Fear + Greed – What the year ahead holds for investors
I joined Seam Aylmer on Fear + Greed to reflect on the past financial year and explore what lies ahead for investors.
Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions (think the escalation of Trump-era tariffs, continued war between Russia and Ukraine, and the unfolding unrest in the Middle East), global markets have remained remarkably resilient.
In Australia, the banking, technology and consumer discretionary stocks performed strongly. The big four banks, which represent about 20 per cent of the ASX 200 are seen as a key driver of this positive performance. Most notably we saw Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) hit a record high. Some attribute this to the weaking view of U.S exceptionalism to their growing debt, Big Beautiful Bill policy turning foreign investors off U.S. Treasuries (forcing bond yields to rise), and lowered confidence in the U.S. currency. This has compelled some investors to turn toward Australian equities (like CBA) or alternative asset classes like bitcoin or gold.
We also saw a shift from investors buying into consumer led technologies, to foundational innovators (think MANGO; Meta, Apple, Nvidia, Google, and OpenAI), which reflects the growing importance of AI, semiconductors, and building-block technology.
On the downside, we saw Australian miners suffer, being dragged down by China’s current economic condition. China has been struggling with transferring from a fixed asset investment led economy to a consumption led economy. They are also staring down the barrel of a disinflationary trap. Consequently, the demand for Australian raw materials has declined, impacting mining stocks.
Given the ongoing volatility of the market, investors might find value in researching private credit, which is an asset class not tied to public markets.
Disclaimer:
The Polen Capital Global Growth Fund owns shares in Amazon and Alphabet. The Australian eagle Equity Fund, The Montgomery Fund, and The Montgomery [Private] Fund own shares in Commonwealth Bank Australia. This article was prepared 1 July 2025 with the information we have today, and our view may change. It does not constitute formal advice or professional investment advice. If you wish to trade any of these companies you should seek financial advice.
Listen to the full episode here: