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If it wasn't for my new-found drive and intensity and what-have-you, I would have blown off today's OzRant and gone and hired a DVD.
After all, the Universe has been conspiring against me today... I just spent half an hour wondering why all my quotes showed prices as at 2 p.m., when it was obviously after 4 p.m.... and of course as it turned out, it's because some Palestinian revolutionary got nailed to a bit of wood twenty centuries ago. (In fact if all the fragments of the "True Cross" were reassembled it would be one big freakin' tree, too!!)
I take it rather personally... half an hour of my afternoon stuffed up because of some stupid ritual. Here was me thinking that we had gotten past stupid cultisms and superstitions: it's a tad hypocritical to honor the fable of some peacenik, given the obvious thirst of our political leaders for the blood of Middle Eastern children. Oh well... onward and upward.
(For the record, I don't think we should have any national holidays that have a religious basis; the faithful don't need them, and the profane don't deserve them... nor should we have national holidays that glorify wars in any way).
And last - but by no means least - all the data is buggered in another way: more than half of the stocks that were listed as "unchanged" in my feed, in fact were not bloody unchanged... which meant that the only way I could get things done right was to do the change and percent change calcs based on comparison with yesterday's data, which was cumbersome.
Major Market Indices
The broad market - the ASX All Ordinaries - fell by 33.00 points (-0.79%), finishing at 4131.60 points. The index hit an intraday high of 4164.60 and its low was 4120.9. The high was set at 11 a.m., and the low was at 12 noon... how's that for getting the entire intraday range set early... that way, the faithful who work in the industry could toodle off down the pub and celebrate the long weekend by getting well and truly bladdered.
(I'm not sure about the metaphysics of the aforementioned tree-nailing being used as the excuse for a four-day pissup, but I'm not a theologian. If it's acceptable for the Pope to fake reading from a balcony, I guess all bets are off).
[Note to the Pope... anybody with an IQ above room temperature could tell you were faking in that "reading" from your hospital balcony ... I've kept quiet about that for weeks, but today it rankles. Doesn't your big gold-covered book say something about fibbing? At least now we know where Steve Bracks get the lying habit from...]
OK... now that the war between Catholicism and Freemasonry is back on the boil, let's get on with the market-related blatherings...
The Index that forms the cash basis for the SFE's Share Price Index Futures - the S&P/ASX 200 - fell by 34.30 points (-0.82%), finishing at 4136.50 points.
The "heavy hitters" of the Australian market - the ASX 20 Leaders - fell by 24.20 points (-1.07%), finishing at 2230.60 points. Within the index members, there were 4 that rose, and 16 losers. Total volume in rising issues within the ASX20 amounted to 21.34 while volume in the losers totalled 201m units.
The only 4 winners in the "big guns" were -
- Amcor (AMC), +$0.04 (0.55%) to $7.25 on volume of 2.65m shares;
- News Corporation (NWSLV), +$0.10 (0.45%) to $22.40 on volume of 5.1m shares;
- News Corporation (NWS), +$0.06 (0.26%) to $22.83 on volume of 10.01m shares; AND
- QBE Insurance Group (QBE), +$0.03 (0.2%) to $14.75 on volume of 3.59m shares.
The following stocks made up the biggest percentage losers in the big-guns:
- Telstra Corporation. (TLS), -$0.28 (5.19%) to $5.12 on volume of 81.45m shares;
- AMP Limited (AMP), -$0.20 (2.76%) to $7.04 on volume of 15.43m shares;
- Alumina (AWC), -$0.14 (2.27%) to $6.02 on volume of 13.04m shares;
- BHP Billiton (BHP), -$0.34 (1.83%) to $18.25 on volume of 18.89m shares; and
- Woolworths (WOW), -$0.23 (1.4%) to $16.15 on volume of 12.22m shares.
At the smaller end of the market's capitalisation scale, the ASX Small Ordinaries Index - the only place where underexploited value exists with any regularity - fell by 24.90 points (-1.04%), finishing at 2360.00 points. The major winners in the "pop-guns" were -
- Sally Malay Mining (SMY), +$0.04 (4.26%) to $0.98 on volume of 376,000 shares;
- Redflex Holdings (RDF), +$0.14 (3.58%) to $4.05 on volume of 26,000 shares;
- ERG (ERG), +$0.01 (3.23%) to $0.32 on volume of 3.25m shares;
- Kimberley Diamond Company. (KIM), +$0.03 (2.75%) to $1.12 on volume of 1.55m shares; and
- Pacifica Group (PBB), +$0.07 (2.67%) to $2.69 on volume of 180,000 shares.
The losingest-little-guys for the session were (in order of decline):
- Emperor Mines (EMP), -$0.05 (10%) to $0.45 on volume of 50,000 shares;
- Kagara Zinc (KZL), -$0.14 (9.86%) to $1.28 on volume of 1.47m shares; and
- FKP Property Group (FKP), -$0.23 (5.44%) to $4.00 on volume of 413,000 shares;
- Pacific Hydro (PHY), -$0.20 (4.35%) to $4.40 on volume of 363,000 shares; and
- Integrated Group (IWF), -$0.10 (4.27%) to $2.24 on volume of 65,000 shares.
| Index Changes | |||||
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| XAO | All Ordinaries | 4131.6 | -33 | -0.79% | 887.7m |
| XTL | S&P/ASX 20 | 2230.6 | -24.2 | -1.07% | 222.34m |
| XFL | S&P/ASX 50 | 4081.2 | -35.7 | -0.87% | 0 |
| XTO | S&P/ASX 100 | 3361.1 | -27.9 | -0.82% | 0 |
| XJO | S&P/ASX 200 | 4136.5 | -34.3 | -0.82% | 640.62m |
| XKO | S&P/ASX 300 | 4139.6 | -35.2 | -0.84% | 0 |
| XMD | S&P/ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 3997 | -22 | -0.55% | 0 |
| XSO | S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries | 2360 | -24.9 | -1.04% | 132.2m |
All Ordinaries Market Internals
[]
| Market Breadth | |||||
| XAO | XJO | XSO | ASX20 | Market | |
| Advances | 63 | 26 | 31 | 4 | 263 |
| Declines | 149 | 72 | 71 | 3 | 660 |
| Advancing Volume | 80.25m | 66m | 17.17m | 21.34m | 313.64m |
| Declining Volume | 398.28m | 232.78m | 49.73m | 201m | 743.02m |
S&P/ASX200 GICS Sector Indices
The top sector for the day was Utilities which gained 0.17% to 4730.40 points. The sector was helped by
- Diversified Utility And Energy Trusts (DUE), +$0.03 (1.28%) to $2.38 on volume of 818,000 shares;
- Alinta (ALN), +$0.08 (0.9%) to $9.01 on volume of 485,000 shares;
- Australian Gas Light Company (AGL), +$0.06 (0.42%) to $14.23 on volume of 686,000 shares;
- Gasnet Australia Group (GAS), +$0.01 (0.41%) to $2.45 on volume of 147,000 shares; and
- Envestra (ENV), -$0.00 (0%) to $1.14 on volume of 533,000 shares.
Second in the sector leadership stakes was Consumer Discretionary which lost -0.07% to 2305.60 points. Since it lost ground, its index members don't get their name in here... no prizes for being the winningest loser.
Of course it follows a fortiori that there was no bronze today - the third-best-performed sector was Information Technology which lost -0.11% to 376.50 points.
The worst-performed sector today was Telecommunications which lost 4.74% to 1820.80 points. Youch...
The sector was dragged lower by Telstra, which absolutely dominates the two-stock sector because its market cap dwarfs the only other index member (Telecom New Zealand). The two stocks performed as follows:
- Telecom Corporation Of New Zealand (TEL), -$0.13 (2.23%) to $5.71 on volume of 6.05m shares; and
- Telstra Corporation. (TLS), -$0.28 (5.19%) to $5.12 on volume of 81.45m shares.
Just in front of last place on the sector table was Energy which lost 1.97% to 8119.20 points. The sector was pulled down by
- Australian Worldwide Exploration (AWE), -$0.08 (4.23%) to $1.81 on volume of 3.65m shares;
- Tap Oil (TAP), -$0.08 (3.81%) to $2.02 on volume of 801,000 shares; and
- Caltex Australia (CTX), -$0.59 (3.72%) to $15.26 on volume of 1.58m shares;
- Oil Search (OSH), -$0.08 (3.31%) to $2.34 on volume of 10.77m shares; and
- Arc Energy (ARQ), -$0.05 (2.58%) to $1.89 on volume of 743,000 shares.
| Sector Indices | |||||
| Code | GICS Sector | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| XUJ | Utilities | 4730.4 | 7.9 | 0.17% | 9.03m |
| XDJ | Consumer Discretionary | 2305.6 | -1.5 | -0.07% | 42.89m |
| XIJ | Information Technology | 376.5 | -0.4 | -0.11% | 8.2m |
| XPJ | Property Trusts | 1749.7 | -3.5 | -0.2% | 71.46m |
| XFJ | Financials | 4813 | -19.6 | -0.41% | 168.18m |
| XXJ | ASX200 Financials ex Property Trusts | 4877.3 | -22.8 | -0.47% | 99.62m |
| XHJ | Healthcare | 4888.1 | -25.5 | -0.52% | 12.37m |
| XNJ | Industrials | 5011.4 | -28 | -0.56% | 40.07m |
| XSJ | Consumer Staples | 5608.7 | -37.4 | -0.66% | 69.25m |
| XMJ | Materials | 7264.9 | -85.9 | -1.17% | 143.24m |
| XEJ | Energy | 8119.2 | -163.1 | -1.97% | 39.35m |
| XTJ | Telecommunications | 1820.8 | -90.7 | -4.74% | 87.5m |
All Ordinaries Major Movers
| All Ords Volume Leaders | |||||
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| SGT | Singapore Telecommunications. | 2.05 | -0.03 | -1.44% | 171.97m |
| TLS | Telstra Corporation. | 5.12 | -0.28 | -5.19% | 81.45m |
| HHG | HHG Plc | 1.46 | -0.04 | -2.67% | 31.45m |
| WMR | WMC Resources | 7.99 | 0.01 | 0.13% | 28.37m |
| LHG | Lihir Gold | 1.06 | -0.04 | -3.64% | 21.19m |
| BHP | BHP Billiton | 18.25 | -0.34 | -1.83% | 18.89m |
| All Ords Percentage Gainers | |||||
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| MXL | MXL | 0.11 | 0.01 | 4.76% | 4.01m |
| SMY | Sally Malay Mining | 0.98 | 0.04 | 4.26% | 376300 |
| PBG | Pacific Brands | 2.65 | 0.10 | 3.92% | 1.56m |
| SMX | Sms Management & Technology. | 1.87 | 0.07 | 3.89% | 62019 |
| RDF | Redflex Holdings | 4.05 | 0.14 | 3.58% | 26408 |
| All Ords Percentage Decliners | |||||
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| KZL | Kagara Zinc | 1.28 | -0.14 | -9.86% | 1.47m |
| PNA | Pan Australian Resources | 0.29 | -0.02 | -6.45% | 4.44m |
| FKP | FKP Property Group | 4.00 | -0.23 | -5.44% | 413172 |
| TLS | Telstra | 5.12 | -0.28 | -5.19% | 81.45m |
| SRI | Sipa Resources | 0.10 | -0.005 | -4.76% | 2.06m |
| PHY | Pacific Hydro | 4.40 | -0.2 | -4.35% | 363448 |
Elsewhere in the Region...
Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 11.60 points (-0.10%) to close at 11727.52 points.
The Kiwi Market declined 29.92 points (-0.96%). A total of 10 stocks within the NZSE50 rose, with volume in advancers totalling 1.5million units. Decliners numbered 31, and total volume traded in losers was 17.3million shares. Individual stocks that were a but suck included...
- Waste Management (WAM), -NZ$0.20 (3.08%) to NZ$6.30 on volume of 138,000 shares;
- Fletcher Building (FBU), -NZ$0.20 (2.87%) to NZ$6.78 on volume of 255,000 shares;
- Carter Holt Harve (CAH), -NZ$0.05 (2.33%) to NZ$2.10 on volume of 856,000 shares;
- Trustpower Limite (TPW), -NZ$0.12 (2.19%) to NZ$5.36 on volume of 4,000 shares; and
- Steel & Tube Hold (STU), -NZ$0.09 (1.94%) to NZ$4.56 on volume of 58,000 shares.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index declined 32.25 points (-0.24%). Within the Hang Seng, 6 index components rose, while 20 stocks fell. Volume in the gainers in Hong Kong's big-cap index totalled 34.3million units, and total volume traded in losers was 105.4million shares. Individual stocks that contributed to the decline included...
- Wharf Holdings (0004), -HK$0.60 (2.38%) to HK$24.60 on volume of 4.26m shares;
- China Mer Hold (0144), -HK$0.35 (2.22%) to HK$15.45 on volume of 3.04m shares;
- Denway Motors (0203), -HK$0.05 (1.79%) to HK$2.75 on volume of 26.99m shares;
- Cnooc (0883), -HK$0.08 (1.73%) to HK$4.25 on volume of 30.69m shares;
- China Unicom (0762), -HK$0.10 (1.61%) to HK$6.10 on volume of 5.07m shares; and
- Cosco Pacific (1199), -HK$0.20 (1.17%) to HK$16.95 on volume of 2.42m shares.
| Regional Indices | |||||
| Country | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| New Zealand | NZSE50 | 3074.967 | -29.92 | -0.96% | 20.3m |
| Japan | Nikkei 225 | 11727.52 | -11.6 | -0.1% | 68585 |
| Korea | KOSPI | 951.94 | -14.87 | -1.54% | 470934 |
| Singapore | Straits Times | 2149.32 | 4.22 | 0.2% | 0 |
| Hong Kong | Hang Seng | 13571.36 | -32.25 | -0.24% | 159.49m |
| Malaysia | KLSE Comp | 882.22 | 0.97 | 0.11% | 0 |
