The market opened well and traded in a sea of green, but as the oil price rose and US futures fell (and no prime rate cut from China) the red started to creep back in across the screens. Tech led early gains as aggressive front-end rate hikes ironically drag down long-end yields, in turn boosting growth stocks. Block jumped 9%, and the info tech sector ended 2.5% higher. CSL dragged down the healthcare sector, while the entire gold complex closed lower. The wooden spoon went to De Grey Mining as...
Mar 21, 2022•12 min
Another day and another choppy trading session, continuing what was a largely upbeat, but volatile week. Today, resources and energy were on investors’ shopping list. Strange bedfellows Block, Imugene and Paladin were at the top of the ladder, closing at least 7% higher on the day, but the thematic was outperformance across miners and energy stocks. In contrast, Megaport sat at the bottom of the ladder all day, and closed down nearly 8%. Other laggards such as Star and Eagers Automotive were com...
Mar 18, 2022•9 min•Season 3Ep. 45
No nasty surprises from the Fed signalled a green light to buy up … the BNPL space apparently, led by giant leaps in Block and Zip. The top sectors were industrials followed by tech. There wasn't a discernible theme to the top ten stocks, aside from all boats floated on the global wave of St Patrick’s green. The laggards were peppered with recently-loved coal, gold and wheat. Graincorp slumped 2.8% and Gold Road was down 3.6%. The Aussie jobs report was the blockbuster we needed. Unemployment ra...
Mar 17, 2022•12 min•Season 3Ep. 44
Yet another step down in commodity prices didn’t deter our local bourse, as it opened higher and maintained decent gains throughout the day. Every sector added to the upbeat trading session, a green bar phenomenon not seen for a while. After a few brutal days, tech companies were back on the shopping list today. Block led the pack to close up nearly 8% with WiseTech and Xero not far behind. Travel names embraced lower oil prices and New Zealand welcoming Wallabies supporters from April 12. It wa...
Mar 16, 2022•13 min•Season 3Ep. 43
Commodities took another step down overnight, so the local market opened lower and stayed in a very tight trading range all session. Diplomacy talks were interpreted as a signal to sell resources and safe havens, and allow the Fed to hike even more this year, sending bond yields higher and tech stocks lower. Where did the growth money go? Well, financials performed well after some positive broker reports. Energy, gold and tech made up the majority of laggards. Uniti Group jumped 17% on reports o...
Mar 15, 2022•12 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Defying the dire weekend news from Ukraine, a sea of green greeted investors outside of the resources space. Financials opened higher and stayed there. CBA once again made its way above $100, while a 2.6% pop in CSL helped healthcare along. The ASX/200 top 10 were a disparate bunch, Pendal Group and Elders being strange bedfellows. However, Elders shot the lights out with its trading update, and earned its 11% rally. Uranium pump and dump saw Paladin plummet 7.5% and Nickel Mines still can't cat...
Mar 14, 2022•10 min•Season 3Ep. 41
A hawkish ECB, combined with soaring US inflation and failed diplomatic talks sent many investors straight to the exit today. The handful of stocks that closed in the green were skewed towards commodities, food and energy. Champion Iron and Allkem, both closed 4% higher. Meanwhile, food inflation provided a tailwind for Incitec Pivot fertiliser, so its share price crept back to levels last seen in late-2018. Growth stocks were left in the lurch, namely Zip, Appen and Xero. Magellan and Mesoblast...
Mar 11, 2022•12 min•Season 3Ep. 41
Chatter of expanding oil supply and diplomacy in the Russia-Ukraine conflict talks triggered a selloff in commodities across the board. Materials, gold and energy were the laggards in an otherwise buoyant local market. Tech climbed higher again, led by Block and Zip. The market embraced Sezzle’s job cuts, so it closed up nearly 9%. Uranium darling Paladin finished up 15% to take took out the top spot again. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Nickel Mines slumped 14%. So, another 1.1% rally in ...
Mar 10, 2022•13 min•Season 3Ep. 41
Local investors were flung into a soaring oil market this morning, after the US formally banned Russian oil imports. Energy and gold stocks provided stablisation again, while tech's four-day losing streak finally came to an end, with Block closing up 6%, and the tech sector leading the market higher. Materials underperformed, but only after a stellar run. The top of the S&P/ASX200 ladder was Mesoblast, followed by uranium darling Paladin, both closing double-digits higher. At the bottom of t...
Mar 09, 2022•13 min•Season 3Ep. 40
The local market fell alongside the rain today, with the ASX/S&P200 closed 58 points lower, or -0.8% The top of the ASX200 ladder was St Barbara, closing 9% higher. While the gold price nudged $2000oz, there were M&A whispers as well. At the bottom of a big heap was BlueScope, despite a broker upgrade, kept company by South32. Defying flat-yield-curve logic, financials closed higher. Healthcare closed to 2% as CSL rebounded over 3% after yesterday’s brief ex-dividend thump. Our top three...
Mar 08, 2022•9 min•Season 3Ep. 39
All roads led back to the commodities space today as Brent crude topped US$130 a barrel and never looked back. The crude surge took every other commodity along with it - from wheat to iron ore to nickel. Energy stocks were among the outperformers today. Woodside finished the session up more than 8.5% while Beach Energy knocked on the door of 6% gains at one point. Gold stocks also performed well as investors sought safe havens - Northern Star and Gold Road both finishing up 5%+. In contrast, ris...
Mar 07, 2022•11 min•Season 3Ep. 38
After a risk-defying four-day winning streak, the threat of a turbulent weekend scared investors into taking some cash off the table. Paladin saw the biggest loss, closing down more than 15%, as a fire at a Ukraine nuclear facility dampened appetite for uranium. The tech sector was heavy, closing down well over 1%. Commodity futures were upbeat for iron ore, nickel and coal, but this didn't translate to local equities. In contrast, defensive portfolios fled to gold - with the usual suspects Silv...
Mar 04, 2022•10 min•Season 3Ep. 37
The local market appears Teflon-coated, powering to a fifth consecutive gain on continued buying in materials and energy names. The S&P/ASX 200 lifted 0.5%, closing at 7151 points. Rumours China is seeking to secure key commodity supplies, along with speculation the government may soon abandon its zero COVID policies, saw commodity prices spiral higher yet again, led this time by iron ore and coal. Headlines suggesting China’s crackdown on property developers has come to an end only added to...
Mar 03, 2022•8 min•Season 3Ep. 37
The local market appears Teflon-coated, powering to a fifth consecutive gain on continued buying in materials and energy names. The S&P/ASX 200 lifted 0.5%, closing at 7151 points. Rumours China is seeking to secure key commodity supplies, along with speculation the government may soon abandon its zero COVID policies, saw commodity prices spiral higher yet again, led this time by iron ore and coal. Headlines suggesting China’s crackdown on property developers has come to an end only added to...
Mar 03, 2022•8 min•Season 3Ep. 37
An escalation of tensions sparked a weak opening, but the heavy skew of the local market towards energy and materials proved too tempting, given the strength in commodity prices. Iron ore heavy-weights BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue were standouts, while the energy complex jumped 4.9% as benchmark crude prices soared above $US111 per barrel. Core Lithium jumped 14% thanks to the clickbait that is Tesla. Despite a collapse in long bond yields, growth orientated sectors struggled. Tech was flat whil...
Mar 02, 2022•11 min•Season 3Ep. 36
The local share market continues to shake off fears of an escalating conflict in Ukraine and the policy dilemma it poses central banks in the face of rising inflation. The ASX200 finished the day up 0.7%, led by tech stocks, with the sector up by more than 5%. Russia's aggression in eastern Europe is occupying the mind of Reserve Bank Governor, Philip Lowe, who referred to the war in Ukraine as a major new source of uncertainty. Nonetheless, the RBA kept the key cash rate at 0.1% at its March bo...
Mar 01, 2022•11 min•Season 3Ep. 35
A surge in commodity prices across the spectrum and some end-of-month window dressing helped the local market to a remarkably positive finish, despite war in Ukraine and US futures tanking. BHP, Rio Tinto, gold and energy all pushed higher. Graincorp outperformed on expectations it could benefit as soft commodity prices rise, with Russia's invasion curbing supplies from Ukraine. Sandfire Resources sank nearly 5% as it slashed dividend guidance, while Invocare’s buoyant update saw its share price...
Feb 28, 2022•11 min•Season 3Ep. 34
A strong US finish gave local investors confidence to wander back into the market. Yesterday’s unloved tech was a buy, especially Block after a profit beat, closing 33% higher and resting comfortably at the top of the ASX200 ladder. Investors took profits on Aussie goldies, while rare earths, lithium etc caught a bid after stellar results from Lynas - boosting that share price by 8%. Reporting season updates saw investors embrace Adbri, but double-digit falls in BWX and Bravura stock prices refl...
Feb 25, 2022•8 min•Season 3Ep. 34
Market nerves turned into outright contagion after Russian President Putin attacked Ukraine mid-afternoon Sydney time. The S&P/ASX200 reacted and fell 215 points or -3%; the biggest one-day loss since September 2020. Gold stocks were the sole gainers, rising 4.3% after gold prices hit their highest level in over a year as investors flocked to safe-haven assets. Miners overall posted their worst intraday slump in five months. Despite oil rising, energy stocks retreated. Reporting season updat...
Feb 24, 2022•9 min•Season 3Ep. 32
Geopolitical nerves were soothed, so it was - apparently - time to buy the dip. As such, the S&P/ASX200 added 44 points or 0.6% to close in the green. Rio Tinto reported after the close, posting record full year earnings at US$21.1B up from US$9.8B last year. Shareholders will be rewarded with an eyewatering special dividend of US$2.47 per share on top of US$1.04 per share. Domino's got burnt after disappointing results sparked a near 14% sell-off. In contrast, Healius and Wistech were stand...
Feb 23, 2022•8 min•Season 3Ep. 32
Jitters over the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict saw risk snapped off the table. The broader index opened lower and stayed there until the end with the S&P/ASX slicing off 72 points or -1%, except for the energy sector which closed 1.8% higher. Outstanding company results were still rewarded. The best performers were Cochlear and Costa, closing up 8-9%. Hub24 added over 4% on as it forecast continued improved margins. Infotech was smashed, many companies reaching 52 week lows. Block hit a...
Feb 22, 2022•10 min•Season 3Ep. 31
Early risk-off trading gave way to optimism after news of “non-invasion talks” between the Russian and US Presidents hit the wires. The market was down nearly 50 points at one stage, so it was an impressive close higher at 7,234 +0.16%. Reporting season was responsible for most outsized share price moves again today. Tyro was smashed by nearly 27% on a big miss and no clear path to profitability. Super Retail profits slumped almost 40%, pushing the share price down 9%. Nuix failed to impress sce...
Feb 21, 2022•14 min•Season 3Ep. 30
Geopolitical jitters kept the market under pressure today, but lifted gold stocks as the commodity price hit $US1900oz. Magellan was the biggest mover on the S&P/ASX200, closing up almost 19% after its report and promises of better times ahead prompted investors to catch that falling knife. No one came close to the controversy-stricken fundie, but Netwealth rebounded 5.7% after its post-report dip. Tech was flat outside of Humm, which bounced 6% after the board recommended the Latitude buyou...
Feb 18, 2022•11 min•Season 3Ep. 28
It was another positive session as a slew of top shelf companies delivered earnings, sparking sharp share price reactions. Heading into the close however, most of the day's gains were wiped out as the geopolitical news cycle turned again with reports of shelling in disputed Ukranian territory. Top of the ladder was intellectual property hub, IPH which was up more than 9%, followed by Challenger Financial and Cleanaway. CSL's share price is still basking in yesterday’s report, up another 5%. COVI...
Feb 17, 2022•10 min•Season 3Ep. 27
It was risk on to the close of the session, with the local market closing on the highs of the day up 78 points or +1.1%. Shareholders were in for a treat with it raining dividends today, with numerous top-line companies carving up the balance sheet. Treasury Wine Estates successfully navigated around Chinese tariffs, and investors bid up the price by nearly 12%. CSL also got shareholders' blood pumping, finishing up nearly 9%. Netwealth and EML Payments sat firmly at the bottom of the reporting ...
Feb 16, 2022•13 min•Season 3Ep. 27
In a sea of geopolitical doom, upbeat company reports acted as a shining light. Strong reports from Sims and Seek, as well as a record dividend from BHP, saw those three companies hit the top five with a bullet. BHP's share price failed to maintain momentum as iron ore futures tanked. Brambles responded to media speculation it's in talks with private equity giant KKR just before the close, but its denial was not enough to dampen enthusiasm about M&A with shares closing up 7%. At the bottom o...
Feb 15, 2022•13 min•Season 3Ep. 26
Geopolitical risks are back in the spotlight, sending investors back to blue chips and the bond market. However, as oil marches towards $100bbl the next obvious play was energy, with WPL and STO up 3% in the first few minutes of trade and closed nearly 4% higher. Today’s other risk-off thematic was pile into Aussie goldies, with most household names up at least 6% by end of day. Torn between lower bond yields and a poor Nasdaq lead, the tech sector was unremarkable. Some company reports shot the...
Feb 14, 2022•10 min•Season 3Ep. 26
The nasty US inflation print shook up the markets as expected, although it wasn’t just growth stocks that felt the heat. The rush to blue chips was evident, with small and mid caps shrinking by multiples of the top 20. Companies at the top of the ladder were hard to come by. Unibail-Rodamco Westfield led the market all day with investors cheering its new strategy to realise value, closing up nearly 7%. IAG defied gravity by closing up 4% despite smashed profits. While RBA Governor Lowe pushed ba...
Feb 11, 2022•10 min•Season 3Ep. 25
It was a largely upbeat local session ahead of tonight’s US inflation event risk. Whether it surprises or disappoints will set the tone for tomorrow’s trading session. Blue chips were the investor safe haven today, with banks and miners supporting the market. Healthcare and consumer staples not faring so well. Companies at the top of the ladder were a mixed bag, Bapcor’s rebound was notable after yesterday’s slide, while tech stocks were buoyant, led by Block and Megaport. AMP managed to close 6...
Feb 10, 2022•9 min•Season 3Ep. 25
An upbeat slew of company reports pushed the local market higher over the course of the day. Only energy and iron ore majors didn’t feel the love. After a rough few weeks Aussie tech led the way higher, adding 2.6%, neck and neck with financials adding 2.5%. CBA was the star performer on profits, dividends and a $2B buyback. Computershare added 11% on a decent report, while Temple & Webster sparked a short-squeeze rally despite reporting a slump in earnings and profits. Mineral Resources is ...
Feb 09, 2022•15 min•Season 3Ep. 24
