STOCK PRICE INDEXES – AUSTRALIA

ASX hits record high, topping 2007 peak

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 17 & 25 : 31-Jul-19

The S&P/ASX 200 has more than doubled since reaching a low of 3,120.8 points during the global financial crisis. The Australian market’s year-to-date gain of 21 per cent is its strongest since 1991, potentially putting it on track for the best year since 2009. Meanwhile, Shane Oliver of AMP Capital warns that the 2019 rally means there is the risk of a short term correction, and Hasan Tevfik of MST Marquee says the market’s high forward price-to-earnings ratio means investors need to be "quite selective" about the stocks they buy.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, MST MARQUEE, PENGANA CAPITAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX PCG, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

It’s a long way to the top for a market in reach of record high

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Original article by Andrew White, Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 17 & 28 : 30-Jul-19

The S&P/ASX 200 closed less than three points shy of its all-time record on 29 July, but the upcoming corporate earnings season may see the benchmark index reach a new high. The S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 surpassed their 2007 peaks in 2013, while the Nikkei did so in 2015. Alphinity Investment Management’s Bruce Smith has downplayed the significance of the ASX 200’s rise, noting that the S&P ASX All Ordinaries Accumulation Index also rose above its 2007 levels in 2013 and has since consistently reached new highs.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, FTSE 100 INDEX, NIKKEI 225 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES ACCUMULATION INDEX, ALPHINITY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT, OPHIR ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Rate cuts push investors into risky territory

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 25 : 10-Jul-19

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 recorded its third-biggest loss for 2019 on 8 July, after gaining two per cent in the previous week and about 25 per cent in the last six months. The rally in global sharemarkets during 2019 has been driven by central banks’ shift towards a monetary policy easing bias. The downturn in official interest rates is prompting more investors to embrace higher-risk asset classes, which in turn can increase market risk.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, JP MORGAN AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

Morgan Stanley puts cat among the pigeons

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 28 : 9-Jul-19

The S&P/ASX 200 recorded its third-biggest daily loss for 2019 on 8 July, after gaining two per cent in the previous week. Morgan Stanley’s move to downgrade its equity market recommendation from ‘equalweight’ to ‘underweight’ contributed to the pullback, and Andrew Sheets of Morgan Stanley says the investment bank’s global equity weight is now at its lowest since coverage began in 2014. Meanwhile, with the US earnings season set to begin shortly, Tobias Levkovich of Citigroup says consensus estimates for earnings in the June quarter could be too low.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, MORGAN STANLEY AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, CITIGROUP INCORPORATED, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK

Shares near all-time high as rates fall

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Original article by Melissa Yeo
The Australian – Page: 21 & 29 : 5-Jul-19

The S&P/ASX 200 reached a new 12-year high during intra-day trading on 4 July, and the benchmark index is now just 133 points shy of its record high of October 2007. George Kanaan of UBS says the fall in bond yields has been the key driver for local and international shares in 2019. The federal government’s income tax cuts package has also boosted sentiment among Australian investors; Plato Investment Management’s MD Don Hamson says the tax cuts could have the same stimulatory impact as two reductions in the cash rate.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, PLATO INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, PEPPERSTONE GROUP LIMITED, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Rate cut to spur ASX to even greater heights

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Original article by Sarah Turner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 30 : 7-Jun-19

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 has gained more than12 per cent so far in 2019, including a one per cent gain since the Reserve Bank reduced the cash rate on 4 June. The first interest rate cut in almost three years may provide the catalyst for further sharemarket gains, particularly given the higher yields at present from equities than bonds and cash products such as term deposits. There is also growing expectations of further monetary policy easing before the end of 2019.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

ASX surge isn’t over yet, but there are dangers

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 28 : 28-May-19

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 has gained 14 per cent so far in 2019, closing at around 6,452 points on 27 May, and some analysts expect it to rise further. Citigroup now expects the benchmark index to top 6,700 points by the end of the year and reach the 6,850-point level by mid-2020. However, Chris Nicol of Morgan Stanley expects the local bourse to experience a ‘cooling off period’ following its recent peak at a 12-year high.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MACQUARIE EQUITIES LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Confession season to give rally a reality check

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 27 : 30-Apr-19

The Australian sharemarket has had its best start to a calendar year since 1991, despite retreating on 29 April. However, the banks’ reporting season will be the next key test for the local bourse, along with trading updates from other listed companies. Meanwhile, the consensus forecast for growth in earnings per share in 2019 is 2.8 per cent, compared with 8.4 per cent at the same time in 2018.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP INCORPORATED

FOMO or TINA? Stocks hit seven-month high but rocky road ahead

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 17 & 24 : 24-Apr-19

The S&P/ASX 200 has gained 12 per cent so far in 2019, making its best start to a calendar year in two decades. The benchmark index is now trading on a 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75 times, compared with a long-term average of around 14 times. Although ‘fear of missing out’ has been a key driver of the domestic market, ‘there is no alternative’ to shares has probably also played a role in the recent rise. However, investors should also be mindful of the adage ‘sell in May and go away’.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, ALUMINA LIMITED – ASX AWC, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Rate cut to avoid poll date as economy becomes battleground

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 19 & 29 : 12-Apr-19

Financial markets have priced in a 25 basis point reduction in official interest rates by October, although the chances of a rate cut during the federal election campaign are seen to be low. Meanwhile, Shane Oliver of AMP Capital says historical analysis shows that movements in global sharemarkets tend to have a bigger impact on the local bourse than the outcome of a federal election. However, he notes that Labor’s policies such as income tax and franking credit reforms may weigh on shares and the Australian dollar.

CORPORATES
AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX