ASIC the corporate lapdog
The implosion of Australia’s corporate watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, under the federal government’s new directions, has gone from tragedy to farce. ASIC was described as “weak, hesitant and timid” in a 2014 Senate review of its performance. To be fair, that was before ASIC’s current leadership. Now any assessment could add “dazed…
CommSec Daiy Report Friday
Latest News Aussie shares started Friday’s session in the red and has remained near the lows of the day for the opening few hours of trade. The ASX 200 is down 66 points or 0.9% to 7,393 towards midday, following a mixed session on US markets overnight where the Dow Jones and S&P500 saw small…
Reporting season wrap up
This year’s reporting season illustrates the value of long-term company plans in a volatile economy. While continued lockdowns mean Australia hasn’t yet moved into a recovery phase, opportunities still await patient investors. Investors looking long term This year’s reporting season has revealed a fascinating divergence between companies with strong short-term results and those attracting investor…
Biggest lift in consumer confidence in 22 weeks
Biggest lift in consumer confidence in 22 weeks Consumer confidence; CBA card spending; Overseas arrivals & departures What happened? The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence rating rose by 3.1 per cent – the most in 22 weeks – to an 8-week high of 103.1 (long-run average 112.5 since 1990). Sentiment surged 10.6 per cent in…
Why you should diversify your portfolio
When it comes to success stories, the ASX includes many brands that have made their mark. Companies like BHP and Commonwealth Bank are among the largest in the ASX by market capitalisation. These businesses belong to two industries, financials and materials, that account for roughly half of the ASX by market capitalisation. While healthcare now…
Vital Signs: the Greens’ super-profits tax idea
Earlier this year, the Australian Greens proposed a wealth tax on billionaires straight out of the (former US presidential candidate) Elizabeth Warren playbook. This week it added what it called a “tycoon tax” that would tax so-called super-profits made by companies with annual turnovers of more than A$100 million. It might not be the winner…
Oil prices soar: Sydney petrol prices hit record high
Oil prices soar: Sydney petrol prices hit record high Oil market update; Used car prices What happened? Last week, the Brent crude price jumped US$7.52 a barrel or 11.5 per cent to US$72.70 a barrel. And the US Nymex price added US$6.42 a barrel or 10.3 per cent to US$68.74 a barrel. It was the…
Why Coles and Woolworths are using robot warehouses
As lockdowns continue across Australia, many households are doing something they may not have considered just 18 months ago: ordering groceries online. Australia’s supermarket duopoly, Coles and Woolworths, have raced to implement new technology and transform labour arrangements to keep up with the e-grocery boom. Both are investing in “smart” warehousing and distribution systems with…
Lessons learned over the past 12 months
As we head into the new financial year, we feel really excited by the stocks and exposures we have in both the long and short book. However, if FY21 has taught us anything it is to keep an open mind and learn from where we got things wrong. After contributing 270bps of alpha for the…
The importance of reporting season
August is the month most publicly listed companies report their full-year earnings results. Savvy investors need to cut through the noise by focusing on how well expectations have matched up with reality. Here’s what you need to know about the share market’s ‘confession season’. What is reporting season? Throughout reporting season, publicly listed companies update…
