Buy Hold Sell, by Livewire Markets

There are two things you want out of a good income stock - a solid yield and the ability to grow that yield over time.  In this episode of Buy Hold Sell, Livewire's Chris Conway hosts Peter Gardner from Plato Asset Management and Sean Roger from Perpetual to run the ruler over five dividend stocks with better-than-market yields and expected dividend growth. We ran a screen that filtered companies with a market cap above $1 billion, offering a one-year forward yield of more than 4% (better than the market) and projected dividend growth based on consensus earnings forecasts. The screen threw up some interesting names across consumer discretionary, financial services and transport, but are these stocks worth adding to your watchlist, according to the pros? Find out here. 

The yield on the ASX has now been below 4% for quite some time, but that doesn't mean there's no income opportunities for Australian investors ready to do the work. In this episode of Buy Hold Sell, Livewire's Chris Conway hosts Peter Gardner from Plato Asset Management and Sean Roger from Perpetual to discuss whether we're in a structurally-lower income environment or whether it's just a lull. They also reveal the sectors where they're still finding reliable income and what they're avoiding right now. Finally they each share one ASX income stock idea the rest of the market might be missing for 2026. 

Strong dividends have always been one of the ASX's big calling cards, so it might surprise you to learn that Australian dividends actually shrank 6.7% to $63.5 billion in 2025, according to the Capital Group Global Equity Study. Now reporting season has thrown up some solid dividend results from Telstra, Woolworths, BHP and Evolution Mining to name a few, and our biggest income stocks - namely the banks and miners - are delivering strong returns. So will 2026 be a return to form for Aussie income stocks, and which are the companies that should be top of your radar? In this episode of Buy Hold Sell, Peter Gardner from Plato Asset Management and Sean Roger from Perpetual join Livewire's Chris Conway to give their ratings on some of the most-tipped income stocks for 2026 from our readers and share a pick of their own.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That might be the best way to sum up the February reporting season at the headline level. Of course, there is more nuance to it than that.  The top end of town - the banks and miners in particular - enjoyed solid results and, often, spectacular share price moves; Woolworths up 14%, anyone? Throw into the mix a record high for BHP and a resurgent Commonwealth Bank, as the strong got stronger - 'twas the best of times. At the other end of the spectrum, if you disappointed the market - even by a smidge in the case of a company like ZIP - you got hammered. This is not a new theme, given recent season history, but certainly a more pronounced one. 'Twas the worst of times.  If that wasn't enough to navigate, casting a pall over the entire season was the chaos agent that is change. More specifically, AI-disruption, which apparently is threatening most small and mid-cap business models, while the top 20 are somehow immune.  To help unpack one of the most colourful and important reporting seasons in the last decade, guest host, CommSec's James Gruber, was joined by David Lloyd from Ausbil Investment Management, and Dushko Bajic from First Sentier Investors.  They discuss the big themes, key takeouts and, of course, all the big stocks - from the winners to the losers, and everything in between. If you're an investor in ASX stocks, you cannot miss this episode of Buy Hold Sell.  This episode was recorded on Thursday, 26 February 2026.   

As part of our 2026 Outlook Series, we asked you for your picks of the top ETFs for the year ahead, and in a recent episode of Buy Hold Sell, we ran the ruler over five of the most-picked ETFs. But we like to keep our guests on their toes, which is why we're back with a bonus round of Buy Hold Sell to run through nine more of the ETFs that made the list.  Back in the BHS hot seats are Daniel Kelly of Viola Private Wealth and Adam Dawes of Shaw and Partners to give the quick fire calls on ETFs covering everything from gold miners to Asian tech. 2 guests. 9 ETFs. 4 minutes. Hear how they got on.  This episode was filmed on Wednesday, 11 February 2026.  

AI. It's all anyone is talking about, and whether you love it or loathe it, you're probably going to have to hear about it for a while yet (i.e. forever). But whether you choose to invest in it? That's another story.  Let's be real. Investors of all stripes - from retail punters to institutional shops with trillion-dollar balance sheets - have lost their minds over AI. Yes, there will be winners. But there will also be body bags. That’s how every tech revolution works. So what is the play? Do you ram as much AI into your portfolio as you can and back the builders of the future? Or do you position in themes tied to timeless human needs like eating, building and moving? In this episode, Daniel Kelly from Viola Private Wealth and Adam Dawes from Shaw and Partners run the ruler over three ETFs offering direct AI exposure and three designed to be resilient, whether the robots deliver or disappoint.   This episode was filmed on Wednesday, 11 February 2026.

With so much choice on the ASX for building an ETF portfolio, the challenge is in construction. How do you combine ETFs in a way that makes sense for where you are in your investing journey? And how should that mix evolve as your knowledge, confidence and capital grows? In this episode, Tom Stelzer is joined by Daniel Kelly of Viola Private Wealth and Adam Dawes of Shaw and Partners to build three ETF portfolios from the ground up: one for beginners, one for intermediate investors and one for those ready to step into more advanced territory. Starting with low-cost, broad-market exposure ETF options, our panel explores how investors can begin layering in more targeted sector and thematic exposures as their portfolios mature, before heading into sophisticated territory, unpacking geared strategies and listed alternatives, where risk, correlation and portfolio construction become even more critical.  This episode was filmed Wednesday 11th February 2026.

ETFs have become the building blocks of modern portfolios, offering instant diversification, liquidity and low-cost access to everything from global blue chips to niche thematics. But with a veritable supermarket of options now available on the ASX, choosing the right ETF is no easy task. In this episode, Livewire’s Tom Stelzer is joined by Daniel Kelly of Viola Private Wealth and Adam Dawes of Shaw and Partners to give us their verdicts on some of the ETFs most tipped by Livewire readers for 2026. We cover ETFs from global quality and cybersecurity, to Australian high yield, copper miners and the world’s largest listed companies. As always, each guest also brings one ETF idea of their own for the year ahead offering two very different ways to position for 2026 - one taking advantage of the beaten-down ASX tech sector and another set to benefit from a geopolitically charged environment.    This episode was filmed Wednesday 11th Febraury 2026

If you’ve ever watched a race, there’s usually someone trailing well behind the pack. The limelight belongs to the winners, of course, but there’s always a mix of second-hand embarrassment and sympathy for the poor sod trying and failing to catch up. Growth investing can feel much the same. Miss the starting gun, and you may have already missed the early and most powerful part of the rally.  In this episode, Anna Milne from Wilson Asset Management and Blake Henricks from Firetrail Investments explain how they identify early-stage growth opportunities and more importantly, how they distinguish early-stage businesses with long growth runways from those that are simply cheap.  A key insight they agree on is that successful early growth investing starts with a deep understanding of the business itself, built through direct engagement with the company, not just financial metrics.  They each share two under-the-radar growth stocks they rate as buys, along with the investment thesis behind them. This is an all-buys episode, so keep your watchlist handy. Please note this episode was filmed Wednesday 28th January, 2026.

To paraphrase Gordon Gecko, growth is good. But not all growth opportunities are created equal (just ask ASX tech investors right now), and after a year in which some growth stocks soared while others stalled, what's the outlook for growth this year, and how do you take advantage? To answer those questions and more, we welcomed Anna Milne from Wilson Asset Management and Blake Henricks of Firetrail Investments to cover off all things growth stocks. They reveal how they're handling the current market rotation, what they actually look for in growth-oriented companies and the thinking that goes into deciding when to sell. They also each share their top pick for an ASX growth stock in 2026. Please note this episode was filmed Wednesday 28th January, 2026.

Welcome back to a new year of Buy Hold Sell. At the end of last year, we asked you, our Livewire readers, to tell us what your most-tipped growth stock will be for 2026. It was our 10th year running the survey, with nearly 5,000 responses, and we crunched the numbers to see which names emerged as clear favourites. So for our first episode of the year, we asked our guests, Anna Milne from Wilson Asset Management and Blake Henricks of Firetrail Investments, to run the ruler over five of your most popular stocks from the results. We also asked our guests to bring the stocks they think should have made the list and you should most certainly add to your watchlist.  

Despite the noise, 2025 has quietly thrown up plenty of opportunities for investors. Anyone switched on enough to play the Resources rebound, the generational gold trade, the small cap surge or even the CBA rally (before things cooled off) has probably done pretty well for themselves this year.  While many investors sat on their hands over AI and bubble fears, or licked their wounds following the Liberation Day correction, others took the chance to act and reaped the benefits.  Fortune favours the bold, or at least those willing to think outside the box. So as we prepare for the clocks to tick over to 2026, what are the big opportunities out there for investors looking to outperform over the next 12 months?  As part of our 2026 Outlook Series, we asked nine leading fund managers to share the biggest investment opportunity they've identified for next year. 

Markets love a good story. And for most of 2025, it’s been the same story everywhere. A handful of mega-cap stocks have driven the majority of equity market returns in the US, and a similar pattern has been evident here in Australia, where blue-chip heavyweights have dominated the spotlight.   In both jurisdictions, hundreds of profitable companies have been ignored, and that’s how overlooked stocks are born. These are not broken businesses, just forgotten ones. Later in the year, investors started to move down the market-cap spectrum - particularly in Australia, where small-caps have caught a bid.  As leadership continues to broaden and fundamentals regain the spotlight, those ignored names can re-rate fast. With 2026 now underway, we asked 10 leading fund managers to look beyond the obvious and share the overlooked stock they believe could surprise on the upside. These interviews were filmed on Tuesday, 9 December 2025.  

Every year, markets have a habit of humbling consensus. Industries written off as “uninvestable” can quickly turn into the best-performing trades on the board, while last year’s darlings quietly fall out of favour. And 2025 was a textbook example. Few investors began the year expecting gold, defence, critical minerals or uranium to deliver such standout returns – yet all surged as shifting geopolitics, energy security and supply-chain realities reshaped capital flows. Even more surprising was hydrogen’s sudden resurgence, catapulting the long-maligned sector onto the global leaderboard after years in the wilderness. At the same time, traditionally reliable areas like ASX technology and healthcare struggled to gain traction, reminding investors just how quickly market narratives can flip. With 2026 now firmly in sight, the obvious question is: where will the next breakout come from? To find out, we asked 10 experts to look ahead and identify the sector or industry they believe is poised for a breakout year in 2026 – and, crucially, the stocks they think best capture that opportunity. These interviews were filmed on Tuesday, 9 December 2025.

For most investors, the biggest determinant of long-term outcomes isn’t finding the next multi-bagger – it’s avoiding the handful of stocks that permanently destroy capital.  The data is unambiguous. In his landmark study Do Stocks Outperform Treasury Bills?, Professor Hendrik Bessembinder found that just 4% of listed US stocks accounted for all net wealth creation above Treasury bills since 1926, while the majority failed to outperform cash at all.  For investors, that means the damage done by owning the wrong stocks can outweigh the benefit of trying to pick the next big winner. In other words, losses are concentrated, and so are mistakes. That asymmetry matters even more for sophisticated portfolios, where capital preservation and compounding matter as much as upside capture. Avoiding the wrong stocks can quietly do more for returns than chasing the right ones. With that in mind, we asked ten of Australia’s sharpest investment minds, spanning ASX and global equities, to nominate their stocks to avoid for 2026 and beyond. These interviews were filmed on Tuesday, 9 December 2025.

In a year as frantic and fluid as 2025, it can be hard to know what is a valuable learning experience and what is just noise. But it goes without saying that eventful times in markets will always throw up the opportunity for some new lessons and some old lessons best relearned.  As part of our 2026 Outlook Series, we asked 10 leading fund managers to share the key lesson they learnt in 2025 and how that's informing their approach going into 2026. From trimming winners too early to working out how to play the big market shifts, these lessons from 2025 should help you become a better investor in the year ahead. These interviews were filmed on 9 December 2025.

Jensen Huang founded Nvidia in 1993. For much of its life, it was a good company, not a great one. A specialist chipmaker, a few near-death moments, and long stretches where the stock went nowhere. Over the past decade, however, Nvidia has become the poster child for modern growth investing. What looks like an overnight success was, in reality, a 20-year build, powered by reinvestment, innovation, and patience. It is now one of the largest companies on the planet, and a reminder that the best growth stories often take far longer to reveal themselves than markets expect. That lesson extends well beyond a single stock. Over the past 15 years, growth has been the dominant equity style.  Since the post-GFC reset, global growth stocks have outperformed value by around four-and-a-half percentage points per year, when they really had no right in doing so. Growth was meant to fail. Instead, it adapted, overcoming inflation shocks, aggressive rate hikes, and repeated predictions of its demise.  The winners of this era were not blue-sky ideas, but businesses that could reinvest capital at scale, defend margins, and compound earnings through wildly different market regimes. The growth decade did not end with cheap money. It evolved. And if the past 15 years have taught us anything, it’s this: great growth stories are rarely obvious at the start. With that in mind, we asked nine of Australia’s sharpest investment minds, spanning ASX and global equities, to nominate their top growth pick for 2026. These interviews were filmed on Tuesday, 9 December 2025.  

Buy Hold Sell has wrapped up for 2025 and will be back in 2025. Keep your eyes out for some bonus episodes dropping in early January. Thanks for listening!

If 2025 showed investors anything, it’s that the best money wasn’t made by sitting still; it was made by catching the right waves. While broader markets delivered solid returns, the lion's share of profits went to investors willing to back the big themes: uranium, defence stocks, gold miners, Bitcoin, the Nasdaq, and Australian small caps. Get the wave right, and returns arrive fast. But as any surfer knows, timing matters. Not every wave kept rolling, and some themes lost momentum just as quickly as they emerged. So as we head into the New Year, the key question is which of these themes still have legs - and where is the next swell forming? To find out, we sat down with Michael Wayne from Medallion Financial Group and Adam Dawes from Shaw and Partners to unpack which 2025 themes can continue, and nominate their one hotspot for 2026 and how to play it. Note: This episode was recorded on Wednesday, 17 December 2025.

Looking back at 2023, 2024 and 2025, it’s hard not to think: wasn’t it easy to make money? As the table below shows, almost everything went up. With around 95% of asset classes delivering positive returns, avoiding losses wasn’t the challenge - owning enough of the winners was. But periods of easy money don’t last forever. Eventually, the macro backdrop shifts, leadership changes, and returns begin to diverge sharply across assets, as investors saw in years like 2018 and 2022. With that in mind, we invited two market pros - Michael Wayne from Medallion Financial Group and Adam Dawes from Shaw and Partners - to discuss where investors should be positioning, and where trimming exposure may make sense heading into the new year. Note: This episode was recorded on Wednesday, 17 December 2025.