markets

Groundhog Day, markets down, unemployment falls, ARB’s run continues The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) weakened another 0.3% today as Victoria plunged into its fifth lockdown and the outbreak continued to extend in NSW. Just two sectors finished higher, materials up 1.4% and utilities, 0.7%, with the latter benefitting from another 6.3% jump in Spark Infrastructure Group (ASX: SKI). The…

ASX overcomes BNPL sell off, Afterpay tanks, Praemium jumps The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) finished 0.3% higher on Wednesday, overcoming a significant sell off in the technology sector. The tech sector fell 2.7% for the day, with a 9.6% fall in Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) pulling the entire market down by 10 points. The sell-off came after a double…

ASX weakens, industrials gain as corporate activity booms, Chinese exports jump The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) weakened throughout the day to finish slightly lower than it started on Tuesday. The majority of the weakness came from the energy, down 0.6%, and real estate sectors, down 0.9%. Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) and GPT Group (ASX: GPT) were among the hardest hit,…

ASX jumps on China stimulus, materials winning, API’s pay day The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) started the week on a positive note, increasing 0.9% on Monday after a strong global lead over the weekend. The biggest contributor was an unexpected announcement from the People’s Bank of China around the loosening of monetary policy. The central bank reduced the amount…

Strong day for the ASX, private equity buys into Challenger, NSW lockdowns continue  Every sector barring energy and industrials finished higher on Wednesday, with the ASX 200 jumping 0.9%. Buy now pay later groups were among the top performers, with Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) and Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) adding 6.5% and 4.5%, respectively. Challenger Financial Group (ASX: CGF) was the…

ASX sinks, RBA’s taper tantrum, Lew hits Myer again The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) closed around its lows on a busy Tuesday with the long-awaited monetary policy decision released at 2pm sending the market into negative territory. Every sector barring energy, which is benefitting from an OPEC impasse, finished lower with bond proxies including communications and healthcare…

US Independence Day, mixed fortunes on the ASX, Sydney Airport takeover bid It was a rough start to the week for the ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) which opened as much as 1% higher before finishing broadly flat. Most sectors closed lower, IT and retailers were down around 1% with no overseas lead due to the US Independence Day holiday….

Happy new year, markets fall as gold shines, retailers under pressure, PEXA lists The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) finished the first day of trading in the new financial year on a weaker footing, losing 0.7% with every sector apart from materials finishing lower. The consumer staples and discretionary sectors were the hardest hit, falling 1.3% and 1.2%…

ASX fades to small gain, 24% return for the financial year, Telstra’s buyback surprise The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) managed to finish the financial year on a positive note, adding 0.2% on Wednesday with the communications sector the biggest contributor, up 2.7%. The result took the quarterly return to 7.7% and the financial year to 24%, the…

Late comeback delivers, energy in the red, dividends hit real estate, CKF falls on earnings The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) staged a remarkable recovery, managing a flat day despite falling as much as 0.9% on Tuesday morning. Energy, materials, and utilities were amongst the weakest performers, with a raft of dividend payments pulling the real estate sector…