Buy Hold Sell, by Livewire Markets

We’ve crunched the numbers from Livewire Markets and Market Index to uncover the most-searched ASX stocks over the past 12 months, and now it’s time to put them under the microscope. As you'd expect, big-name favourites lead the pack. But behind the ticker symbols are stories full of surprises, challenges, and potential - and that’s where the real insight begins. Joining guest host Grady Wulff are...

FY25 has been anything but dull. From sharp market pullbacks and the ripple effects of global trade tensions, to geopolitical flare-ups and wild swings in commodity prices - there’s been no shortage of drama. Yet, despite the volatility, markets have remained surprisingly resilient, with the ASX 200 now flirting with all-time highs. So, what have investors learned? What caught them off guard? And...

The end of the financial year is more than just tax time. It's a time to reflect on your portfolio, sort the winners from the duds, and make some informed decisions about how to position for the next 6-12 months. Invariably, there will be some stocks in your portfolio that have crushed it, and some that you wish you'd never bothered with. Against that backdrop, we’re taking a look at some of the b...

While the top end of town tends to steal the spotlight, real innovation often happens in the small and mid-cap space. From nimble fintech redefining how we bank to next-gen healthcare firms disrupting traditional delivery models to tech-savvy logistics players streamlining operations, there’s a new wave of challengers taking on the incumbents. These companies may not yet be household names but man...

It’s easy to forget that many of today’s ASX blue chips – household names like CSL, REA Group and WiseTech – started life as small-cap stocks. While they may have flown under the radar at the time, patient investors who could spot their potential early on have been handsomely rewarded. In this episode, we’re diving into the world of small caps, where volatility runs high, but the rewards can be ev...

Equity investors, quite rightly, are looking beyond large caps for opportunity. There's only so much Commonwealth Bank and Magnificent 7 you can have in a portfolio before things start to look top-heavy.  But moving down the market cap spectrum does not have to equal higher risk - not if you know where to look.  Whilst small-cap names are often under-researched and overlooked, this can create oppo...

With Livewire’s inaugural Growth Series in full swing, special guest host - CommSec's Tom Piotrowski - is back in the chair for another round of Buy, Hold, Sell. This time he's asking the big questions, including what the key risks are for ASX growth companies today, and how professionals manage downside when the inevitable arrives.  Answering those questions are Ellerston’s James Barker and Ausbi...

With Livewire’s inaugural Growth Series kicking off next week, we’re bringing you a special series of Buy Hold Sell focused on growth stocks. Against the backdrop of an incredibly volatile macro picture, punctuated by Trump’s flip-flop on tariffs, we explore how growth investing is being reshaped in real time. Known for punching above our weight on many fronts, we also uncover the sectors and indu...

There are myriad benefits for companies with powerful earnings potential. So, which ASX companies have such earnings potential, and are they currently priced correctly? To answer those questions, Livewire's Anna Dadic is joined by Will Granger from Airlie Funds Management and Marc Whittaker from IML. In this episode, they analyse three ASX companies exhibiting strong earnings that are set to grow...

When you're looking to buy something, one of the first things you ask is: what's the quality like?  No one wants something that’ll fall apart or blow up in their face. One of the big bugbears is reliability - most people want something that’s built to last when they’re putting their money into it. Same goes for stocks. The word quality gets bandied around a lot, and while there’s a broadly accepte...

When markets take a dive like they did recently, the use of the word "quality" increases dramatically.  Suddenly, everyone is hunting quality stocks that can withstand whatever is being thrown at them by the economy and by the market.  But what exactly is quality? Well, it has many faces, but companies with strong financial metrics, like high return on equity and strong competitive advantages, are...

The RBA meets next month, with the decision due on 20 May. Regardless of what happens with the election and despite this week's slightly hotter-than-expected inflation print, a rate cut is "locked in" according to Westpac. Many in the market agree.  And whilst some believe it is the last cut we could get for a while, the market is pricing in up to three more cuts for the rest of the year.  Should...

With inflation finally heading in the right direction and Trump’s trade war throwing global markets a curveball, investors are laser-focused on central banks, and the RBA is firmly in the spotlight.  A second rate cut is widely expected in May, with markets pricing in a 98% chance. So, how are the pros positioning their portfolios in a falling rate environment? To unpack this and more, Matthew Hau...

With one rate cut already in the books and another expected from the RBA in May, the landscape for Australian equities is shifting fast. Markets are now pricing in as many as three additional cuts over the next year, raising a critical question for investors: which ASX stocks stand to benefit - and which could struggle - as interest rates continue to fall? In this episode, Centennial Asset Managem...

The recent surge in gold prices has been described by some as a once-in-40-year gift for investors. It has been a perfect backdrop for the precious metal, driven by a weaker US dollar, escalating US-China trade tensions, and growing concerns about global economic stability. Gold equities have also participated in the rally, although not quite to the same extent as the underlying commodity. So, whe...

In the latest episode of Livewire’s Buy Hold Sell, host James Marlay is joined by two battle-hardened commodity experts to run the ruler over one of the most volatile and recently unloved sectors of the market: lithium and battery metals. After a meteoric rise in 2021 and 2022, lithium prices have taken a sharp turn, falling significantly over the past year. This pullback has left many investors q...

Recent weeks have delivered a fresh bout of volatility across global markets, driven by tariff tantrums, bending bond markets, and irritable investors. Nothing has been spared, not even commodities. Prices for iron ore have softened, copper has been smashed, and coal has continued to come under long-term pressure. But as seasoned investors know, periods of weakness can often uncover the most compe...

When markets turn rough, it’s often small and mid-cap stocks that wear the brunt of the pain. Take 2022, for example. While the ASX 200 slipped just 1%, the Small Ordinaries Index tumbled nearly 20%. But a falling share price doesn’t always mean a falling star - some of the greatest investment comebacks are buried beneath the rubble of a market correction. Consider Eagers Automotive, which plunged...

Of the top 20 largest and most successful US companies from the past quarter century, only three remain constituents today – Walmart, Exxon Mobil and JP Morgan Chase. Of the top 20 largest and most successful Australian companies from 2000, more than half remain as constituents, with banks and miners dominating. While our biggest companies have served us well, the lack of innovation and new entran...

Hunting for the next breakout small or mid-cap stock isn’t about chasing headlines or hype – it’s about backing gritty, cash-generating companies with rock-solid balance sheets and management teams bold enough to make smart decisions without constantly rattling the tin. In this episode of Buy Hold Sell, Livewire’s Vishal Teckchandani puts five high-potential ASX ex-20 stocks under the microscope w...

In investing, every basis point counts. Keeping costs low is one of the simplest ways to boost long-term returns, and some of the best-performing ETFs and LICs charge less than 0.10% in annual fees, proving that strong performance doesn’t always come with a high price tag. In this episode of Buy Hold Sell, we’re going bottom-fishing for the cheapest funds on the ASX. Joining us to break down the b...

Should investors start taking Bitcoin seriously, just as we should have taken tech stocks more seriously in the 2010s? Paul Tudor Jones, the billionaire hedge fund manager who famously called the ’87 crash, made  a bold bet  on Bitcoin in 2020. Since then, it’s surged over 1,200%. His reasoning? If beating inflation is a race, Bitcoin is the fastest horse. Yet, many investors remain sceptical. Unl...

A winning portfolio is like a championship team; star players in attack, rock-solid defense, and steady hands at the helm. In this episode of Buy Hold Sell, Livewire's Vishal Teckchandani calls on selectors Adam Dawes (Shaw and Partners) and Charlie Viola (Viola Private Wealth) to draft the ultimate lineup of listed investments. With nine ETFs and LICs - five chosen by Vishal plus two wildcards fr...

It's every investor's dream: get in at the right time on a great growth company and ride the wave to untold riches. It might sound like a pipedream, and it is indeed hard to do, but there have been plenty of examples over the past decade.  Globally, names like Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft and Google spring to mind, whilst locally names like ProMedicus and TechnologyOne fit the bill.  So, how does one...

The stock market is constantly evolving but, every decade, a few megatrends reshape entire industries - creating huge opportunities for investors who spot them early.  Today, AI is revolutionising everything from automation to chip design, with the global AI market projected to grow from US$207 billion in 2023 to over US$1.8 trillion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. Meanwhile, the clean...