With Jim Chalmers’, Treasurer of Australia, three-day roundtable kicking off yesterday, I thought it would be interesting to hear what different parts of the community were seeking. Of course, while collaboration is expected, consensus will be impossible, partly because of the diverse attendees, which includes representatives from the unions, government, business and civil society.

The other issue is that solutions require an understanding of the problem’s root cause.  And when we are talking about labour productivity, most cannot even agree on first principles. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary.

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For the last month or two, I have been writing with increasing frequency about the possibility of the stock market boom transitioning into a bubble. There are a variety of reasons for this, and they usually fall under two broad headings. The first is technical and the second is behavioural. Often the latter influences the former, but the reverse can also be true, so let’s agree that the sets in the Venn diagram intersect. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary.

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Temple & Webster’s (ASX:TPW) financial year 2025 (FY25) results underline a business scaling rapidly in two markets still in the early innings of digital disruption. Revenue rose 21 per cent to $601 million, capped by a 28 per cent June surge that has flowed into FY26, where year-to-date (YTD) sales (1 July–11 August) are also up 28 per cent.

With market share at just 2.7 per cent in the $19 billion Australian furniture and homewares market – and online penetration a modest 20 per cent versus 35 per cent in the U.S. and 29 per cent in the UK – the runway is long. The $18 billion home improvement segment is even more fragmented, with only 5-10 per cent of sales online and no dominant digital-first player. Here, Temple & Webster grew revenue 43 per cent to $42 million in FY25, with management convinced this category can eventually deliver higher margins than furniture. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies.

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Cochlear’s financial year 2025 (FY25) results delivered a steady, if unspectacular, performance that broadly aligned with the company’s June guidance reset. Revenue came in at $2.34 billion, consistent with market expectations following the downgrade, while underlying net profit landed at $392 million – the low end of the revised $390-400 million range.

These results reflected a year of mixed dynamics: implants and acoustics continued to post strong growth, but the Services segment remained a significant drag on both revenue momentum and operating leverage. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Stocks We Like.

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There’s some early evidence the equity boom is entering a bubble phase.

Bubbles can last and keep inflating for a long time. Missing out can be costly, but predicting the exact moment of a bubble’s demise is a waste of time. So, the right strategy isn’t prediction but rebalancing and a little tactical asset allocation. That way, you can remain invested and still outperform, if only relatively, even if markets pull back.

This article was first published in The Australian on 05 August 2025. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in In the Press, Market commentary.

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While Telstra’s share price is up about 80 per cent since the lows of Covid in 2020, the shares are trading at about where they were in 2003, and they are down 26 per cent from their 2015 highs and 45 per cent lower than their all-time highs in 1999.

Telstra has been a case study against investing for the long term, or maybe a case study in sticking to quality if you are going to invest for the long term. Time is the friend of the wonderful business, and the enemy of a business with poor economics. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Technology & Telecommunications.

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In a significant step toward revolutionising clean energy production, Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors (SMR) has inked a pivotal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Czech engineering powerhouse Škoda JS.

At the heart of the initiative is Rolls-Royce’s innovative 470 megawatt-electric (MWe) pressurized water reactor design. Compact and efficient, each SMR module measures just 16 meters by 4 meters, yet generates low-carbon electricity equivalent to over 150 onshore wind turbines. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Energy / Resources.

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In this week’s video insight, the focus is on Rolls Royce’s groundbreaking technology that could transform the green energy landscape. They have partnered with Skoda JS to manufacture components for a new 470-megawatt-electric pressurised water reactor, which is compact and capable of powering a million homes for sixty years – with zero emissions. As the world shifts towards more reliable energy sources, Rolls Royce’s advancements in nuclear technology promise a smarter, emission-free future. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Video Insights.

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