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This week, the market’s most irrepressible bull, Ed Yardeni published another blog promoting his bullish thesis entitled, Peak Fear? Peak Yields? Peak Earnings? Peak AI?, alongside co-author Elias Griepentrog.

The headline gives away the framework because Yardeni and Griepentrog immediately answer the four questions in order:

Peak Fear? Yes.
Peak Yields? Maybe.
Peak Earnings? No.
Peak AI? No.

Let’s look at each argument in turn. Continue…

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

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SkinKandy (ASX: SK1) is Australia and New Zealand’s self-proclaimed leading specialty piercing and body jewellery retailer. Operating a ‘service-led retail model,’ the company delivers over 60 distinct types of professional body and ear piercings alongside a range of high-margin jewellery and specialised aftercare products. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Consumer discretionary, Editor's Pick, Feature Article, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Small Caps, Stocks We Like.

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The popular Australian economic narrative includes the argument the consumer is weak, and we are heading towards a recession.

But Australia’s latest retail earnings results are painting a more nuanced picture. In other words, the household sector is under pressure, but the pressure is not falling evenly.

Spending on essentials remains resilient, value-conscious consumers are still buying when the offer is compelling, and well-run retailers are protecting profit through better gross margins, lower costs and tighter capital discipline.

At the same time, however, the more discretionary categories continue to show weak traffic and softer like-for-like sales. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Consumer discretionary, Economics, Editor's Pick, Manufacturing, Market commentary, Market Valuation.

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Supermarket giant Coles Group released its FY26 full-year earnings this week, delivering metrics that were modestly ahead of market expectations.

Despite persistent cost-of-living pressures facing Australian households, the company reported solid execution, robust supermarket growth, and strong efficiency measures.

Initial market excitement, however, is being tempered by an elevated capital expenditure outlook and a softer-than-expected early trading update for FY27.

Consequently, investors will weigh the solid historical performance against near-term cash-flow headwinds and competitive threats. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Consumer discretionary, Editor's Pick, Feature Article, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Popular.

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July and August 2026 have delivered a useful reminder that even the strongest investment narratives eventually collide with economics.

According to The Wall Street Journal, US momentum stocks suffered one of their worst stretches in decades. Bank of America noted July 2026 was one of the worst months for momentum trading in nearly forty years.

As artificial intelligence (AI)-related equities suffered their violent reversal, some of the market’s most popular semiconductor and memory names fell extraordinarily quickly. Continue…

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

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• POSTED IN Manufacturing, Market commentary, Technology & Telecommunications.

With Woolworths and Coles reporting their 2026 results, it’s easy to make their billions in revenue and profits political targets. But does translating their nominal Financial Year 2026 (FY26) results into the terms of an Australian household’s economics reinforce the criticisms levelled at them?

To help answer this question, I ran a bit of a thought experiment. Follow on below to find out more.

Together, Woolworths and Coles Supermarkets generated about $95.3 billion of sales in FY26. Against Australia’s latest official population estimate of 27.8 million, that equates to roughly $3,430 per Australian per year, or $66 a week. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Market commentary, Market Valuation.

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Since Labor’s 2026 federal budget changes were handed down, Australia’s property market – particularly suburbs across Sydney and Melbourne – has experienced sharp price corrections.

While property commentators spent early 2026 tracking a largely flat, sideways trend in capital city housing (hovering around the $1.81M to $1.83M median mark in Sydney), the post-budget landscape has delivered a rude shock.

For homeowners who, for years, sacrificed and scrimped to save a 10 to 20 per cent deposit and then purchased or refinanced during 2025 or early 2026, these price falls are no longer just abstract paper losses – they represent a devastating hit to their wealth and equity. Indeed, all they’ve saved has been wiped out in a matter of months. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Editor's Pick, Investing Education, Market commentary.

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• POSTED IN Economics, Editor's Pick, Investing Education, Market commentary.

I joined Kylie Morris on ABC Newcastle Mornings to discuss the impact of Labor’s changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax (CGT) on the housing market. We looked at why first home buyers may be finding it harder to enter the market, the effect of tighter lending rules, and how changes to self-managed superannuation borrowing could affect housing supply.

We also touched on ASIC’s record civil penalties over the past financial year and why it’s important that companies engaging in misconduct are held accountable.

Tune in from 35:50 on ABC Newcastle Mornings Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Radio.

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I joined Jess Maguire on ABC Statewide Drive to discuss the latest ANZ Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Survey, which shows confidence is gradually recovering after falling to its lowest level in 53 years, while remaining fragile amid high household debt, rising rents and ongoing cost-of-living pressures. We also discussed the successful ASX debut of FDC Consolidated, highlighting its strong growth, specialist construction and fit-out business, attractive forecast yield and why its listing may signal renewed investor appetite for high-quality IPOs.

Listen from 1:46:00 here: ABC Statewide Drive  Continue…

by David Buckland Posted in Economics, Insightful Insights, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Small Caps, Stocks We Like.

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Australia’s FY26 reporting season looked reasonably strong on the surface, with aggregate profits rising by around 11.6 per cent. But underneath the headline numbers, the recovery was much narrower – and investors were often more interested in what companies said about FY27 than the profits they had just reported.

I speak with Michael Thompson from Fear + Greed, about my 10 lessons from reporting season. We discuss why consumers are still spending but demanding value, expensive bank valuations, the limits of cost-cutting, opportunities in healthcare and why stock selection is becoming increasingly important. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Economics, Editor's Pick, Feature Article, Insightful Insights, Investing Education, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Podcast Channel, Popular.

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• POSTED IN Economics, Editor's Pick, Feature Article, Insightful Insights, Investing Education, Market commentary, Market Valuation, Podcast Channel, Popular.