By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 95 points or 0.8% while the S&P gained 0.6% to 1327 and the Nasdaq was steady.There was a lot going on in the Monday session to give stocks a further kick along. Firstly it was month-end, when often fund managers push up prices to make their returns more appealing. Given blue chips are in favour at present we can see a bit of influence here in the Dow's outperformance.Then...
- Upside risk to tomorrow's Q4 GDP result- Q1 data mixed to date- RBA going nowhereBy Greg PeelBefore we get to the RBA's monetary policy statement for March, let us review some of the recently released economic data.It's at this time of the quarter that economists are furiously rejigging their Australian GDP forecasts, given the raft of quarterly data released only days before the actual GDP resu...
No change in the economy's current sluggish pace, judging by yesterday's data.Headline inflation remains reasonably high, driven by the rain and flood damage to vegetables and fruit, business credit is subdued, business stocks rose in the three months to December, corporate profits fell slightly and wages and salaries were up a touch.Nothing will influence the Reserve Bank at its board m...
Just when many analysts thought iron ore prices couldn't go much higher there's news of another round of big price rises in the offing.In fact the huge surge in profits seen in the last half of 2010 will be repeated this half, and especially the June quarter with prices up 40% or more above a year earlier.BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and other iron ore exporters are looking for a surprise 20%...
Guess which company is now a stockmarket darling, despite a second half profit warning yesterday?Why, it's Queensland railway operator, QR National, the stock many local fund managers spurned in the noisy privatisation late last year.Now they want it because it's showing some potential, but more importantly it is about to be included in a number of major market measurement indexes, and f...
Australian company Wesfarmers Ltd (WES) has made a NZ$1 million donation to the Prime Minister’s New Zealand Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.
The Australian Bankers' Association (ABA) said there was a low rate of complaints against banks in information released today from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
Equinox Minerals Ltd (TSX and ASX: EQN) says it will make an offer to acquire Lundin Mining Corporation for approximately C$4.8 billion in cash and shares.
QBE Insurance, Australia's biggest insurer, reported a net profit after income tax of US$1,278 million, down from US$1,532 million last year.
The Australian market has started off the week a little lower for the fifth day out of the last six. The All Ordinaries index (XAO) is down 0.2 pct or 12.1 pts to 4912.8. Most sectors are in the red at lunch, however the energy sector is gaining quite strongly after a few hours of trade.
In its first results since a $4.6 billion privatisation by the Queensland government in November, QR National said revenues in the six months to the end of December rose 18 per cent to $1.75bn from $1.48bn.
(This story was originally published on 17th February, 2011. It has now been re-published to make it available to non-paying members at FNArena and to readers elsewhere).- Post-GFC, investors are seeking safer risk/reward profiles- Managed property remains a popular investment- Unlisted trusts have experienced much lower return volatility this past decade than other assets- The burgeoning pool of ...
(This story was originally published on Wednesday, 23rd February, 2011. It has now been re-published to make it available to non-paying members at FNArena and to readers elsewhere). - it would seem my personal indicator has once again correctly indicated the share market was overheated- as long as investor sentiment remains positive towards the US economy, any pull backs are likely to remain benig...
The Australian Dollar has opened firmer this morning, trading around 1.0150 after touching a high of 1.0185 during Friday night's offshore session.
The Australian Dollar gained a full cent during Friday's trade as ongoing concern for rising oil prices and political unrest in Libya weaken the US Dollar.
U.S. stocks rose Friday after three days of losses as shares of Boeing surged and as lessening fears over oil supply helped crude prices stabilize.
The US economy grew at a revised 2.8pct in the March quarter. The flash estimate had the economy growing at a 3.2pct annual pace and economists had expected an upward revision to 3.3pct.
The Australian December half earnings reporting season finished today with several large groups reporting interim of full year results See the Diary).But the real story will again be the flood of poor reports, mostly from small miners, that will be released in their hundreds during the day and into this evening.Failure to release reports could see the company involved suspended by the ASX.QR Natio...
It's not going to get any easier for global markets in the coming week.Global sharemarkets might have had the roughest week of the year so far last week, thanks to the unrest in Libya and other Middle Eastern countries.This week however they not only have to contend with the deepening crisis in Libya and the impact that will have on oil pries and investor sentiment, but there are a couple of ...
The economy dominates Australia this week, with the Reserve Bank board meeting tomorrow, the fourth quarter economic growth figures out on Wednesday, after the current account figures and other data today and tomorrow.In the US there's some important economic data, with the February jobs figures on Friday night, our time, dominating.The events in the Middle East will be watched closely for si...
The Australian Dollar has opened slightly stronger this morning, supported by the stronger oil price and some positive Australian investment data released yesterday.
The Australian Dollar rallied strongly throughout yesterday's domestic session after a surge in local capital expenditure.
U.S. stocks fell for a third straight day Thursday as worries persisted over turmoil in Libya and how the resulting surge in oil prices might affect the U.S. economic recovery.
US initial jobless claims fell by 22,000 to 391,000 in the last week. US new home sales fell 12.6pct to 284,000 in January.
U.S. stocks fell for a third straight day Thursday as worries persisted over turmoil in Libya and how the resulting surge in oil prices might affect the U.S. economic recovery.
- Africa is not getting its act together as supplier of natural resources to the world- China has become the number one industrial contractor to Africa- It is possible that China will slow down more in order to avoid more mayhem across the globe By Gavin Wendt, Founding Director & Senior Resource Analyst MineLife Pty LtdI had the opportunity to attend the annual Indaba mining conference in Cape To...
- Africa is not getting its act together as supplier of natural resources to the world- China has become the number one industrial contractor to Africa- It is possible that China will slow down more in order to avoid more mayhem across the globe By Gavin Wendt, Founding Director & Senior Resource Analyst MineLife Pty LtdI had the opportunity to attend the annual Indaba mining conference in Cape To...
By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 37 points or 0.3% while the S&P fell only 0.1% to 1306 and the Nasdaq actually closed 0.6% higher after two days of sharp drops.It was an unusual start to the session on Wall Street last night – unusual because the economic data were poor and that has not been the trend of late. New durable goods orders rose 2.7% in January but only because of lumpy aircraft o...
By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 37 points or 0.3% while the S&P fell only 0.1% to 1306 and the Nasdaq actually closed 0.6% higher after two days of sharp drops.It was an unusual start to the session on Wall Street last night – unusual because the economic data were poor and that has not been the trend of late. New durable goods orders rose 2.7% in January but only because of lumpy aircraft o...
The gradual disintegration of Libya, coming after the collapse of the regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, plus demonstrations in Algeria, Bahrain, Yemen and talk of unrest on Saudi Arabia has combined to send oil prices higher.The AMP's chief strategist and economist, Dr Shane Oliver looks at expensive oil and what it means.Oil prices are surging again. While US West Texas Intermediate is lagging d...
