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I had completely forgotten to fulminate regarding the ludicrous Blair-ite Emote-fest that was Ruddy's weepy circle jerk where the ALP said "Sorry" for removing a load of kiddies from abusive situations. There were loads of white kiddies taken from their parents and put in foster care (and in missions) during the same period - that's the thing about our species... a lot of the breeding happens where you would least prefer it.
Anyhow, so the gummint - with the consent of the governed - takes kiddies off people. And sure, there are some people who have their kiddies taken off them who probably don't deserve it. But to apologise en bloc and only to the aborigines, is just condescending. Big whitefella say sorry, kiss it better. Now dance, boong, there are cameras for the white man magic box make pictures get me elected again....
How long do you reckon it will be before some smart lawyer leads a class action all the way to the Supreme Court?
Major Market Indices
The broad market - the All Ordinaries (XAO) - dipped reasonably hard, registering a loss of 68.4 points (1.19%), finishing at 5679.8 points. The index hit an intraday high of 5723.9 at 10:01 am (before all ASX listed stocks were open... the post-open high of the day was around 5688), while the low for the day was 5619.7 - set at 10:30 am Sydney time.
Total volume traded on the ASX was 1.21 billion units, almost 10% below its 10-day average - so this session can't be called a downside blowoff. The ASX's daily listing of all stocks included 1354 different 3-letter FPO's which traded (i.e., had non-zero trade volume). Of these, 376 issues rose, with volume in rising issues totalling 299.5 million units. Conversely (or even contrariwise), 671 stocks finished in the red, with aggregate volume traded of 681.1 million shares.
Of the 478 All Ordinaries components, 111 rose while 293 fell. Volume was tilted in favour of the losers by a margin of 3.1:1, with 177.07 million shares traded in gainers while 557.38 million shares traded in the day's losers.
The Index that forms the cash basis for the Share Price Index Futures - the S&P/ASX 200 (XJO) - registered a loss of 78.2 points (1.38%), closing out the session at 5606.6 points.
| Name | Close | +/-(%) |
|---|---|---|
| All Ordinaries | 5679.80 | -68.40 (1.2%) |
| ASX 50 | 5434.60 | -68.90 (1.3%) |
| ASX 200 | 5606.60 | -78.20 (1.4%) |
| ASX 300 | 5613.20 | -77.10 (1.4%) |
| ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 5809.00 | -102.60 (1.7%) |
| ASX Small Ordinaries | 3347.60 | -53.80 (1.6%) |
| ASX 20 | 3082.90 | -38.10 (1.2%) |
| ASX 100 | 4533.70 | -60.90 (1.3%) |
The "heavy hitters" of the Australian market - the ASX 20 Leaders (XTL) - registered a loss of 38.1 points (1.22%), closing out the session at 3082.9 points.
Among the 20 big guns, 3 index components finished to the upside. The 21 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 137.35 million units; the 3 index components that rose had volume amounting to 17.07 million shares, while the 18 decliners traded a total of 120.29 million units. The gainers within the index smelt heavily of oil and mining equipment (and sweat and dirt and a load of other things that the mind turns to when you think of the words "productive toil")
- Woodside Petroleum Limited (WPL), +$1.20 (2.46%) to $49.90 on volume of 2.5 million shares;
- Rio Tinto Limited (RIO), +$2.62 (1.96%) to $136.39 on volume of 2.1 million shares; and
- BHP Billiton Limited (BHP), +$0.44 (1.13%) to $39.47 on volume of 12.4 million shares.
On the less salubrious side of the big-cap fence, the following stocks were the worst-performed within the index - the majority of these smell of financial chicanery and a life spent trying to wheedle people out of little slivers of their money:
- Macquarie Group Limited (MQG), -$3.17 (5.39%) to $55.63 on volume of 3.3 million shares;
- QBE Insurance Group Limited (QBE), -$1.15 (4.06%) to $27.18 on volume of 5.4 million shares;
- Westpac Banking Corporation (WBC), -$0.86 (3.56%) to $23.30 on volume of 6.8 million shares;
- Woolworths Limited (WOW), -$0.99 (3.52%) to $27.12 on volume of 3.3 million shares; and
- St George Bank Limited (SGB), -$0.9 (3.41%) to $25.50 on volume of 1.9 million shares.
At the other end of the market-cap spectrum lie the denizens of the ASX Small Ordinaries (XSO). The small end of the market had worse day than its large-cap counterpart. The Small Ords registered a loss of 53.8 points (1.58%), closing out the session at 3347.6 points.
Among the stocks that make up the Small Caps index, 46 index components finished to the upside, and of the rest, 130 closed lower for the session.
The 192 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 358.21 million units: volume in the 46 gainers totalling 76.96 million shares, with trade totalling 252.53 million units in the index's 130 declining components. The major percentage gainers within the index were- AED Oil Limited (AED), +$0.56 (37.33%) to $2.06 on volume of 23.5 million shares;
- Reckson New York Property Trust (RNY), +$0.05 (8.18%) to $0.60 on volume of 155 thousand shares;
- TAP OIL Limited (TAP), +$0.13 (8.01%) to $1.69 on volume of 1.1 million shares;
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (API), +$0.12 (7.21%) to $1.79 on volume of 291 thousand shares; and
- Aquarius Platinum Limited (AQP), +$1.04 (6.5%) to $17.03 on volume of 337.4 thousand shares.
In the red-zone of the little-stock index, the following list represents the biggest downers (in terms of percentage decline):
- Rubicon America Trust (RAT), -$0.08 (28.3%) to $0.19 on volume of 11.2 million shares;
- Rubicon Europe Trust Group (REU), -$0.05 (18.37%) to $0.20 on volume of 9.3 million shares;
- Boom Logistics Limited (BOL), -$0.11 (11.8%) to $0.79 on volume of 7.4 million shares;
- Mineral Deposits Limited (MDL), -$0.12 (10.41%) to $0.99 on volume of 638.4 thousand shares; and
- Riversdale Mining Limited (RIV), -$0.65 (7.6%) to $7.90 on volume of 768.7 thousand shares.
Index Changes
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XAO | All Ordinaries | 5679.8 | -68.4 | -1.19 | 807.1m |
| XFL | ASX 50 | 5434.6 | -68.9 | -1.25 | 246.2m |
| XJO | ASX 200 | 5606.6 | -78.2 | -1.38 | 567.6m |
| XKO | ASX 300 | 5613.2 | -77.1 | -1.35 | 765.9m |
| XMD | ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 5809 | -102.6 | -1.74 | 161.5m |
| XSO | ASX Small Ordinaries | 3347.6 | -53.8 | -1.58 | 358.2m |
| XTL | ASX 20 | 3082.9 | -38.1 | -1.22 | 137.4m |
| XTO | ASX 100 | 4533.7 | -60.9 | -1.33 | 407.7m |
Market Breadth
| ASX20 | XTO | XJO | XAO | XSO | Market | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advances | 3 | 19 | 19 | 111 | 46 | 376 |
| Declines | 18 | 76 | 77 | 292 | 130 | 671 |
| Advancing Volume | 17.1m | 88.3m | 88.3m | 177.1m | 77m | 299.5 million |
| Declining Volume | 120.3m | 284.3m | 285m | 554.6m | 252.5m | 681.1 million |
GICS Industry Indices
Among the 11 industry indices, only 2 registered an advance for the session, the remaining 9 lost ground.
The best performing index was Energy (XEJ), which added 36.6 points (0.25%) to 14490.9 points. The 18 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 58.09 million units; 7 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 40.29 million shares, while the 11 decliners had volume traded totalling 17.8 million units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- AED Oil Limited (AED), +$0.56 (37.33%) to $2.06 on volume of 23.5 million shares;
- Beach Petroleum Limited (BPT), +$0.04 (2.56%) to $1.40 on volume of 4.4 million shares;
- Woodside Petroleum Limited (WPL), +$1.20 (2.46%) to $49.90 on volume of 2.5 million shares;
- Oil Search Limited (OSH), +$0.09 (2.17%) to $4.23 on volume of 5.5 million shares; and
- Straits Resources Limited (SRL), +$0.15 (2.04%) to $7.50 on volume of 1.4 million shares.
Second in the index leadership stakes was Materials (XMJ), which gained 36.6 points (0.25%) to 14873.3 points. The 42 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 116.3 million units; 13 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 54.52 million shares, while the 28 decliners had volume traded totalling 57.31 million units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- Alumina Limited (AWC), +$0.48 (8.84%) to $5.91 on volume of 17.5 million shares;
- Aquarius Platinum Limited (AQP), +$1.04 (6.5%) to $17.03 on volume of 337.4 thousand shares;
- Bluescope Steel Limited (BSL), +$0.28 (2.55%) to $11.26 on volume of 3 million shares;
- Rio Tinto Limited (RIO), +$2.62 (1.96%) to $136.39 on volume of 2.1 million shares; and
- Oxiana Limited (OXR), +$0.05 (1.58%) to $3.22 on volume of 13 million shares.
The worst-performed index for the session was Information Technology (XIJ), which dipped 20 points (3.89%) to 494.5 points. The 2 components - both of which declined - had volume traded totalling 2.89 million units-
- Computershare Limited (CPU), -$0.38 (4.26%) to $8.55 on volume of 2.7 million shares; and
- Iress Market Technology Limited (IRE), -$0.21 (3.18%) to $6.40 on volume of 213.8 thousand shares.
Just missing out on the wooden spoon was Healthcare (XHJ), which slid 225.8 points (2.58%) to 8529.9 points. The 9 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 14.45 million units; The 8 decliners had volume traded totalling 8.52 million units, and volume in the lone rising index component was 0 million shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Ramsay Health Care Limited (RHC), -$0.37 (3.39%) to $10.56 on volume of 374.2 thousand shares;
- CSL Limited (CSL), -$1.10 (3.32%) to $32.05 on volume of 2.4 million shares;
- ResMed Inc. (RMD), -$0.14 (2.93%) to $4.64 on volume of 1.9 million shares;
- Sonic Healthcare Limited (SHL), -$0.36 (2.36%) to $14.88 on volume of 760.6 thousand shares; and
- Cochlear Limited (COH), -$1.16 (2.02%) to $56.31 on volume of 557 thousand shares.
Third-to-last amongst the sector indices was ASX200 Financials ex Property Trusts (XXJ), which slid 151.5 points (2.57%) to 5752.1 points. The 28 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 90.58 million units; The 27 decliners had volume traded totalling 90.57 million units, and volume in the lone rising index component was 0 million shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Challenger Financial Services Group Limited (CGF), -$0.22 (7.94%) to $2.55 on volume of 6.1 million shares;
- ASX Limited (ASX), -$2.61 (5.78%) to $42.52 on volume of 1.8 million shares;
- Babcock and Brown Capital Limited (BCM), -$0.22 (5.57%) to $3.73 on volume of 164.7 thousand shares;
- Sunland Group Limited (SDG), -$0.21 (5.47%) to $3.63 on volume of 157.3 thousand shares; and
- Macquarie Group Limited (MQG), -$3.17 (5.39%) to $55.63 on volume of 3.3 million shares.
Sector Indices
| Code | GICS Sector | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XEJ | Energy | 14490.9 | 36.6 | 0.25 | 58m |
| XMJ | Materials | 14873.3 | 36.6 | 0.25 | 116m |
| XTJ | Telecommunications | 1667.3 | -14.7 | -0.87 | 42m |
| XPJ | Property Trusts | 1804.8 | -24.1 | -1.32 | 104m |
| XDJ | Consumer Discretionary | 2318.4 | -33 | -1.4 | 32m |
| XUJ | Utilities | 5952.1 | -122 | -2.01 | 16m |
| XSJ | Consumer Staples | 7833.2 | -170 | -2.12 | 28m |
| XNJ | Industrials | 5664.8 | -128.5 | -2.22 | 64m |
| XXJ | ASX200 Financials ex Property Trusts | 5752.1 | -151.5 | -2.57 | 91m |
| XHJ | Healthcare | 8529.9 | -225.8 | -2.58 | 14m |
| XIJ | Information Technology | 494.5 | -20 | -3.89 | 3m |
All Ordinaries Major Movers
All Ords Volume Leaders
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSP | Resource Pacific Holdings Limited | 3.20 | -0.08 | -2.44 | 102.5m |
| AED | AED Oil Limited | 2.06 | 0.56 | 37.33 | 23.5m |
| TLS | Telstra Corporation Limited. | 4.71 | -0.04 | -0.84 | 23.4m |
| CER | Centro Retail | 0.37 | 0.00 | 0 | 17.5m |
| AWC | Alumina Limited | 5.91 | 0.48 | 8.84 | 17.5m |
All Ords Percentage Gainers
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AED | AED Oil Limited | 2.06 | 0.56 | 37.33 | 23.5m |
| CAA | Capral Aluminium Limited | 0.42 | 0.06 | 16.67 | 232.6k |
| CST | Cellestis Limited | 2.75 | 0.34 | 14.11 | 106.4k |
| NFL | Natural Fuel Limited | 0.14 | 0.02 | 12 | 625.2k |
| PFG | Prime Financial Group Limited | 0.49 | 0.04 | 8.89 | 105.8k |
All Ords Percentage Losers
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAT | Rubicon America Trust | 0.19 | -0.08 | -28.3 | 11.2m |
| REU | Rubicon Europe Trust Group | 0.20 | -0.05 | -18.37 | 9.3m |
| NCK | Nick Scali Limited | 1.80 | -0.25 | -12.2 | 23.4k |
| AXQ | Allco Max Securities And Mortgage Trust | 0.19 | -0.03 | -11.9 | 1.3m |
| BOL | Boom Logistics Limited | 0.79 | -0.11 | -11.8 | 7.4m |
