STOCK PRICE INDEXES – AUSTRALIA

S&P’s Blitzer worries about rates and whippersnappers

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Original article by Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 14-Apr-15

David Blitzer of Standard & Poor’s has warned that the sharemarket rallies in the US and Australia are not sustainable. He notes that technology stocks are most at risk of experiencing a correction. Blitzer adds that many Australian fund managers and stockbrokers have never had to cope with a recession and its potential effects on financial markets. He says this could present as big a risk to the domestic sharemarket as an increase in the cash rate

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S CORPORATION, NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

Some see 6000, others say sell in May, go away

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Original article by John Wasiliev
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 14-Apr-15

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index fell just shy of the 6,000-point level on 13 April 2015, before drifting lower. Ric Spooner of CMC Markets expects the benchmark index to trade at around its current level in the near-term, although he notes that investors may embrace the adage of "sell in May and go away" in coming weeks. HC Securities’ Mark Lennox says the upcoming release of GDP and industrial production data from China will be the next key test for the market

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CMC MARKETS PTY LTD, HC SECURITIES PTY LTD, IG MARKETS LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CHICAGO BOARD OPTIONS EXCHANGE VOLATILITY INDEX

Shares to open lower as RBA considers cut

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Original article by Mark Mulligan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 7-Apr-15

Futures traders expect the Australian sharemarket to shed 0.15 per cent when trading resumes on 7 April 2015. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 fell by 0.4 per cent during the previous week. The Reserve Bank’s monthly board meeting will be a focus for investors, with Credit Suisse data showing that financial markets have priced in a 75 per cent chance of a rate cut. Retail sales, construction and mortgage lending data will also be released in coming days

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, BLOOMBERG LP, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, BANK OF JAPAN, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL OPEN MARKET COMMITTEE, SOCIETE GENERALE, OANDA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

ASX 200 first quarter was best in decades

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Original article by Vesna Poljak
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 & 17 : 1-Apr-15

Deutsche Bank’s Tim Baker expects Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX200 Index to reach 6,200 points, following a strong performance in the March 2015 quarter. The health sector in particular performed well during the quarter, and Philip Parker of Altair Asset Management notes that the sector benefited from the lower Australian dollar. However, the materials sector shed six per cent during March, due to factors such as the downturn in the iron ore price

CORPORATES
DEUTSCHE BANK AG, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, ALTAIR ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, CBG ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, RESMED INCORPORATED – ASX RMD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

6300 in sight for Citi

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Original article by Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 26-Mar-15

The S&P/ASX 200 remains close to the 6,000-point level, but some equity strategists are bullish about the benchmark index’s outlook. Tony Brennan and Vivian Jiang of Citigroup forecast that it will top 6,300 points by the end of 2015, while Credit Suisse has a year-end target of 6,500 points. The market is tipped to push higher due to factors such as rising support for shares due to low interest rates in Australia and overseas

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, ZURICH INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, BANK OF ENGLAND, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

6300 in sight for Citi

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Original article by Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 26-Mar-15

The S&P/ASX 200 remains close to the 6,000-point level, but some equity strategists are bullish about the benchmark index’s outlook. Tony Brennan and Vivian Jiang of Citigroup forecast that it will top 6,300 points by the end of 2015, while Credit Suisse has a year-end target of 6,500 points. The market is tipped to push higher due to factors such as rising support for shares due to low interest rates in Australia and overseas

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, ZURICH INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, BANK OF ENGLAND, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Commentators look forward as ASX 200 flirts with 6000

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Original article by John Wasiliev
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 24-Mar-15

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index continued to test the 6,000-point level again on 23 March 2015. Ric Spooner of CMC markets expects it to rise above 6,000 points in the near-term, adding that if the benchmark index finds support above this level it could potentially rise to around 6,180. Meanwhile, ThinkForex’s Matt Simpsons says the Australian dollar is likely to trade within the range of $US0.755 to $US0.7912 in the near-term

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CMC MARKETS PTY LTD, THINKFOREX, IG MARKETS LIMITED, OANDA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, RESMED INCORPORATED – ASX RMD, WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, QUAY EQUITIES PTY LTD, HC SECURITIES

Eight stocks stalling the ASX

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Original article by Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 11-Mar-15

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 has risen by 83 per cent in the last six years, while the S&P 500 has risen by 205 per cent. Evan Lucas of IG Markets says the local market has been affected by the slowing Chinese economy and the Australian economy’s shift from a focus on mining to services. Analysis shows that BHP Billiton, QBE Insurance Group, Newcrest Mining, OZ Minerals, Rio Tinto, Woodside Petroleum, BlueScope Steel and WorleyParsons have accounted for about 530 of the points shed by the S&P/ASX 200 since late 2007

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, IG MARKETS LIMITED, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, QBE INSURANCE GROUP LIMITED – ASX QBE, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, OZ MINERALS LIMITED – ASX OZL, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, MINERALS AND METALS GROUP, MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL

Rate pause clobbers share prices

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Original article by Jacob Greber, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 4-Mar-15

The Australian sharemarket fell sharply and the dollar rallied after the Reserve Bank defied expectations and left official interest rates on hold on 3 March 2015. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index ended the session at 5,933.9 points, and Tony Paterno of Ord Minnett says it is now unlikely to breach the 6,000-point level in the near-term. The central bank has maintained its easing bias, with governor Glenn Stevens indicating that there may be further rate cuts if this is deemed appropriate

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, ORD MINNETT GROUP LIMITED, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, AUSBIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, CONTANGO ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, RP DATA LIMITED, CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Stunned traders caught in the glare of ASX200’s headlights

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Original article by John Wasiliev
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 3-Mar-15

The Australian sharemarket reached its highest level in seven years on 2 March 2015, ahead of the Reserve Bank’s monthly board meeting. More than 50 per cent of economists expect the central bank to reduce the cash rate again, after a 25 basis point cut in February. However, opinion is divided as to whether the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 will breach the 6,000-point level in the near-term

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CMC MARKETS PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, INSURANCE AUSTRALIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX IAG, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TOL, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, IG MARKETS LIMITED, OANDA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, THINKFOREX