A new report from Global X has identified that Australian investors have used gold’s recent pullback as a buying opportunity. 

After record outflows from Australian gold-related exchange traded funds in June, local investors changed course in July. 

Gold has long been a safe-haven asset for Australian investors, which contributed to its boom over the course of 2025 and into 2026. 

According to the report, investors allocated a combined $334 million to gold bullion and gold miners ETFs during the month, making it the fourth-strongest month on record for the combined category.

Why has gold rallied?

According to Global X, the reversal suggests investors viewed the weakness as an opportunity rather than a reason to abandon gold. 

Gold climbed above US$4,600 an ounce this week, reaching a three-month high, while Bitcoin rallied towards US$77,000. Both moves accelerated after the US Treasury announced that it would at least double the maximum size of selected buyback operations for longer-dated government securities, from US$2 billion to at least US$4 billion per operation.

These operations allow the Treasury to repurchase older, less actively traded bonds, helping improve liquidity in the market. They are not the same as the US Federal Reserve printing money or launching quantitative easing, nor do they eliminate the government’s debt burden.

Gold can appeal in this environment because it is scarce, globally recognised and not issued by a government.

Not a unique situation 

This behaviour is not unique to precious metals. 

Australian investors have repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to invest during market weakness when they believe the long-term case remains intact. 

A similar pattern emerged in Australian technology stocks between October 2025 and April 2026, when concerns about artificial intelligence disruption contributed to a decline of more than 40%. Investors continued adding exposure through the drawdown.

That same “buy-the-dip” mentality now appears to be extending to gold.

How to invest in gold?

For investors looking to add exposure to gold in their portfolio’s, there are several options. 

One strategy is to target specific gold miners. 

Some popular options include: 

• Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) – One of the largest gold mining companies in the world. 
• Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) – Large mining company with projects in Australia and the United States.

Another option is to target ASX ETFs that track the price of physical gold. 

One such fund is the Global X Physical Gold (ASX: GOLD) fund. 

It aims to deliver a return mirroring the growth in the Australian dollar gold price. 

Another option that targets miners rather than the physical gold price is the BetaShares Global Gold Miners ETF – Currency Hedged (ASX: MNRS). 

It targets the largest global gold mining companies (ex-Australia). 

The post Why gold stocks have regained their shine: Expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell 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 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 shares could face a tougher road ahead as record US government debt adds to concerns about a potential market correction. While nobody can predict exactly when the next crash will strike, history shows that sharp sell-offs are simply part of investing.

The good news? Investors don’t need to predict the next downturn to prepare for it. Rather than trying to time the market, investors can take a proactive approach by stress-testing their portfolios and asking whether they’re ready for a serious sell-off.

Here are five questions worth asking now.

Could you survive a 30% downturn?

Market crashes are part of investing. They may feel rare when markets are rising, but sharp sell-offs happen with surprising regularity. Investors only need to look back to 2020 for a reminder: the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) plunged around 30% between January and March as the COVID-19 pandemic sent markets into a tailspin.

The next crash could look completely different, and nobody knows when it will arrive. But investors in ASX shares don’t need to predict the next downturn to prepare for it.

Imagine opening your portfolio tomorrow and discovering it has fallen 30%. Would you panic and sell? Or would you be comfortable holding through the volatility?

Now take it a step further. What would a 50% decline mean for your portfolio? These aren’t just theoretical questions. A major market sell-off can be brutal, and investors who aren’t prepared emotionally may make costly decisions at exactly the wrong time.

If a 30% or 50% decline would force you to sell ASX shares, it may be worth reconsidering your portfolio’s risk level before a crash happens.

Is your portfolio too concentrated?

Diversification can be one of an investor’s best defences against company-specific and industry-specific shocks.

Ask yourself: how much of your portfolio is tied to a handful of blue chips like BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) or Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), sectors or themes? Owning several ASX shares doesn’t necessarily mean you’re diversified if they’re all exposed to the same economic forces.

A portfolio spread across different companies, industries and asset classes may be better positioned to withstand a downturn.

Do you have an emergency cash buffer?

A market crash is particularly painful if you need to sell shares to pay unexpected bills. That’s why an emergency fund can be just as important as the investments themselves.

Having cash set aside for essential expenses could give investors the flexibility to leave their portfolios alone when markets are falling.

Will you be ready to buy ASX shares?

A crash isn’t only a threat. It can also create opportunities. Quality businesses can become significantly cheaper when fear takes over.

But investors need capital available to take advantage of those opportunities. If every dollar is already invested or tied up elsewhere, it becomes much harder to act when attractive ASX shares go on sale.

Are you prepared now?

Nobody knows when the next market crash will arrive — or how severe it will be.

That’s precisely why preparation matters. Investors who know their risk tolerance, maintain sensible diversification, keep an emergency cash buffer and have a plan for deploying capital may be better equipped to withstand the next downturn.

The goal isn’t to predict the crash. It’s to make sure you’re ready when it comes.

The post Could ASX shares crash? 5 questions every investor should ask now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther has positions in BHP Group. 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.

Data centre companies have been in demand on the ASX over the past year, but not all of them are created equal.

I’ve selected two broker reports published in the past week which profile companies the brokers think will perform well following their recent results announcements.

Let’s see who they like.

Nextdc Ltd (ASX: NXT)

This data centre operator reported net revenue of $405 million for FY26, up 16%, with net profit improving from a $60.5 million loss to an $82.1 million profit.

The company spent $3.39 billion on capital expenditure in FY26, and expects to follow that with $2.7-$3 billion in spending this year, “reflecting additional land acquisitions and accelerated delivery of contracted capacity”.

Nextdc Chief Executive Officer Craig Scroggie said of the results:

FY26 was the largest contracting year in Nextdc’s history. Contracted utilisation tripled to 740.1MW on a pro forma basis, and we exceeded guidance on both net revenue and Underlying EBITDA. Our Forward Order Book of 565MW is now more than 3.2 times our billing utilisation, and our focus is on delivering that capacity and converting it into revenue and cash inflow. Since August 2025 we have also raised $9.75 billion of new capital, taking pro forma liquidity from $5.5 billion to $8.7 billion and providing significant capital to deliver the contracted capacity and grow our development pipeline.

Nextdc is expecting to grow its net revenue by 52%-58% this year and underlying EBITDA by 55%-65%.

UBS said the profit result was better than expectations, and they expected large consensus upgrades to earnings across FY27-FY29.

UBS has a price target on Nextdc of $22.55, well above the current share price of $13.99.

Macquarie Technology Ltd (ASX: MAQ)

This data centre operator reported its twelfth straight year of EBITDA growth, posting FY26 earnings of $115.9 million, up 2%.

During the year the Federal Government also invested $200 million into Macquarie Technology, ”via the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) – a sovereign investment fund to support nationally significant technological innovation, digital infrastructure, defence and national security”.

After the end of the financial year the company also completed the acquisition of a 34,200sqm site in Macquarie Park, which underpins a proposed 200MW Macquarie Engineering & Technology Campus.

On the outlook for the current year the company is expecting modest growth in EBITDA.

Broker Macquarie said the FY26 result was largely in line with expectations, while the outlook was slightly softer than expected.

Macquarie has a price target of $87.80 on Macquarie Technology shares, compared to $57.27 currently.

The post 2 ASX data centre stocks rated a buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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