ASX winners and losers for 2025 revealed

Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 1-Jul-25

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 10.2 per cent in the 2024-25 financial year, posting its biggest annual gain since 2021. Ship builder Austal tops the list of best-performing stocks for 2024-25, rising by 152 per cent; it is followed by gold producers Regis Resources (up 150 per cent) and Genesis Minerals (145 per cent). Meanwhile, IDP Education recorded the biggest loss among the top-200 stocks, shedding 76 per cent; other major underperformers included Mineral Resources (down 60 per cent) and Pilbara Minerals (57 per cent). The ASX 200 ended the financial year at 8,542.3 points, and Shane Oliver from AMP says it could potentially rise to around the 8,700-point level by the end of 2025.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, AUSTAL LIMITED – ASX ASB, REGIS RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX RRL, GENESIS MINERALS LIMITED – ASX GMD, IDP EDUCATION LIMITED – ASX IEL, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP

ASX’s $42b plunge seals worst start in years

Original article by Alex Gluyas
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 1-Apr-25

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 shed 3.9 per cent during the first quarter of 2025; this represents the local bourse’s worst start to a calendar year since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. However, Australian equities have outperformed Wall Street, with the S&P 500 having shed 5.1 per cent in the first quarter and 6.3 per cent in the month of March. Meanwhile, Matthew Sherwood from Perpetual estimates that the chances of a recession is now more than 30 per cent, adding that the Trump’s administration’s impending tariff reforms will be a key driver of the global economic outlook in the near-term.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT

WiseTech helps Aussie tech beat Nasdaq

Original article by Joanne Tran
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 3-Dec-24

The S&P/ASX 200 Techology Index had gained 56.4 per cent so far in 2024. The index has outperformed the Australian sharemarket’s other 11 industry groups and the technology-focused NASDAQ-100 in the US, which has gained 24.4 per cent. WiseTech Global, Life360, Xero and Technology One are amongst the ASX-listed technology stocks that have rallied in 2024. Tim Riordan from Blackwattle Investment Partners says factors such as the strong financial metrics of tech stocks has bolstered investor support for the sector. He adds that concerns about the outlook for resources stocks has also prompted investors to favour the tech sector.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 TECHNOLOGY INDEX, NASDAQ, WISETECH GLOBAL LIMITED – ASX WTC, LIFE360 INCORPORATED – ASX 360, XERO LIMITED – ASX XRO, TECHNOLOGY ONE LIMITED – ASX TNE, BLACKWATTLE INVESTMENT PARTNERS PTY LTD

Fears ASX may have peaked after killer quarter

Original article by Joshua Peach, Joanne Tran
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 21 : 1-Oct-24

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 gained 6.5 per cent during the September quarter, with Zip Co, Orora and Guzman y Gomez among the best-performing stocks during the period. September was also a strong month for the local bourse, which reached new record highs in seven separate trading sessions and delivered the best return for the month since 2013. However, Jason Steed from JP Morgan is amongst those who believe that the Australian sharemarket may struggle to post further gains, noting that the earnings outlook is relatively weak.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, ZIP CO LIMITED – ASX ZIP, ORORA LIMITED – ASX ORA, GUZMAN Y GOMEZ LIMITED – ASX GYG, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Stunning equity rallies bring super result

Original article by Hannah Wootton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 24-Apr-24

Data from Chant West shows that the median growth superannuation fund posted a return of 8.8 per cent for the first nine months of 2023-24. This is just shy of the total return of 9.2 per cent for the full 2022-23 financial year. Chant West’s Mano Mohankumar says the performance of Australian and international equities were the key driver for the strong return; he notes that growth funds have gained 11 per cent since November, after losing 1.9 per cent in the first four months of the financial year. Balanced funds delivered a return of seven per cent for the nine months to 31 March.

CORPORATES
CHANT WEST FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD

Superannuation funds eye double-digit returns

Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 24 : 16-Apr-24

Data from SuperRatings shows that the median balanced superannuation posted a return of 1.9 per cent in March and 8.8 per cent in the first nine months of 2023-24. Meanwhile, the median growth fund has delivered a return of 10.5 per cent so in the financial year. SuperRatings’ executive director Kirby Rappell says fund balances have continued to grow, despite uncertainty regarding the inflation outlook in Australia and overseas. The strong performance of international sharemarkets has contributed to super funds’ returns, with Wall Street outperforming the Australian bourse in 2023-24.

CORPORATES
SUPERRATINGS PTY LTD

US inflation and China woes reduce super growth to 1pc

Original article by Hannah Wootton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 20-Feb-24

Data from Chant West shows that the median growth superannuation fund posted a return of just one per cent in January. This compares with 2.7 per cent growth in December and a three per cent gain in January 2023. Mano Mohankumar of Chant West notes that a strong performance by Australian and international shares in January was offset by mixed results in emerging and bond markets. He adds that a rise in the US inflation rate and concerns about China’s economic outlook weighed on returns late in the month. The median growth fund gained 7.7 per cent in the year to 31 January, and 7.2 per cent over the last decade.

CORPORATES
CHANT WEST FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD

Future Fund lifts returns on back of equities rally

Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 24-Jan-24

The federal government’s Future Fund has advised that it has posted a return of eight per cent in the year to 31 December. The sovereign wealth fund has in turn reported an annualised return over three years of 7.4 per cent, and 7.6 per cent over five years. The Future Fund’s full-year return for 2023 was boosted by a sharemarket rally in the fourth quarter, which increased the value of its assets by 3.2 per cent. Future Fund chairman Peter Costello says the high inflation environment of the last two years has made it harder for the fund to achieve its mandated return target.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Stock rally brings super fund returns back into the black

Original article by Megan Neil
The Australian – Page: 15 : 12-Dec-23

Data from SuperRatings suggests that the median balanced superannuation fund gained 3.1 per cent in November. This follows negative returns in each of the previous three months, and the research house expects the median fund to achieve a return of about one per cent for the first five months of 2023-24. SuperRatings also estimates that the median fund will post a gain of about 6.8 per cent for the first 11 months of calendar 2023.

CORPORATES
SUPERRATINGS PTY LTD

Super returns lower in August

Original article by Chris Herde
The Australian – Page: 15 : 13-Sep-23

SuperRatings estimates that the median balanced superannuation fund posted a return of minus 0.1 per cent in August, after gaining 1.5 per cent in July. The research house also expects the median growth fund to have lost 0.3 per cent in August. Executive director Kirby Rappell says monthly returns are likely to continue to "bounce around" in the near-term, due to ongoing market uncertainty. He has emphasised the need for super fund members to focus on the long-term performance.

CORPORATES
SUPERRATINGS PTY LTD