equities

ASX struggles to another record, Sims upgrades guidance, lithium giants to merge The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) struggled to another record close, finishing just three points higher as a sell off in the energy sector, down -1.4%, offset gains in the mining sector, +0.8%. The news of the day was the planned merger between Australia’s pureplay lithium miners, Orocobre (ASX:ORE) and Galaxy (ASX:GXY),…

Rough day but positive finish, tech leads the way, iron ore’s new high, AMP’s new low The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) managed a small gain despite a volatile day on markets, finishing 0.1% higher on Friday taking the weekly gain to 1%. Once again, the tech sector is leading the way, jumping 4.4% over the week as it appears inflation…

ASX hits new high, value rotation continues, car sales spike The ASX200 finished another 0.6% higher on Wednesday, reaching the highest point since February last year but still some way off the all-time high of 7,199 points. Once again it was the energy and materials sectors boosting the market as a flood of more positive economic news…

Nasdaq rally, NZ travel bubble, merger activity sends market higher The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) followed a strong US lead on Tuesday, adding 0.8% with the industrials and IT sectors the key drivers. The risk-on mood boosted Afterpay Ltd (ASX:APT) by 10% and competitor Zip Co (ASX:Z1P) by 9.1% after what has been a difficult few months for the BNPL companies. By far the…

ASX up 1.7% for the week, all action at the CEO-level of AMP and TPG, battery stocks on the charge  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished the day 0.5% higher, with every sector but healthcare delivering a positive return. Telecommunications and IT were the highlights, finishing 1.3% and 1.2% higher, with a 2.4% jump in Telstra (ASX:TLS) offsetting a 6.7% fall…

ASX delivers a gain, AMP CEO to resign, wealth platforms take a major hit  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) managed to register a slight gain, finishing 0.2% higher behind strength in the banking and healthcare sectors, with National Australia Bank (ASX:NAB) up 0.5% and CSL (ASX:CSL) 1.4% amid a search for quality. The news of the day was the rumoured departure of ‘saviour’…

ASX powers ahead, lower bond yields, records broken at Premier (ASX:PMV)  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) delivered once again, pushing higher with falling bond yields and a finally weakening currency, which is now under 76 US cents. The much-anticipated release of the economic Purchasing Manager Index or PMI results, which offer an indicator of spending and investment intentions, hit…

ASX falls late, AGL (ASX:AGL) seeking battery approval, coal prices boosted by floods The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) fell into the close ending 0.1% lower, with the materials sector the biggest detractor falling 1.5%. The selling pressure came after one of the key Chinese smelting cities announced curbs on steelmaking operations as they seek to address environmental concerns. This sent…

ASX sinks to first loss in a month, retailers powering ahead, materials weaker The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week on a negative note, falling 0.6%, delivering the first weekly loss in over a month, down 0.9%. It seems the number of divergent outcomes for 2021 is increasing by the day, with talk of an inflation spike, countered…

Market weakens, CBA enters BNPL space, Corporate Travel sell down The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) fell 0.5% on Wednesday, following a confluence of global factors. It was a mixed day with six of the eleven key industry sectors falling but energy and materials remaining under pressure. The iron ore price has remained strong, however, both BHP Group (ASX:BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) fell as other commodity…