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

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 28 : 16-Aug-18

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 has risen to its highest level in more than a decade on the strength of the August reporting season. Investors shrugged off a negative lead from Asian markets and a downturn in base metal and crude oil prices on 15 August, although weaker commodity prices weighed on the resources sector. Meanwhile, Wilson Asset Management chairman Geoff Wilson warns that while the Trump administration’s tax cuts have boosted the US economy, the trade war with China is likely to have an impact in the next 6-12 months.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COMPUTERSHARE LIMITED – ASX CPU, DEXUS – ASX DXS, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, COCHLEAR LIMITED – ASX COH, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, BRAMBLES LIMITED – ASX BXB, AFTERPAY TOUCH GROUP LIMITED – ASX APT, PACT GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX PGH, HANG SENG INDEX, SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX, NIKKEI 225 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX, LONDON METAL EXCHANGE LIMITED, OZ MINERALS LIMITED – ASX OZL, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WAM CAPITAL LIMITED – ASX WAM, MAGELLAN FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX MFG, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 28 : 11-Jul-18

The S&P/ASX 200 failed to reach a new 10-year high on 10 July, with the banking sector leading the market lower. Jonathan Mott of UBS notes that the Australian market had significantly outperformed its global peers between early April and early July, although this had followed a sharp fall in the March quarter. Meanwhile, a number of factors may weigh on the local bourse in the lead-up to the August reporting season, including the potential for the US-China trade war to escalate.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, SUNCORP BANK, AMP BANK LIMITED, PEPPER GROUP LIMITED, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Original article by Sarah Turner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 2-Jul-18

The S&P/ASX 200 gained 8.6 per cent during 2017-18, ending the financial year at 6,194 points. The energy sector rose 37 per cent and the material sector added 24 per cent. Equities strategists are generally upbeat about the outlook for commodity prices and the resources sector in 2018-19, although some are bearish about bank stocks. Meanwhile, Chris Nicol of Morgan Stanley expects the S&P/ASX 200 to be trading at 5,950 points at the end of 2018-19, while Tony Brennan of Citigroup has a target of 6,650 points.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED – ASX ALL, THE A2 MILK COMPANY LIMITED – ASX A2M, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 29 : 22-Jun-18

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 has gained nearly three per cent since the start of 2018 and nine per cent so far in 2017-18. However, the market typically posts strong gains in the second half of June, after the tax-loss selling and profit warning season has run its course and bank stocks rebound from initial falls after trading ex-dividend. Meanwhile, bank dividend payments traditionally boost the local market in July, although factors such as the potential for a US-China trade war remain a risk to Australian equities.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, BLOOMBERG LP, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED – ASX ALL, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, RAMSAY HEALTH CARE LIMITED – ASX RHC, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF THE TREASURY