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Hugh Dive

Bank reporting season scorecard November 2025

The Big Four banks shrugged off doomsayers with their recent results, posting low loan losses, solid margins, and rising dividends. It underscores their resilience, but lofty valuations mean it’s time to be selective. 

Why 'boring' Big Four banks remain attractive

Despite a brief correction last month, Australian bank share prices have continued their impressive run. Recent results show the banks remain in good shape though some are faring better than others. 

The naysayers may be wrong again on the Big Four banks

While much of the investment industry recommends selling the banks, many were saying the same thing 12 months ago. The reporting season shows why bank shareholders should be rewarded for ignoring the current market noise.

Key themes from reporting season, and what's next

Earnings season displayed green shoots in consumer spending, signs of China's economic malaise, and higher interest rates having a very different impact across companies. Here are the winners and losers.

Are Australian banks headed for a fall?

Australian bank stocks have had a stellar 12 months, prompting many investors to suggest now would be a good time to sell them. Yet the Big Four remain in a strong position that suggests a more nuanced outlook is needed.

Who gets the gold stars this bank reporting season?

The recent bank reporting season saw all the major banks report solid results, large share buybacks, and very low bad debts. Here's a look at the main themes from the results, and the winners and losers.

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Interviews

AFIC on the speculative ASX boom, opportunities, and LIC discounts

In an interview with Firstlinks, CEO Mark Freeman discusses how speculative ASX stocks have crushed blue chips this year, companies he likes now, and why he’s confident AFIC’s NTA discount will close.

Investment strategies

Solving the Australian equities conundrum

The ASX's performance this year has again highlighted a persistent riddle facing investors – how to approach an index reliant on a few sectors and handful of stocks. Here are some ideas on how to build a durable portfolio.

Retirement

Regulators warn super funds to lift retirement focus

Despite three years under the retirement income covenant, regulators warn a growing gap between leading and lagging super funds, driven by poor member insights and patchy outcomes measurement.

Shares

Australian equities: a tale of two markets

The ASX seems a market split in two: between the haves and have nots; or those with growth and momentum and those without. In this environment, opportunity favours those willing to look beyond the obvious.

Investment strategies

Dotcom on steroids Part II

OpenAI’s business model isn't sustainable in the long run. If markets catch on, the company could face higher borrowing costs, or worse, and that would have major spillover effects.

Investment strategies

AI’s debt binge draws European telco parallels

‘Hyperscalers’ including Google, Meta and Microsoft are fuelling an unprecedented surge in equity and debt issuance to bankroll massive AI-driven capital expenditure. History shows this isn't without risk.

Investment strategies

Leveraged single stock ETFs don't work as advertised

Leveraged ETFs seek to deliver some multiple of an underlying index or reference asset’s return over a day. Yet, they aren’t even delivering the target return on an average day as they’re meant to do.

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