Between the Bells

The US 10-year bond yield continued to climb overnight, hitting 1.5%, its highest level since June. As a result, an interest rate sell off was reignited.  The Aussie share market is set to open lower, with the futures suggesting a fall of 1.1%.  What to watch today:  Keep an eye on retail stocks, after data released yesterday saw retail sales in August fell 1.7%. In addition, the Federal Governmen...

The Aussie share market is set to open lower, with the futures suggesting a fall of 0.6%. What to watch today: The oil price rose for the fifth day, up 1.5% overnight to US$75.45, its highest level since July, amid supply concerns. Oil stocks will be on watch today. The iron ore price in China rebounded 7.2% to US$119.31, supporting New York listed BHP and Rio Tinto, which rose 1% overnight. Expec...

The SPI futures are suggesting a flat start to the week for the Aussie share market. On Friday, the ASX200 fell 0.4% and lost 0.8% on the week, falling for the 3rd straight week.   What to watch today: Watch iron ore stocks amid worry of China’s Evergrande, retail stocks amid supply-chain issues, and financial stocks given end of quarter profit taking.  The oil price rose 3% to US$74.43, to an eig...

US and Aussie equities fell for the third straight week, rebounding slightly over the last few sessions, as China's biggest property developer coughed up its repayments. Additionally, US and Australian central banks have affirmed economic stimulus will be tapered next year. In this week’s wrap, Jessica covers: - (0:42) What’s in store for interest rates - (2:02) AusNet Services (ASX:AST) risi...

In overseas markets, the Bank of England and the US Fed kept monetary policy unchanged. European stocks closed higher, with the STOXX 600 index closing 0.9% higher. And all three major US indices closed in the green.  Following the broad gains in European and US markets, the SPI futures are suggesting the ASX200 will open 0.11% higher.  What to watch today: Companies going ex-dividend today includ...

Evergrande Group, China’s second biggest property developer, managed to rack up staggering debts of more than $432 billion dollars, on the brink of collapse. However, at the very last minute managed to ink a deal to keep it afloat. News of this deal helped the iron ore price surge and Aussie materials stocks make steep gains, lifting the broader market by 0.32%.  In the US, all three benchmarks cl...

The Aussie share market is set to open lower, with the futures suggesting a fall of 0.2%.  The market is down 1.8% this week so far. Miners are down the most, while utilities and staples are up the most.  What to watch today:  Investors are favouring utilities, staples and healthcare, amid uncertainty in the market. The market may stay this way until the outcome from the US Central Bank’s meeting...

Investors are bracing for the US Central Bank meeting on Wednesday, with concerns the Fed will scale back stimulus.  There is worry China’s economy has reached its debt ceiling, as China’s biggest property developer is not able to pay its repayments. This is impacting Asian bank stocks and commodities.  The Aussie share market is set to open lower, with the futures suggesting a fall of 1.4%, follo...

All eyes this week are on the US Federal Reserve, who will meet on Wednesday. The Fed are expected to hint when its $120 billion per month bond buying will slow down. This has been critical in supporting the US economy and stock market.  Ahead of the meeting, investors exercised caution, locking in profits and selling stocks, which dragged the Dow Jones to a two month low. Mining and tech stocks d...

The Oil price hit a 7-week high this week supporting the market, however Friday's losses in early trading confirms we're still on shaky ground. Plus, Uranium stocks are in the spotlight as Australia is set to build nuclear powered submarines. In this week’s wrap, Jessica covers:  - (0:33) Energy stocks charging as the Oil price jumps 5% - (1:37) Why the market is bracing for further vola...

Yesterday, the ASX200 lifted 0.6% despite mixed employment figures. The unemployment rate fell to a 12-year low of 4.5% in August, from 4.6% in July. The drop is believed to be attributed to the participation rate falling 2.4% as Australians gave up looking for work during lockdown and therefore weren’t counted as unemployed. In the US, the market was mixed. We saw the Dow Jones & S&P500 d...

US stocks rebounded from prior losses, with energy stocks leading the gains after the oil price increased 3%. US stocks are 1.3% away from an all-time high.  Investors are bracing for further volatility, as it is the end of the quarter and options expire on September 17.  The Aussie share market is set to open higher, with the futures suggesting the market will rally 0.4%, and the focus on employm...

Overnight, the three major US indices closed lower.  Following Wall Street, the futures are suggesting the Aussie share market will fall 0.6% this morning, as investors adjust their portfolios ahead of the end of the quarter.  The Aussie share market is approximately 3% off a record high, with the market falling twice over the last 18 months. In September, companies go ex-dividend and investors se...

In overseas markets, European markets closed in the green after a week of losses, due to a strong economic recovery in the euro zone. US equities overnight closed mixed.  Yesterday the ASX200 recovered late, rising 0.25% at the close. Mining stocks pushed the market higher. The energy sector also benefited from the rising oil prices due to Hurricane Ida. And the four major banks closed mixed. Toda...

The major US indices closed lower on Friday and today, the futures are suggesting that the Aussie market will follow Wall Street and fall 0.4%.    What to watch today: The focus will be on travel and tourism stocks as the QLD and NSW border reopens. Monash Uni and CSIRO have developed a battery that can allow electric buses and trucks to travel from Melbourne to Sydney without recharging. The duo...

Historically the most negative month for both global and Aussie equities, this September was no different. The market pulled back 2% this week (Mon-Thu) with all sectors in the red. In this week’s wrap, Jessica covers:  (0:32) What's behind the plunging iron ore price (1:49) Technology One (ASX:TNE) rising 9% after being upgraded by analysts as a 'BUY' (4:13) Why it's worth exe...

Wall Street extended its losses overnight, with all three major indices closing in the red. The S&P500 down 0.5%, the Dow Jones down 0.4% and the tech heavy Nasdaq down 0.3%.  Yesterday the ASX200 closed 1.9% lower, with equity sell offs across the market, after the NSW Government announced a roadmap out of lockdown. Today, despite US equities falling, the SPI futures are suggesting the ASX200...

On Wall Street, both the Dow Jones and S&P500 close d lower for the third straight session. The Nasdaq also fell 0.6% as tech shares like Facebook, Apple, Netflix, and Alphabet, all closed lower.  US investors will be watching the latest weekly jobless claims data, set to be released Thursday morning, which will give a greater look at the employment picture.  Following a negative session overn...

Wall Street returned from its public holiday long weekend, with US stocks beginning the week mostly in the red.  The Aussie share market is set to open lower, with the futures suggesting a fall of 0.4%.  What to watch today:  Australia’s vaccine passports will rollout from next month, as proof of vaccination status overseas. Upon return from travel, Australians will be allowed to home quarantine....

It was a silent night for markets, as Wall Street was closed for the Labor Day public holiday.    European equities are approaching record levels. Tech stocks in Europe increased 1.6%, leading the major European indices higher, after the US jobs report revealed US jobs are growing at their slowest pace in 7 months. The US Central Bank may need to keep monetary policy as is, and not scale back on b...

The Aussie share market is set to open lower, with the futures suggesting a fall of 0.3%.    What to watch today:  The iron ore price rose 3% to US$144.83, while copper rose 0.8%. The oil price fell 1% to US$69, as US jobs grew at their slowest pace in 7 months, due to a surge in COVID-19 infections.  Companies going ex-dividend today: Ramsay Health Care (ASX:RHC), Australian Finance Group (ASX:AF...

Following a mix of good and bad market news this week, the Aussie share market traded cautiously, closing flat (Mon-Thu). And with reporting season officially wrapping up, it was mostly good news for investors. In this week’s wrap, Jessica covers: (0:17) Why volatility may increase in the short term (0:41) Good and bad market news this week (3:05) The Tech sector making a comeback, rising 2% (3:51...

Yesterday the ASX200 closed in the red, down 0.55%, as investors took profits from several companies trading ex-dividend. In New York, all three major indices closed with gains. The S&P500 and the Dow Jones closed higher 0.3% and 0.4% respectively. While the Nasdaq advanced 0.1%. Following US equities, the SPI futures are suggesting the ASX200 will open 0.2% higher.  What to watch today: In ec...

The ASX dropped about 1% yesterday at the open, however better than expected GDP data trimmed losses from lunchtime onwards. Consumer staples and discretionary sectors dragged the market, while energy stocks were strong despite oil prices dropping.  In the US, the S&P500 closed flat for the first day of September. Tech stocks strengthened, which pushed the Nasdaq to close at a record high, and...

US stocks soured on the last trading day of August, with the major indices closing slightly lower. House prices across 20 capital cities rose 19.1% year on year, the biggest jump since 1987. In addition, consumer inflation expectations grew higher. Investors are therefore adjusting their portfolios and looking for stocks in higher interest rate environments, as well as taking profit ahead of the F...