Banks lead market lower

The struggles of the big banks and mortgage lenders in the wake of this week’s rate rise continued on Thursday, with the financials sub-index losing 2.2 per cent and helping to drag the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index 101.4 points, or 1.4 per cent lower, to an almost four-week low of 7019.7.

The broader S&P/ASX All Ordinaries fell 106.6 points, or 1.4 per cent, to 7240.4.
 
The big four banks were at the heart of the fall, as investors continued to digest the implications of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s larger-than-expected rate hike on Tuesday, which threatens bank profit margins.
 
Commonwealth Bank lost $2.52, or 2.6 per cent, to a three-month low of $94.95, and it was a similar story at Westpac, down 81 cents, or 3.7 per cent, to a three-month low of $21.17.

NAB made it a trifecta on the three-month lows, easing 66 cents, or 2.3 per cent, to $28.25, but it’s ANZ that has lost the most, giving up another 54 cents, or 2.3 per cent, to an 18-month low of $23.35.
 
The angst spread into the non-bank mortgage lenders sector, with Pepper Money losing 12 cents, or 6.5 per cent, to $1.65, MyState down 19 cents, or 4.2 per cent, to $4.30, and mortgage insurer Genworth dropping 24 cents, or 8.3 per cent, to $2.67.
 
Energy outpaces mining
 
Energy stocks were a rare highlight on the market, with the sub-index gaining 0.6 per cent as the Brent crude oil price gained 2.3 per cent to US$123 a barrel, close to a three-month high.

Woodside Energy gained 65 cents, or 1.9 per cent, to a two-year high of $35.39, and Beach Energy edged closer to an 18-month high, at $1.88, but Santos lagged its peers, easing 10 cents, or 1.1 per cent, to $8.66.

Year-to-date, Santos is up 31 per cent, Woodside is 56% higher, and Beach Energy is up 43.9 per cent.
 
Mining was not such good news on the day, with BHP down $1.13, or 2.4 per cent, to $46.24; Rio Tinto down $1.45, or 1.2 per cent, to $117.47.

Mineral Resources down $2.53, or 4.2 per cent, to $57.92; IGO down 45 cents, or 3.7 per cent, to $11.70.

Pilbara Minerals down 13 cents, or 5.4 per cent, to $2.29. Fortescue Metals 7 cents lower at $21.56; and Evolution Mining down 8 cents, or 2.2 per cent, to $3.58.

Northern Star down 25 cents, or 2.9 per cent, to $8.48. Graphite miner Syrah Resources fell 15 cents, or 10.1 per cent, to $1.38 on news of an insurgent attack at a mining site in the same province as its Balama graphite operation in Mozambique.
 
Inflation read tonight spooking US markets
 
US markets tumbled overnight, with investors concerned over consumer price index data for May, which will be reported tonight; economists are forecasting a rise of 0.5 per cent.

Anything higher than that will spark fears of a worse economic outlook and a harsher tightening cycle from the Federal Reserve, neither of which would be good for stocks. 
 
The broad S&P 500 index lost 98 points, or 2.4 per cent, to 4,017.8; the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 638.1 points, or 1.9 per cent, to 32,272.9; and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite index shed 332 points, or 2.7 per cent, to 11,754.2.
 
Meanwhile, in Europe, the European Central Bank announced that it would raise the cost of borrowing by 25 basis points in July – its first rate hike in more than ten years – and said a bigger hike could follow in September “if the medium-term inflation outlook persists or deteriorates.”

The Euro Stoxx 50 index lost 64.5 points, or 1.7 per cent, to 3,724.4.
 
Gold fell US$3.20 overnight, to US$1,849.80 an ounce. The Australian dollar is buying 70.95 US cents. 

Drew Meredith

Drew is publisher of the Inside Network's mastheads and a principal adviser at Wattle Partners.