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Market flat despite weak global lead, Woolies trumps Wesfarmer’s, Macquarie’s gain The S&P/ASX200 (ASX: XJO) continues to oscillate between winners and losers, with the losers directing the market today. The technology sector dragged the market 0.2 per cent lower as it fell 3.2 per cent during the session. The biggest detractor was Afterpay (ASX: APT) which is facing a challenge to the Square (NYSE: SQ) takeover…

The S&P/ASX200 (ASX: XJO) overcame a weak start, falling as much as 0.8 per cent to finish 0.3 per cent lower for the day. Whilst the sentiment has turned significantly negative, on the back of the falling oil price, Omicron variant and higher bond rates, the performance of individual stocks has been considerably more divergent. The materials sector continued its…

Just as Australia’s road to recovery continues to drive the economy out of the Corona-induced recession, it’s been marred by the continuation of international border restrictions due to the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant. The two sectors most at risk are the travel and hospitality industries, which are banking on a huge festive season…

News of the new Coronavirus strain Omicron has once again triggered fear and volatility in global markets, with investor sentiment taking a hit. The team at BlackRock’s Investment Institute has released its weekly commentary report with a simple yet effective message, “staying invested amid new virus strain.” Sure, the new highly contagious virus strain could…

Morgans has released its Australian asset allocation strategy update for 2022. The wealth manager has retained its Overweight position to risk assets and Underweight traditional income assets. There has however been one big addition: the broker has included Alternatives to its portfolios. Alternatives will add value and diversification to portfolios, “with global short rates edging…

The Tuas Ltd (ASX: TUA) share price is up around 5% after the Asian telecommunications business announced it has bought more 5G spectrum. Tuas is an Asian telecommunications business which is building a position in Singapore to offer mobile services to customers there. Tuas buys more spectrum Tuas announced that it took part in the quantity stage…

Australia’s leading alternative real estate investment manager, Qualitas, has officially closed its initial public offering (IPO), having raised $335 million based on an offer price of $2.50 per share. That gives a market capitalisation of $735 million for a listing on December 23, just before Christmas. Management will use capital raised at the IPO to…

The Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF) share price is in focus after it announced acquisitions of multiple cattle and cropping properties. Rural Funds (RFF) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns farmland and leases to agricultural tenants. It is operated by Rural Funds Management Limited (RFM). Rural Funds acquires cattle and cropping property Management announced…

Estate planning is among the least talked-about parts of any financial plan yet given the growing level of wealth in Australia it is likely to be one of the most important. This is particularly so in an age where blended families are more common than ever, and we are about to see the biggest redistribution…

Market posts positive finish, AMP jumps, Westpac sued The S&P/ASX200 (ASX: XJO) managed to deliver another positive day, finishing 0.2 per cent higher despite giving back gains of over 1.5 per cent at the open. Weaker US futures hit confidence in the afternoon, with defensive earnings streams among the worst hit as the utilities and consumer sectors…

Omicron risk dissipates, commodities gain, energy takes OPEC+ hit  Concerns that the Omicron-related sell off would look similar to March 2020 were sated on Monday, with the market recovering from a steep fall at the open to post a loss of just 0.5 per cent. The biggest contributor was a more positive outlook from US markets, where…

South African strain spooks markets, Appen smashed, red everywhere Being the only market trading on Friday, the S&P/ASX200 (ASX: XJO) bore the brunt of the global sell off as news emerged of another, more dangerous strain of COVID-19 found in South Africa. Potentially resistant to existing vaccines, the news spooked the market sending the market down 1.7…