The big four bank shares play a vital role in the Australian economy and hold a dominant market share of the ASX 200. 

In fact, they make up almost a quarter of Australia’s benchmark index in terms of market cap.

Because of this dominance, the performance of the big four bank shares heavily impacts many investors’ portfolios. 

This is true both through individual exposure and many ASX ETFs that include these banks. 

How have they performed in 2026?

Compared to the year prior, the big four bank shares have underperformed in 2026. 

At the time of writing, year to date: 

• Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares are up 5%
• National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) shares are down 6%
• ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) shares are down nearly 1%
• Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares have fallen 6%. 

There have been several headwinds contributing to this underperformance. 

Big four bank shares have generally underperformed in 2026 after entering the year on elevated valuations, leaving limited upside as investors questioned whether earnings growth could justify their premium prices. 

Interest rates, softer net interest margins and a rotation into cheaper sectors have also weighed on sentiment toward the major banks.

However, it is worth noting that there has been an upward trajectory in recent weeks, as murmurs of interest rate declines have improved sentiment.

What are experts saying about bank shares?

As we look towards the back half of 2026, there appears to be limited upside for big four bank shares. 

For Australia’s largest bank, Morgan Stanley recently maintained its sell rating on CBA shares with a $125 target. 

This target represents a 26% downside compared to current levels. 

Morgan Stanley also has a sell rating on NAB and Westpac shares. 

Its price targets of $34.50 and $31.50, respectively, indicate between 13% and 14% downside risk. 

Finally, in some good news, Citi reaffirmed its buy rating on ANZ shares recently with a price target of $39.25.

This indicates an upside of roughly 9% from current levels. 

Why this unique ASX ETF could be an option 

It’s important for investors to understand that broker targets aren’t guarantees, and analysts can be wrong. 

However, the current consensus suggests the major banks may offer limited capital growth after their strong run. 

For investors who still want exposure to the sector without relying heavily on any single bank, a diversified ASX ETF such as VanEck Australian Banks ETF (ASX: MVB) could be a smart investment. 

It includes a majority exposure to the big four banks in one simple trade, as well as three other large ASX financials shares. 

It may help investors diversify their exposure to the big four banks. 

The post What are experts tipping for the big four bank shares in the back half of 2026? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• How much passive income can I earn off a $50,000 portfolio?
• ANZ, NAB, Westpac and CBA shares: Brokers rate 2 a sell, and 2 a hold
• Here’s the earnings forecast out to 2027 for ANZ shares
• Are CBA shares still worth buying for the long term?
• How to build a successful ASX dividend portfolio

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell has positions in National Australia Bank. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

ASX dividend shares can be some of the best ways to unlock a good level of passive income. I want to highlight two businesses that have dividend yields above 6%.

I think some dividend yields can be too high if they’re not going to be sustainable payouts for the long-term. I don’t want to invest in things where the dividend payout is likely to decline in the coming years.

Of course, dividends are not guaranteed. But, some businesses are more likely to grow their payouts than others. Below are two I’m excited by.

Dexus Industria REIT (ASX: DXI)

This business is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests in industrial property across Australia. The industrial property sector has a low vacancy rate, which is a useful tailwind for rental growth, along with demand growth in areas like e-commerce adoption and data centres.

The ASX dividend share’s FY26 payout comes to 16.6 cents per security, representing a distribution payout ratio of 95.4%. I think it’s useful to see when a business is retaining some of its profit to invest in future opportunities.

The projected payout comes to a dividend yield of 6.8%. This business looks like a bargain to me because it’s trading at a 28% discount to the net tangible assets (NTA) of $3.39 as of 31 December 2025.

The fund manager of the REIT, Jason Weate, said with the HY26 result:

While the industrial sector has continued to normalise, underlying supply-demand fundamentals are solid. Vacancy remains low across core industrial markets, with high land and construction costs putting pressure on pipelines. In the medium to long term, the sector will continue to be supported by a growing population and limited available supply.

In my view, this bodes well for the ASX dividend share’s future payouts, particularly if the business can continue its solid mid-to-high single digit rental income growth.

MFF Capital Investments Ltd (ASX: MFF)

The other ASX share I want to highlight is this listed investment company (LIC), which aims to invest in high-quality international businesses with competitive advantages that enable them to grow earnings over the long term.

When a LIC generates strong investment returns over time, they can deliver pleasing and rising dividends for investors. MFF is invested in several of the best, strongest companies that enable the MFF portfolio as a whole to do well.

MFF has increased its regular annual dividend per share each year since FY18, so it has already given investors several years of consecutive dividend growth and it wants to continue that track record.

The business has increased its annual dividend per share by 4 cents in the last couple of financial years and I expect this trend to continue in FY27. That means its potential FY27 could be a grossed-up dividend yield of 6.9%, including franking credits, at the time of writing.

The post 2 ASX dividend shares with yields above 6% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• How much superannuation is needed to target a $100,000 annual passive income?
• Forget CBA shares! I’d rather buy these ASX dividend shares
• How to invest $5,000 for passive income in superannuation?
• How should I invest my money in FY27?
• How much is needed in superannuation to target a $70,000 annual passive income?

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Mff Capital Investments. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Mff Capital Investments. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

If you are hunting for ways to gain exposure to copper and gold outside the giants of BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM), then it could be worth considering the ASX stock in this article.

This is especially the case given how Bell Potter believes its shares could rise by over 200% between now and this time next year.

Which ASX copper and gold stock?

The stock that has caught the eye of Bell Potter is LinQ Minerals Ltd (ASX: LNQ).

It is a Perth based gold-copper exploration and development company whose primary asset is the Gilmore Gold-Copper Project. 

Bell Potter highlights that it hosts the full suite of Macquarie Arc intrusive related copper and gold systems and is prospective for a range of economic deposits including analogues to the nearby Northparkes, Cadia, and Cowal systems.

The broker was pleased with the ASX stock’s recent drilling results. It said:

These are strong first pass results from a maiden drill program that has delivered a 3 from 3 strike rate so far. The copper equivalent grades (and constituent gold and copper grades) are competitive with the Resource grades of large-scale copper-gold mines operating in Australia (Carrapateena, Northparkes and Cadia) and development projects such as Evolution Mining’s (EVN, Buy, TP $16.60/sh) Marsden. 

The testing of Monza is at an early stage and results from a further 5 holes from the maiden program are anticipated in the coming weeks. Further strong results could materially upgrade the prospectivity at Monza, see it prioritised by LNQ and gain recognition in the market.

Speculative buy with major upside potential

According to the note, in response to the drilling results, the broker has retained its speculative buy rating and 90 cents price target on the ASX copper and gold stock.

Based on its current share price of 28 cents, this implies potential upside of 220% for investors over the next 12 months.

To put that into context, a $2,000 investment would be worth $6,400 by this time next year if Bell Potter is on the money with its recommendation.

Commenting on its investment thesis, the broker said:

Our valuation is based on a blended EV per Resource ounce multiple and a risk adjusted notional mining scenario, both developed under conservative assumptions. We see the foundations of a competitive development project that is undervalued by the market. Current and planned drilling programs have the potential to highlight this and catalyse a re-rating. We retain our Speculative Buy recommendation.

The post Which ASX copper and gold stock could rocket 200%? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Up almost 50%, is it too late to buy BHP shares?
• What did the market look like 10 years ago? Here’s what’s changed for the ASX 200
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• How much superannuation do you need to earn $5,000 a month in passive income?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.