China

ASX200 breaches 7,000 points, Zip Co raising $400m, Woodside gets new CEO The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finally breached the 7,000 point mark, adding 0.7% in today’s session with IT, healthcare, and materials once again the leaders adding 2.1%, 1.3%, and 1.2% respectively. The iron ore sector gained despite an apparent slowdown in Chinese demand, with gold miners taking off following news…

ASX delivers small gain, Future Fund leads renewables deal  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished slightly higher, adding 0.1% to commence the week.  The IT sector continues to feel a great deal of selling pressure with Afterpay (ASX:APT) falling another 4.5% as investors continue to pivot towards more sustainable, undervalued sources of returns. The share price is now nearly 30% off…

ASX falls 0.8%, retail in the spotlight, China’s economic miracle, QBE gets slammed The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) started the week on a negative footing, falling 0.8%. The discretionary retail (0.2%) and IT (0.5%) sectors were the only highlights but weren’t sufficient to offset a fall in the materials sector (-1.9%). It was the normal culprits pushing the market…

Australia-China relations took another turn for the worse following China’s refusal to apologise for posting a controversial image. This grotesque illustration depicts a ‘photoshopped’ Australian soldier holding an Afghan child’s throat. The image was shared on social media by a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry after proof was found that 39 civilians and prisoners…

You have to feel for Treasury Wine Estates, Australia’s largest wine company, the maker of well-known brands such as Penfolds and its iconic Grange label, Wynns, Seppelt, Wolf Blass, Pepperjack and Lindeman’s. After starting the year at just over $16, Treasury Wine Estates had moved nicely to $17.70 – then the COVID-19 pandemic stripped its…

Australia is facing yet another round of export bans after Chinese authorities knocked back tonnes of lobsters, timber from Queensland and barley from a second grain grower. Without warning, paid goods that had arrived at ports were sent back in what is known as a ‘soft ban’ that falls outside of current trade agreements. Authorities…

I recently returned from a research trip to China and was struck by how seriously environmental issues are now being taken by government and town planners. As China continues to develop, environmental issues are increasingly front and centre in what is described in the country as a “war” against pollution.