News & Insights
Fed holds rates steady despite concerns over inflation
29 Oct 2026
The Federal Reserve voted Wednesday to keep benchmark interest rates on hold, opting to take a patient approach in its fight against inflation despite mounting evidence that price pressures are proving more nettlesome than policymakers…
Read moreASX to lift after Fed rates call
29 Oct 2026
Australian shares are set to tick higher after the US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady. S&P/ASX 200 futures were up 22 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8882 near 6am (AEDT). Fed chairman Kevin…
Read moreThe market’s lack of ambition is putting your super at risk
Private capital cannot contribute to the country’s growth mindset and economy like a Commonwealth Bank or Fortescue, which threatens everyday wealth. One of the big changes no one’s talking about is who is responsible for…
Investors scour the small-caps wreckage for bargains
Australian small-cap investors are licking their wounds after the Iran war, rising bond yields, and persistent inflation brutalised the market. But they are confident the bottom is approaching and say the time to buy is…
I’m not waiting for the ‘RBA pivot’ to dive back into the ASX
Every interest rate cycle produces its own consensus, and this one is no different. The cash rate is at its highest since 2011 and some of the major banks expect it to go higher, while…
Nasdaq slides 2% Friday to post worst week since June, pressured by AI sell-off and oil prices
Stocks slid on Friday as traders notched a mostly losing week amid a shift away from tech and artificial intelligence-related names as well as a rise in oil prices. The S&P 500 lost 1.09% and…
Tesla plans next-generation Roadster reveal after almost a decade of delays
Tesla is planning to show off its long-delayed next-generation Roadster on Thursday, almost a decade after Elon Musk’s company started taking deposits for the electric sports car. The event will be livestreamed from a SpaceX…
The small caps Prime Value is buying as interest rates peak
Richard Ivers is the portfolio manager of Prime Value Asset Management’s Emerging Opportunities Fund and the Microcap Fund. The Melbourne-based firm oversees around $3 billion in assets. Small industrials have faced a challenging environment which…
RBA sinks $11.3b into the red after second-biggest loss on record
The Reserve Bank of Australia is $11.3 billion in the red after posting its second-largest annual loss on record as rising bond yields smashed the value of its portfolio, with the cash-strapped central bank unlikely…
ASX to rise
Australian shares are set to rise, tracking gains on Wall Street overnight. ASX 200 futures were up 74 points or 0.8 per cent to 8826. Artificial intelligence stocks dragged the Nasdaq down 0.5 per cent,…
Dow rises more than 500 points as investors rotate away from AI trade
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose on Thursday as concerns around tech companies overspending on artificial intelligence led investors to rotate out of the trade and seek value elsewhere. Traders also digested U.S. data that…
PACIFIC COMPASS – Bonds Take the Lead: Honouring Our Triggers in Measured Steps [October 2026 Review]
MONTHLY ECONOMIC & INVESTMENT REVIEW: Executive Summary September 2026 was the month in which the bond market, rather than the share market, set the agenda. Two of the conditional triggers we set out in last…