Last week's trading was driven by a handful of key developments - renewed tension in the Middle East and the kickoff of US earnings season chief among them. Today, Max Lo Certo is joined by Bell Potter Lead Strategist Rob Crookston to break down the standout themes from results so far, unpack the disappointing showing from Tesla and Alphabet, and examine the broader economic data set to influence local trading in the weeks ahead.

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

• A review of last week on the market
• Factors shaping earnings season in the US
• Is this the end of Mag 7 dominance?
• Macro data to watch
• Bell Potter’s sector of the week

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.