Westpac

Market falls, BHP merges with Woodside, CBA’s correction It was another rough day for the ASX200 (ASX: XJO) with the selling pressure continuing to grow as reporting season picks up steam. The financial sector was the biggest contributor to the markets 0.9% fall, dragged down 1.7% by Magellan Financial Group (ASX: MFG) and the Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA) which is nearing a technical…

Around 20% of Australians are providing false information to banks when applying for loans. That’s according to a report from Experian, the world’s largest credit reporting business. Why are they doing it? According to reporting by the Australian Financial Review it’s because they don’t want to be rejected for a loan by the bank. The stats revealed…

Company dividends have been on a quick and steady path to recovery from pandemic lows, with the potential for further “upside surprise” in certain sectors and stocks, according to Ausbil Investment Management. Portfolio manager for the Ausbil Active Dividend Income Fund, Michael Price, said “The outlook for dividends is now showing a rebound towards previous…

Buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) shares have been the most traded on the ASX in recent weeks (again) according to Commsec data. After reaching highs of close to $15, the current Zip share price represents a discount of nearly 50 per cent. Could now be a good time to pick some Zip shares? Why optionality…

ASX down as Victoria braces, materials weaker, ALS profit jumps The ASX200 (ASX: XJO) finished 0.3% lower on Wednesday, with the materials and e-commerce sectors leading the fall.  BHP Group (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) remain under pressure, falling over 2% each as the hot commodity sector is cooled by increasing supply. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:…

ANZ Bank – 218% profit increase ANZ shares were lower after delivering a slight “miss” on earnings. ANZ’s cash profit rose 218%, to $2.99 billion, which came in at below expectations, but the dividend was better-than-expected. Management declared a 70 cents-a-share dividend, up from 25 cents a year ago, and just below the pre-pandemic final…

With bank reporting season underway, it’s important to know what to look for when assessing the big banks. The days of looking solely at dividend payout ratio and price/earnings ratio are long gone. We live in a global world, with cross-border comparisons more important than ever. The first cab off the rank every year is…

It’s quarterly earnings season for a small handful of ASX-listed companies, but some might say the most important in the index. While most companies listed on the ASX report half-yearly with a June year-end, the second month after the financial period, being July and February tends to the busiest each year. However, a small group…

May is shaping up to be one of the most important months for dividend-focused Australian investors, with bank reporting season beginning on May 3, with Westpac’s interim result. The unexpected strength of the sector was brought to light this week after two of the three main ratings agencies upgraded their views on the sector, on…

ASX hits new high, value rotation continues, car sales spike The ASX200 finished another 0.6% higher on Wednesday, reaching the highest point since February last year but still some way off the all-time high of 7,199 points. Once again it was the energy and materials sectors boosting the market as a flood of more positive economic news…