Big miners, banks lift bourse

Original article by Daniel Palmer
The Australian – Page: 28 : 27-Jul-16

The Australian sharemarket posted a small gain on 26 July 2016, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 3.9 points to close at 5,537.5. Fortescue Metals Group was 1.7 per cent higher at $A4.12 and Qantas advanced 0.66 per cent to end the session at $A3.03. However, Woolworths shed 3.3 per cent to finish at $A23.50 and Santos was 2.4 per cent lower at $A4.56.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, NORTHERN STAR RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX NST, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, ALS LIMITED – ASX ALQ, SAI GLOBAL LIMITED – ASX SAI, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, YAHOO! INCORPORATED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX

Buoyant Woolies drives gains

Original article by Daniel Palmer
The Australian – Page: 32 : 26-Jul-16

The Australian sharemarket posted solid gains on 25 July 2016, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.64 per cent to close at 5,533.6. Woolworths advanced 7.8 per cent to end the session at $A24.19 and Telstra was 0.35 per cent higher at $A5.82. However, BHP Billiton shed 0.31 per cent to finish at $A19.24 and Santos was 3.3 per cent lower at $A4.67.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, REGIS RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX RRL, NORTHERN STAR RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX NST, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, WAM CAPITAL LIMITED – ASX WAM, IG MARKETS LIMITED, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX

Investors focus on inflation, central banks

Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 25-Jul-16

Futures traders expect the Australian sharemarket to gain about four points when trading resumes on 25 July 2016. The local bourse is likely to benefit from a positive lead from Wall Street, having lost ground in the previous trading session. Investors will be awaiting the upcoming release of inflation data for the June quarter, which could provide guidance on the Reserve Bank’s next move on the interest rate front. The US Federal Open Market Committee’s monetary policy statement will also be closely scrutinised by investors.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL OPEN MARKET COMMITTEE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, BANK OF JAPAN

Bourse climbs past 5500 level

Original article by Daniel Palmer
The Australian – Page: 30 : 22-Jul-16

The Australian sharemarket posted solid gains on 21 July 2016, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.43 per cent to close at 5,512.4. Rio Tinto was 1.1 per cent higher at $A48.52 and Oil Search also rose by 1.1 per cent to end the session at $A7.41. However, Regis Resources shed 5.3 per cent and South32 was down 1.1 per cent.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, REGIS RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX RRL, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, QUBE HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX QUB, ASCIANO LIMITED – ASX AIO, AURIZON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX AZJ, IG MARKETS LIMITED, HOME TIMBER AND HARDWARE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AQUILA RESOURCES LIMITED, INTEROIL CORPORATION, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX

Australian bourse charts course higher but big tests ahead

Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 19-Jul-16

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 has rallied in the wake of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, rising above 5,400 points. Listed gold producers in particular have risen strongly amid the global trend toward "safe haven" assets, although the broader materials sector has also performed well. Meanwhile, the local market may benefit from the US equities rally, while the upturn in commodity prices in 2016 and Australia’s upcoming August corporate reporting season bode well for domestic shares.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, IG MARKETS LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, JP MORGAN AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, COCHLEAR LIMITED – ASX COH, RESMED INCORPORATED – ASX RMD, AMCOR LIMITED – ASX AMC, BRAMBLES LIMITED – ASX BXB, RIVKIN SECURITIES PTY LTD

Investors to shrug off events in Turkey

Original article by Mark Mulligan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 18-Jul-16

Futures traders expect the Australian sharemarket to shed about 11 points when trading resumes on 18 July 2016, in response to growing geopolitical tensions worldwide. With a dearth of upcoming local economic data, investors will be awaiting the release of the minutes from the Reserve Bank’s monthly board meeting. Meanwhile,, the latest US economic data may provide some guidance on the timing of any change in US monetary policy.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, MORGAN STANLEY CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL EMERGING MARKETS INDEX, BT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX BTT, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA

There’s still value on Wall Street, fund managers say

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 13-Jul-16

Perpetual’s Garry Laurence says the US sharemarket may have peaked, after the S&P 500 reached a new high in mid-July 2016. He anticipates further market volatility, and identifies Merck, Sanofi, Oracle, EMC and Zhaopin as the best buying opportunities among US-listed stocks. Wingate Asset Management’s Chad Padowitz notes that some sectors of the US sharemarket offer better value than others at present, and he favours stocks such as Citigroup, Bank of America, Allergan and Sanofi.

CORPORATES
PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, WINGATE ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, MERCK AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, SANOFI PHARMACEUTICALS, ORACLE CORPORATION, EMC CORPORATION, ZHAOPIN LIMITED, CITIGROUP INCORPORATED, BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION, ALLERGAN INCORPORATED, COLONIAL FIRST STATE GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT, BANK OF ENGLAND, BANK OF JAPAN, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, JAPAN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

‘Something’s gotta give’: rising stocks, bonds and gold sound alert

Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 19 & 27 : 13-Jul-16

The Australian sharemarket has gained six per cent since reaching its recent low in the wake of Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has risen by 16 per cent since February 2016, and it reached a record high in mid-July. Traditional safe haven investment classes are also in strong demand, with the yield on 10-year Australian government bonds remaining close to a record low and the gold price testing its highest level in more than two years.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, PLATINUM ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX PTM, BAKER STEEL CAPITAL MANAGERS LLP, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, JAPAN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, NIKKEI 225 INDEX

Expensive defensives ‘threatened’

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 11 : 12-Jul-16

Paul Ashworth of Cameron Harrison is among the financial market experts who question whether the rally in defensive stocks can be sustained. Defensive sectors such as healthcare, utilities and industrials have posted double-digit gains over the last year, while the broader Australian sharemarket has shed three per cent. Prime Value Asset Management’s ST Wong notes that some stocks such as infrastructure and utilities are now trading at high forward price-earnings ratios, but he says they could post further gains if the bond rally continues.

CORPORATES
CAMERON HARRISON PTY LTD, PRIME VALUE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, ALTIUM LIMITED – ASX ALU, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, INFIGEN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX IFN, INVESTORS MUTUAL LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, INTEGRAL DIAGNOSTICS LIMITED – ASX IDX, VIRTUS HEALTH LIMITED – ASX VRT, ORORA LIMITED – ASX ORA, VITA GROUP LIMITED – ASX VTG

ASX tipped to hit 5500 by end of 2016

Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 11-Jul-16

Hasan Tevfik of Credit Suisse says Australian shares are relatively cheap at present, in comparison to alternative investments such as cash and bonds. Tevfik adds that the prospect of further official interest rate cuts should also prompt investors to switch to equities. Meanwhile, UBS notes that the market’s price-to-book value is now 13 per cent below the long-term average, and about 50 per cent lower in the case of resources stocks. UBS’s David Cassidy expects the market to be trading at around 5,500 points by the end of 2016.

CORPORATES
CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, BRAMBLES LIMITED – ASX BXB, AMCOR LIMITED – ASX AMC