Investors facing a year of risks

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

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

Coles steps out alone to mixed reviews

Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 23-Nov-18

Macquarie and Goldman Sachs have contrasting views on the prospects of Coles following the food and liquor retailer’s demerger from Wesfarmers. Macquarie has a "neutral" recommendation on Coles stock and a 12-month price target of $13.48, while Goldman Sachs rates it as a "buy" with a 12-month target of $14.80. Both Macquarie and Goldman Sachs believe that Coles can lift its earnings by boosting sales from fresh food and private label products. Macquarie also believes that Wesfarmers now has up to $10 billion to spend on possible acquisitions.

CORPORATES
COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, KAUFLAND STIFTUNG & CO KG, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED

Battered bourse ready for a recovery

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 29 : 16-Nov-18

The S&P/ASX 200 reached an intra-day low of 5,686.8 points on 15 November, before recovering to post a modest gain for the session. The recent sell-off means that with some exceptions, the Australian sharemarket now offers quite good value. The market’s forward price-earnings ratio is now slightly above its long-term average, while the dividend yield of five per cent is at its highest level in almost three years. Meanwhile, the benchmark index has recorded an average gain of 2.1 per cent in December over the last five years.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Blue-chip beating adds to rout

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 17 & 27 : 15-Nov-18

The Australian sharemarket has now shed more than 10 per cent since it peaked at a 10-year high in August. The 3.5 per cent decline in the last two trading sessions followed a rebound in recent weeks, after the local market fell 6.1 per cent in October. Blue-chip stocks in particular have been heavily sold down, and traders suggest that offshore selling has been a major driver of the pullback. Richard Coppleson of Bell Potter says this could potentially result in a rebound in the next week or so.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, COCHLEAR LIMITED – ASX COH, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, PACT GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX PGH, RAMSAY HEALTH CARE LIMITED – ASX RHC, BINGO INDUSTRIES LIMITED – ASX BIN, AUSNET SERVICES LIMITED – ASX AST, COMPUTERSHARE LIMITED – ASX CPU, MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL, SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX, HANG SENG INDEX, NIKKEI 225 INDEX, KOSPI INDEX, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Local rally defies Wall Street blues to signal correction may be over

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 28 : 31-Oct-18

The Australian sharemarket has posted strong gains in the last two trading sessions, reducing its loss for the month to 6.5 per cent. The local bourse has recovered from its recent 18-month low of 5,624 points, having peaked at 6,373 points in late August. Meanwhile, Tony Brennan of Citigroup notes that growth stocks were the biggest underperformers in the Australian market’s recent sell-off, although he adds that these stocks’ price-earnings multiples remain high.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX, MSCI WORLD INDEX, MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX

Tech, financials in sea of red as world awaits US earnings

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 17 & 28 : 16-Oct-18

Bearish investor sentiment again weighed on Asian sharemarkets on 15 October, which followed the Australian bourse further into negative territory. Richard Coppleson of Bell Potter expects global markets to follow the historical trend for October, whereby sharp sell-offs are usually followed by a strong recovery in the final months of the year. However, he adds that the Australian sharemarket is unlikely to rebound strongly until there is evidence that Wall Street’s latest sell-off was merely a correction.

CORPORATES
BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, HANG SENG INDEX, SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX, NIKKEI 225 INDEX, JANUS HENDERSON GROUP PLC – ASX JHG, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, JP MORGAN AND COMPANY INCORPORATED

Investors brace for another volatile week

Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 19 : 15-Oct-18

Futures pricing suggests that Australian equities will fall when the local sharemarket opens on 15 October. The S&P/ASX 200 shed 4.7 per cent in the previous week, despite a modest gain on 12 October, and Shane Oliver of AMP Capital says there is a high risk of a further correction in the short-term. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also clawed back some of its losses on 12 October, after shedding 1,300 points in the previous two trading sessions.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, TD SECURITIES, FARR, MILLER AND WASHINGTON LLC

6000-point level the next test of new down leg

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 28 : 9-Oct-18

The Australian sharemarket’s 1.4 per cent fall on 8 October was its largest single-day loss since late March, with blue-chip stocks in particular retreating. The bearish investor sentiment also weighed on the Australian dollar, which fell to its lowest level in 2.5 years in local trading. Charting suggests that the S&P/ASX 200 could fall below 6,000 points in coming days, although the earnings outlook means it would be unlikely to remain below this level for very long.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED – ASX ALL, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, NORSK HYDRO AS, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, COCHLEAR LIMITED – ASX COH, RESMED INCORPORATED – ASX RMD, INVOCARE LIMITED – ASX IVC, NUFARM LIMITED – ASX NUF, ANSELL LIMITED – ASX ANN, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PEOPLE’S BANK OF CHINA

ASX looks steady as earnings draw to a close

Original article by Sarah Turner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 27-Aug-18

Futures pricing suggests that the Australian sharemarket will drift lower when trading resumes on 27 August. The leadership crisis in Canberra weighed on investors in the previous week, with the S&P/ASX 200 shedding 1.5 per cent. However, US markets posted solid gains for the week, with the S&P 500 officially recording its longest bull run on record.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX, NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, PEOPLE’S BANK OF CHINA, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET