This week I join Nicola and Di for the first 2026 episode of Over The Money Fence. This series aims to help you take control of your finances with clarity and confidence.

In this episode, we take a look at the changes that are currently happening in the world, and how that could impact our finances. I explain how the tailwinds that have benefited the stock markets in the past, and have benefited the Baby Boomers and Gen X are shifting, and why that means investors may need to consider other investments. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Aura Group, Digital Asset Funds Management, Investing Education, Market commentary, Podcast Channel.

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Rodney Brooks is the Panasonic Professor of Robotics (emeritus) at MIT. For the last eight years, he has been publishing his predictions each year on self-driving cars, electric vehicles (EVs), robotics, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning, and human space travel. Each year, Brooks reviews his prior forecasts without fear or favour.  Brooks has promised to review his predictions annually until 2050 (right after his 95th birthday), for a total of 32 years. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary.

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Many believe the era of easy investing is over and after several strong years in equity markets, opportunities are harder to find and valuations are less forgiving. So, with traditional 60/40 portfolios under pressure, investors are looking for diversification, income and resilience.

In this exclusive Ausbiz event, I joined Nadine Blayney for an in-depth discussion on equity alternatives and the strategies designed to help protect and grow your wealth.

We explored

• The importance of rebalancing in the current market environment
• How to think about diversification, income and resilience
• How private credit works – and why investors can use it for a reliable income stream
• High-frequency trading and arbitrage funds: historically the domain of proprietary trading firms and institutions, now accessible to investors
• Key risks and what to look for when assessing these types of strategies

Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Aura Group, Digital Asset Funds Management, Investing Education, Market commentary, Popular, TV Appearances.

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U.S. consumer delinquencies jump to highest in almost a decade

As reported by Bloomberg, delinquency rates on loans rose to 4.8 per cent of all outstanding U.S. household debt in the fourth quarter, the highest level since 2017. The rise in defaults was driven by delinquencies in mortgage payments, particularly in lower income zip codes, and student-loan delinquencies. Overall household debt balances climbed 1 per cent from the previous quarter to $18.8 trillion, with the share of credit-card loans at least 90 days delinquent rising to 12.7 per cent. The jobless rate for workers 16 to 24 years old stood at 10.4 per cent in December, near the highest levels since the depths of the pandemic in 2021. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Global markets, Market commentary.

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The stock market is experiencing a dramatic bifurcation. While traditional sectors surge – energy companies are up over 20 per cent and materials firms 15 per cent – a different story is unfolding in the technology and financial services sectors. Established players are watching their valuations crumble as investors grapple with the answers to a simple question: which companies will survive the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution? Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary, Technology & Telecommunications.

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ARB just dropped its half-year 2026 results, and if you only looked at the stock price as  – down 13 per cent by the close of 24 February 2026 – you’d think the wheels had fallen off the 4WD. But as any off-road enthusiast knows, sometimes you have to gear down to get through the mud. In fact, ARB is up by 14 per cent today (25 February 2026).

While the headline numbers from their report reflect some “short-term pain,” the underlying story suggests the “long-term gain” remains on track. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Small Caps, Stocks We Like.

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I joined Paul Turton on ABC Newcastle Mornings to discuss the recent volatility in global markets, driven by U.S. tariffs, political uncertainty and rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI). I explained that because the U.S. represents around 30 to 40 per cent of global market capitalisation, what happens there inevitably affects Australia, and heightened uncertainty is making investors less willing to pay elevated valuations. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Radio, Technology & Telecommunications.

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Business is like a piano accordion. Sectors and individual companies expand and grow, then contract, necessarily becoming smaller than they once were. If you keep this metaphor in mind when investing, it can help you understand the business’s stage of life. 

There are exceptions, of course – those businesses that rise above the cycle of invention, adoption, scale, saturation, disruption and destruction, but they are few and far between. Most will eventually reach a natural limit to their size, and then they either sit there, churning customers for lower margins, or are disrupted, or their customers move on to the next trend. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary.

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