Housing and defence stocks set to shine
We are bullish regarding the outlook for the Australian market, particularly small caps that are delivering above-market growth, despite a volatile and eventful period for global equity markets in the last six months.
Specifically, the Housing and Defence sectors are well-positioned to deliver outperformance over the next several years.
Where are the equity market exposures?
Housing - prices and approvals are set to rise.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has now cut interest rates twice since the peak in late 2023. The latest cut took place at the May meeting, where rates were cut by a further 0.25%, to 3.85%.
National auction clearance rates and house prices are on the rise.
Given annual headline inflation has how declined to within the RBA’s target range, we expect several further cash rate cuts over the next 12-18 months.
Government housing policy designed to boost supply and affordability is expected to deliver additional growth for companies exposed to the sector. Specifically, the construction & development sector (land release and construction), as well as household retailers (hardware, furniture, floor covering, and bedroom products), are expected to perform well. Construction plans for new and upgraded venues associated with the Brisbane 2032 Olympics are also expected to contribute economic growth in Queensland over the medium to long term.
Stock exposures
- Mirvac (MGR)
- Stockland (SGP)
- Australian Finance Group (AFG)
- Cedar Woods Property (CWP)
- Peet (PPC)
- Maas (MGH)
- Wagners (WGN)
Defence Industries - Expenditure increasing
We expect heightened geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region to deliver an increase in domestic defence spending over the medium to long term. Additional expenditure for the construction of critical infrastructure and security is set to benefit a number of companies with defence engineering and construction capabilities.
Stock exposures
- Downer EDI (DOW)
- Service Stream (SSM)
- Ventia Services (VNT)
- Veem (VEE)
- Austal (ASB)
- Codan (CDA)
- Electro Optic Systems (EOS)
- Droneshield (DRO)


5 topics
1 fund mentioned