banks

Negative start to the week, AUSTRAC on the prowl, takeovers galore The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) finished down 0.1% on Monday, a negative start to the week driven lower by the financials sector, which fell 1.1%.  Elsewhere the retail sector was hit, falling 0.8% as the Melbourne lockdown continues, whilst the IT sector was the brightest light,…

ASX falls but 2% higher in May, Macquarie, Magellan looking to the future The ASX200 (ASX: XJO) fell 0.3% on Tuesday, the first day of winter, with consumer confidence taking a hit as the Victorian lockdown rolls on. Every sector was weaker except energy and materials, which added 1.3% and 0.3% respectively. Healthcare and financials were the…

Markets turn red, EML Payments dumped, China flags iron ore pressure The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) dropped the most in three months, finishing down 1.9% as a multitude of pressures hit the market. The materials and energy sectors both fell by around 3.0%, the former sold off after Chinese representatives flagged their intention to reduce the country’s reliance on…

ASX retakes 7,000, iron ore falls, CBA hits new record, dispersion grows  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week on a positive note, moving 0.5% higher and retaking the 7,000-point level. Every sector was higher barring materials, with Fortescue (ASX:FMG) and BHP Group (ASX:BHP) falling 2.8% and 1.5% respectively after the iron ore price dropped 9.5% during the day. On the positive side, the…

ANZ, ASB, AMP, Fisher and Mercer have all been dumped as the KiwiSaver default schemes following the latest government review. In a release last Friday (May 14), NZ Finance Minister, Grant Robertson, confirmed the default provider numbers would shrink to six with two new players – Smartshares and Simplicity – joining incumbents Westpac, BNZ, Booster…

Sell off continues despite budget, Qantas tanks on flight delays, CBA delivers  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) fell 0.7%, the second straight negative session, pushed lower by utilities and energy companies, down 2.2% and 2.0% respectively. The Federal Budget which offers little in the way of future spending or policy direction was broadly in line with expectations, the deficit lower than…

Another positive week, tech continues disappearing act, Macquarie delivers record profit  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) managed to deliver another positive week, adding 0.3% on Friday and 0.8% for the week. The news of the week was the Chinese Government ceasing high level discussions with Australian officials, but at the same time, their demand sends the iron ore price to a record above…

Market weakens on China tensions, local tech dumped, hot IPO market cooling The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) fell 0.5%, weakening throughout the day as news continued to worsen.  Initially, it was US payment giant PayPal (NYSE:PYPL) delivering a strong earnings result but announcing they would soon be bringing their BNPL offering to Australia in direct competition with Afterpay (ASX:APT). Shares in APT fell 7.0% and the IT…

ASX hits 14-month high, ANZ dividend surprise, Nearmap upgrades revenue guidance  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) reached a 14-month high, adding 0.4% and once again nearing a record. The primary driver was the healthcare sector, up 1.1%, with key constituent CSL (ASX:CSL) up 2.4% offering the majority of the support. Private hospital, imaging, and COVID-19 testing firm Healius (ASX:HLS) finished flat despite reporting…

Bank rally not enough, Westpac hike dividend, job ads continue to surprise The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) rose just three points to begin the week, with a powerful day from the financials sector (+1.4%) which represents some 30% of the index not enough to overcome broader weakness. Energy and materials continue to detract amid signs that inflation is being…