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Everything opened with a reasonably bullish tone - all over the region - but only New Zealand managed to consolidate early gains (Hong Kong is still up at lunchtime, but is 80 points off its high). Our market rose modestly in the first hour, adding just under 15 points in the first 40 minutes - and the rest of the day was a sag.
I've promised myself for some time that I will incorporate some discussion of the Australian futures market (just the SPI and bonds/BABs)... the nifty little gizmo I'm building to make sexy charts of the yield and contango curves is proving to be a bit of a cow and is holding up the entire Commodities RantBox. I've left a semi-colon out comewhere, I bet.
Major Market Indices
The
broad market - the ASX All
Ordinaries - fell by 4.40 points
(-0.11%), finishing at 4168.90 points. The index hit an intraday high
of 4185.00 before the end of the first hour, and its low of 4163.3
occurred at the start of the last hour.
Total volume traded on the ASX was 810 million units, almost bang-on its 10-day average (the actual difference was 0.6%). Of the 483 stocks in the index, 199 fell while 165 managed a gain. Volume was tilted in favour of the losers by a margin of 2.7:1, with 304.16 million shares traded in losers compared to 113.61 million shares traded in today's gainers.
The Index that forms the cash basis for the SFE's Share Price Index Futures - the S&P/ASX 200 - fell by 5.90 points (-0.14%), finishing at 4214.00 points.
The "heavy hitters" of the Australian market - the ASX 20 Leaders - fell by 5.10 points (-0.22%), finishing at 2274.00 points. Within the index members, there were 6 that rose, and 14 losers. Total volume in rising issues within the ASX20 amounted to 11.22 while volume in the losers totalled 87.72m units.
The major winners in the "big guns" were -
- Wesfarmers (WES), +$0.95 (2.57%) to $37.87 on volume of 1.56m shares;
- Woodside Petroleum (WPL), +$0.43 (1.62%) to $27.00 on volume of 1.85m shares; and
- St George Bank (SGB), +$0.20 (0.76%) to $26.37 on volume of 1.11m shares; and
- Rio Tinto (RIO), +$0.21 (0.49%) to $43.42 on volume of 1.62m shares; and
- Amcor (AMC), +$0.01 (0.14%) to $7.19 on volume of 2.44m shares.
The following stocks made up the biggest percentage losers in the big-guns:
- Alumina (AWC), -$0.09 (1.55%) to $5.70 on volume of 4.07m shares;
- QBE Insurance Group (QBE), -$0.23 (1.47%) to $15.43 on volume of 2.83m shares; and
- Foster's Group (FGL), -$0.05 (0.93%) to $5.34 on volume of 5.81m shares; and
- Westfield Group (WDC), -$0.15 (0.86%) to $17.24 on volume of 2.99m shares; and
- National Australia Bank (NAB), -$0.25 (0.79%) to $31.25 on volume of 5.15m shares.
At the smaller end of the market's capitalisation scale, the ASX Small Ordinaries Index fell by 0.90 points (-0.04%), finishing at 2330.40 points. The biggest percentage gainers in the "pop-guns" were -
- Emperor Mines (EMP), +$0.03 (11.36%) to $0.25 on volume of 100,000 shares;
- Silex Systems (SLX), +$0.12 (10.91%) to $1.22 on volume of 460,000 shares; and
- GRD (GRD), +$0.16 (9.7%) to $1.81 on volume of 1.01m shares; and
- Linet (IIN), +$0.12 (4.17%) to $3.00 on volume of 840,000 shares; and
- Genetic Technologies (GTG), +$0.02 (4%) to $0.39 on volume of 615,000 shares.
The losingest-little-guys for the session were (in order of decline):
- Virotec International (VTI), -$0.05 (7.69%) to $0.60 on volume of 74,000 shares;
- Mosaic Oil (MOS), -$0.01 (5.71%) to $0.17 on volume of 173,000 shares; and
- Nylex (NLX), -$0.02 (5.26%) to $0.27 on volume of 4.51m shares; and
- Highlands Pacific (HIG), -$0.02 (4.3%) to $0.45 on volume of 481,000 shares; and
- Ventracor (VCR), -$0.07 (4%) to $1.56 on volume of 5.13m shares.
| Index Changes | |||||
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| XAO | All Ordinaries | 4168.9 | -4.4 | -0.11% | 518.87m |
| XTL | S&P/ASX 20 | 2274 | -5.1 | -0.22% | 98.94m |
| XFL | S&P/ASX 50 | 4163 | -6.6 | -0.16% | 211m |
| XTO | S&P/ASX 100 | 3425.5 | -5.5 | -0.16% | 327.53m |
| XJO | S&P/ASX 200 | 4214 | -5.9 | -0.14% | 416.1m |
| XKO | S&P/ASX 300 | 4205.9 | -6.3 | -0.15% | 0 |
| XMD | S&P/ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 4051.7 | -6.7 | -0.17% | 0 |
| XSO | S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries | 2330.4 | -0.9 | -0.04% | 140.14m |
All Ordinaries Market Internals
| Market Breadth | ||||||
| ASX20 | XTO | XJO | XAO | XSO | Market | |
| Advances | 6 | 39 | 77 | 165 | 68 | 403 |
| Declines | 14 | 55 | 98 | 199 | 87 | 510 |
| Advancing Volume | 11.22m | 74.66m | 100.24m | 113.61 | 46.28 | 220.67 |
| Declining Volume | 87.72m | 226.78m | 261.18m | 304.16 | 51.02 | 406.16 |
S&P/ASX200 GICS Sector Indices
The top sector for the day was Energy which gained 1.20% to 8890.60 points. The sector was helped by
- Santos (STO), +$0.34 (3.27%) to $10.73 on volume of 1.45m shares;
- Oil Search (OSH), +$0.07 (2.75%) to $2.62 on volume of 5.05m shares; and
- Woodside Petroleum (WPL), +$0.43 (1.62%) to $27.00 on volume of 1.85m shares; and
- Tap Oil (TAP), +$0.03 (1.46%) to $2.08 on volume of 430,000 shares; and
- Roc Oil Company (ROC), +$0.02 (1.15%) to $1.76 on volume of 2.19m shares.
Second in the sector leadership stakes was Healthcare which gained 1.01% to 5052.20 points. The sector leaders were -
- Peptech (PTD), +$0.06 (3.49%) to $1.63 on volume of 2.12m shares;
- Healthscope (HSP), +$0.16 (3.47%) to $4.77 on volume of 1.28m shares; and
- CSL (CSL), +$0.92 (3.04%) to $31.20 on volume of 1.44m shares; and
- Cochlear (COH), +$0.41 (1.15%) to $35.98 on volume of 155,000 shares; and
- DCA Group (DVC), +$0.04 (1.1%) to $3.69 on volume of 1.94m shares.
The bronze today went to Industrials which gained 0.23% to 5075.50 points. The sector was led by
- Coates Hire (COA), +$0.15 (3.51%) to $4.42 on volume of 839,000 shares;
- Wesfarmers (WES), +$0.95 (2.57%) to $37.87 on volume of 1.56m shares; and
- Prime Infrastructure Group (PIF), +$0.03 (1.81%) to $1.69 on volume of 1.68m shares; and
- Patrick Corporation (PRK), +$0.05 (0.88%) to $5.73 on volume of 2.25m shares.
The worst-performed sector today was Information Technology which lost 1.09% to 382.30 points. The sector was dragged lower by
- MYOB (MYO), -$0.04 (3.2%) to $1.06 on volume of 359,000 shares;
- Computershare (CPU), -$0.14 (2.35%) to $5.82 on volume of 1.55m shares;
- ERG (ERG), -$0.01 (1.82%) to $0.27 on volume of 933,000 shares; and
- Vision Systems (VSL), -$0.01 (0.89%) to $1.12 on volume of 164,000 shares.
Just in front of last place on the sector table was Utilities which lost 0.80% to 4967.10 points. The sector was pulled down by
- Australian Gas Light Company (AGL), -$0.18 (1.26%) to $14.07 on volume of 1.46m shares;
- Australian Pipeline Trust (APA), -$0.03 (0.79%) to $3.75 on volume of 79,000 shares;
- Diversified Utility And Energy Trusts (DUE), -$0.02 (0.78%) to $2.55 on volume of 645,000 shares;
- Energy Developments (ENE), -$0.02 (0.51%) to $3.87 on volume of 207,000 shares; and
- Envestra (ENV), -$0.01 (0.44%) to $1.13 on volume of 400,000 shares.
| Sector Indices | |||||
| Code | GICS Sector | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| XEJ | Energy | 8890.6 | 105.8 | 1.2% | 16.82m |
| XHJ | Healthcare | 5052.2 | 50.4 | 1.01% | 17.96m |
| XNJ | Industrials | 5075.5 | 11.7 | 0.23% | 45.27m |
| XDJ | Consumer Discretionary | 2230.7 | -0.3 | -0.01% | 25.09m |
| XMJ | Materials | 6981.6 | -13.1 | -0.19% | 74.54m |
| XXJ | ASX200 Financials ex Property Trusts | 5182.1 | -14.3 | -0.28% | 54.85m |
| XTJ | Telecommunications | 1802.3 | -5.9 | -0.33% | 34.66m |
| XSJ | Consumer Staples | 5589.2 | -18.8 | -0.34% | 42.91m |
| XFJ | Financials | 5078.7 | -17.1 | -0.34% | 157.13m |
| XPJ | Property Trusts | 1802.2 | -9.9 | -0.55% | 105.27m |
| XUJ | Utilities | 4967.1 | -39.9 | -0.8% | 3.97m |
| XIJ | Information Technology | 382.3 | -4.2 | -1.09% | 7.99m |
All Ordinaries Major Movers
| All Ords Volume Leaders | |||||
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| TLS | Telstra Corporation | 5.07 | -0.01 | -0.2% | 28m |
| BQT | BQT Solutions | 0.29 | 0.08 | 34.88% | 23.24m |
| DRT | DB Rreef Trust | 1.4 | -0.01 | -0.71% | 19.61m |
| MIG | Macquarie Infrastructure Group | 4.06 | -0.04 | -0.98% | 15.45m |
| BHP | BHP Billiton | 17.12 | -0.03 | -0.17% | 14.65m |
| MGR | Mirvac Group | 3.64 | -0.02 | -0.55% | 10.76m |
| All Ords Percentage Gainers | |||||
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| OMI | Occupational & Medical Innovations | 0.47 | 0.05 | 11.9% | 169495 |
| SLX | Silex Systems | 1.22 | 0.12 | 10.91% | 460398 |
| GRD | GRD | 1.81 | 0.16 | 9.7% | 1.01m |
| ADA | Adacel Technologies | 0.3 | 0.03 | 9.09% | 230471 |
| PNA | Pan Australian Resources | 0.29 | 0.02 | 5.56% | 3.36m |
| All Ords Percentage Decliners | |||||
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| ABI | Ambri | 0.13 | -0.01 | -7.14% | 948700 |
| MXL | MXL | 0.15 | -0.01 | -6.25% | 4.13m |
| HLD | Homeleisure | 0.25 | -0.02 | -5.77% | 272000 |
| NLX | Nylex | 0.27 | -0.02 | -5.26% | 4.51m |
| PBG | Pacific Brands | 2.25 | -0.11 | -4.66% | 1.3m |
Elsewhere in the Region...
Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 120.15 points (-1.07%) to close at 11160.88 points; this index has been a bit of a harbinger of turning points recently - and it's not looking too healthy. The index hit a high of 11294.43 just minutes after the open, and staggered lower throughout the session, hitting its session low nearly 150 points from the high (at 11148.36) before a little uptick saved the index from complete embarrassment at the close.
The Kiwi Market advanced 10.41 points (0.34%) to close above 3091. The index dipped ever so slightly at the open, registering a low at 3072.482 in the first five minutes. From there it was not quite a coast-to-coast rise, with the index's high of 3096.075 posted at 3 p.m. Auckland time.
A total of 25 stocks within the NZSE50 rose, with volume in advancers totalling 11million units. Decliners numbered 13, and total volume traded in losers was 9million shares. Individual stocks that dud well included...
- APN News & Media (APN), +NZ$0.17 (3.18%) to NZ$5.52 on volume of 4,000 shares;
- Kiwi Income Property Fund (KIP), +NZ$0.03 (2.88%) to NZ$1.07 on volume of 5.13m shares;
- Property Forest Industries (PFI), +NZ$0.03 (2.8%) to NZ$1.10 on volume of 140,000 shares;
- Guinness Peat Group (GPG), +NZ$0.05 (2.66%) to NZ$1.93 on volume of 405,000 shares;
- Cavalier Corporation (CAV), +NZ$0.09 (2.49%) to NZ$3.70 on volume of 9,000 shares; and
- Hellaby Holdings (HBY), +NZ$0.14 (2.46%) to NZ$5.84 on volume of 20,000 shares.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index advanced 8.10 points (0.06%) to rest at 13906.65 point during the luncheon interval. The index opened in roaring fashion, and within 40 minutes hit a high of 13984.34 during the session, before reversing immediately and falling just over 100 points to a session low of 13884 points about 5 minutes before the lunch break.
Within the Hang Seng, 17 index components rose, while 10 stocks fell. Volume in the gainers in Hong Kong's big-cap index totalled 90.8million units, and total volume traded in losers was 123.5million shares. Individual stocks that contributed to the advance included...
- Johnson Elec H (0179), +HK$0.10 (1.39%) to HK$7.30 on volume of 3.96m shares;
- Li & Fung (0494), +HK$0.15 (1.03%) to HK$14.75 on volume of 1.94m shares;
- Denway Motors (0203), +HK$0.03 (0.88%) to HK$2.88 on volume of 29.35m shares;
- CKI Holdings (1038), +HK$0.20 (0.86%) to HK$23.40 on volume of 584,000 shares;
- MTR Corporation (0066), +HK$0.10 (0.71%) to HK$14.20 on volume of 3.3m shares; and
- China Merchants Holdings (0144), +HK$0.10 (0.69%) to HK$14.55 on volume of 4.73m shares.
| Regional Indices | |||||
| Country | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
| New Zealand | NZSE50 | 3091.218 | 10.41 | 0.34% | 23.14m |
| Japan | Nikkei 225 | 11160.88 | -120.15 | -1.07% | 0 |
| Korea | KOSPI | 987.58 | 11.36 | 1.16% | 447075 |
| Singapore | Straits Times | 2198.01 | -0.28 | -0.01% | 0 |
| Hong Kong | Hang Seng | 13906.65 | 8.1 | 0.06% | 237.49m |
| Malaysia | KLSE Comp | 878.23 | -1.21 | -0.14% | 0 |
