Stock Pick

  • It used to be for shopping and lipstick. Now, a Chinese app is a haven for tech workers to swap AI intel.

    Brandon Chen standing in a Berkeley workspace holding a copy of "The Startup Owner's Manual," with a whiteboard full of notes and work materials in the background.
    Brandon Chen stands in a Berkeley workspace holding a copy of "The Startup
    Owner's Manual."

    Brandon Chen

    • Rednote has evolved into a major AI discussion hub for Chinese tech workers globally.
    • The app, originally focused on beauty and shopping, now attracts tech founders and AI startups.
    • Tech founders use Rednote to promote their startups, demo products, and hire people.

    When the Chinese app Rednote launched in 2013, it was mainly used for shopping and cosmetics reviews. Now, it's one of the hottest hubs for Chinese tech workers in Silicon Valley to talk shop about AI.

    Rednote is also known as Xiaohongshu, which translates to "Little Red Book." For Chinese tech workers in the Bay Area working at companies like OpenAI and Meta, Rednote has become a sort of home away from home for shopping and food recommendations. And since the launch of ChatGPT, AI-related content on Rednote has exploded.

    Technology-related content on the app has more than doubled in the past year, and the number of tech-related creators has more than tripled, according to Rednote. Many users post video reviews or tutorials of AI models, just like people review their favorite beauty products.

    "Every time a new model is out, people on Xiaohongshu will share their reviews," said Tony Peng, founder of the Recode China AI newsletter. "If I want real user-generated feedback, I go to Xiaohongshu."

    Many American Gen Z users downloaded Rednote in January amid fears of a TikTok ban. More than half of the app's users were born after 1995, Rednote said.

    Tech founders told Business Insider that they have used Rednote to promote their startups, demo products, and hire people. Some of the most popular posts on Rednote focus on Big Tech companies or AI giants such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google DeepMind. Users may share their anxieties about the tech job market, ask for help, or discuss the compensation packages they've received.

    RedNote Xiaohongshu app
    Rednote, also known as Xiaohongshu, has become a popular forum to discuss AI.

    VCG/VCG via Getty Images

    Chinese founders promote their AI startups

    Brandon Chen, cofounder and CEO of the AI-powered chat app Intent, needed to apply for a visa last year to work in the US.

    To do this, he had to prepare hundreds of PDFs for his lawyer, and he decided to write an AI program to help organize them. He posted before-and-after screenshots of his project on Rednote. Soon, people messaged him asking if he would release it as an app so they could use it.

    "I thought it was amazing. I just randomly developed something for myself," Chen told Business Insider.

    He ended up releasing it as a product called Riffo.

    Chen said he used Rednote to promote his product and even to recruit workers in Japan. He posted on Rednote asking if any Japanese speakers could help with his social media expansion efforts, and within 15 minutes, someone reached out, Chen said.

    Qian Chen, a journalist and media entrepreneur who cofounded the tech media company Valley101, said she distributes her videos on channels including YouTube, WeChat, and Rednote. The videos she has produced on topics like Meta's recent AI layoffs, and the battle between ChatGPT and Google, have performed especially well on Rednote, she said.

    Founders find an audience

    Rednote helps startup founders foster communities, users say.

    Bill Zhu, founder and CEO of Pokee AI, which uses AI to build workflows, said he found a tight-knit community on Rednote to share his learnings, attract users for his products, connect with others, and ask for feedback. Rednote users are often drawn to posts about personal experiences, Zhu said. In Rednote posts, he has chronicled his fundraising efforts, including successes and setbacks.

    "You can actually connect with the founder," Zhu said. "It's someone you're actually talking to. You can reach out to this person building this awesome piece of tech that is able to solve these problems."

    During the back-to-school season in September, Rednote launched an "AI Guide" campaign, inviting 20 professors to join a discussion on the app.

    Rednote has gained more international users thanks to its AI translation feature, which enables users to translate posts from Chinese to English or other languages with a single click. And while most of the content that appears on Rednote is in Chinese, the app is increasingly featuring English content, including an AMA, or Ask Me Anything, event with Thomas Wolf, cofounder and chief science officer of Hugging Face.

    An atmosphere of "sincere sharing" has fueled a trend of AI-themed AMAs on Rednote, said San Bing, Rednote's senior director of tech community.

    The AMAs are popular because Rednote users are eager to learn about cutting-edge technology, said Peng, the founder of Recode China AI.

    "For AMAs, you can get firsthand answers to tell you, what is the next frontier?" Peng said.

    Thomas Wolf Hugging Face
    Thomas Wolf, chief science officer and cofounder of Hugging Face.

    Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images

    Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at rmchan@businessinsider.com, or Signal at rosal.13. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

    Read the original article on Business Insider

  • What to expect from the last Fed meeting of 2025 — and what a rate cut could mean for your wallet

    Fed chair jerome powell
    Chair Jerome Powell will announced the Fed's last interest rate decision of the year December 10.

    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    • The Federal Reserve will decide on a possible interest rate cut at its final 2025 meeting.
    • The government shutdown delayed economic data, making the central bank's decision more difficult.
    • A rate cut could lower borrowing costs for mortgages and credit cards, bringing relief to consumers.

    The Federal Reserve has one more decision in 2025 — and it will set the tone for where interest rates will go in the new year.

    On Wednesday, leaders at the central bank will decide whether to continue cutting rates or put a pause on loosening monetary policy. The call will have ripple effects across consumer prices, the job market, and Corporate America. CME FedWatch predicted the Fed had a roughly 90% chance of a quarter-point cut on Monday.

    But slicing rates isn't a sure thing. The final Federal Open Market Committee meeting of 2025 will follow the record-long government shutdown, which upended job stability for federal workers and disrupted data releases, including on unemployment and inflation. Even with the government open again, federal agencies like the Bureau of Labor Statistics continue to delay or have canceled their reports. It leaves the Fed's decision makers without a full picture of US economic health.

    "The risk to the labor market's still there, the risks to inflation are still there, neither of which are necessarily a cause for alarm right now," Elizabeth Renter, senior economist at NerdWallet, told Business Insider, but "the picture is cloudy."

    The Fed still has limited economic data

    Fed leaders are missing some key job and price data. Because BLS didn't collect new data during the shutdown, the agency can't publish the October consumer price index report or the October unemployment rate, and the November jobs report and inflation data won't be released in time for the December meeting.

    Renter said the murky economic picture may mean the Fed leans on last-minute data reports to make its decision. The job openings and labor turnover survey results and the employment cost index will be released on December 9 and December 10, respectively.

    The delayed September jobs report that came out on November 20 showed that the US added more jobs than expected that month, and unemployment increased amid an increase in labor force participation. Cory Stahle, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, told Business Insider that this doesn't mean the job market is reinvigorated or that the Fed's concerns over the labor market would immediately fade.

    "We're still off to one of the worst starts we've had since 2010 after you take out the pandemic," Stahle said. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in the last FOMC press conference that labor market conditions had "not changed much" between the Fed's September and October meetings.

    Claudia Sahm, the chief economist for New Century Advisors, expects the Fed to cut rates again, but wouldn't be surprised if members then decide to hold off for a while to see how the economy evolves. She also said there hasn't been much progress on cooling US inflation this year. After another cut to help with the job market, she expects a wait-and-see period before another rate cut, assuming there aren't drastic labor market changes.

    "I have a feeling that if all goes well in the economy, the Fed probably is not going to be doing a whole lot because they took steps right now to ensure against the worst outcomes," Sahm said. "Then it's just going to take time for the inflation to start moving back down."

    The Fed has kept monetary policy restrictive so far this year, holding rates steady until September. But not all Fed leaders agree. Minutes from recent meetings show that some FOMC members would prefer larger and more consistent interest rate cuts. It's possible that monetary strategy could change in 2026, as Powell's term ends in May. President Donald Trump — who has been a vocal advocate for rate cuts — is likely to nominate a new Fed chair in January.

    A pattern of cuts could trickle down to consumers

    A third consecutive cut would help make major purchases more affordable.

    Thirty-year fixed mortgages, two-year auto loans, and credit card rates tend to fluctuate alongside the federal funds rate. And, while inflation remains above the Fed's 2% goal, mortgage rates have largely cooled in recent months in anticipation of rate reductions.

    A quarter-point cut could mean lower returns on investment for savers using high-yield savings accounts or certificates of deposit, though it would become cheaper to pay off credit cards. Lower rates would also make home equity lines and small business loans more accessible to Americans.

    If there is a cut, Renter said it could be a positive sign for people applying to roles in the sluggish labor market: If job seekers "hear that the Fed is responding to an unfavorable labor market, that's going to feel good to them; they may feel like relief is on the horizon," she said.

    Sustained rate cuts would bolster the job market by making it easier for businesses to borrow and invest money. This would free up more funds for companies to hire and pay employees, which could lead to higher consumer spending — all factors needed for a healthy economy.

    Though Powell said the Fed will be careful to balance jobs goals with curbing inflation. A rate change is likely this week, but "not a foregone conclusion, far from it," he said. "Policy is not on a preset course."

    Read the original article on Business Insider

  • Anthropic researchers say the industry should stop building tons of AI agents — the real breakthrough is something simpler

    AI agent
    Anthropic researchers say the industry doesn't need more AI agents, but rather "skills" that equip agents with expertise and reusable workflows.

    iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI

    • Anthropic researchers say the industry doesn't need a flurry of agent-building.
    • Instead, "skills" can equip a general agent with domain expertise and reusable workflows.
    • Despite their intelligence, Barry Zhang said today's agents "lack expertise" and often miss context.

    The tech industry has spent the past year racing to build AI agents, but Anthropic researchers say a simpler idea can make AI more effective on the job.

    Barry Zhang and Mahesh Murag said at the AI Engineering Code Summit last month that the real breakthrough for agent workflow isn't more agents, but "agent skills."

    "We used to think agents in different domains will look very different," Zhang said in a clip of the talk published Monday. "The agent underneath is actually more universal than we thought."

    Instead of building new agents for every use case, companies should rely on a single general agent powered by a library of skills, Zhang said.

    Skills are "organized collections of files that package composable procedural knowledge for agents," Zhang said. They are simply folders that contain whatever an agent needs to complete a task consistently and efficiently.

    Despite their intelligence, Zhang said today's agents "lack expertise" and often miss important context in real-world use cases. Skills help fill in those gaps by giving agents domain knowledge and reusable workflows.

    Murag said Anthropic has already seen skills built by people in accounting, legal, recruiting, and other non-technical roles. In the five weeks since launch, users have created thousands of these skills, and large companies are starting to treat them like internal playbooks for AI, he added.

    Fortune 100 companies are using skills to "teach agents about their organizational best practices," Murag said.

    The rise of AI agents

    Tech leaders have described AI agents as a potential game-changer for office work. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in June that AI agents are already performing tasks that are normally done by junior-level employees.

    "You hear people that talk about their job now is to assign work to a bunch of agents, look at the quality, figure out how it fits together, give feedback, and it sounds a lot like how they work with a team of still relatively junior employees," Altman said of AI agents at the Snowflake Summit 2025.

    We'll "start to see agents that can help us discover new knowledge, or can figure out solutions to business problems that are kind of very non-trivial," Altman added.

    Microsoft's AI platform product lead Asha Sharma said in an episode of "Lenny's Podcast" in August that AI agents could flatten corporate hierarchies.

    "The whole kind of organizational construct might start to look different in a few years," he said. "You just don't need as many layers."

    But some people in the industry have said agents have been overhyped.

    Guido Appenzeller, a partner at a16z, said on a company podcast episode in May that some startups are simply adding a chat interface to a language model and calling it an agent so they can charge more.

    "A couple of startups are basically saying, 'Hey, we can price this software that we're building much, much higher because this is an agent,'" he said, adding that "there's a marketing angle to agents."

    Read the original article on Business Insider

  • The smartest ASX ETFs for investors in their 20s and 30s

    Five happy friends on their phones.

    Being in your 20s or 30s gives you something invaluable in investing: time.

    And when it comes to building wealth, time is the ultimate superpower. It allows small, regular investments to snowball into life-changing sums thanks to decades of compounding.

    That’s why younger investors don’t need to obsess over market timing or chase the latest hot stock.

    A smarter approach is to build a long-term portfolio that captures global growth, leans into powerful megatrends, and compounds quietly in the background.

    For Australians starting their wealth-building journey, the three ASX exchange traded funds (ETFs) named below could be worthy of consideration. Here’s what they offer investors:

    Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

    If you want long-term compounding, it is hard to go past the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF. This fund gives you exposure to the 100 largest non-financial stocks that are listed on the Nasdaq index.

    Many of these are shaping the future of technology, AI, cloud computing, and digital commerce. This includes giants such as Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG), and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). These are businesses with enormous global moats, strong cash generation, and long histories of outperformance.

    The Nasdaq has beaten most global markets over the past two decades, and while there will always be volatility, young investors can ride out the bumps and let time work its magic.

    Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

    While the US dominates global tech today, Asia is expected to be a major growth engine in the decades ahead. The Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF provides investors with exposure to some of the region’s most dynamic technology companies or tigers. This includes WeChat owner Tencent Holdings (SEHK: 700), Temu owner PDD Holdings (NASDAQ: PDD), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (NYSE: TSM), and search giant Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU).

    These companies operate in fast-expanding industries such as gaming, e-commerce, semiconductors, cloud services, and artificial intelligence. With Asia’s middle class booming and digital adoption rising rapidly, the long-term growth outlook is enormous.

    BetaShares S&P/ASX Australian Technology ETF (ASX: ATEC)

    A third ASX ETF to look at is the BetaShares S&P/ASX Australian Technology ETF. The Australian tech sector may be small compared to the US, but it contains several stocks that have grown into global leaders.

    This fund provides exposure to a basket of local innovators, including WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC), Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO), and Carsales.com Ltd (ASX: CAR). These businesses benefit from recurring revenue, strong customer retention, and global expansion opportunities.

    It was recently recommended by analysts at Betashares.

    The post The smartest ASX ETFs for investors in their 20s and 30s appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Betashares Capital Ltd – Asia Technology Tigers Etf right now?

    Before you buy Betashares Capital Ltd – Asia Technology Tigers Etf shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Betashares Capital Ltd – Asia Technology Tigers Etf wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See the 5 Stocks

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF, Betashares Capital – Asia Technology Tigers Etf, WiseTech Global, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Apple, Baidu, BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF, Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Tencent, WiseTech Global, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF, WiseTech Global, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Apple, CAR Group Ltd, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

    Winning woman smiles and holds big cup while losing woman looks unhappy with small cup

    It was a tough Tuesday for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares today. After a bouncy day, the ASX 200 ended up closing 0.45% lower, probably unassisted by the Reserve Bank of Australia’s December rate call this afternoon. That drop leaves the index back under 8,600 points at 8,585.9.

    This turbulent Tuesday for Australian investors follows an equally sour morning up on Wall Street that kickstarted the American trading week.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) dropped by a notable 0.45%.

    The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did a little better, but still fell 0.14%.

    But time to get back to ASX shares now with a look at how the various ASX sectors traversed this Tuesday’s ticky trading conditions.

    Winners and losers

    It was a complete redwash on the ASX boards today, with not one sector escaping with a rise.

    Leading these losses were again gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) suffered another bruising session, tumbling 1.51%.

    Tech stocks felt the pain too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) plunging 1.3% lower.

    There was nothing healthy about healthcare shares today. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) cratered by 0.99%.

    Energy stocks weren’t spared either, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)’s 0.93% dive.

    Communications shares had a rough time of it. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) tanked by 0.77% by the closing bell.

    Utilities stocks weren’t much better, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) dipping 0.72%.

    Mining shares also got no love. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) took a 0.64% hit this Tuesday.

    Industrial stocks came next, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)’s 0.51% slump.

    Following industrials, we had consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) sank 0.37% lower today.

    Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were close behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) getting a 0.29% downgrade.

    Consumer staples stocks were no safe haven. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) lost 0.21% of its value this session.

    Finally, financial shares fared relatively well, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)’s 0.07% slip.

    Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

    Shipbuilder Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB) was our top stock this Tuesday, albeit without much competition.

    Austal shares lifted 3.74% this session to close at $6.65 each. This gain came despite no obvious cause from Austal itself.

    Here’s how the other winners pulled up at the curb:

    ASX-listed company Share price Price change
    Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB) $6.65 3.74%
    Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) $2.82 3.30%
    Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) $1.75 3.25%
    DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) $1.95 2.91%
    Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL) $4.65 2.65%
    HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC) $3.58 2.58%
    Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG) $2.85 2.15%
    HomeCo Daily Needs REIT (ASX: HDN) $1.39 1.84%
    Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) $22.45 1.68%
    Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) $20.08 1.67%

    Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that shows which companies made big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

    The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Austal Limited right now?

    Before you buy Austal Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Austal Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See the 5 Stocks

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended DroneShield and HMC Capital. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended HMC Capital and HomeCo Daily Needs REIT. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • If you’d invested $1,000 in Nvidia 5 years ago, here’s how much you’d have today

    Woman with an amazed expression has her hands and arms out with a laptop in front of her.

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    Key Points

    • Nvidia’s stock is up by over 1,200% in the past five years.

    • Its revenue has increased by over 1,000% in the past five years.

    • The artificial intelligence infrastructure buildout should keep boosting Nvidia’s growth.

    If you invest long enough, you’ll eventually run into an “I wish I had invested in that earlier” situation. They are par for the course. For me, one such missed opportunity is Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), a stock I noticed but glossed over years ago.

    From where it traded five years ago, Nvidia’s stock is up by around 1,240%, meaning a $1,000 investment then would be worth around $13,400 today. 

    NVDA data by YCharts.

    An AI must-have

    There’s no doubt that Nvidia’s role in the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem — as the main supplier of high-end graphics processing units (GPUs) and other key data center hardware and software — has played a huge role in its recent success. In the past five years, its revenue has increased by more than 1,000% (to $57 billion in its last fiscal quarter), and it’s now the world’s most valuable public company.

    As the use of AI continues to grow and companies continue to invest in AI infrastructure, Nvidia will undoubtedly be one of the biggest beneficiaries. It won’t always have the level of dominance in the AI accelerator market that it does now, but it has solidified itself as a cornerstone of the industry.

    I wouldn’t expect it to repeat its stock performance of the last five years over the next five, but the signs still point to it being a good long-term play. 

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    The post If you’d invested $1,000 in Nvidia 5 years ago, here’s how much you’d have today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now?

    Before you buy Nvidia shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Nvidia wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See the 5 Stocks

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    More reading

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

  • 2 Australian dividend giants that belong in any portfolio

    A person holds their hands over three piggy banks, protecting and shielding their money and investments.

    Picking the right ASX shares to fit a portfolio can be a tricky business. I tend to think that the best stocks are the businesses that we can foresee being around in a hundred years’ time, and that have some kind of moat. This should ensure that investors continue to enjoy a decent return on their capital and grow wealth at a healthy clip. Today, let’s talk about two Australian dividend giants that I think fit this bill nicely.

    2 Australian dividend giants that any ASX investor can buy

    Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS)

    First up is Telstra, the telco we all know and may or may not love. Telstra has been the dominant telecommunications provider in Australia for as long as anyone can remember. Over the years, this dominance has shifted from telephony services to providing mobile and fixed-line internet, with Telstra almost universally acknowledged as possessing the best mobile network in the country. Given the importance of these connections to modern life, both in the personal and professional sense, Telstra’s dominance looks assured for the foreseeable future.

    This essential nature offers investors inherent defensiveness as well. Demand for internet and mobile services tends to be resistant to the booms and busts of the economic cycle, as well as inflation. That protects Telstra’s earnings base, and thus, the company’s dividends.

    Telstra has always been a dividend giant of the ASX, having funded fat payouts for decades. The telco has increased this dividend annually for the past four years, too. It doled out a total of 16 cents per share in 2021, but managed to pay a total of 19 cents per share in 2025. Today, Telstra offers a dividend yield of above 3.8%, which usually comes with full franking credits attached.

    Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

    Coles has only been on the ASX in its own right for a few years, having been spun out of Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) back in 2018. Since then, however, Coles has built out an impressive dividend track record. It has increased its annual payouts every single year since its ASX listing.

    2020 saw this dividend giant pay a total of 57.5 cents per share. That annual total rose to 69 cents per share this year.

    Like Telstra, Coles offers investors defensiveness in spades. After all, this is a consumer staples company that sells food and household essentials. Those are goods that we all need to buy consistently, regardless of what the economy or inflation is doing. Coles also owns the Liquorland bottle shop chain, which supplements that defensiveness.

    Today, Coles shares are trading on a fully franked dividend yield of just under 3.2%.

    The post 2 Australian dividend giants that belong in any portfolio appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Coles Group Limited right now?

    Before you buy Coles Group Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Coles Group Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See the 5 Stocks

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • 3 of the best Australian small cap shares to buy for 2026

    A woman stands at her desk looking a her phone with a panoramic view of the harbour bridge in the windows behind her with work colleagues in the background.

    The small side of the market has been a great place to be this year.

    Since the start of 2025, the S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries index has risen by a sizeable 17%.

    As a comparison, the widely followed All Ordinaries index is only up by 4.9% since the turn of the year.

    With that in mind, if you are wanting to gain exposure to the small side of the market, then it could be worth hearing what Bell Potter is saying about the three small cap ASX shares listed below.

    Here’s why it thinks they are among the best to buy for 2026:

    Integral Diagnostics Ltd (ASX: IDX)

    This diagnostic imaging company could be a top pick small cap investors according to Bell Potter.

    It likes the company due to its merger with Capitol Health, which has boosted its network to 151 clinics. It also sees opportunities to continue its growth through greenfield and brownfield investments, as well as mergers and acquisitions (M&A). It said:

    The merger between Integral Diagnostics and Capitol Health results in a diagnostic imaging (DI) company which operates 151 clinics throughout Australia. Its strongest presence will be within Victoria and Queensland (67 & 41 locations respectively) with minor penetration in the other States. The company offers a range of imaging modalities through its clinics with the largest contribution to revenue from CT (31%) followed by US (24%), MRI (13%) and X-Ray / Diagnostic Radiology (11%), and Nuclear Medicine PET (5%). The growth strategy has centred around a combination of greenfield & brownfield investments and M&A opportunities.

    Kinatico Ltd (ASX: KYP)

    Another small cap ASX share that Bell Potter is bullish on is know your people solutions provider Kinatico.

    It sees opportunities for the company to grow strongly through leveraging its large customer base. The broker explains:

    Kinatico is a leading provider of “know your people” solutions to organisations in Australia and New Zealand. The company operates two key businesses: its legacy CVCheck brand, which provides employment screening and verification services to over 10,000 repeat corporate customers and its new key focus, a SaaS-based business that delivers real-time workforce compliance management and monitoring. The core strategy is to leverage the large customer base of the legacy CVCheck business to provide a ready-made sales pipeline for its higher growth SaaS compliance solutions.

    Praemium Ltd (ASX: PPS)

    This investment platform provider is a third small cap ASX share that has been given the thumbs up from Bell Potter.

    It has been pleased with the company’s performance in recent times and feels that the market is not appreciating this. The broker highlights that at 20x forward earnings, its shares are significantly cheaper than its larger rivals. It said:

    While Praemium has demonstrated commercial momentum, strong growth capacity, and a leading technology offering, its valuation continues to lag key peers. This stock looks very attractive at a 12MF PE of ~20x, and we expect the market to catch on as the company executes on further market share gains and FUA growth.

    The post 3 of the best Australian small cap shares to buy for 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Integral Diagnostics right now?

    Before you buy Integral Diagnostics shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Integral Diagnostics wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See the 5 Stocks

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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    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 positions in and has recommended Praemium. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Integral Diagnostics. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Broker ratings on 6 ASX shares about to join the ASX 200

    Broker looking at the share price.

    In the next S&P Dow Jones Indices rebalance on 22 December, six companies will ascend into the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

    Three are gold mining stocks: Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM), Pantoro Gold Ltd (ASX: PNR), and Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX: RSG).

    Also entering the ASX 200 are Canadian uranium miner, Nexgen Energy (Canada) CDI (ASX: NXG), telco share Aussie Broadband Ltd (ASX: ABB), and nuclear technology developer, Silex Systems Ltd (ASX: SLX).

    Rebalances are important because they ensure our indices accurately rank Australia’s largest companies by market capitalisation.

    Joining the benchmark index is a major win for these companies.

    Not only does it give them a bit of prestige and greater standing in the minds of investors, but it also forces passive institutional investment.

    You see, many exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and managed funds track the performance of the ASX 200.

    So at each rebalance, the fundies have to buy the stocks that join the ASX 200 and sell those that leave so their ETFs function correctly.

    This often leads to extra trading activity around the ASX 200 rebalance date, which may affect a company’s share price.

    So, how have these about-to-be ASX 200 shares performed in 2025, and should you buy any of them?

    Let’s defer to the experts.

    Expert ratings on newly-crowned ASX 200 shares

    Ora Banda Mining shares

    The Ora Banda Mining share price has risen 83% in 2025 to $1.21 at the time of writing.

    Macquarie just upgraded its rating on Ora Banda shares from neutral to outperform with a 12-month price target of $1.50.

    The broker said:

    We still expect gold to trade at historically high levels in the near-term while also being held back by an upturn in global growth and a monetary policy easing cycle that falls short of market expectations.

    MA Financial has a hold rating on this soon-to-be ASX 200 gold share with a $1.22 target.

    Pantoro Gold shares

    The Pantoro Gold share price has risen 194% to $4.56 in the year to date (YTD).

    Tim McCormack from Canaccord Genuity has a buy rating on Pantoro Gold shares with a price target of $7.30.

    Morgans maintained a trim rating on the soon-to-be ASX 200 share after its 1Q FY26 update.

    The broker lowered its price target from $5.92 to $5.06, commenting:

    PNR delivered a softer-than-expected operating result for 1Q, even relative to our already conservative expectations despite record gold prices.

    A series of isolated operating issues and underground mine sequencing drove lower head-grade and thus lower ounce production and higher unit costs.

    PNR has reiterated its FY26 guidance.

    Resolute Mining shares

    The Resolute Mining share price has risen 159% to $1.06 per share on Tuesday.

    Macquarie gives Resolute Mining shares an outperform rating with a price target of $1.35.

    The broker said:

    Execution of the Syama expansion project remains key to our outlook for RSG in Mali.

    Delivery of the Doropo feasibility study and positive progress towards development is also key longer term.

    RSG continues to be exposed to geopolitical risk in Mali due to recent actions by the government.

    Canaccord Genuity also has a buy rating on this soon-to-be ASX 200 gold share with a 12-month target of $2.

    Nexgen Energy shares

    The Nexgen Energy share price has risen 30% in 2025 to $14.03 today.

    Shaw & Partners has a buy rating on this soon-to-be ASX 200 energy share with a price target of $17.70.

    Petra Capital is also optimistic with a buy rating and a target of $17.14.

    Bell Potter gives Nexgen shares a hold rating with a price target of $13.05.

    Aussie Broadband shares

    The Aussie Broadband share price has risen 43% in the YTD to $5.05 today.

    Macquarie recently downgraded Aussie Broadband shares to a neutral rating with a price target of $5.10.

    Jarden gives this soon-to-be ASX 200 telco share a buy rating with a target of $5.80.

    Canaccord Genuity is also positive on Aussie Broadband shares. It has a buy rating and a target of $6.85.

    Silex Systems shares

    The Silex Systems share price has risen 66% in 2025 to $8.47 today.

    My colleague, Leigh Gant, describes Silex Systems as “one of the most fascinating energy technology stories on the ASX“.

    Canaccord Genuity has a buy rating with a target of $9.42 on this soon-to-be ASX 200 industrials share.

    Shaw & Partners also has a buy rating with a 12-month price target of $11.20.

    The post Broker ratings on 6 ASX shares about to join the ASX 200 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Aussie Broadband Limited right now?

    Before you buy Aussie Broadband Limited shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Aussie Broadband Limited wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…

    See the 5 Stocks

    * Returns as of 18 November 2025

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    Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Aussie Broadband and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Aussie Broadband and Ma Financial Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Kalshi’s CEO compared his company’s ‘net positive’ rivalry with Polymarket to Tom Brady and Eli Manning

    Kalshi's CEO Tarek Mansour
    Kalshi's CEO said their rivalry with Polymarket encourages them to push products and marketing harder.

    Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images

    • Kalshi's CEO said rivalry with Polymarket drives both companies to push harder.
    • He likened the competition to famous sports rivalries, like Tom Brady and Eli Manning.
    • Kalshi recently announced major media partnerships and a $1 billion funding round.

    Kalshi's CEO says his company's rivalry with Polymarket has parallels to two sets of sporting legends.

    In an episode of the "20VC" podcast released on Monday, Tarek Mansour explained how prediction market rival Polymarket has encouraged his company to work harder.

    "What I'm learning over time is that an industry truly becomes an industry when there's a rivalry, because that rivalry will push you beyond the limits of what you thought you could get to," Mansour said.

    He compared the companies to National Football League quarterbacks Tom Brady and Eli Manning.

    "When Tom Brady kind of reflected on that back in the day, he's like, 'You know, we were like the most ferocious on the field, and we fought each other,'" Mansour said. "But then over time, he became grateful for that because he realized that without Manning being in there and vice versa, he would have never achieved what he achieved."

    "I think that's happening in prediction markets," he added.

    Kalshi, founded in 2018, lets users bet on the outcome of events such as elections, sports matches, and economic indicators. Last week, it announced partnerships with media giants CNN and CNBC, and said that it raised $1 billion at a valuation of $11 billion.

    Polymarket, its blockchain-enabled competitor, was founded in 2020 and offers similar services. It was last valued at $13.5 billion in November, per PitchBook.

    The popularity of prediction platforms has exploded since a legal victory for Kalshi in the US last fall. Now, users can bet on questions ranging from the popularity of Labubu dolls to Elon Musk's net worth.

    Last year, Mansour said in an interview that his employees asked social media influencers to promote memes about an FBI raid on the home of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan. On Monday's podcast, Mansour called the move a "mistake" and said he "made clear to the team: 'Don't ever do this again.'"

    Mansour also compared the two companies to soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and said that it was not a coincidence that the two "greatest" players exist in the same era.

    "Without Polymarket, we wouldn't have pushed our marketing and pushed our product as hard," he said. "That sort of infighting is going to push both of us to scale this industry and reach heights that we honestly wouldn't have been able to otherwise, which long-term is actually net positive for the customer."

    Polymarket did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment about Mansour's comparisons.

    Read the original article on Business Insider