Heartland Group Holdings (ASX:HGH) has signed a NZ$620m merger deal with TSB Bank, creating New Zealand’s seventh-largest bank with NZ$15b in assets.
Bank Stocks
The proposed CGT reforms have triggered one of the most consequential shifts in Australia’s investment landscape in decades, especially when it comes to investing in the big four banks. Commonwealth Bank’s (ASX: CBA) near‑9% plunge yesterday, while triggered by a softer‑than‑expected March quarter update was also because of a market suddenly recalibrating the lending outlook.…
Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) posted 3Q26 cash NPAT of $2.7bn alongside a $200m collective provision top-up signalling rising macro caution.
Macquarie’s result for FY26 landed with the kind of force that tends to dominate headlines. A 30% jump in net profit to $A4.8bn, a record second half, and a return on equity rising to 14% created an understandable sense of momentum.
Yet the real story sits beneath the headline numbers. FY26 was a year shaped by…
Westpac Surges 3.5% as RBA Pause Lifts Big Four Banks
Westpac (ASX:WBC) jumped 3.48% to A$38.94 on Wednesday, wiping out Tuesday's results-day selloff in a single session. The move was not just about Westpac. The whole Big Four rallied, with Commonwealth Bank, ANZ and NAB all climbing between 2.77% and 3.12% on the same day.…
If you invest in the Big Four Banks, it is likely that you are looking for two things: profit and dividends. That instinct is understandable, but it misses most of what actually matters. Banks are structurally unlike any other listed company. They borrow money at one rate and lend it at another, hold vast pools…
NAB Profit Falls 18% in H1 2026, But Underlying Up 6.4%
National Australia Bank (ASX:NAB) released its half-year 2026 results today, and the headline numbers looked rough. Statutory profit fell 18% to A$2.75 billion. The share price slipped 1.46% to A$39.25. And management announced plans to raise around A$1.8 billion in fresh capital. But the…
ANZ Shares Slip Despite Strong Profit Growth
ANZ Group Holdings (ASX:ANZ) just released one of its strongest half-year results in years, but the share price tells a different story. Cash profit jumped 70% to A$3.78 billion, the dividend was held at 83 cents, and franking was boosted to 75%. Yet shares fell 2.84% on Friday…
CPI hit 4.6%. But the trimmed mean held at 3.3%
Australia's headline inflation jumped to 4.6% in the year to March 2026, the highest level since September 2023. The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the data this morning, showing inflation accelerated sharply from February's 3.7% reading. On a quarterly basis, annual CPI accelerated to 4.1%…
RBA May Hike Again if CPI Runs Hot
The Australian Bureau of Statistics releases the March quarter inflation number at 11:30 am today, and it decides whether the Reserve Bank hikes the cash rate from 4.10% to 4.35% on 5 May. All four big four banks (CBA, NAB, Westpac and ANZ) are now forecasting a…
