News

ASX down 0.5%, reporting season peaks, Coles (ASX:COL), Woolworths (ASX:WOW) sold off The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) fell 0.5% on what was one of the busiest days of reporting season, with 20 companies releasing either half-year or quarterly updates. The consumer staples sector was the biggest detractor, falling 3.5% on fears that recent trends will slow, with the property sector…

There has been a lot written about the GameStop saga in the last few weeks. I want to discuss the medium-term market impacts rather than moralising about who is right and wrong. While I doubt it marks the top of the current market, there are some concerning signs. Quick background  The wallstreetbets forum on Reddit spawned several short…

Despite their popularity in the institutional world, managed funds remain one of the most misunderstood investments by DIY investors. Thus far fund managers have done little to improve the education of end investors to the benefits of their ‘unit trust’ structure. The underlying premise of a managed fund is simple, to pool the capital of…

ASX hits 11-month high, BHP (ASX:BHP) delivers record dividend, Ansell (ASX:ANN) riding the COVID wave  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) reached an 11-month high and is now nearing 7,000 points once again, with the energy and materials sectors powering the recovery. Zip Co. (ASX:Z1P) continued its stellar 2021 run, adding 10.0% and taking the year-to-date gain to 160%. The company…

ASX heads higher, JB Hi-Fi’s (ASX:JBH) dividend bonanza, Zip Co (ASX:Z1P) hits all-time high  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) started the week on a strong footing, jumping 0.9% to open the week with all but the interest rate sensitive sectors of property and utilities heading higher. Whilst reporting season is in focus, Zip Co (ASX:Z1P) was by far the biggest highlight,…

The effects of COVID-19 and the lockdowns that followed have changed the way we interact and conduct business forever. The virus had a big impact on almost every sector of the economy, forcing employees to work from home and businesses to accelerate the process of digitisation out of necessity rather than choice, in order to…

BARD1 Life Sciences (ASX: BD1) – The Melbourne-based biotech’s shares rocketed 132 per cent following a positive announcement last Thursday on ovarian cancer detection. The company said Griffith University’s Institute of Glycomics had released data showing that the company’s licensed SubB2M technology can be used to detect all stages of ovarian cancer with 100% specificity…

Whilst listening to a recent conference by a global multi-asset manager, or “balanced fund.” for lack of a better term, it became evident that most portfolios are inadequately prepared for the future that lies ahead. The group has a number of less-than-conventional views on the asset markets, but it wasn’t these that piqued my interest,…

Lockdown 3.0, ASX finishes 0.5% lower, Baby Bunting (ASX:BBN) riding COVID-19 boom The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished 0.6% lower on Friday, dragging the market to 0.5% for the week. The news of the day was the snap five-day lockdown in Victoria, which naturally sent the industrials sector to significant losses, Qantas (ASX:QAN) fell 4.8% and Webjet (ASX:WEB) 3.9%. Over the week, it…

Market falls flat, Telstra (ASX:TLS) affirms dividend, AMP (ASX:AMP) offer pulled The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) fell 0.1% on Thursday as reporting stepped up another level. The IT sector fell 2.1% giving up recent gains, whilst Woolworths (ASX:WOW) fell 0.9% sending the consumer staples sector lower as the rotation into more cyclical sectors continued. AMP (ASX:AMP) was a major detractor, falling 11.0%,…

ASX higher, Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) dividend boost, Lend Lease (ASX:LLC) CEO leaves, Crown Ltd (ASX:CWN) has an uncertain future The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished 0.5% higher, with every sector but consumer discretionary adding to returns. IT was once again the standout with both Afterpay Ltd (ASX:APT) and Zip Co (ASX:Z1P) hitting all-time highs as BNPL valuations took another leap forward. Whilst reported…

Vanguard this week released its ETF Quarterly Report highlighting some of the key trends emerging from the fast-growing ETF sector. The analysis covered every exchange-traded fund on offer, including the reasonably new “active ETFs” such as those issued by Magellan, Munro Partners and Loftus Peak. It was another quarter of records, with the sector seeing…