Australian small caps had one of their strongest reporting seasons in years, finishing August comfortably ahead of large caps. Resources led the way, with gold the standout and small cap gold equities amplifying the move well beyond the commodity price. Acquirers were active at the small end too, with takeover bids landing at meaningful premiums to pre-bid share prices. Small caps continue to trade below their long-run average valuation, with stronger earnings growth expected than large caps. Watch Phillip Hudak, Co-Portfolio Manager of the Maple-Brown Abbott Australian Small Companies Fund, on the key themes from the August reporting season.

FY26 was a testing year for active small cap managers. Here's what actually drove it, and why the setup from here looks more interesting. William Hanna, Investment Analyst – Maple-Brown Abbott Australian Small Companies Fund, looks beneath the index: industrials down 4% while resources rose 30%, the unwind of the crowded tech and gold trades, and a gold universe that's drastically changed. He also explains why the small caps derate over the last 12 months is the kind of discomfort that has historically preceded stronger forward returns – and why the team isn't sitting around waiting on the RBA.

Our recent US trip took us across five cities, meeting management teams, industry experts and policymakers. The most valuable insights emerge from the pattern that forms when dozens of conversations begin pointing the same way. This trip surfaced five thematics, from an AI build-out that is really a story about power and connectivity to structural defence spending and a resilient US consumer. We explore what each means for finding Australian small companies on the right side of these shifts.

Materials has been the standout sector on the ASX, surging more than 45% on demand tied to the global AI build-out. But with commodity prices near multi-year highs and valuations rerating, has the rally run its course? In this episode of Livewire's Buy Hold Sell, Maple-Brown Abbott's Dougal Maple-Brown explains how the team anchors its view on a long-term price deck and names the one diversified miner he's backing for the year ahead.

The energy sector has been front and centre, caught between Middle East tensions and surging AI-driven demand – but which ASX names have real staying power? In the latest episode of Livewire's Buy Hold Sell, Dougal Maple-Brown joins Tom Stelzer to deliver his buy, hold and sell calls on Woodside, Paladin and Worley.

A portfolio is only as diversified as its least correlated assets. When equities and bonds moved together in 2022 – and again when tech stocks sold off and geopolitical tensions escalated in early 2026 – investors with a strategic allocation to global listed infrastructure were better placed than most. This white paper examines why infrastructure plays a structurally different role in a portfolio, and what the latest data tells us about the durability of that role across different market environments.

Phillip Hudak joins Livewire Markets to share his latest buy, a new AI exposed name on the watchlist, and a position he's just trimmed – plus why Australian small caps could be quietly setting up for a meaningful catch-up trade.

Listed infrastructure is entering a compelling phase. In this podcast with CIBC, Andrew Maple-Brown outlines why macro conditions, accelerating earnings growth and attractive valuations make a strong case for the sector right now, and how decarbonisation and digitalisation are driving a significant capital investment opportunity.

Australian small caps are under pressure, and that could be good news for investors. A volatile start to 2025 has seen the asset class fall ~13% from January highs, creating valuation gaps not seen in a decade. Portfolio manager Matt Griffin explains why the team sees this as an attractive entry point, and where they're finding opportunities across resources, energy transition and agriculture.