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Here's a hint to the Howard Government: if you want to stop those nasty terrrrists from trying to blow up your tourrrrists, disengage your tongue from George Bush's buttcrack. I haven't heard any stories about Islamic fundamentalists targeting Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, or any of the 200-odd countries that refuse to be a cell-bitch in Bush's Criminal Empire. If you're one of the guys who holds a woman down while your gang leader rapes her, you get a share of the retaliation when her 'family' gets a hold of you...
I've got no idea why Howard has to foist his short-man's innate sense of inadequacy onto the entire nation's foreign policy - first by putting a fat inbred git into the slot as Foreign Minister (Downer is a hole looking for a place to hide, and intellectually he is about as useful as a bag of carrots), and second by fastening his lips to the ass-cheeks of easily the worst President in US history.
Since it's only cattle-class holidaymakers that cop the schrapnel, Howard couldn't give a rat's arse; in fact it gives him even more leeway to ram through draconian anti-liberty legislation. Silver linings, and all that.
Why does this country always feel obliged to tug the forelock to the failing Empire du jour? When the Pom Empire was on its way out, we had Menzies waxing lyrical about Lisbet Saxe-Coburg-Gotha; now that the tide is going out on the US Empire, we have Howard the Buttkisser on his knees every time George Bush looks like lining up at a urinal. It's disgraceful, and embarrassing; Hu Jintao must find it hard not to laugh when he receives Australian delegations.
It's so bad these days, that I even hear that Australian evangelical types are trying the same shit in this country as their whackball brethren in the US have managed to float... trying to get a debate started in this country about the teaching of intelligent design in science classrooms. That is the intellectual equivalent of a massive turd in a public swimming pool, and the fact that they're trying to use the same intellectually flaccid arguments just shows how little respect they have for their audience.
We have War Criminals in charge in the UK, US and here, and yet we point the finger outwards when looking for the 'evil' in the world. Here's a hint: show the world we're serious about the rule of law - frogmarch Howard into the Hague and sit him in the same cell as Milosevic (Milosevic's proven body count is MUCH lower than Howard/Bush/Blair's.)But I digress....
The broad market - the ASX All Ordinaries (XAO) - fell by 1.70 points (-0.04%), finishing at 4591.50 points; it can't help itself at present - any dip is regarded as prima facie evidence of a no-lose buying opportunity. After an early dip to 4581 (not really close enough to call it 4575-ish), the index bounced back towards 4600, hitting an intraday high of 4601.50 at 2 p.m. precisely.
Total volume traded on the ASX was 1.09 billion units, just a squeak below its 10-day average. Of the 485 stocks in the All Ords, 187 fell while 169 managed a gain. Volume was tilted in favour of the losers by a margin of 1.1:1, with 230.60million shares traded in losers while 217.16million shares traded in the day's gainers.
The Index that forms the cash basis for the SFE's Share Price Index Futures - the S&P/ASX 200 (XJO) - rose by 1.20 points (0.03%), finishing at 4643.60 points. Again, the early dip didn't quite qualify as a dip to a "25-ish" area (this time 4625-ish); the bounce stalled just above 4650-ish at 4654.30 - again, bang on 2 p.m. Sydney time.
The "heavy hitters" of the Australian market - the ASX 20 Leaders (XTL) - rose by 2.10 points (0.08%), finishing at 2485.20 points. Within the index members, there were 9 that rose, and 10 losers. Total volume in rising issues within the ASX20 amounted to 78.9m shares while volume in the losers totalled 35.31m units.
The major winners in the "big guns" were -
- Telstra Corporation (TLS), +$0.090 (2.19%) to $4.200 on volume of 48.05m shares;
- Commonwealth Bank Of Australia (CBA), +$0.350 (0.91%) to $38.700 on volume of 2.88m shares;
- Amcor (AMC), +$0.060 (0.89%) to $6.790 on volume of 4.84m shares;
- Foster's Group (FGL), +$0.030 (0.52%) to $5.800 on volume of 4.35m shares; and
- Alumina (AWC), +$0.020 (0.33%) to $6.040 on volume of 6.21m shares.
The following stocks made up the biggest percentage losers in the big-guns:
- St George Bank (SGB), -$0.23 (0.82%) to $27.93 on volume of 1.03m shares;
- Westfield Group (WDC), -$0.12 (0.72%) to $16.59 on volume of 7.03m shares; and
- QBE Insurance Group (QBE), -$0.12 (0.65%) to $18.48 on volume of 1.77m shares.
At the smaller end of the market's capitalisation scale, the ASX Small Ordinaries Index (XSO) took a bit of a pasting, falling by 11.90 points (-0.45%), finishing at 2639.90 points. After all, it doesn't have index-huggers buying its components (and being paid 'active management' fees to do so).
The major winners in the "pop-guns" were -
- Progen Industries (PGL), +$0.190 (7.36%) to $2.770 on volume of 58,000 shares;
- G.U.D. Holdings (GUD), +$0.450 (6.16%) to $7.750 on volume of 405,000 shares; and
- PMP (PMP), +$0.075 (5.15%) to $1.530 on volume of 2.73m shares; and
- Orbital Corporation (OEC), +$0.005 (5%) to $0.105 on volume of 4,000 shares; and
- Sirtex Medical (SRX), +$0.100 (5%) to $2.100 on volume of 12,000 shares.
The losingest-little-guys for the session were (in order of decline):
- Psivida (PSD), -$0.105 (11.17%) to $0.835 on volume of 1.16m shares;
- Emperor Mines (EMP), -$0.020 (6.25%) to $0.300 on volume of 69,000 shares; and
- Multiemedia (MUL), -$0.001 (5.88%) to $0.016 on volume of 7.7m shares; and
- Perilya (PEM), -$0.045 (5.33%) to $0.800 on volume of 918,000 shares; and
- David Jones (DJS), -$0.120 (4.69%) to $2.440 on volume of 4.17m shares.
Index Changes
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XAO | All Ordinaries | 4591.5 | -1.7 | -0.04% | 514.99m |
| XTL | S&P/ASX 20 | 2485.2 | 2.1 | 0.08% | 118m |
| XFL | S&P/ASX 50 | 4547.1 | 4.9 | 0.11% | 220.51m |
| XTO | S&P/ASX 100 | 3766.9 | 2.7 | 0.07% | 337.18m |
| XJO | S&P/ASX 200 | 4643.6 | 1.2 | 0.03% | 418.48m |
| XKO | S&P/ASX 300 | 4637.5 | 1.1 | 0.02% | 0 |
| XMD | S&P/ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 4630.9 | -6.8 | -0.15% | 0 |
| XSO | S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries | 2639.9 | -11.9 | -0.45% | 129.89m |
All Ordinaries Market Internals
Market Breadth
| ASX20 | XTO | XJO | XAO | XSO | Market | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advances | 9 | 48 | 86 | 169 | 69 | 417 |
| Declines | 10 | 43 | 88 | 187 | 76 | 538 |
| Advancing Volume | 78.9m | 181.58m | 200.88m | 217.16 | 41.21 | 479.23 |
| Declining Volume | 35.31m | 119.63m | 171.98m | 230.6 | 69.66 | 502.4 |
S&P/ASX200 GICS Sector Indices
The top sector for the day was XTJ Telecommunications which gained 1.70% to 1530.00 points. The sector was helped by
- Telstra Corporation (TLS), +$0.090 (2.19%) to $4.200 on volume of 48.05m shares; and
- Telecom Corporation Of New Zealand (TEL), -$0.030 (0.55%) to $5.430 on volume of 1.57m shares.
Second in the sector leadership stakes was XUJ Utilities which gained 0.50% to 5413.00 points. The sector leaders were -
- Energy Developments (ENE), +$0.100 (2.21%) to $4.630 on volume of 748,000 shares;
- Australian Gas Light Company (AGL), +$0.220 (1.48%) to $15.070 on volume of 986,000 shares;
- Diversified Utility And Energy Trusts (DUE), +$0.010 (0.38%) to $2.660 on volume of 892,000 shares;
- Australian Pipeline Trust (APA), +$0.010 (0.29%) to $3.470 on volume of 156,000 shares; and
- Pacific Hydro (PHY), -$0.000 (0%) to $5.000 on volume of 0,000 shares.
The bronze today went to XHJ Healthcare which gained 0.47% to 6081.60 points. The sector was led by
- CSL (CSL), +$0.620 (1.61%) to $39.210 on volume of 928,000 shares;
- Chemeq (CMQ), +$0.015 (1.27%) to $1.195 on volume of 215,000 shares;
- Sonic Healthcare (SHL), +$0.170 (1.09%) to $15.750 on volume of 742,000 shares;
- Invocare (IVC), +$0.040 (1.01%) to $4.000 on volume of 380,000 shares; and
- Mayne Group (MAY), +$0.030 (0.56%) to $5.420 on volume of 3.49m shares.
The worst-performed sector today was XEJ Energy which lost 0.56% to 11002.40 points. The sector was dragged lower by
- Tap Oil (TAP), -$0.110 (3.79%) to $2.790 on volume of 1.88m shares;
- Australian Worldwide Exploration (AWE), -$0.070 (3.08%) to $2.200 on volume of 6.83m shares;
- Worleyparsons (WOR), -$0.250 (2.36%) to $10.360 on volume of 421,000 shares;
- Caltex Australia (CTX), -$0.370 (1.82%) to $19.980 on volume of 467,000 shares; and
- Oil Search (OSH), -$0.070 (1.77%) to $3.890 on volume of 4.46m shares.
Just in front of last place on the sector table was XMJ Materials which lost 0.23% to 8801.90 points. The sector was pulled down by
- Croesus Mining (CRS), -$0.010 (2.78%) to $0.350 on volume of 2.02m shares;
- Smorgon Steel Group (SSX), -$0.045 (2.69%) to $1.630 on volume of 1.36m shares;
- Oxiana (OXR), -$0.035 (2.62%) to $1.300 on volume of 6.68m shares;
- Newcrest Mining (NCM), -$0.480 (2.32%) to $20.200 on volume of 1.99m shares; and
- Wattyl (WYL), -$0.060 (2.17%) to $2.700 on volume of 300,000 shares.
Sector Indices
| Code | GICS Sector | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XTJ | Telecommunications | 1530 | 25.6 | 1.7% | 49.62m |
| XUJ | Utilities | 5413 | 27 | 0.5% | 4.26m |
| XHJ | Healthcare | 6081.6 | 28.3 | 0.47% | 13.07m |
| XDJ | Consumer Discretionary | 2321 | 5.7 | 0.25% | 37.97m |
| XIJ | Information Technology | 425.6 | 0.3 | 0.07% | 4.48m |
| XXJ | ASX200 Financials ex Property Trusts | 5610.2 | 3.1 | 0.06% | 47.91m |
| XFJ | Financials | 5425.6 | 1.6 | 0.03% | 114.3m |
| XNJ | Industrials | 5342.5 | -1.3 | -0.02% | 41.3m |
| XSJ | Consumer Staples | 5911.2 | -3.5 | -0.06% | 25.82m |
| XPJ | Property Trusts | 1835.1 | -1.2 | -0.07% | 73.41m |
| XMJ | Materials | 8801.9 | -20.6 | -0.23% | 98.11m |
| XEJ | Energy | 11002.4 | -62.3 | -0.56% | 26.95m |
All Ordinaries Major Movers
All Ords Volume Leaders
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TLS | Telstra Corporation | 4.2 | 0.09 | 2.19% | 48.05m |
| BTA | Biota Holdings | 1.57 | -0.37 | -18.86% | 20.42m |
| BHP | BHP Billiton | 22.2 | -0.1 | -0.45% | 14.27m |
| LHG | Lihir Gold | 1.87 | -0.02 | -1.06% | 12.89m |
| DRT | DB Rreef Trust | 1.38 | 0.01 | 0.36% | 11.32m |
| GPT | General Property Trust | 3.9 | 0.01 | 0.26% | 9.8m |
All Ords Percentage Gainers
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCL | Betcorp | 0.32 | 0.03 | 8.47% | 910219 |
| PGL | Progen Industries | 2.77 | 0.19 | 7.36% | 58132 |
| GDM | Goldstream Mining | 0.37 | 0.03 | 7.35% | 174445 |
| MND | Monadelphous Group | 3.98 | 0.25 | 6.7% | 477426 |
| GUD | G.U.D. Holdings | 7.75 | 0.45 | 6.16% | 405076 |
All Ords Percentage Decliners
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTA | Biota Holdings | 1.57 | -0.37 | -18.86% | 20.42m |
| PSD | Psivida | 0.84 | -0.11 | -11.17% | 1.16m |
| WAM | WAM Capital | 1.44 | -0.1 | -6.49% | 41537 |
| MUL | Multiemedia | 0.016 | -0.001 | -5.88% | 7.7m |
| PEM | Perilya | 0.8 | -0.05 | -5.33% | 918131 |
Elsewhere in the Region...
Regional Indices
| Country | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | NZSE50 | 3468.241 | 10.11 | 0.29% | 19.85m |
| Japan | Nikkei 225 | 13738.84 | 213.56 | 1.58% | 0 |
| Korea | KOSPI | 1242.78 | 21.77 | 1.78% | 432994 |
| Singapore | Straits Times | 2315.64 | 14.15 | 0.61% | 0 |
| Hong Kong | Hang Seng | 15456.8 | 62.41 | 0.41% | 130.08m |
| Malaysia | KLSE Comp | 925.72 | 0.39 | 0.04% | 0 |
