What Australians have been buying and selling in 2026
6/4/202619 min
What did everyday Australian investors do when markets turned volatile in 2026? Using Betashares Direct data, Bryce and Ren unpack the ETFs, stocks and themes attracting the most capital. From buying the dip in quality companies to piling into leveraged ETFs, gold, critical minerals and defence, this episode reveals how retail investors navigated a year defined by geopolitical tensions, inflation concerns and market swings.
In this episode:
00:00 – What Betashares Direct data reveals about Australian investors
01:09 – The most bought ETFs in 2026 so far
03:04 – Top individual stocks and the rise of buying the dip
06:08 – Auto-investing, market volatility and investor behaviour
08:16 – Bulls vs bears: leveraged ETFs, gold and inverse funds
12:01 – Critical minerals become the hottest thematic
15:02 – Defence spending and geopolitical investing trends
18:14 – Key lessons from retail investor behaviour
ETFs and Stocks mentioned: Betashares Diversified All Growth ETF (ASX: DHHF), Betashares Australia 200 ETF (ASX: A200), Betashares Global Shares ETF (ASX: BGBL), BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ), Betashares Geared Global Equity Fund (ASX: GHHF), Betashares Geared Australian Equities ETF (ASX: GEAR), CSL (ASX: CSL), Woodside Energy (ASX: WDS), DroneShield (ASX: DRO), WiseTech Global (ASX: WTC), Pro Medicus (ASX: PME), Xero (ASX: XRO), Cochlear (ASX: COH), BetaShares Australian Equities Strong Bear ETF (ASX: BBOZ), BetaShares Energy Transition Metals ETF (ASX: XMET), Global X Copper Miners ETF (ASX: WIRE), BetaShares Global Uranium ETF (ASX: URNM), Lynas Rare Earths (ASX: LYC), BetaShares Global Defence ETF (ASX: ARMR)
Betashares Capital Ltd (ABN 78 139 566 868 AFSL 341181) is the issuer of the Betashares Funds, as well as Betashares Invest, the IDPS-like scheme available via Betashares Direct. Read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination, available at www.betashares.com.au, before making an investment decision. This information is general in nature and doesn’t take into account any person’s financial objectives, situation or needs. You should consider its appropriateness taking into account such factors and seek professional financial advice.
———
Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message
And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.
———
Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.
Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)
We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis Points
Listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)
Watch on YouTube
Read the monthly email
———
Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Research reports from Good Research
Track your portfolio with Sharesight
———
This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes only. Any advice is general advice and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs. If unsure, speak to a financial professional. The host of this podcast and their guests may have positions in the companies mentioned. Equity Mates Media is part of the Betashares Group but maintains editorial independence and operates under Australian Financial Services licence 540697.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsBryce Leske· Host0:00
This was bigger than people buying banks, it was bigger than crypto. It was on par with the entire allocation to just broad global equities.
Alec Renehan· Host0:07
Yeah.
Bryce Leske· Host0:07
So this was hot.
Alec Renehan· Host0:08
That is people with a long-term time horizon and an unconstrained investment menu saying, "Give me all the leverage."
Bryce Leske· Host0:15
Yeah. Equitimates. This episode is proudly brought to you by Betashares Direct, and given that we are part of the Betashares group, we have been given access to the buying and selling data on Betashares Direct so we can s- draw some insight into how we've been investing.
Alec Renehan· Host0:30
And they've given us, uh, high-level aggregate data, we should be very clear.
Bryce Leske· Host0:34
Yes, yes.
Alec Renehan· Host0:34
Uh, from the 1st of January to the 13th of May. So, uh, almost half a year worth of data, and it gives us an insight into how everyday Australians have been reacting to the flurry of noise- Mm ... that we've been hit with this year, from, uh, the war in Iran and Strait of Hormuz being closed, to, uh, inflation ticking up here at home, uh, and everything in between. It's been a volatile year for Australian investors, and we wanna unpack what's hot and what's not, or particularly what's hot, what's being, uh, being bought. And then we're gonna unpack some key themes that emerge from the data that have been really strong in the first half of the year, and we can chat about whether we think they will tail off or whether they'll continue for the second half of the year. Let's start with what has been most popular. I think that's a good place to start. Why don't you tell us, Bryce, what's hot?
Bryce Leske· Host1:26
So this is on value, by value. Number one is DHHF,