a 24% share price growth over the next year based on current earnings estimates and guidance.And Trading Central have identified a Bullish signal in Karoon Energy (ASX:KAR), indicating the share price may rise from the close of $1.63 per share, to the range of $2.10 to $2.25 per share over a period of 41 days according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

Record sales couldn't save Nasdaq listed Tesla and Netflix from steep share price falls this week, as the companies navigated everything from expiring tax credits and global regulatory risks to intense competition. Meanwhile, the ASX200 posted a 0.39% slide (Mon – Thurs), as a slump in materials stocks weighed on market gains. In this week's wrap, Grady covers:(0:26): why Tesla's latest results show record sales but falling profits (1:10): why Netflix missed third- quarter expectations (2:02): how Coco-Cola is navigating the tough market environment (2:49): earnings results from Woodside, Adairs & Air New Zealand (5:13): how the ASX200 performed this week so far(5:53): the most traded stocks & ETFs by Bell Direct clients (6:22): economic news items to watch out for. 

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In the US overnight, Wall St closed trading mixed higher as investors responded to stronger-than-expected corporate earnings results out of key names like Coca-Cola and 3M. The Dow Jones is closed up 0.47%, the S&P500 is closed flat and the Nasdaq closed down 0.16%Across Europe overnight, markets closed higher led by strong gains for defence stocks in the region. The STOXX 600 rose 0.2%, Germany's DAX added 0.3%, the French CAC climbed 0.64% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.25%. The Asia markets closed mostly higher as Japan's first female Prime Minister was announced and investors continued to assess trade negotiations in the region. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.27%, South Korea's Kospi Index added 0.24%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.76% and China's CSI index ended the day up 1.53%. The local market extended its green run this week into Tuesday's session with the key index gaining 0.7% at the closing bell driven by the materials sector after Australia and the US agreed to invest a combined US$3bn in critical minerals projects, as part of Prime Minister Albanese's visit to the White House. Gold reset its record yesterday topping US$4381/ounce for the first time which propelled local gold miners higher, while rare earths producers were bought into on the back of the US-Australia critical minerals deal.HUB24 (ASX:HUB) surged over 10% yesterday after platform funds under administration rose 8% over the September quarter to $122bn, while DroneShield (ASX:DRO) also rose 8.7% as investors bought back into the counter-drone technology company. What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 0.7% higher at US$57.42/barrel, gold is down 5.56% at US$4116/ounce as the US dollar strengthened and profit-taking kicked in following the price of the precious commodity hitting a fresh record over US$4382/ounce on yesterday, and iron ore is up 0.14% at US$105.50/tonne. Ahead of the midweek trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.5%. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has maintained its buy rating on HUB24 (ASX:HUB) and increased its 12 month target price from $125 to $135 off the back of better than expected Q1 FY26 results and significant market momentum. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Super Retail Group (ASX:SUL), indicating that the price may rise from the current close of $17 per share to the range of $17.80 to $18 per share over a period of 21 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street started the new trading week in positive territory as investors looked toward a potential end to the government shutdown now in its 3rd week, and as Apple shares boosted tech stocks following an upgrade to a buy rating from Loop Capital. The Dow Jones rose 1.12%, the S&P 500 also climbed 1.07% and the Nasdaq ended the day up 1.37%.In Europe overnight markets closed mostly higher as defence stocks drove gains in the region. The STOXX 600 gained 1%, Germany's DAX added 1.9%, the French CAC climbed 0.4% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.5%.Across the Asia markets on Monday, it was a positive session as key economic data out in the region boosted investor sentiment. Japan's Nikkei rose 3.37% to a fresh record high, while China's CSI index added 0.53%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 2.52% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day up 1.76%.China's Q3 GDP data out yesterday weighed on investor sentiment with the reading coming in at expansion of 1.1% over the September quarter, which exceeded analysts' expectations of 0.8% expansion, and over the 12-months to September the Chinese economy expanded 4.8% which met forecasts, signalling a material rebound in economic recovery post pandemic is potentially finally underway.The local market started the new trading week lower early on Monday before turning positive to post a 0.4% rise at the closing bell led by a rally for financials and REIT stocks on Monday.Neuren (ASX:NEU) shares took off yesterday with a gain over 4% after the pharmaceutical company announced it has received US FDA Fast Track Designation for its drug candidate NNZ-2591 for the treatment of Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments for Phelan-McDermid syndrome which places Neuren at the forefront of care for this condition when the drug reaches commercialisation.Vehicle parts provider Bapcor (ASX:BAP) tumbled over 17.5% on Monday after the company reported a profit downgrade and disclosed a $12m pre-tax earnings hit due to challenging operating practices in its trade division.Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL) also dived over 18% after the uranium company announced the immediate exit of its Chief Executive, John Borshoff, and will be replaced by the company's CFO, Craig Barnes as acting CEO until a permanent appointment is made. What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 0.3% lower at US$57.47/barrel, gold is back in record territory with another gain of 2.72% to trade at US$4365.85/ounce and iron ore is down 0.2% at 105.35/ounce.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.16 U.S. cents, 98.18 Japanese yen, 48.5 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 13 cents.Ahead of Tuesday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.5%. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has reduced the 12-month price target on Beach Energy (ASX:BPT) from $1.25 to $1.10 and maintain a hold rating on the energy exploration and development company. The price target was decreased despite strong quarterly results because the medium-term earnings outlook worsened, with the analyst reducing EPS forecasts in FY27 (-18%) and FY28 (-9%) due to factors like unsuccessful exploration (e.g., Hercules-1) and ongoing high capex. The Hold rating was maintained as near-term production is steady and cash flow is expected to improve, but the longer-term growth and returns remain uncertain.And Bell Potter has initiated coverage of Austco Healthcare (ASX:AHC) with a buy rating and a 12-month price target of 55cps. AHC manufactures sophisticated nurse call systems, enterprise reporting and analytics tools, for the purpose of improving patient outcomes and reducing cost for healthcare organisations. AHC is rated a Buy by Bell Potter's analyst due to its strong revenue and earnings growth, underpin

Wall St closed higher across the key indices on Friday as investor hopes of easing trading tensions between the U.S. and China rose a day after credit concerns sparked a sharp selloff for U.S. regional banks. The S&P500 rose 0.53% on Friday while the Nasdaq added 0.52% and the Dow Jones ended the day up 0.52%.Across Europe on Friday markets closed lower amid credit concerns of bad debts looming across regional banks in the U.S. The STOXX 600 fell 0.95%, Germany's DAX lost 1.82%, the French CAC fell 0.18% and, in the UK the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.86%.Over the Asia markets on Friday, it was a mostly positive session as trade talks with the U.S. continue to make progress toward a sustainable solution. South Korea's Kospi index rose to a record high for a third day, ending the session up 0.01% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 2.48% and India's Nifty 50 gained 0.48%.Locally on Friday the key index lost 0.81% to end a very volatile trading week triggered by increased trade war tensions between the US and China on Thursday, while the gold rally worked to offset some of the market losses.The price of gold hit yet another record high on Friday topping US$4350/ounce for the first time in history. This boosted local miners further into the green with Newmont (ASX:NEM) adding 3.32% while Northern Star (ASX:NST) gained 2.75% and Evolution Mining (ASX:EVN) ended the day up almost 2%.EROAD (ASX:ERD) tumbled over 33% on Friday after the company announced a restructure of plans to focus more on the ANZ market and step back from its North American expansion plans.Lynas (ASX:LYC) shares fell 5.7% on Friday amid increased investor concerns that easing tensions between China and the US over rare earth export controls could lead to a deal, potentially lowering rare earth prices and pressuring suppliers like Lynas. Comments from China's Ministry of Commerce suggesting openness to trade talks triggered the sell-off.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 0.14% higher at US$57.54/barrel, gold is down 1.81% at US$4250/ounce and iron ore is down 0.2% at US$105.35/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 64.88 U.S. cents, 97.35 Japanese yen, 48.50 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 13 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 reduced the 12-month price target on Avita Medical (ASX:AVH) from $1.50 to $1.20 and maintain a sell rating on the therapeutic acute wound care company following the release of the company's September quarter update including revenues down 12% on the PCP and the departure of the company's CEO. The analyst sees in the absence of a bid for the company, which remains highly uncertain, we maintain our Sell rating. FY25 revenues have been exceptionally poor capped off by the 3Q25 decline.And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Suncorp Group (ASX:SUN) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 15-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $19.56 to the range of $18.50 to $18.80 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Submit your stock picks here: ausbiz.co/callpicksGrady Wulff from Bell Direct and Howard Coleman from Teaminvest go in-depth and stock specific on ‘the call.' Rio Tinto (RIO)Coronado Global Resources (CRN)Austin Engineering (ANG) Woolworths (WOW) Accent Group (AX1) Mirvac (MGR) Transurban Group (TCL)Corporate Travel (CTD) Bendigo and Adelaide Bank (BEN) TechnologyOne (TNE)Stock of the day: Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) to listen go to https://ausbiz.co/STODGet your stock pick to the front of the queue by becoming an ausbiz contributor: https://ausbiz.co/contributorsAnd we'd love it if you could leave us a review below! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wall Street edged higher on Wednesday as strong earnings results out of the Bank of America and Morgan Stanley boosted the major averages into the green at the closing bell. The Nasdaq added 0.6%, the S&P 500 gained 0.4%, and the Dow Jones ended the day flat. Cooking oil stocks surged in the U.S. on Wednesday after President Trump threatened to cut off U.S. purchases of Chinese cooking oil.In Europe overnight markets closed mixed as luxury brands across the region led markets gains. The STOXX 600 rose 0.7%, Germany's DAX fell 0.1% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.3%.Across the Asia region on Wednesday, it was a sea of green despite renewed trade threats between the world's two largest economies. Japan's Nikkei rose 1.76%, China's CSI index added 1.48%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 2.06% and India's Nifty 50 ended the day up 0.74%.Locally yesterday, the ASX200 posted a 1.03% rise on Wednesday as gains from the healthcare stocks, the major banks and gold miners boosted the key index to a positive finish.Telix Pharmaceuticals (ASX:TLX) soared over 15% yesterday after the radiopharmaceutical company released a positive Q3 trading update including a 53% increase YoY in unaudited revenue to US$206m, the receipt of full reimbursement for its Gozellix Product from the US Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the company raised its full year revenue guidance range to US$800 to US$820m from US$770 to US$800m.And the competition watchdog launched a probe into the merger between Southern Cross Media and Seven West Media due to concerns it may reduce competition in an already consolidated market.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 0.15% lower at US$58.50/barrel, gold is up a further 1.51% at a fresh record US$4205.90/ounce and iron ore is down 1.2% at US$105.25/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.08 US cents, 98.45 Japanese yen, 48.77 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 1 New Zealand dollar and 14 cents.Ahead of Thursday's trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down just 0.04%. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Jumbo Interactive (ASX:JIN)from $11.50 to $11.85 and maintain a hold rating on the digital lotteries business following the company's acquisition of Dream Car Giveaways for an enterprise value of $109.9m. The analyst sees the acquisition is another positive step in diversifying revenue and the hold rating is maintained due to risks in market share as new players enter the lotteries market and key competitors strengthen their offerings.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Vicinity Centres (ASX:VCX) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 96-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $2.54 to the range of $2.74 to $2.78 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

The US saw a volatile trading session overnight ultimately end mixed across the 3 major benchmarks. The S&P500 closed down 0.2% and the Nasdaq closed down 0.8%, although they had fallen as low as 1.5 and 2.1% throughout the day. The Dow Jones despite opening down 1.3% rallied to close up 0.4% - the volatility comes amid continuing trade tensions between the US and China.  Europe too saw a mostly a negative session ovvernight. The STOXX 600 fell 0.4%, Germany's DAX lost 0.62%, the French CAC fell 0.18% and the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.1%. Across the Asia region on Tuesday, markets closed mostly lower as China's Ministry of Commerce sanctioned five US-related units of Hanwha Marine Corporation in direct retaliation to the US' investigation of Chinese maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries in a step backward in the trade negotiations. Japan's Nikkei fell 2.58% on Tuesday, while China's CSI index lost 1.12%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.74% and India's Nifty 50 ended the day down 0.55%. The local market traded lower on Tuesday before closing the session up 0.2% as US-China trade negotiations showed signs of progression on Monday, Middle East tensions continued to ease, and the AI rally marched on in the US. NAB Business Confidence data for September came in at a rise to 7 index points for last month, up from 4 points in August, but short of the 9 points the market was expecting a rise to. The small rise though signals greater optimism from a business perspective in Australia following a mostly negative year on the sentiment front for businesses in FY25.Australian consumer confidence on the other hand weighed on the market gains yesterday as the latest ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence survey unveiled sentiment weakened in October to a 1-year low.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 1.22% lower at US$58.83/barrel, gold is up 0.43% at US$4145/ounce and iron ore is up 0.75% at US$106.53/tonne.Ahead of Wednesday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.83%.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter maintains its Buy rating on Uranium producer Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) and has raised its target price from $10.30 to $11.35, off the back of record Q1 FY25 production as well as steady increases in the average realised Uranium price. And Trading Central have identified a bullish signal on CSL (ASX:CSL), indicating that the price may rise from the current close of $211 to the price range of $228-232 over a period of 37 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis. 

Wall Street started the new trading week with a strong rebound after President Trump said trade relations with China will be fine, a few days after threatening massive tariff increases on the region. Investor sentiment eased and stocks surged as a result of Trump's message to start the new trading week higher. The S&P 500 added 1.56% on Monday while the Nasdaq climbed 2.21% and the Dow Jones ended the day up 1.29%.In Europe on Monday markets closed higher led by a mining rally as investors keep an eye on trade negotiations between the US and China. The STOXX 600 rose 0.44%, Germany's DAX added 0.6%, the French CAC climbed 0.21% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.16%.Across the Asia region on Monday markets closed lower as investors pulled back amid trade tension uncertainty between the world's largest two regions. China's CSI index fell 0.5%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 2.04%, Japan's Nikkei lost 1.01% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day down 0.72%.Locally to start the new trading week, investor sentiment was dented by Wall Street's Friday tumble and Trump's renewed tariff threats, which led to a broad sell-off on the ASX to start the new week with the key index ending the day down 0.94% in the worst session since mid-September.Gold scaled to a fresh record high again on Monday amid renewed macro and trade uncertainty which fuelled a buying frenzy among the gold miners on Monday with Northern Star (ASX:NST) and Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS) rising over 1% each while Regis Resources (ASX:RRL) soared over 7%.Treasury Wine Estates (ASX:TWE) tumbled over 11% on Monday after the wine maker scrapped earnings guidance due to weaker-than-expected trading in China, with the company also halting its $200m share buyback which signals elevated trading uncertainty.Margin contraction hurt Fletcher Building (ASX:FBU) on Monday with shares in the company falling almost 2% after a trading update unveiled margin contraction in its heavy building materials volumes.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 2.41% higher at US$59.64/barrel gold is up 2.3% at US$4105/ounce and iron ore is up 0.84% at US$105.74/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.21 US cents, 99.27 Japanese yen, 48.96 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 14 cents.Ahead of Tuesday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.3% tracking Wall Street's gains overnight. Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has raised the 12-month price target on COG Financial (ASX:COG) from $2.25 to $2.70 and maintain a buy rating on the diversified conglomerate of Australian distribution businesses following the announcement that the company will acquire a non-controlling interest in its subsidiary Fleet Network for a consideration of $23.9m.And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on SGH (ASX:SGH) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 16-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $47.80 to the range of $46.60 to $46.90 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall Street tumbled on Friday in the worst session in months after Trump took to his social media platform to announce plans for a “massive increase in tariffs on China” amid rising trade negotiation tensions. The S&P500 fell 2.71%, the Nasdaq tumbled 3.56% and the Dow Jones ended the day down 1.9%.In Europe on Friday markets closed lower after Trump threatened heightened tariffs on China which threatens to disrupt the stability of the global trade landscape once again. The STOXX 600 fell 1.3%, Germany's DAX lost 1.4%, the French CAC declined 1.53%, and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.9%.Across the Asia markets on Friday, it was mostly a sea of red as investors assess the state of trade and economic environments in the region. Japan's Nikkei fell 1.01% on Friday while Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.84%, and China's CSI index ended the day down 1.97%. South Korea's Kospi index was the only market to close with a gain of 1.73% on Friday.The local market ended Friday's trading session with a 0.13% loss as a Gaza peace plan prospect through Israel implanting a ceasefire deal in the strip led to a selloff in gold and oil stocks, while iron ore miners also dipped on further price disputes between China and BHP.L1 Group (ASX:L1G) soared over 11% on Friday after Bell Potter increased the 12-month price target on the company by almost 30% to 90cps amid the stability of growing funds for L1, the increased scale of the combined group, the upside from further cost synergies between L1 Capital and Platinum under the new L1 Group and further acquisitions of teams to bolster the strength of the company.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 4.24% lower at US$58.90/barrel, gold is up 1.02% at US$4015.59/ounce and iron ore is up 0.84% at US$105.74/tonne.The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy 65.07 US cents, 98.83 Japanese yen, 48.58 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 13 cents.Ahead of Monday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.94%.Trading ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Develop Global (ASX:DVP) from $5.10 to $5.40 and maintain a buy rating on the hybrid mining services and critical metals producer following the release of the company's updated DFS for its Sulphur Springs Zinc-Copper mining project. DVP's updated Sulphur Springs DFS shows a major uplift in project value (pre-tax NPV8% of $921m) driven by higher metal prices, increased plant throughput (1.5Mtpa), and a 19% reduction in operating costs. This enhances project economics and supports a valuation upgrade to $5.40/share.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Universal Stores (ASX:UNI) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 247 days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $8.87 to the range of $11.50 to $12.20 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Qantas saw its share price fell as it faced ransom demands from cyber hackers, who threatened to release stolen data from the company. MARKET WRAP: ASX200: down 0.1% to 8,947 GOLD: $4,038/oz BITCOIN: $185,762 CURRENCY UPDATE: AUD/USD: 65.7 US cents AUD/GBP: 48.9 British pence AUD/EUR: 56 Euro cents AUD/JPY: 100 Yen AUD/NZD: 1.14 NZ dollars See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wall St closed the midweek session back in record territory as investors overlooked the recent AI concerns and government shutdown and bought back into undervalued areas of the market. The S&P500 rose 0.58% to a fresh record close, the Nasdaq added 1.12% to also post a new record high and the Dow Jones ended the day flat. Investors also showed little reaction to the Fed's latest FOMC meeting minutes which were released overnight and covered the first rate cut out of the Fed for 2025.In Europe on Wednesday markets closed higher as investors welcomed tariffs proposed to be imposed on steel imported into the EU. The STOXX 600 rose 0.8%, Germany's DAX added 0.87%, the French CAC climbed 1.07% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.7%.Across the Asia region on Wednesday markets closed mixed while China, Hong Kong and South Korean markets remained closed for a holiday. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.45% on Wednesday while India's Nifty50 ended the day down 0.25%.Locally on Wednesday the ASX200 posted a 0.1% loss at the closing bell as declines in retail and tech stocks, the rate sensitive sectors, outweighed strength within the healthcare sector. Investor concerns around the sustainability of profits among AI providers was the key factor behind the tech pullback yesterday.James Hardie's (ASX:JHX) shares jumped 10% after better-than-expected Q2 sales, led by strong U.S. siding and trim performance. Stable distributor inventories and good cost control helped margins for the building materials maker. While new home construction is soft, renovation demand for premium materials remains resilient, highlighting how well-positioned companies can still perform despite ongoing sector challenges.The price of gold reached new heights on Wednesday topping US$4000/ounce for the first time in history which extended the recent rally for some local gold miners including Minerals260 (ASX:MI6) soaring over 10%, while investors took the chance to take some profits off the table from key gold miners like Northern Star (ASX:NST) and Newmont (ASX:NEM) following a prolonged period of share price appreciation.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 1.07% higher at US$62.39/barrel, gold is up a further 1.24% at US$4035.14/ounce and iron ore is up 0.07% at US$104.29/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.88 US cents, 100.59 Japanese yen, 49.06 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 14 cents.Ahead of Thursday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up a sharp 0.42%. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has initiated coverage of CAR Group (ASX:CAR) with a buy rating and 12-month price target of $42.20. The analyst has a Buy rating on CAR Group due to its strong global portfolio, consistent earnings growth, and exposure to underpenetrated markets with clear pathways for value creation. Trading at a 24% discount to peers, CAR offers an attractive risk-adjusted return profile compared to other ASX-listed classifieds like REA (ASX:REA) and SEEK (ASX:SEK).And Bell Potter maintains a Buy rating on Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) and raises its price target to $10.30/share due to stronger uranium market fundamentals, stable ramp-up at Langer Heinrich Mine, and upward adjustments to cash and share estimates. The stock remains undervalued relative to peers, with further upside potential as its Patterson Lake South project is de-risked.

Wall Street closed mostly higher on Monday as investor optimism increased for M&A as two major deals were announced for Comerica and AMD separately. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%, the Nasdaq gained 0.8% on Monday and the Dow Jones ended the day down 0.1%. AMD shares rose 23% on Monday after the company reached a deal with OpenAI to supply the leading AI generator with AI chips which could ultimately end up giving the ChatGPT maker a 10% stake in the chipmaker. Meanwhile, Comerica shares jumped 10% after Fifth Third Bancorp reached a deal to buy the fellow regional U.S. bank for US$10.9bn in an all-stock transaction.In Europe overnight, markets closed mostly lower with the STOXX 600 closing flat as did Germany's DAX closed flat, while the French CAC lost 1% after the country's new prime minister called it quits after less than a month, and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day down 0.13%.Across the Asia region on Monday, markets closed mixed led by Japan's Nikkei soaring 4% to a fresh record after the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected conservative Sanae Takaichi as its new leader, positioning her to become the country's first female Prime Minister. Elsewhere in the region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.67% and India's Nifty 50 ended the day up 0.74%.Locally to start the new trading week the ASX200 closed just 0.07% lower as a tech and healthcare sell-off offset strength among the materials and utilities stocks.  Gold and copper spot prices reaching a record and 16-month high respectively buoyed local producers yesterday with the outlook for continued momentum for both critical metals to extend for some time to come.Brisbane Broncos (ASX:BBL) shares soared 27% on Monday to a record close after the club's 19-year grand final winning drought ended on Sunday with the team taking out the winning title for 2025.What to watch today: On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 1.5% higher at US$61.79/barrel, gold is up a further almost 2% to yet another record US$3962.58/ounce and iron ore is up 0.25% at US$104.36/tonne.The Aussie dollar has further strengthened against the greenback to buy 66.19 U.S. cents, 99.47 Japanese yen, 49.19 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 13 cents.Ahead of Tuesday's trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.16%. Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has resumed coverage of Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST) with a buy rating and 12-month price target of $30.00, up from $20.85 as the analyst sees NST as a stable, low-risk gold producer entering a phase of free-cash-flow harvesting in FY27 following the $1.5bn investment in the KCGM mill expansion from 12 million tonnes per annum to 27 million tonnes per annum.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Ventia Services Group (ASX:VNT) 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 $5.24 to the range of $5.85 to $6.00 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Submit your stock picks here: ausbiz.co/callpicksGrady Wulff from Bell Direct and Sanjee Narendran from Teaminvest go in-depth and stock specific on ‘the call.' Polynovo (PNV) Sigma Healthcare (SIG) Pinnacle (PNI) v GQG (GQG) Objective Corporation (OCL) NextDC (NXT) Amcor (AMC) ARB Corporation (ARB) SiteMinder (SDR)JB Hi-Fi (JBH) Cettire (CTT)Stock of the day: Newscorp (NWS) to listen go to https://ausbiz.co/STODGet your stock pick to the front of the queue by becoming an ausbiz contributor: https://ausbiz.co/contributorsAnd we'd love it if you could leave us a review below! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wall St closed higher on Tuesday as investors overlooked government shutdown fears to post an unusually strong month of September. The Dow Jones rose 0.18% to close at a fresh record high while the Nasdaq added 0.31% and the S&P500 ended the day up 0.41%.With a potential government shutdown looming, investors have been wary about a slowing labour market, the risk of stagflation and elevated stock valuation, so although government shutdowns aren't usually market-moving events, this time we could see market movements as a result. In Europe overnight, markets closed higher led by Germany's DAX rising 0.57%, while the STOXX 600 gained 0.5%, the French CAC climbed 0.19% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.54%. Across the Asia markets on Tuesday, markets traded mixed as the latest data out of China showed manufacturing activity contracted for a 6th straight month, with the manufacturing PMI index coming in at 49.8 points. While still in contraction mode, the reading was better than economists were expecting and the strongest reading since March. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.25%, and South Korea's Kospi index lost 0.19%, while China's CSI index gained 0.45%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.95%.The local market closed 0.2% lower on Tuesday following a lacklustre session on Wall St on Monday and investors digested comments out of RBA Governor Michele Bullock after Australia's central bank maintained the current cash rate at 3.6% for the next period. Materials and industrials stocks bucked the trend yesterday to close higher while energy stocks were the hardest hit amid declining oil prices.Ms Bullock said market services inflation remains sticky and has been a key sticking point for the RBA's rate journey over the last year adding to the difficult decisions made around Australia's rate outlook pathway. For this reason, the RBA was content in holding the cash rate at the conclusion of yesterday's meeting for the period ahead.Seven West Media (ASX:SWM) and Southern Cross Media (ASX:SXL) shares rose over 7% and over 6% respectively yesterday on news of a proposed merger between the Australian media giants, while Restaurant Brands New Zealand soared almost 60% after receiving a takeover offer from its majority shareholder, Finaccess Restauracion, a Mexican company.What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning, oil is trading 1.5% lower at US$62.51/barrel, gold is up 0.33% at yet another record US$3845.83/ounce and iron ore is trading 0.09% lower at US$105.35/tonne.The Aussie dollar has further strengthened against the greenback overnight to buy 66.16 US cents, 97.82 Japanese Yen, 49.17 British Pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 14 cents.Ahead of the midweek trading session the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.12%. Trading ideas:Bell Potter has increased the 12-month price target on Pantoro (ASX:PNR) from $2.15 to $2.80 and maintain a hold rating on the diversified mining services group as shares have climbed 130% in one year but some key catalysts and tailwinds including the gold price and new contract wins, are driving a strong growth outlook for the company which led the analyst to increase the 12-month PT and maintain a hold.And Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Infratil (ASX:IFT) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 54-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $10.73 to the range of $9.40 to $9.70 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Wall St closed higher on Friday after personal consumption price index, the Fed's preferred measure of inflation, came in as expected at 2.9% for the month of August. The major indices snapped a 3-day losing streak on Friday with the S&P500 rising 0.6%, while the Nasdaq added 0.44% and the Dow Jones ended the day up 0.65%, but for the week the key indices each posted a loss.In Europe on Friday markets closed mostly higher led by the French CAC and FTSE 100 rising 0.97% and 0.96% respectively while the STOXX 600 added 0.8% and Germany's DAX ended the day up 0.87%.Across the Asia region on Friday markets closed lower as investors assessed the 100% healthcare tariffs announced by Trump and continue to monitor trade tensions between the world's largest economies. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.35%, India's Nifty 50 declined 0.95%, Japan's Nikkei lost 0.87% and South Korea's Kospi index ended the day down 2.45%.Locally on Friday the ASX200 posted a 0.17% rise on Friday as a materials rally offset weakness among healthcare and utilities stocks.Healthcare stocks tumbled on Friday after President Trump announced 100% tariffs on pharmaceutical companies.Pro Medicus (ASX:PME), CSL (ASX:CSL) and Telix (ASX:TLX) dropped between 2% and 3% on Friday, and even Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) and Clarity Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CU6) were caught up in the sell off despite both companies confirming their products were exempt from the new tariffs.Vulcan Energy (ASX:VUL) jumped 15% on a new contract signing to the value of $179m with a consortium to develop and build a geothermal power plant in Germany, while IperionX (ASX:IPX) rose 5.4% after receiving an additional US$25m award from the US department of War to strengthen the country's defence strategy. What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 0.32% higher at US$65.19/barrel, gold is up 0.5% at US$3768/ounce and iron ore is down 0.09% at US$105.44/tonne.The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.45 US cents, 97.92 Japanese yen, 48.91 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 13 cents.Ahead of Monday's trading session, the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.24%Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has increased the rating on Pantoro Gold (ASX:PNR) from a sell to a hold and have raised the 12-month price target on the gold production and development company from $4.40 to $5.35 following the release of the company's FY25 results including a $112m turnaround from a $46m loss in FY24 to a $66m profit in FY25. PNR has demonstrated a step-change in cash generation and is on track for gold production growth YOY, as well as multiple production sources are now established, de-risking the outlook which led to the rating upgrades.And Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on Karoon Energy (ASX:KAR) 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 $1.73 to the range of $1.87 to $1.91 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

September's volatility carried into this week, with global AI concerns, inflation, and visa uncertainties weighing on sentiment. Meanwhile, gold surged to record highs, giving local miners a boost.In this week's wrap, Grady covers:(0:12): Global market volatility and gold hitting new record highs(0:35): Australia's latest monthly CPI print and implications for the RBA(2:30): unemployment holding at 4.2% and what this means for stability(2:58): GDP growth of 0.6% QoQ and signs of a rebound in per capita terms(4:45): how the ASX200 performed this week so far(5:35): most traded stocks and ETFs by Bell Direct clients this week(6:07): key data to watch next week – RBA decision, trade balance, US jobs & China PMI

Gold prices have yet again broken through record ground, but can the good times last? MARKET WRAP: ASX200: up 0.4% to 8,810 GOLD: $3,720/oz BITCOIN: $171,069 CURRENCY UPDATE: AUD/USD: 65.9 US cents AUD/GBP: 48.8 British pence AUD/EUR: 56 Euro cents AUD/JPY: 97 Yen AUD/NZD: 1.12 NZ dollars See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lithium companies took a bath after news out of China that a competitor mine would reopen sooner than expected MARKET WRAP: ASX200: up 0.3% to 8,830 GOLD: $3,649/oz BITCOIN: $170,067 CURRENCY UPDATE: AUD/USD: 66.1 US cents AUD/GBP: 48.1 British pence AUD/EUR: 55 Euro cents AUD/JPY: 95 Yen AUD/NZD: 1.11 NZ dollars See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Woolies is facing the squeeze in the supermarket wars, with its share price tanking about a drop in profits for the largest listed Consumer Staples company.MARKET WRAP: ASX200: up 0.3% to 8,960 GOLD: $3,382/oz BITCOIN: $171,527 CURRENCY UPDATE: AUD/USD: 64.7 US cents AUD/GBP: 48.1 British pence AUD/EUR: 55 Euro cents AUD/JPY: 95 Yen AUD/NZD: 1.11 NZ dollars See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Cochlear CEO Dig Howitt after the group's full-year results annoucement about the future of implants, while Stephanie Youssef discusses the role of EVs with CAR Group CEO William Elliott; while Grady Wulff from Bell Direct goes through the numerous records the Australian sharemarket hit during the week.

The Australian sharemarket logged its sharpest one-day loss since early May, as a shift in risk sentiment – driven by sticky US inflation and renewed US tariff rhetoric. MARKET WRAP: ASX200: Down 0.79% or 68.50 points to 8,561.80 GOLD: Up 0.53% to $3,369 USD per ounce BITCOIN: One coin is buying $182,790 CURRENCY UPDATE: AUD/USD: 65 US cents AUD/GBP: 48 British pence AUD/EUR: 56 Euro cents AUD/JPY: 97 Japanese Yen AUD/NZD: $1.10 NZ dollars See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.