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Fridays are never likely to generate a decent bounce if the rest of the week has been a turd-burger - today was no exception. After dipping in the first half-hour, the market conformed to today's 10:30 SPI-spy e-mail nicely - again, the 3 SPI points were in the bag within minutes. From there, the rest of the day could be spent musing on interesting things like J.S. Mill's "On Liberty", and less interesting things - arm-wrestling a simple account statement out of a major bank (the last piece of paperwork required by the Froggie consulate), losing my wallet prior to getting the car out of the parking building (great) and negotiating mind-numbing traffic on the way home.
Still, I didn't miss much - after its early dip following the soft equities opening, the SPI bounced right on cue, but from there it was a typical Friday - everything after 11 a.m. was a waste of time.
Major Market Indices
The broad market - the ASX All Ordinaries (XAO) - fell by 1.90 points (-0.04%), finishing at 4399.90 points. The index hit an intraday high of 4431.20 and its low was 4382.7.
Total volume traded on the ASX was 1.09 billion units, 3.7% below its 10-day average. Of the 483 stocks in the index, 226 rose while 145 fell. Volume was tilted in favour of the gainers by a margin of 1.1:1, with 283.39million shares traded in gainers while 249.24million shares traded in the day's losers ..
The Index that forms the cash basis for the SFE's Share Price Index Futures - the S&P/ASX 200 (XJO) - fell by 6.70 points (-0.15%), finishing at 4440.60 points.
The "heavy hitters" of the Australian market - the ASX 20 Leaders (XTL) - fell by 11.50 points (-0.48%), finishing at 2368.80 points. Within the index members, there were 5 that rose, and 11 losers. Total volume in rising issues within the ASX20 amounted to 25.43 while volume in the losers totalled 87.29m units.
The major winners in the "big guns" were -
- AMP Limited (AMP), +$0.080 (1.12%) to $7.210 on volume of 6.66m shares;
- Wesfarmers (WES), +$0.190 (0.5%) to $38.500 on volume of 982,000 shares;
- Rio Tinto (RIO), +$0.200 (0.36%) to $56.500 on volume of 4.53m shares;
- Westfield Group (WDC), +$0.050 (0.31%) to $16.240 on volume of 10.22m shares; and
- QBE Insurance Group (QBE), +$0.050 (0.28%) to $17.860 on volume of 3.03m shares.
The following stocks made up the biggest percentage losers in the big-guns:
- Westpac Banking Corporation (WBC), -$0.300 (1.45%) to $20.450 on volume of 4.08m shares;
- BHP Billiton (BHP), -$0.29 (1.4%) to $20.47 on volume of 26.76m shares; and
- Commonwealth Bank Of Australia (CBA), -$0.40 (1.05%) to $37.64 on volume of 4.36m shares.
At the smaller end of the market's capitalisation scale, the ASX Small Ordinaries Index (XSO) outperformed the bigger end of the market, rising by 16.50 points (0.65%), finishing at 2546.40 points. The major winners in the "pop-guns" were -
- Emperor Mines (EMP), +$0.040 (16%) to $0.290 on volume of 176,000 shares;
- Norwood Abbey (NAL), +$0.065 (12.62%) to $0.580 on volume of 565,000 shares; and
- Resolute Mining (RSG), +$0.090 (6.77%) to $1.420 on volume of 296,000 shares; and
- Worleyparsons (WOR), +$0.500 (5.34%) to $9.870 on volume of 1.56m shares; and
- FKP Property Group (FKP), +$0.230 (4.9%) to $4.920 on volume of 206,000 shares.
The losingest-little-guys for the session were (in order of decline):
- Virotec International (VTI), -$0.070 (7.78%) to $0.830 on volume of 465,000 shares;
- Centennial Coal Company (CEY), -$0.290 (5.98%) to $4.560 on volume of 2.48m shares; and
- Sirtex Medical (SRX), -$0.110 (5.24%) to $1.990 on volume of 17,000 shares; and
- Ventracor (VCR), -$0.060 (4.88%) to $1.170 on volume of 1.91m shares; and
- Nylex (NLX), -$0.010 (4.55%) to $0.210 on volume of 3.62m shares.
Index Changes
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XAO | All Ordinaries | 4399.9 | -1.9 | -0.04% | 606.74m |
| XTL | S&P/ASX 20 | 2368.8 | -11.5 | -0.48% | 122.92m |
| XFL | S&P/ASX 50 | 4341.3 | -13.9 | -0.32% | 250.72m |
| XTO | S&P/ASX 100 | 3599.8 | -7.6 | -0.21% | 399.16m |
| XJO | S&P/ASX 200 | 4440.6 | -6.7 | -0.15% | 503.63m |
| XKO | S&P/ASX 300 | 4435.6 | -5.8 | -0.13% | 0 |
| XMD | S&P/ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 4450.7 | 19.5 | 0.44% | 0 |
| XSO | S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries | 2546.4 | 16.5 | 0.65% | 165.61m |
All Ordinaries Market Internals
Market Breadth
| ASX20 | XTO | XJO | XAO | XSO | Market | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advances | 5 | 49 | 102 | 226 | 108 | 572 |
| Declines | 11 | 44 | 74 | 145 | 55 | 350 |
| Advancing Volume | 25.43m | 167.13m | 220.95m | 283.39 | 94.4 | 657.53 |
| Declining Volume | 87.29m | 201.45m | 237.86m | 249.24 | 42.76 | 310.04 |
S&P/ASX200 GICS Sector Indices
The top sector for the day was XHJ Healthcare which gained 0.85% to 5875.30 points. The sector was helped by
- Ramsay Health Care (RHC), +$0.250 (2.73%) to $9.400 on volume of 511,000 shares;
- CSL (CSL), +$0.960 (2.63%) to $37.460 on volume of 1.05m shares;
- Mayne Group (MAY), +$0.120 (2.25%) to $5.450 on volume of 1.79m shares;
- Novogen (NRT), +$0.040 (0.85%) to $4.750 on volume of 117,000 shares; and
- Healthscope (HSP), +$0.050 (0.81%) to $6.200 on volume of 527,000 shares.
Second in the sector leadership stakes was XEJ Energy which gained 0.66% to 10155.60 points after yesterday's bloodbath. The sector leaders were -
- Worleyparsons (WOR), +$0.500 (5.34%) to $9.870 on volume of 1.56m shares;
- Tap Oil (TAP), +$0.110 (4.4%) to $2.610 on volume of 1.23m shares;
- Oil Search (OSH), +$0.150 (4.37%) to $3.580 on volume of 6.38m shares;
- Caltex Australia (CTX), +$0.530 (2.86%) to $19.050 on volume of 350,000 shares; and
- Hardman Resources (HDR), +$0.060 (2.78%) to $2.220 on volume of 2.35m shares.
The bronze today went toXPJ Property Trusts which gained 0.16% to 1801.60 points. The sector was led by
- Thakral Holdings Group (THG), +$0.015 (1.88%) to $0.815 on volume of 351,000 shares;
- General Property Trust (GPT), +$0.050 (1.31%) to $3.880 on volume of 8.46m shares;
- Multiplex Group (MXG), +$0.040 (1.29%) to $3.150 on volume of 3.04m shares;
- DB Rreef Trust (DRT), +$0.015 (1.11%) to $1.365 on volume of 8.49m shares; and
- Centro Properties Group (CNP), +$0.050 (0.85%) to $5.920 on volume of 2.8m shares.
The worst-performed sector today was XIJ Information Technology which lost 0.92% to 419.60 points. The sector was dragged lower by
- Infomedia Ltd (IFM), -$0.010 (2.08%) to $0.470 on volume of 188,000 shares;
- Computershare (CPU), -$0.090 (1.37%) to $6.490 on volume of 949,000 shares;
- MYOB (MYO), -$0.010 (0.95%) to $1.040 on volume of 446,000 shares;
- Vision Systems (VSL), -$0.010 (0.69%) to $1.430 on volume of 677,000 shares; and
- Baycorp Advantage (BCA), -$0.010 (0.29%) to $3.460 on volume of 426,000 shares.
Just in front of last place on the sector table was XTJ Telecommunications which lost 0.64% to 1480.90 points. The sector was pulled down by
- Telstra Corporation (TLS), -$0.030 (0.74%) to $4.040 on volume of 32.03m shares; and
- Telecom Corporation Of New Zealand (TEL), -$0.010 (0.18%) to $5.410 on volume of 3.47m shares.
Sector Indices
| Code | GICS Sector | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XHJ | Healthcare | 5875.3 | 49.3 | 0.85% | 12.29m |
| XEJ | Energy | 10155.6 | 66.3 | 0.66% | 21.78m |
| XPJ | Property Trusts | 1801.6 | 2.9 | 0.16% | 122.72m |
| XNJ | Industrials | 5106.3 | -3.8 | -0.07% | 61.48m |
| XUJ | Utilities | 5202.4 | -4.5 | -0.09% | 5.25m |
| XMJ | Materials | 8218.8 | -13.2 | -0.16% | 122.83m |
| XSJ | Consumer Staples | 5706.4 | -10.9 | -0.19% | 33.21m |
| XDJ | Consumer Discretionary | 2253.1 | -4.5 | -0.2% | 34.54m |
| XFJ | Financials | 5237.2 | -13.9 | -0.26% | 169.5m |
| XXJ | ASX200 Financials ex Property Trusts | 5390.5 | -20.6 | -0.38% | 57m |
| XTJ | Telecommunications | 1480.9 | -9.5 | -0.64% | 35.5m |
| XIJ | Information Technology | 419.6 | -3.9 | -0.92% | 3.45m |
All Ordinaries Major Movers
All Ords Volume Leaders
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TLS | Telstra Corporation | 4.04 | -0.03 | -0.74% | 32.03m |
| BHP | BHP Billiton | 20.47 | -0.29 | -1.4% | 26.79m |
| MIG | Macquarie Infrastructure Group | 3.6 | -0.07 | -1.91% | 18.58m |
| CPA | Commonwealth Property Office Fund | 1.21 | -0.05 | -3.97% | 17.65m |
| SGT | Singapore Telecommunications | 1.91 | 0.01 | 0.26% | 16.65m |
| LHG | Lihir Gold | 1.89 | 0.09 | 5% | 13.77m |
All Ords Percentage Gainers
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMP | Emperor Mines | 0.29 | 0.04 | 16% | 175500 |
| BTA | Biota Holdings | 1.82 | 0.25 | 15.61% | 9.72m |
| NAL | Norwood Abbey | 0.58 | 0.07 | 12.62% | 564733 |
| PEP | Peplin | 0.53 | 0.05 | 10.42% | 751449 |
| CMP | Compumedics | 0.2 | 0.02 | 8.11% | 264549 |
All Ords Percentage Decliners
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VTI | Virotec International | 0.83 | -0.07 | -7.78% | 465120 |
| CEY | Centennial Coal Company | 4.56 | -0.29 | -5.98% | 2.48m |
| ETW | Evans & Tate | 0.35 | -0.02 | -5.41% | 226895 |
| BOC | Bougainville Copper | 0.67 | -0.04 | -5% | 210900 |
| BCL | Betcorp | 0.29 | -0.02 | -4.92% | 292656 |
Elsewhere in the Region...
Regional Indices
| Country | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | NZSE50 | 3400.251 | -5.75 | -0.17% | 54.48m |
| Japan | Nikkei 225 | 13227.74 | -131.77 | -0.99% | 0 |
| Korea | KOSPI | 1201.01 | -1.48 | -0.12% | 488653 |
| Singapore | Straits Times | 2302.86 | 13.39 | 0.58% | 0 |
| Hong Kong | Hang Seng | 14856.5 | 17.2 | 0.12% | 427.06m |
| Malaysia | KLSE Comp | 924.68 | -1.57 | -0.17% | 0 |
