A choppy day for the local bourse, which saw the ASX 200 come home with a wet sail to finish up 0.01%. Healthcare led the gains thanks to the sector's biggest component stock, CSL, lifting 2.8% on strong results. Top stock of the day was Treasury Wine Estates, which reported a heavy drop in profits yesterday but signalled a strong recovery ahead, prompting a double upgrade from JP Morgan today - from underweight to overweight. Meanwhile, the REITs sector dipped 1.8%, driven by falls in GPT and C...
Feb 18, 2021•15 min•Season 2Ep. 32
After a mixed lead from Wall St the ASX briefly entered green territory this morning before profit taking pushed the market south. A long list of companies reported half-yearly results with Webjet and Corporate Travel Management outperforming, Domino's continuing to rise but it was EML Payments that really shot the lights out. BNPL (including Z1P) came off the boil, but the miners (gold miners excepted), energy and financials were the big gainers with Westpac closing up almost 5% on its quarterl...
Feb 17, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 30
A stellar day for the local bourse, with the ASX 200 closing up 0.7% to an 11-month high. Energy, materials and health led the gainers with tech, retailers and healthcare down. Big news out late this afternoon with three senior executives at Fortescue Metals resigning, including COO Greg Lilleyman, over a rumoured cost blowout in the Iron Bridge project in WA. With first-half results out on Thursday, don't expect the company to say anything before then. Our top three VODs today are: Three stocks...
Feb 16, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 30
The local bourse began the week strongly - up 0.9% - rebounding after an out of cycle decline on Friday with no deterioration in other markets. Miners, tech and energy were the big gainers with utilities and REITs the laggards. Aerial imaging company, Nearmap (NEA), leapt 19% after reporting positive half-year results and roundly slamming accusations of creative bookkeeping from US short seller, J Capital. Our top three VODs today are: Five reporting season picks with an ESG twist Nearmap CEO on...
Feb 15, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 29
After a lacklustre lead in from Wall St, the local market climbed briefly into positive territory before the announcement of a 5-day stage-4 lockdown in Melbourne spoiled the party. It was all down hill from there with the ASX 200 closing down 0.6%. Meanwhile, Bitcoin hit a new high of US$48,975 after US bank, BNY Mellon announced it would finance crypto-currencies. If you're at a loose end over the weekend, why not grab a cuppa and check out our picks of the week ? Our top three VODs today are:...
Feb 12, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 28
With Asian markets closed for the Lunar New Year holiday and a soft lead in from Wall St, the name of the game for the local market was consolidation of recent gains - the ASX 200 closing down 1%. On the reporting front, Newcrest Mining's first-half underlying profit of $533 million (up 134% year-on-year) was 18% above consensus but RBC Capital still hinted that investors may need to "tread carefully". Among others, AGL reported a net loss of $2.3 billion and Telstra a net profit of $1.1 billion...
Feb 11, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Markets bounced back after rare bout of weakness on Tuesday boosted by solid gains in the tech, utilities and REITs sectors. The ASX 200 closed up 0.52% at 6,856.90. The BNPL names were a standout, led by Zip Co, which surged another 12% to record highs despite no news being released. Despite reporting solid first half results. CBA shares came under pressure, making the broader financial sector one of the few laggards for the session. Our top three VODs are: CBA's Matt Comyn says the half year r...
Feb 10, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 26
After a strong start to February, profit taking set in on the local market today. Early gains evaporated as the session progressed. Losses were led by utilities and REITs, hit by a continued move higher in longer dated bond yields. The major index ended down 0.8%. Ahead of Commonwealth Bank's first-half report tomorrow, financials also gave back ground with the sector closing down 0.7%. Materials and energy were the relative outperformers, buoyed by higher commodity prices in the overnight sessi...
Feb 09, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Big day for cyclicals today with the major index up 0.6% to an 11-month high. Banks, energy miners, (BHP, RIO and FMG all up 2-3%) led the way. Tech also up 0.8%. Zip Co closed up more than 13% despite no company related news being released. Vocus was up a similar amount after a $3.4 billion takeover offer from Macquarie's infrastructure arm. Reporting season really kicks into gear tomorrow with nine companies reporting. Check out the list below. And don't forget, you only have two more days to ...
Feb 08, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 25
The ASX finished up with largest weekly gain this year, propelled by strong gains across most sectors. Materials and metals and mining were the only sectors to close down. The major index was up a healthy 1.1% today. News Corp closed up more than 12.8% after announcing its most profitable quarter in seven years, helped by increases in Foxtel's streaming subscribers. On today's episode of The Last Call, our guest include Steve Johnson from Forager Funds Management, Tim Baker from Deutsche bank, J...
Feb 05, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 24
A dour day on the market with the major index closing down 0.9%. With so much good news now priced in, and after three days of gains, it was just a bit too hard for the market to kick higher again. All sectors ended up in the red. AGL Energy was down 3.6% after announcing a $2.6 billion writedown due to the fall in power prices from sharper than expected uptake of rooftop solar as well as increased commercial wind and solar generation. Our top three VODs today are: ASIC's Yanco: We are "not over...
Feb 04, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 23
The local market added to Monday and Tuesday's gains to close up 0.9% today, with positivity abounding as we head into reporting season. Financials, real estate and CSL led the gainers as investors searched for value and RBA Governor Philip Lowe stated that he did not expect the official cash rate to rise for four years. Meanwhile, tech and materials were down today - dragged down by tightening of regulations in the UK and a slide in base metal prices respectively. Our top VODs today are: Why th...
Feb 03, 2021•15 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Renewed stimulus hopes and a surprise extension of QE sparked another strong rally in the local market with the ASX 200 closing up 1.49%, adding to the sharp turnaround seen at the start of the week. Technology-led the gains, mirroring what was seen on the NASDAQ and Wall St overnight, with Afterpay surging 7.91%. Most other sectors recorded gains of 1% including financials, as optimism grows around a continued strengthening in economic conditions. Healthcare was the laggard, in part due to a do...
Feb 02, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 21
The local bourse recovered from a morning dive into the red to close up 0.8% as news came out that short positions in GameStop had been substantially reduced and start-of-month flows kicked in. Also contributing was positive housing finance data, both for owner-occupiers and investors, pointing to an expansion of credit growth, which pushed financials up 0.9%. Healthcare and the miners also had a good day with industrials, utilities and tech finishing in the red. Our top three VODs today are: Mc...
Feb 01, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 20
What a week it was. Was it Wall St taking on Main St or vice versa? Was it market manipulation? Whatever you want to call it, US regulators will need to take a good hard look at the events of this week in order to maintain market integrity. The local market closed out the day down 0.6% to record its worst week since October. Financials and miners weighed while retail, healthcare and industrials finished in the green. Our Friday afternoon chat session, The Last Call , returned this afternoon with...
Jan 29, 2021•11 min•Season 2Ep. 19
The local bourse followed the sell off on Wall St to record its worst day in almost four months. The ASX 200 closed down 1.9%. In fact only one tenth of the Chi-X X2C 200 index finished in the green today. Is this the start of the anticipated correction that the market needs in order to go higher? Thanks to all of you who have completed our subscriber survey. We really appreciate you taking the time to give us your feedback. You've still got time to do the survey if you haven't already. And don'...
Jan 28, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 18
You may have noticed a few changes to the ausbiz lineup for 2021. We've welcomed new presenters on air; Annette Beacher who brings 30+ years of experience in economics and macro strategy, and Kara Ordway who's made the move to broadcast from a career in trading and risk. We've also launched two new shows; one for experienced traders (The Trade) and another for people still learning the ropes of investing (Equity Mates). These additions reflect our singular purpose - to provide ideas, conversatio...
Jan 27, 2021•11 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Predictably volumes were down today ahead of Tuesday's Australia Day holiday. Despite this, the ASX200 edged higher, up 0.26% reflecting a broadly positive session across Asia as financial markets weigh up the risks of ongoing bullishness. Financials made modest gains, while the materials sector was mixed although the big miners performed strongly. A sharp drop in oil prices hit energy stocks. On the currency front, the greenback paused its decline amid concerns over the COVID-19 variant in the ...
Jan 25, 2021•11 min•Season 2Ep. 16
After two days of 11-month highs, the ASX200 took a break today, closing down 0.43%. The iron ore miners and banks led the losers and Afterpay dropped 5.5% on profit taking after hitting a new high this week. REITs, consumer staples and discretionary, healthcare and communications finished in the green. Meanwhile, Bitcoin dropped 11% overnight after a report suggested that there was a critical flaw in the crypto's blockchain enabling the coins to be spent by a user more than once. Have a great w...
Jan 22, 2021•11 min•Season 2Ep. 15
The local bourse followed a robust lead in from Wall St, which saw the NASDAQ and S&P500 crack record highs thanks to an 18% pop in Netflix stock and excitement around the Biden presidency. The ASX200 closed up 0.8% with the tech, financials and miners the leaders. BNPL provider, Zip, surged 23% after releasing a quarterly update which revealed an 88% increase in revenue. Check out our interview with COO, Peter Gray. Our top three VODs today are: Born in Australia, killing it in America; Zip...
Jan 21, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 14
With all eyes on Washington for the inauguration of the 46th President at 4am tomorrow morning AEDT, incoming Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, joined the party with comments about even more stimulus being required to kickstart the US economy. This pushed US markets higher and gave us a strong lead in today with the ASX 200 closing up 0.4%. All sectors closed in the green except real estate and financials. Meanwhile, the world's second largest crypto-currency after Bitcoin, Ethereum, cracked a n...
Jan 20, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Broker upgrades, M&A activity and low volumes combined for a surprisingly strong Tuesday trading session. The major index closed up 1.19%. Goldman Sachs and UBS upgraded the banks, while Rio Tinto closed up 0.65% after a quarterly update. Meanwhile Asian markets were also up with the Hang Seng the outstanding performer thanks to optimism around US/China relations... Our top three VODs are: The GDP growth play; good for the banks and commodities Still a lot of momentum behind discretionary re...
Jan 19, 2021•12 min•Season 2Ep. 12
A sluggish start to the week with pressure on the banks and miners. Given they represent around half the market, they dragged the ASX down 0.8%. Medical imaging company Pro Medicus (PME) was up another 12% today after excitement around its US contract wins rolled on. Consumer discretionary, healthcare, tech and communications sectors were also up today. Meanwhile, market darling, Afterpay (APT), briefly cracked a $30 billion market cap today before retreating to close down 0.9%. Our top three VO...
Jan 18, 2021•10 min•Season 2Ep. 11
A flat day for the ASX 200, closing up 0.0015% with the Afterpay juggernaut the story of the day - closing up 10% after broker upgrades and today's stimulus announcement from Joe Biden. The hot IPO from US competitor Affirm also helped legitimise the BNPL concept in that market. Tech and materials were up while industrials, healthcare, financials and energy took a hit. Our top three VODs today are: Omkar's spoiled for choice Pro Medicus is a big deal after signing its biggest deal Watch this spa...
Jan 15, 2021•9 min•Season 2Ep. 10
After a shaky start, the ASX 200 index came home strongly to close up 0.4% on positivity around Joe Biden's planned announcement tonight on his economic stimulus package. It was tech's day with the sector up 4.7% and Afterpay up 9.1% after an upgrade by Morgan Stanley. Healthcare, industrials, financials and utilities were also up while energy and miners were down on falling commodity prices. Our top three VODs today are: China will be back but coal is still a short term play The unloved medical...
Jan 14, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 9
After a morning dip, the ASX 200 came home with a wet sail to close up 0.1% and break its three day losing streak. All in all a fairly uneventful day as the market looks for the next catalyst to break higher. With the US stimulus package already largely priced in, attention turns to the Fed and its take on the US recovery which will ultimately determine the path of further stimulus. Our top three VODs today are: The stocks that will help you ride the clean energy wave Cheque, mate: how to positi...
Jan 13, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 8
A choppy day for the ASX with the major index closing flat after being up 0.5% around midday. The banks led the gains (up around 1%) while tech, energy, healthcare and utilities were all down. The iron ore miners slipped again after the price of the red dirt dropped further overnight. Meanwhile, greater Brisbane is now out of lockdown with just one new case reported this morning... Our top three VODs are: Beware the biotech trap Take a huge leap into 2021 with these small caps Sezzle: We're putt...
Jan 12, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 7
It was all downhill for the local bourse today despite a record night on Wall St on Friday. The ASX 200 dipped below 6,700 mid afternoon to close at 6,697.2. Energy and utilities were the bright sparks while tech, gold, mining, healthcare and consumer staples weighed. A reality check for bitcoin traders, with the crypto dropping around 15% over the past 24 hours, at the time of writing, amid profit taking after hitting US $40,000 on Thursday. Our top three VODs today are: Two of the best for 202...
Jan 11, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 6
A solid week of gains for the Australian market; today's session closed on the day's high with the BNPL darlings leading the infotech sector higher. Utilities and property trusts came under some pressure, but it was the big miners that were the biggest drag after Thursday's stellar gains. That was a big first week #2021 - what else ya got? Enjoy your weekend. Our top three VODs are: Anthony Scaramucci: Trump has made the hardest job in the world ten times harder for Biden The miners have been ra...
Jan 08, 2021•11 min•Season 2Ep. 5
What a day! The ASX 200 closed up 1.6%, pushing aside concerns that Democrat-controlled US Senate and chaos in Washington would be a negative for equities. The benefits of stimulus clearly overrode fears about higher corporate taxes and tighter regulation. Energy and materials up over 4% and Rio Tinto climbed 9%. Healthcare, tech and REITs finished in the red. Catch our interview with former PM, Malcolm Turnbull , in which he says those who enabled Trump, such as the Murdoch media, should be hel...
Jan 07, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 4
