Australian equities

ASX finishes flat, CSL (ASX:CSL), Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) delivers again, Fortescue (ASX:FMG) delivers record dividend The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished flat for the day, but with growing dispersion in underlying company performance. Treasury Wine (ASX:TWE) lead the way, jumping 17.5%, but it was healthcare company CSL (ASX:CSL) that contributed most with the consumer discretionary (+0.6%) and the healthcare (+2.0%) the few winners. Unemployment…

ASX down 0.5%, reporting season peaks, Coles (ASX:COL), Woolworths (ASX:WOW) sold off The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) fell 0.5% on what was one of the busiest days of reporting season, with 20 companies releasing either half-year or quarterly updates. The consumer staples sector was the biggest detractor, falling 3.5% on fears that recent trends will slow, with the property sector…

ASX hits 11-month high, BHP (ASX:BHP) delivers record dividend, Ansell (ASX:ANN) riding the COVID wave  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) reached an 11-month high and is now nearing 7,000 points once again, with the energy and materials sectors powering the recovery. Zip Co. (ASX:Z1P) continued its stellar 2021 run, adding 10.0% and taking the year-to-date gain to 160%. The company…

Lockdown 3.0, ASX finishes 0.5% lower, Baby Bunting (ASX:BBN) riding COVID-19 boom The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished 0.6% lower on Friday, dragging the market to 0.5% for the week. The news of the day was the snap five-day lockdown in Victoria, which naturally sent the industrials sector to significant losses, Qantas (ASX:QAN) fell 4.8% and Webjet (ASX:WEB) 3.9%. Over the week, it…

ASX higher, Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) dividend boost, Lend Lease (ASX:LLC) CEO leaves, Crown Ltd (ASX:CWN) has an uncertain future The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished 0.5% higher, with every sector but consumer discretionary adding to returns. IT was once again the standout with both Afterpay Ltd (ASX:APT) and Zip Co (ASX:Z1P) hitting all-time highs as BNPL valuations took another leap forward. Whilst reported…

Aware Super is re-thinking its international exposures, particularly relating to China, and how it manages them as it expects they will continue to grow in importance within the $130 billion fund’s overall portfolio. “We haven’t taken any money out [of China] but as a minority investor we just think we should pause at the moment,”…

Earnings season begins, Challenger (ASX:CGF) reverses recent gains, Crown Ltd (ASX:CWN) locked out The ASX200 fell 0.9% as reality sets in after what had been an incredibly strong few weeks. Every sector finished lower lead by yield plays in property and utilities, off 2.1% and 1.4% respectively. All eyes will be on Crown Ltd (ASX:CWN) once it recommences trading after…

All Ords hit pre-pandemic high, ASX200 up 0.6%, Vocus (ASX:VOC) in play again The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week the same way it finished, adding 0.6% on Monday supported by a broad-based rally covering most sectors. Materials and discretionary retailers were the biggest beneficiaries of the risk-on mood, with BHP (ASX:BHP) and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX:WES) finishing 2.4% and 1.0% higher respectively….

Strongest week since November, News Corp (NWS) shows the evolution of media, more record highs The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week the same way it started, moving 1.1% higher, with a broad-based recovery sending the index to its highest level in 11 months. Mining services provider Worley (ASX:WOR) was the main laggard, falling 8.1% after flagging a significant fall…

ASX heads higher, UK regulator reviews BNPL sector, Jeff Bezos standing down as Amazon (NYSE:AMZN) CEO The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) delivered a third straight day of gains, finishing 0.9% higher, with the rally broad-based but driven mainly by the banking and property sector which were 1.5% and 2.6% higher respectively. The oil price also hit a 12-month high…