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The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) followed a strong global lead pushing 1.7% higher, with all sectors benefiting. The most stunning performance has come from Afterpay Ltd (ASX:APT) which after hitting another all-time high has become the 19th most valuable company at $18 billion; this despite losing $32 million last year.

Most global markets started the financial year on a positive note, with the ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) adding 0.6% despite reports that just 30% of jobs lost during the COVID-19 crisis have been replaced.

It’s been a big year for bank shareholders, but none more so than ANZ Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) shareholders… Firstly, keep in mind that its dividends were cut (“deferred”) amid the COVID-19 sell-off. Since then, things have continued to go pear-shaped as the Australian and Kiwi economies, politicians and central bankers struggled to understand the implications of Coronavirus….

Sharemarkets around the world continued to rally overnight, with the S&P 500 up 1.5% marking the strongest quarter since 1998. The Eurostoxx 50 was comparatively weaker adding just 0.06% whilst the Nasdaq rallied another 1.9% as investors ignored the existential threat to Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB).

The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) followed a negative lead from Wall Street, falling 1.5%, albeit on lower volumes amid the beginning of school holidays. The market traded as low as 2.2% throughout the day, with chronic underperformers in the property sector like Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (ASX:URW) seeing significant tax loss selling as 30 June nears.

Global sharemarkets will begin the week on a negative footing as it appears the second wave is upon us. Several of the US largest southern states contributed to an all-time high in cases, whilst similar outbreaks in Germany and to a less extent in Melbourne, are making investors nervous once again.

It was another bumpy day for investors on Thursday, with the ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) following global markets lower and falling by -2.5% as global infection rates and the threat of the re-imposition of restrictions increased.

The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) finished marginally higher again on Wednesday, adding 0.2%, driven primarily by technology names including Afterpay Ltd (ASX:APT) and Xero Ltd (ASX:XRO) after both reached all-time highs. These gains will be reversed today as US markets tumbled heavily, down between 2% and 3%, as the resurgence in COVID-19 cases continued to grow; this must be investors worst nightmare.

In in a sign of how fragile this market recovery may be, global markets swung between gains and losses of 1% after White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro initially suggested the trade deal with China was ‘over’. This was only to be retracted by President Trump minutes later via Twitter.

Another day, another global technology rally sending markets higher. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones both improved 0.6% but it was the NASDAQ driving market returns improving 1.1% as both Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) and Amazon Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) hit new all-time highs.

The Altium (ASX: ALU) share price is down 7% in early trading after giving a business update. What is Altium? Altium is an Australian multinational software business that was founded in 1985. It now has offices globally in places like San Diego, New York, Boston, Munich, Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney. Its software focuses on electronics design systems…

The sharemarket has factored-in an ugly FY20 reporting season, with consensus forecasts projecting a 15%-20% decline in company earnings for FY20, hammered by the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant economic slowdown. And the consensus is not very optimistic for FY21, either, with flat expectations. Analysts are possibly a bit too pessimistic, says Hasan Tefvik, strategist…