Markets were mixed last week, with the US and Europe rising while Japan, emerging markets, and the ASX slipped. This week, Max Lo Certo speaks with Bell Potter's Lead Strategist Rob Crookston to examine the key forces shaping recent market movements and their implications for investors.

In this week’s video, Rob and Max cover:

· what drove markets last week

· the Fed’s hawkish pivot: should investors be worried?

· macro data to watch

· Bell Potter’s stock of the week.

This week's markets were shaped by a tug-of-war between Middle East tensions and Trump-led de-escalation, leaving US equities broadly flat but the ASX finishing the week stronger. Domestically, the picture was mixed - bank stocks came under further pressure from property tax concerns and weak housing data, while selective buying emerged in consumer discretionary and healthcare names. With the SpaceX IPO dominating global headlines and the RBA's next move looming, it was a week where the headlines moved faster than the index.

In this week's video, Will and Sophia cover:

• continuing Middle East tensions
• the over and underperforming sectors on the ASX last week
• private equity's acquisition of Steadfast and what it signals for AI disruption fears
• SpaceX's record-breaking IPO
• the outlook for next week’s pivotal RBA meeting.

The ASX saw a strong week this week, bouncing over 1% and outpacing global equities. Today, Sophia Mavridis sits down with Bell Financial Group’s CIO Will Riggall to unpack the macroeconomic factors that moved the markets recently, the surging materials sector and which stocks Bell Potter’s team are looking at in this space, and their thoughts on SpaceX’s upcoming blockbuster IPO.

In this week’s video, Sophia and Will cover:

• Inflation, oil, and earnings: the factors moving the market
• why the materials sector is outperforming the broader market
• Bell Potter’s stock picks in the materials sector
• the upcoming SpaceX IPO.