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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…

Unless you have well and truly been hiding under a rock for the past fortnight, you are likely getting sick of hearing about the whole GameStop debacle unfolding in the US, between some millennial Reddit users and just about the whole of Wall St. Since the story broke the GameStop (NYSE: GME) share price, which…

Earnings season begins, Challenger (ASX:CGF) reverses recent gains, Crown Ltd (ASX:CWN) locked out The ASX200 fell 0.9% as reality sets in after what had been an incredibly strong few weeks. Every sector finished lower lead by yield plays in property and utilities, off 2.1% and 1.4% respectively. All eyes will be on Crown Ltd (ASX:CWN) once it recommences trading after…

All Ords hit pre-pandemic high, ASX200 up 0.6%, Vocus (ASX:VOC) in play again The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week the same way it finished, adding 0.6% on Monday supported by a broad-based rally covering most sectors. Materials and discretionary retailers were the biggest beneficiaries of the risk-on mood, with BHP (ASX:BHP) and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX:WES) finishing 2.4% and 1.0% higher respectively….

Strongest week since November, News Corp (NWS) shows the evolution of media, more record highs The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week the same way it started, moving 1.1% higher, with a broad-based recovery sending the index to its highest level in 11 months. Mining services provider Worley (ASX:WOR) was the main laggard, falling 8.1% after flagging a significant fall…

With the onset of COVID-19 and the lockdowns that followed, the move to digital accelerated, becoming a shift of necessity rather than choice. The move occurred almost seamlessly. Bricks-and-mortar retailers shifted online, triggering a move to digital with buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) vendors popping up offering solutions to replace physical cash. This is just one example…

The Reddit / GameStop / AMC story dominated headlines and social media this week, sparking a renewed interest in both hedge funds and short selling. This bred an ‘us versus them’ mentality between well-organised ‘retail’ investors and the wealthy ‘hedge funds,’ and many people are referring to the practice of short-selling as ‘market manipulation’. In…

ASX down on Victorian outbreak, Origin (ASX:ORG) and AGL Energy (ASX:AGL) downgrade, record trade surplus The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) broke its three day run, falling 0.9% due to a combination of weaker global markets and an unexpected outbreak from hotel quarantine in Victoria. Every sector finished lower, but property (-2.4%) utilities (-2.0%) and energy (-1.2%) were among the…

ASX heads higher, UK regulator reviews BNPL sector, Jeff Bezos standing down as Amazon (NYSE:AMZN) CEO The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) delivered a third straight day of gains, finishing 0.9% higher, with the rally broad-based but driven mainly by the banking and property sector which were 1.5% and 2.6% higher respectively. The oil price also hit a 12-month high…