STOCK PRICE INDEXES – AUSTRALIA

Global equities the big winner

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Original article by Alex Gluyas
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 2-Jul-21

Data from BetaShares shows that Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 gained 27.8 per cent on a total returns basis in 2020-21, including dividends. This compares with a return of 37.4 per cent for the MSCI All Country World Index, which was boosted by technology and financial stocks. The Australian market was in turn bolstered by strong gains from consumer discretionary stocks (up 46.1 per cent), financials (40.6 per cent), technology (39.8 per cent) and resources (29.2 per cent). The S&P 500 gained 40.8 per cent in 2020-21, and it reached another new record high on 1 July.

CORPORATES
BETASHARES CAPITAL LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, MSCI ALL COUNTRY WORLD INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX

Shares deliver $560bn windfall

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 13 & 20 : 1-Jul-21

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 capped off a stellar recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by posting a gain in all but one month during 2020-21. The benchmark index’s 24 per cent gain was the best return for a financial year since its inception, and follows a pandemic-induced loss of 11.3 per cent in 2019-20. The S&P/ASX 200 reached a record high of 7,406.2 points in May, having slumped to a low of 4,402.5 points in March 2020 as the pandemic weighed on global financial markets. Utilities is the only sector that failed to post a positive return in 2020-21.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Options for investors as bourse nears record high

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 20 : 9-Apr-21

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is within striking distance of its record high of 7,197.2 points, set in February 2020. The index reached an intra-day high of 7,012.4 points on 8 April, having gained 60 per cent since falling to a pandemic-induced low in March 2020. The index has gained three per cent in the month to date, compared with an average gain of 2.5 per cent in April. Pieter Stoltz of UBS expects cyclicals and value stocks to outperform the broader sharemarket in the near-term; he also likes stocks with overseas earnings and those with exposure to the housing and mining services sectors.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Stocks on track for bumper year

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 1-Apr-21

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 3.1 per cent during the March quarter, and 15.1 per cent in the first nine months of 2020-21. The local sharemarket may be on track for its best financial-year performance since fiscal 2013, when it gained 17.3 per cent. Lynas Rare Metals, Virgin Money and Zip Co were the top performers during the quarter, each posting gains of at least 40 per cent. The benchmark index had shed 11 per cent in 2019-20, due to the coronavirus-induced slump in the second half.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, LYNAS RARE EARTHS LIMITED – ASX LYC, VIRGIN MONEY UK PLC – ASX VUK, ZIP CO LIMITED – ASX Z1P

A November to remember amid US poll results, vaccine hope

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 13 & 20 : 12-Nov-20

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 has gained 8.8 per cent so far in November, and it is now just 11.5 per cent shy of the record peak of 7,197.2 points in February. The market has been boosted by factors such as the outcome of the US presidential election and the encouraging initial clinical trial results for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine candidate. JP Morgan anticipates further upside for equities, forecasting that the global bull run is not yet over.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, JP MORGAN AND COMPANY INCORPORATED

Blue chips steal AGM season spotlight

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Original article by Vesna Poljak
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 12-Oct-20

Futures pricing suggests that the Australian sharemarket will open flat on 12 October, despite a positive lead from Wall Street. The annual general meetings season is set to again be the key focus for investors in the coming week; the Commonwealth Bank, Telstra and CSL are among the blue-chip stocks that are slated to hold their AGMs. Macquarie has indicated that trading updates and commentary are likely to be of increased importance during the current AGM season, given that just 19 per cent of listed companies provided earnings guidance during the recent reporting season.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

Results so far are a shot in the arm for investors

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 23 : 20-Aug-20

The S&P/ASX 200 has gained two per cent since the start of the August reporting season. Investors have responded positively to earning results, dividend payouts and outlook guidance, as well as a rally in the S&P 500 and the continued strength of commodity prices. Indeed, dividend announcements were a common factor among many stocks that outperformed on 19 August; likewise, a lack of dividend payments contributed to some stocks being sold down.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX

Investors brace for harder hit from second wave

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 20 : 9-Jul-20

The S&P/ASX 200 has shed 3.2 per in the last three trading sessions, while the Australian dollar has retreated ahead of Melbourne going into lockdown. Damien Boey of Credit Suisse says policymakers may have underestimated the economic cost of the lockdown, which may be closer to $26bn than the $6bn that has been forecast. He adds that the new lockdown may the "straw that broke the camel’s back" for many small businesses that were already struggling. Analysts also expect the new coronavirus outbreak in Victoria to weigh on corporate earnings and dividend payouts.

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

Greed, fear: ASX wraps worst year since 2012

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Original article by William McInnes
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 & 24 : 1-Jul-20

The Australian sharemarket shed 10.9 per cent during 2019-20, in a turbulent financial year for investors. The local bourse reached a record high in February, before the coronavirus pandemic prompted a savage sell-off. However, a number of stocks performed well during 2019-20, with Afterpay, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and Mesoblast all gaining more than 100 per cent. Fund managers warn that the August reporting season will be a key test for the sharemarket’s recent rebound.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, AFTERPAY LIMITED – ASX APT, FISHER AND PAYKEL HEALTHCARE CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX FPH, MESOBLAST LIMITED – ASX MSB

What crisis? Bull market rages on as beaten-down banks lead value charge

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 5-Jun-20

The S&P/ASX 200 has gained more than 30 per cent since reaching a seven-year low of 4,402.5 points on 23 March. Morgan Stanley estimates that the benchmark index is currently trading on a record 12-month forward price-to-earnings ratio of about 19.55 times. While there has been strong support for some defensive growth stocks, value stocks continue to outperform; Chris Nicol of Morgan Stanley says there will be further upside for value stocks if there is a V-shaped economic recovery.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED