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Challenging year in the offing for ASX listings

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Original article by William McInnes
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 & 16 : 8-Jan-19

More than 130 companies debuted on the Australian sharemarket in 2018, but stock exchange operator ASX Limited expects the environment for new listings to be difficult in 2019. Max Cunningham, the ASX’s executive general manager of listings, says the first quarter in particular will be challenging given the recent market volatility, although the outlook for calendar 2019 will become clearer by March or April. He adds that several large technology companies are looking at IPOs, and he notes increased listing activity in the mining sector.

CORPORATES
ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, PROPERTY EXCHANGE AUSTRALIA, COLONIAL FIRST STATE GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT, WISETECH GLOBAL LIMITED – ASX WTC, XERO LIMITED – ASX XRO, APPEN LIMITED – ASX APX

After all the carnage, it may soon be time to buy

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 18 : 8-Jan-19

The S&P/ASX 200’s recent rally has seen its 12-month forward price-to-earnings ratio return to its long-term average following a sharp sell-down in the December quarter. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 is trading at around eight per cent below its long-term average. The near-term outlook for equities may depend on a range of factors, including trade negotiations between the US and China.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, NIKKEI 225 INDEX, BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION, MERRILL LYNCH AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, MSCI ALL COUNTRY WORLD INDEX

Rethink company strikes: Maxsted

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 15 & 16 : 4-Jan-19

The remuneration reports of three major banks attracted large protest votes at AGMs in December, putting them at risk of a board spill in 2019. Westpac chairman Lindsay Maxsted says the threshold for a ‘first strike’ is too low at 25 per cent, arguing that most resolutions put to annual meetings require a minimum vote of 50 per cent. Some 88 per cent of National Australia Bank shareholders voted against its remuneration report, while Westpac’s attracted a ‘no’ vote of 64.2 per cent.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SUPERANNUATION INVESTORS INCORPORATED

Wall Street ends year with worst losses since GFC

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Original article by Georgi Kantchev, Akane Otani
The Australian – Page: 17 : 2-Jan-19

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 5.6 per cent in 2018, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq retreated 6.2 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively. However, all three indices posted gains on the final day of the year, with the Dow rising by 1.1 per cent. Despite the late rally, Wall Street recorded its biggest annual loss since the global financial crisis. Geoffrey Yu of UBS Wealth Management expects further market volatility in 2019. Meanwhile, the UK’s FTSE 100 and the Stoxx Europe 600 both fell by 13 per cent during 2018, and the Shanghai Composite shed 25 per cent.

CORPORATES
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX, UBS WEALTH MANAGEMENT, FTSE 100 INDEX, STOXX EUROPE 600 INDEX, SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX, NIKKEI 225 INDEX, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF LABOR, BOEING COMPANY, THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED, CHICAGO BOARD OPTIONS EXCHANGE VOLATILITY INDEX

ASX headed for bounce in 2019

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Original article by Tim Boyd
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 2-Jan-19

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 shed 6.9 per cent in 2018, ending the year at 5,646.4 points. However, economists are generally upbeat about the outlook for the Australian sharemarket in 2019. Stephen Koukoulas of Market Economics says the market could gain around 20 per cent, while Stephen Roberts of Laminar Capital forecasts a rise of 8-12 per cent. Meanwhile, Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics expects the S&P 500 to shed around 15 per cent in 2019, which in turn is likely to weigh on the Australian market.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, MARKET ECONOMICS PTY LTD, LAMINAR CAPITAL, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, RUSSELL INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, TD SECURITIES, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Fed rate hike roils global markets

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 15 & 21 : 21-Dec-18

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 has shed 9.2 per cent so far in 2018, and 11 per cent during the current quarter. The local market’s 1.3 per cent fall on 20 December was accompanied by large falls across Asia, while the Australian dollar reached a low of $US.7086 and the yield on 10-year Australian bonds fell to 2.3 per cent. Financial markets believe that the US Federal Reserve made a policy mistake in signalling further monetary policy tightening over the next few years and it may have to reduce interest rates within two years.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, PEPPERSTONE FINANCIAL PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, NIKKEI 225 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, BLOOMBERG LP, OANDA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MAGELLAN FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX MFG, WAM CAPITAL LIMITED – ASX WAM, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, PLATYPUS ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, ECP ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, HYPERION ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Major funds bracing for bear market

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 13 & 18 : 19-Dec-18

Sharemarkets in Australia and Asia fell sharply on 18 December, in response to bearish sentiment on Wall Street. The S&P/ASX 200 has shed more than 7.4 per cent so far in 2018, and it is on track to record its biggest fall for the December quarter since 2008. Magellan Financial Group and WAM Capital have maintain a high level of cash holdings, although Randal Jenneke of T. Rowe Price sees the market volatility as a selective buying opportunity.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, MAGELLAN FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX MFG, WAM CAPITAL LIMITED – ASX WAM, T ROWE PRICE GROUP INCORPORATED, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX, NIKKEI 225 INDEX, RELIANCE WORLDWIDE CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX RWC, JAMES HARDIE INDUSTRIES PLC – ASX JHX, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

How to invest in the political maelstrom

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 15 & 22 : 18-Dec-18

Jason Steed of JP Morgan says a certain amount of sovereign risk has been priced into Australian sharemarket valuations ahead of the 2019 federal election. He notes that while there is some concern among investors about the prospecting of a Labor government, the Coalition has not very pro-business either. He adds that although the financial services sector in particular faces some headwinds in 2019, investors have already largely priced in the political and regulatory risks.

CORPORATES
JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALUMINA LIMITED – ASX AWC, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SYDNEY AIRPORT – ASX SYD, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL

Investors facing a year of risks

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 17-Dec-18

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 has shed 7.6 per cent so far in 2018, having peaked at a 10-year high of 6,373.5 points in August. However, market strategists are upbeat about the outlook for local shares in 2019, with a median forecast for the S&P/ASX 200 to gain 11 per cent in the next year. Domestic and global factors may weigh on market sentiment in 2019, including the economic outlook, falling Australian house prices, the prospect of interest rate rises in the US and Europe, and ongoing uncertainty surrounding Britain’s exit from the European Union.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, MST MARQUEE, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Early signs of tinsel raise ho-ho-hopes of a rally

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 27 : 13-Dec-18

Australia’s benchmark index posted its second-largest one-day gain for 2018 on 12 December, while some key Asian markets also rallied amid signs of a thawing of relations between the US and China. Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200’s forward price-earnings ratio fell below its long-term average of about 14 times on 10 December and the index’s estimated dividend yield reached a two-year high of 5.2 per cent. It should also be noted that over the last two decades, the S&P/ASX 200 has gained an average of two per cent during the last two weeks of a calendar year.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, HANG SENG INDEX, NIKKEI 225 INDEX, KOSPI INDEX, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD