ASX

If there was one word to summarise the relationship between the big four banks and interest rates, it would be volatile. In March, the banks rallied after the Reserve Bank of Australia shifted its dovish rhetoric and signalled imminent rate rises to combat inflation. Now with the RBA acting on those increases by most recently passing a 50 basis point increase, big four shares are tumbling over themselves.

From its infancy to now, the Exchange Traded Products (ETP) market has been growing exponentially, with 2021 becoming a record year for flows despite the COVID-19 pandemic. What started with about 126 products, has quickly grown to more than 266 products in the Australian market alone.

Both the Australian and US markets have seen a modest rebound towards the end of the week, however, it’s a little too early to say whether the sell-off is over. This week brokers have issued a series of upgrades and Buy recommendations.

It’s every Australian’s dream to win a division one jackpot. While your odds of that are pretty slim, you can now benefit from lotteries in another way. Last week The Lottery Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLC) – which owns brands including Tattslotto, Powerball and Ozlotto in addition to Keno outlets – was listed as a standalone…

A rollercoaster wouldn’t do justice to the ride Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) shareholders have been on lately. In fact, it’s more like an avalanche, with a temporary reprieve on the way down. After missing internal and external forecasts over the past two years, the Appen share price is down a staggering 84%. In 2020 it…

If you’ve been following the Nickel price, you will have seen the craziness that took place in early March just after war broke out in Ukraine. The London Metal Exchange (LME) cancelled nickel trading after an unprecedented 250% price rise was triggered by Western sanctions against Russia. The price surged to hit US$101,365 a tonne,…

Fertilizer and explosives chemicals company Incitec Pivot (ASX:IPL) has posted a better than expected profit result boosted by a rise in fertiliser prices and strong demand for mining explosives coming from the company’s Dyno Nobel business. The strong rebound in demand for mining explosives comes on the back of a global push for decarbonisation. The…

Given the dramatic falls seen in markets last week, Australia now presents a particularly compelling opportunity to capitalise on the rotation towards value. That’s the view put forward by Martin Currie, an active equities investment manager and part of the Franklin Templeton Group. Reece Birtles, Chief Investment Officer, Martin Currie Australia, says “extremely high valuations…

The Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX: TAH) share price tumbled 80% on Tuesday after it completed the demerger of its Lotteries and Keno (L&K) division into a separately listed ASX company. The division has been renamed The Lottery Corporation and will trade under the ticker code “TLC”. The existing Tabcorp listing will house the group’s wagering…

Inflation concerns continue to rattle markets with the RBA raising rates by 25bps at their May meeting to 35bps. Uncertainty throughout the month saw April fall by 0.8 percent bringing the total year to date (end of April) returns of the ASX 300 Accumulation Index to +10.2 percent. Ausbil Investment Management have released their Equity…

What is that white cream cricketers put on their faces and lips? You’ll be surprised to know, it’s zinc. Well zinc oxide to be exact. It’s the main and the strongest ingredient in any physical sunscreen used by cricketers. The Zinc Oxide cream is often referred to as a ‘reflector’ and isn’t absorbed by the…

It’s been a painful 2022 for the e-commerce sector, particularly former market darling Kogan (ASX: KGN). The pandemic induced retail spending surge of 2020 and 2021 is gone. Instead, households now face the scary economic reality of rising interest rates and inflation. Add in a sharp market sell-off in technology shares in addition to ongoing…