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.

Wall Street closed in record territory on Friday after cooler-than-expected inflation data in the U.S. boosted investor optimism that the Fed can continue on its rate cutting journey. The Dow Jones rose 1.01% to close at a record over 47,000 for the first time, while the S&P500 added 0.8% also at a fresh record and the Nasdaq rounded out the trifecta of records closing the day up 1.15%. September CPI in the U.S. came in at a rise of 0.3% taking annual inflation to 3%, below the 0.4% and 3.1% readings economists were expecting.

In Europe on Friday markets closed higher as U.S. inflation came in lower than expected. The STOXX 600 rose 0.2%, Germany’s DAX added 0.13%, the French CAC closed flat, and in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.7%.

Across the Asia region on Friday, markets closed higher as reports surfaced that trade negotiations between the U.S. and China will resume this week. Japan’s Nikkei rose 1.35%, South Korea’s Kospi Index added 0.11%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.74%.

The ASX200 posted a 0.15% loss on Friday as President Trump ended trade talks with Canada and negotiations with China failed to progress on Friday especially over rare earth supplies, causing investors to remain concerned over the instability of the global trade landscape.

Mount Gibson Iron tanked over 25% on Friday after the Australian iron ore producer announced a significant rockfall event at the company’s Koolan Island operations has forced the halt of production at the operation of the 80-year-old mine.

What to watch today:

• On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 0.5% lower at US$61.50/barrel, gold is down 0.34% at US$4111.89/ounce and iron ore is flat at US$105.55/tonne.
• The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 65.47 US cents, 100.02 Japanese yen, 48.84 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 14 cents.
• Ahead of Monday’s trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day up 0.3%.

Trading ideas:

• Bell Potter has initiated coverage of Elsight (ASX:ELS) with a buy rating and a 12-month price target of $1.90 on the tech company that specialises in creating secure, continuous, and reliable communication solutions for unmanned systems like drones and robotics. Elsight is a buy from Bell Potter’s analyst because it provides a mission-critical communication platform for unmanned systems, positioning it as a pure-play enabler of the rapidly expanding global drone and defence markets. With strong validation from repeat OEM orders, accelerating sales investment, and a scalable, recurring-revenue model, ELS offers compelling growth and valuation upside.
• Trading Central has identified a bullish signal on New Hope Corporation (ASX:NHC) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 28-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may rise from the close of $4.00 to the range of $4.80 to $4.95 according to 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.

Wall Street closed lower on Wednesday as investors assessed further updates out of Washington signalling dwindling progress on the trade front between the U.S. and China. The Dow Jones lost 0.71%, the S&P500 declined 0.53% and the Nasdaq ended the day down 0.93%.

In Europe overnight markets in the region closed mixed as investors assessed corporate earnings results out in the region. The STOXX 600 fell 0.2%, Germany’s DAX lost 0.74%, the French CAC declined 0.63% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.93%.

Asia markets traded mixed on Wednesday as investors assessed key trade data out of Japan alongside the country’s new leadership transition. For September, Japanese exports increased 4.2% YoY to snap four months of declines, however, the data came in lower than economists were expecting of 4.6% growth. Japan’s Nikkei closed flat on Wednesday while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.94%, South Korea’s Kospi Index rose over 1.5% and India’s Nifty 50 ended the day up 0.1%.

The local market closed the midweek session 0.71% lower as a materials sell-off of more than 3% weighed on gains among energy and tech stocks. The price of gold slumped over 6% overnight amid widespread profit taking and strength in the USD which spooked investors into panic sell mode out of gold miners on Wednesday. Genesis Minerals, Evolution Mining and Ramelius Resources each fell over 10% at the closing bell on Wednesday.

Homewares retailer Adairs (ASX:ADH) jumped 8.3% yesterday despite downgrading group sales forecast guidance for H1 to between $319.5m to $331.5m, down from the prior guidance of $324.5m to $336.5m, however margins were upgraded to the higher end of the forecast region at 59%-59.5%. Investors likely welcomed the pullback in promotional activity announced by the company amid moderated sales growth.

And weaker-than-expected revenue and rising jet costs hit Air New Zealand (ASX:AIZ) yesterday with shares in the airline falling 1% after the company announced it expects to report a pre-tax loss between NZ$30m and NZ$55m for the first half.

What to watch today:

• On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 4.25% higher at US$59.67/barrel, gold is down 0.52% at US$4103/ounce and iron ore is up 0.03% at US$105.53/tonne.
• The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 64.92 U.S. cents, 98.64 Japanese yen, 48.51 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 13 cents.
• Ahead of Thursday’s trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.17%.

Trading Ideas:

• Bell Potter has downgraded the rating on Aeris Resources (ASX:AIS) from a buy to a hold and have raised the 12-month price target on the copper producer following the release of the company’s September quarterly report including results meeting the analysts’ expectations for lower 1HFY26 production. The reason for the downgrade is simply due to recent share price appreciation of the company.
• Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Viva Energy (ASX:VEA) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 22-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $1.74 to the range of $1.54 to $1.58 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Hedley and Grady dive into the key themes shaping the commodities market heading into 2026, from gold’s price rally to the outlook for copper, iron ore and beyond.

Hedley & Grady discuss:

• (0:52): Drivers of the current gold price run & how far it can go
• (4:15): gold miners to watch in 2026
• (8:46): the importance of mining companies having multiple assets
• (10:22) outlook for copper with supply-demand equilibrium mismatch anticipated
• (14:06) copper names to watch in 2026
• (15:40) iron ore outlook and blue-chip mining giant diversification
• (17:12) metrics to monitor when considering mining investments in 2026
• (21:25) Hedley’s commodity ‘clock’ and what time it is in the cycle right now
• (24:00) commodities Hedley & Grady are bullish on for 2026
• (28:00) where investors have been buying recently in the commodities space
• (32:00) Hedley & Grady predict the gold price / ounce a year from now.

Note: This interview was filmed on 21 October 2025.

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 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.

Markets tumbled this week as renewed US–China trade tensions reignited volatility across global equities. Social media fuelled tariff threats and retaliatory sanctions have reminded investors how quickly sentiment can shift. With headline risk back in focus, flexibility and diversification remain key for navigating the uncertainty.

In this week’s wrap, Grady covers:

• (0:29): trade tensions in the news again - the market’s worst day in months
• (1:45): how investors’ strategy needs to change during this period of volatility
• (3:15): the impact of the trade war on ASX listed stocks
• (4:17): how the local market performed over the last trading week
• (5:18): the most traded stocks and ETFs this week
• (5:50): economic news items to look out for next week.