Despite an increasing chorus of experts suggesting the technology sector has moved beyond reasonable levels, the rally continues. The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) added 2.6%, hitting a six week high, with a 5.7% rally in the IT sector among the largest contributors.
As working from home has become the new normal for most people, there are still many opportunities for advisers and investors to cut through the noise and hear insights from some of the best investment managers and research teams with a range of webinars being hosted online every day.
The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) continued its recent weakness, falling 0.5% on Monday, as concerns of a secondary outbreak in NSW and escalating deaths in the US hit investor confidence.
Sideways….a weak opening ahead It was another bumpy, albeit positive, week for markets with the ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) gaining 0.4% on Friday and finishing around 2.0% higher for the week. The primary driver remained Australia’s main recovery hope, commodity exports, with the materials sector finishing 4.2% as the iron ore price remained above USD$115 per…
The ‘Vaccine’ rally was short-lived with a swathe of economic data sending the ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) 0.7% lower on Thursday.
The ASX 200 joined the global sharemarket rally, adding 1.9%, after healthcare US biotech company Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) announced positive results from their Phase 1 trial of a potential COVID-19 treatment.
Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX:WPL) was the latest to announce a write-down, with management reducing the value of their oil and gas assets by US $4.2 billion due to the lower oil price. WPL now trades at the same level it did in 2005, despite raising capital on multiple occasions, clear indication that the greatest opportunities lie in cleaner energy sources.
The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) gained another 1%, taking a positive lead from US markets, with over 60% of the rally coming from the Big Four Banks, Commonwealth Bank of Australia Ltd (ASX:CBA) up 2.2%, and miners, BHP Group Ltd (ASX:BHP) up 2.2% after the iron ore price exceeding US$118 per tonne.
Despite being the secondary epicentre of COVID-19 the European experiment may be turning the corner, with unprecedented events finally delivering consensus on fiscal and monetary policy. This is not without pain, with the economy contracting 3.6% in March behind multi-decade record contractions of 5.3% in France and Italy and 5.2% in Spain. The ECB is predicted a 9% contraction in growth for the year.
The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) surrendered early gains to finish Friday down 0.6%, pulling the market down -2.3% for the week. Real estate, -5.4%, and industrial’s, -4.6%, were among the hardest hit as Victoria’s spike in COVID-19 cases shut the second largest state down for another six weeks; Qantas Ltd (ASX:QAN) lead the falls down 8.0%. Despite offering a weaker leader to the ASX, both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq recorded positive results on Friday, driven 1.1% and 0.8% as the recovery in the banking sector continued.
