December 2025
Top fundies reveal 17 stock picks and the big trends to watch in 2026
Investors are likely to take a more nuanced approach towards AI-oriented stocks in the year ahead, while some have an eye on defensive sectors such as energy and health.
How Macquarie’s Viktor Shvets’ dystopian portfolio smashed the market
Investors have put Donald Trump’s drama behind them and are focused on AI, but a winning strategist believes they are in for a surprise in the new year.
The man flown in to make amends for the deals scandal of the year
This year’s biggest Australian corporate mess was a bolt from the blue, but also completely self-inflicted. Scotsman Nigel Stein is here to fix James Hardie.
ANZ is getting ahead of itself – again
Chairman Paul O’Sullivan’s claim that the bank is in a stronger position than it was five or six years ago is optimistic given how much needs to be fixed.
The Macquarie tax comes for Netwealth, but glaring hole not fixed
Even if repaying clients works and it is politically palatable that superannuants are made whole just before Christmas, there is still a risk it fails the broader wealth system.
Meg O’Neill’s departure creates a double risk for Woodside and Goyder
The chief executive’s shock departure to BP creates a problem for Woodside chairman Richard Goyder, who is also due to leave within 18 months.
Thank big super’s billion-dollar buy up for saving the ASX this year
The Australian sharemarket would have posted miserable returns but for retirement funds. But for how much longer can we count on them propping up equities?
This business has ended three CEO careers. It could claim a fourth
Treasury Wine Estates’ American business has been a decades-long disaster. Now it is overshadowing the mighty Penfolds brand.
AI might not be the biggest risk for investors in 2026
Every shareholder may now be focused on the artificial intelligence bubble, but they shouldn’t forget the age-old market danger hiding in plain sight.
‘Made more for Australians than anyone’: AusSuper legend retires
Retiring chief investment officer Mark Delaney discusses where markets and returns are heading, the fund’s stunning growth and his best career advice.
Meet the Aussie swatting Wall Street’s private credit cockroaches
James Clarke has found himself at the epicentre of fears the sector’s golden age could turn bad. But the Blue Owl Capital executive is fighting back.
Star’s high-stakes gamble on Mr Fix-It ends as financiers take the house
The casino man for a casino crisis got exactly what he bargained for – he was cheered on the way in and cheered on the way out.
Dud deals, dud timing: Late IPO flops spoil a momentum-building year
The three most recent floats to raise $100 million or more to list have performed terribly, tarnishing a mid-year resurgence.
ASX crisis is 20 years in the making. Its response is tone deaf
There is something extraordinarily jarring about the market operator’s response to the damning interim report from the corporate watchdog’s inquiry.
Alinta’s $6b sale reveals green transition’s shades of brown
After years of looking, Australia’s Alinta Energy has found a buyer willing to backflip on its anti-coal stance to pay $6 billion.
The generation gap could tear society apart. Top CEOs have 9 solutions
Intergenerational inequality is one of Australia’s greatest challenges. Leaders, from NAB and AMP to Wesfarmers, have practical solutions.
Fed cut should cement Santa rally. But beware sting in tail for Trump
The bullish narrative for markets is intact: the US central bank is cutting, and the president will run the economy hot. But voters are angry about inflation.
How a coal giant shook off stigma to become a blue-chip darling
Dalrymple Bay’s Infrastructure’s debt deal shows how much capital market sentiment has changed.
Sanity prevails at Mallesons as partners unwind a deal that aged terribly
The best you can say about Mallesons’ retreat from China is that sanity prevailed. It hasn’t stacked up for years.
Ground control to Elon Musk: SpaceX’s $2.2trn IPO plan is pure AI hype
The planned IPO of SpaceX relies on Elon Musk putting data centres in space. No, seriously.
