A new global tariff regime, the world’s first $US5 trillion company, three rate cuts from the Reserve Bank of Australia and the S&P/ASX 200 topping a landmark 9000 points. 2025 has had its fair share of surprises for investors and set the stage for a potentially tumultuous 2026.
With that in mind, here are six charts to help investors make sense of where global markets are today and where they might head in the next 12 months.
The ASX’s comeback year?
The nation’s benchmark equity index is on track to end the year with a tepid 4.5 per cent return, its third single-digit annual return in a row.
That’s probably a disappointment to those choosing to invest closer to home rather than the popular US market, where investor exuberance surrounding artificial intelligence is set to propel the S&P 500 to its third consecutive year of double-digit growth.
Source: https://www.afr.com/markets/equity-markets/6-charts-asx-investors-need-to-see-before-2026-20251124-p5ni0y?collection=p5nk3w