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So,,, Nicolas Tsar-kozy's bird - the First Lady of France - is about to release an album. (For those unfamiliar with the story, Carla Bruni is an Italian former model who has flitted from one rich idiot to another all her adult life, and wound up married to the nasty litle dwarf ... after the election campaign during which little prince Nikita played nicey-nicey with former wife Cecilia). It is fitting - the office of President ought to have no attendant prestige (funded as it is through extortion); thus Bruni's shameless exploitation of her position could not possibly bring it into further disrepute.
Knowing me as you do, dearest Reader, you know that your beloved GT does not expect truth (or even truthiness) from the scum which infest political life, but seriously things are getting silly. I hope France doesn't introduce a new law that requires every French resident to buy the album (presumably on the pretext of fighting the terrrrrists).
And this G8 carry-on is just the latest outrage in an increasingly-naked display by the parasite class - how on Earth does G8 (which lasts a few days and is mostly a wank, except for the bits which are a show of utter contempt for the polity) cost taxpayers a quarter of a billion dollars? (Obviously there is a huge security cost because these vermin have to be protected from the very people upon whom they practice their extortion and rapine... but 60 million a day? That's a lot of armed goons and flunkies, even with the US dollar in the tank)
And to top it off, these scum - who could not earn enough to feed themselves if they were required to make a buck honestly - scoff like pigs on the day that they were discussing global food shortages... shortages which themselves were brought on by their own idiotic policies ("The newspapers are all on about biofuels... let's make a LAW favouring using grains for biodeisel - what harm could it cause? What other use is there for corn, anyway?").
The last time someone showed that level of disdain for the polity, she was beheaded.
Major Market Indices
The broad market - the All Ordinaries (XAO) - advanced modestly, rising 47.3 points (0.94%), finishing at 5067.8 points. The index hit an intraday high of 5074 at 2:19 pm, while the low for the day was 5020.5 - set at 10:00 am Sydney time (as with yesterday's session high, today's reported session low is just a vestige of the prior close... the traded low for the session was about 5025 and happened just after 11 a.m.).
Total volume traded on the ASX was 1.68 billion units, again, well below its 10-day average. The ASX's daily listing of all stocks included 1430 different 3-letter FPO's which traded (i.e., had non-zero trade volume). Of these, 352 issues rose, with volume in rising issues totalling 471.6 million units; 769 stocks fell, with aggregate volume traded of 999.3 million shares.
Of the 495 All Ordinaries components, the gainers had the ascendancy (just) - 225 rose while 206 fell. Volume was tilted in favour of the losers by a margin of 1.4:1, with 306.03 million shares traded in gainers while 422.32 million shares traded in the day's losers. That tells you something about the relative commitment of buyers.
The Index that forms the cash basis for the SFE's Share Price Index Futures - the S&P/ASX 200 (XJO) - posted a modest rise of 42.5 points (0.86%), closing out the session at 4979.9 points.
| Name | Close | +/-(%) |
|---|---|---|
| All Ordinaries | 5067.80 | 47.30 (0.9%) |
| ASX 50 | 4882.70 | 44.70 (0.9%) |
| ASX 200 | 4979.90 | 42.50 (0.9%) |
| ASX 300 | 4978.60 | 42.80 (0.9%) |
| ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 4857.00 | 15.50 (0.3%) |
| ASX Small Ordinaries | 2897.80 | 31.80 (1.1%) |
| ASX 20 | 2801.30 | 21.70 (0.8%) |
| ASX 100 | 4031.40 | 33.60 (0.8%) |
The "heavy hitters" of the Australian market - the ASX 20 Leaders (XTL) - advanced by under a percent, adding 21.7 points (0.78%), closing out the session at 2801.3 points.
It was a very narrow advance (breadth-wise), as only 6 index components finished to the upside: 13 closed lower for the session. The main reason was the bounce in Crude Oil, which caused decent gains in big-cap Resources majors Woodside, BHP and Rio Tinto. The index components traded a total of 127.85 million units; rising volume amounted to just 45.81 million shares, while the 13 decliners had volume traded totalling 80.32 million units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- Woodside Petroleum Limited (WPL), +$2.40 (4.15%) to $60.30 on volume of 808.9 thousand shares;
- BHP Billiton Limited (BHP), +$1.33 (3.43%) to $40.13 on volume of 8 million shares;
- Rio Tinto Limited (RIO), +$3.87 (3.18%) to $125.47 on volume of 739.3 thousand shares;
- CSL Limited (CSL), +$0.80 (2.4%) to $34.16 on volume of 1.1 million shares; and
- Macquarie Group Limited (MQG), +$0.77 (1.6%) to $48.88 on volume of 1.6 million shares.
On the less salubrious side of the big-cap fence, the following stocks were the worst-performed within the index:
- QBE Insurance Group Limited (QBE), -$0.83 (3.64%) to $21.98 on volume of 5.7 million shares;
- Stockland (SGP), -$0.16 (3.38%) to $4.57 on volume of 10.4 million shares;
- Australia And New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ), -$0.41 (2.23%) to $17.96 on volume of 9 million shares;
- Wesfarmers Limited (WES), -$0.6 (1.78%) to $33.05 on volume of 2.8 million shares; and
- Brambles Limited (BXB), -$0.12 (1.49%) to $7.96 on volume of 3.7 million shares.
The ASX Small Ordinaries (XSO)out-performed the big-caps, adding 31.8 points (1.11%), closing out the session at 2897.8 points. 106 index components finished to the upside, and of the rest, 75 closed lower for the session. Total index volume was 207.89 million units: volume in the 106 gainers totalled 97.57 million shares, and 97.47 million units changed hands in the index's 75 declining components. So there was only a 100,000 unit differential in volume despite a 1% rise in the index... a little bizarre, and proof positive that this is not the beginnings of a rally.
The major percentage gainers within the index were
- Record Realty (RRT), +$0.01 (12.2%) to $0.05 on volume of 283.2 thousand shares;
- Perilya Limited (PEM), +$0.08 (11.94%) to $0.75 on volume of 1.5 million shares;
- Carnarvon Petroleum Limited (CVN), +$0.06 (11.83%) to $0.52 on volume of 3 million shares;
- Citigold Corporation Limited (CTO), +$0.03 (10%) to $0.28 on volume of 523.8 thousand shares; and
- GRD Limited (GRD), +$0.07 (7.51%) to $0.93 on volume of 549.4 thousand shares.
In the red-zone of the little-stock index, the following list represents the biggest downers (in terms of percentage decline):
- Mirvac Industrial Trust (MIX), -$0.03 (13.04%) to $0.20 on volume of 741.6 thousand shares;
- Macquarie DDR Trust (MDT), -$0.04 (11.29%) to $0.28 on volume of 19.1 million shares;
- Challenger Diversified Property Group (CDI), -$0.06 (10%) to $0.54 on volume of 61.6 thousand shares;
- St Barbara Limited (SBM), -$0.03 (8.2%) to $0.28 on volume of 13.2 million shares; and
- Australian Infrastructure Fund (AIX), -$0.16 (7.28%) to $1.98 on volume of 597.6 thousand shares.
Index Changes
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XAO | All Ordinaries | 5067.8 | 47.3 | 0.94 | 779.5m |
| XFL | ASX 50 | 4882.7 | 44.7 | 0.92 | 299.3m |
| XJO | ASX 200 | 4979.9 | 42.5 | 0.86 | 639.1m |
| XKO | ASX 300 | 4978.6 | 42.8 | 0.87 | 703.6m |
| XMD | ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 4857 | 15.5 | 0.32 | 196.3m |
| XSO | ASX Small Ordinaries | 2897.8 | 31.8 | 1.11 | 207.9m |
| XTL | ASX 20 | 2801.3 | 21.7 | 0.78 | 127.8m |
| XTO | ASX 100 | 4031.4 | 33.6 | 0.84 | 495.7m |
Market Breadth
| ASX20 | XTO | XJO | XAO | XSO | Market | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advances | 6 | 39 | 93 | 225 | 106 | 352 |
| Declines | 13 | 57 | 96 | 206 | 75 | 769 |
| Advancing Volume | 45.8m | 191.4m | 252.9m | 306m | 97.6m | 471.6 million |
| Declining Volume | 80.3m | 296.6m | 369m | 422.3m | 97.5m | 999.3 million |
GICS Industry Indices
Among the 11 industry indices, it was pretty much even-stevens, with a very slight lead to the duds... the 5 GICS indices that had an "up" day were just shaded by the remaining 6 which didn't.
The best performing index was Materials (XMJ), which is to be expected given the rebound this week in both Gold and Oil. XMJ added 509.4 points (3.64%) to 14488.4 points. The 42 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 130.08 million units; 30 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 88.25 million shares, while the 11 decliners had volume traded totalling 41.11 million units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- Perilya Limited (PEM), +$0.08 (11.94%) to $0.75 on volume of 1.5 million shares;
- Alumina Limited (AWC), +$0.32 (7.57%) to $4.55 on volume of 6.4 million shares;
- Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (FMG), +$0.62 (6.71%) to $9.86 on volume of 4.8 million shares;
- Lihir Gold Limited (LGL), +$0.19 (6.25%) to $3.23 on volume of 17.4 million shares; and
- Equinox Minerals Limited (EQN), +$0.25 (6.1%) to $4.35 on volume of 1.3 million shares.
Second in the index leadership stakes was Energy (XEJ) - again, mostly a Crude Oil rebound story - which gained 493.2 points (2.77%) to 18275.5 points. The 17 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 33.48 million units; 14 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 27.34 million shares, while the 3 decliners had volume traded totalling 6.14 million units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- Arrow Energy Limited (AOE), +$0.22 (7.26%) to $3.25 on volume of 4.3 million shares;
- Nexus Energy Limited (NXS), +$0.08 (5.84%) to $1.45 on volume of 2.7 million shares;
- Queensland Gas Company Limited (QGC), +$0.25 (5.53%) to $4.77 on volume of 1.5 million shares;
- Australian Worldwide Exploration Limited (AWE), +$0.20 (5.48%) to $3.85 on volume of 1.6 million shares; and
- Riversdale Mining Limited (RIV), +$0.40 (4.42%) to $9.45 on volume of 509.5 thousand shares.
The bronze medal for today goes to Information Technology (XIJ), which climbed 10.8 points (2.3%) to 481.2 points. There are only two components in this index -
- Computershare Limited (CPU), +$0.19 (2.33%) to $8.35 on volume of 1.4 million shares; and
- Iress Market Technology Limited (IRE), +$0.11 (1.82%) to $6.17 on volume of 59.6 thousand shares.
The worst-performed index for the session was Property Trusts (XPJ), which dipped 28.2 points (2.21%) to 1249.5 points. The 21 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 187.58 million units; The 12 decliners had volume traded totalling 148.83 million units, and 7 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 30.22 million shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Macquarie DDR Trust (MDT), -$0.04 (11.29%) to $0.28 on volume of 19.1 million shares;
- ING Industrial Fund (IIF), -$0.11 (7.29%) to $1.34 on volume of 6.7 million shares;
- Goodman Group (GMG), -$0.13 (4.73%) to $2.62 on volume of 12.9 million shares;
- Mirvac Group (MGR), -$0.1 (4.48%) to $2.13 on volume of 9.5 million shares; and
- GPT Group (GPT), -$0.07 (4.01%) to $1.56 on volume of 33.3 million shares.
Just missing out on the wooden spoon was Consumer Staples (XSJ), which slid 103.3 points (1.49%) to 6807.6 points. The 11 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 24.7 million units; The 7 decliners had volume traded totalling 21.2 million units, and 4 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 3.5 million shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Lion Nathan Limited (LNN), -$0.25 (2.88%) to $8.44 on volume of 982.8 thousand shares;
- Goodman Fielder Limited (GFF), -$0.04 (2.86%) to $1.36 on volume of 5.6 million shares;
- Coca-Cola Amatil Limited (CCL), -$0.15 (2%) to $7.36 on volume of 1.2 million shares;
- Wesfarmers Limited (WES), -$0.6 (1.78%) to $33.05 on volume of 2.8 million shares; and
- Woolworths Limited (WOW), -$0.33 (1.32%) to $24.59 on volume of 1.9 million shares.
Third-to-last amongst the sector indices was Utilities (XUJ), which slid 72.9 points (1.35%) to 5337.9 points. The 10 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 16.89 million units; The 8 decliners had volume traded totalling 7.87 million units, and 2 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 9.03 million shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Babcock & Brown Power (BBP), -$0.03 (3.6%) to $0.67 on volume of 2.9 million shares;
- Spark Infrastructure Group (SKI), -$0.06 (3.59%) to $1.61 on volume of 899.1 thousand shares;
- AGL Energy Limited (AGK), -$0.39 (2.76%) to $13.75 on volume of 1.4 million shares;
- APA Group (APA), -$0.07 (2.5%) to $2.73 on volume of 319 thousand shares; and
- Duet Group (DUE), -$0.05 (1.67%) to $2.95 on volume of 857.7 thousand shares.
Sector Indices
| Code | GICS Sector | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XMJ | Materials | 14488.4 | 509.4 | 3.64 | 130m |
| XEJ | Energy | 18275.5 | 493.2 | 2.77 | 33m |
| XIJ | Information Technology | 481.2 | 10.8 | 2.3 | 1m |
| XHJ | Healthcare | 8239.7 | 165.6 | 2.05 | 8m |
| XTJ | Telecommunications | 1521.8 | 18.3 | 1.22 | 39m |
| XNJ | Industrials | 4461.1 | -10 | -0.22 | 83m |
| XXJ | Financials ex Property Trusts | 4818.5 | -34.8 | -0.72 | 75m |
| XDJ | Consumer Discretionary | 1597.7 | -15.2 | -0.94 | 40m |
| XUJ | Utilities | 5337.9 | -72.9 | -1.35 | 17m |
| XSJ | Consumer Staples | 6807.6 | -103.3 | -1.49 | 25m |
| XPJ | Property Trusts | 1249.5 | -28.2 | -2.21 | 188m |
All Ordinaries Major Movers
All Ords Volume Leaders
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TLS | Telstra Corporation Limited. | 4.45 | 0.05 | 1.14 | 33.6m |
| GPT | GPT Group | 1.56 | -0.07 | -4.01 | 33.3m |
| IPN | Independent Practitioner Network Limited | 0.26 | 0.00 | 0 | 24m |
| MIG | Macquarie Infrastructure Group | 2.21 | -0.04 | -1.78 | 23.3m |
| OXR | Oxiana Limited | 2.23 | 0.07 | 3.24 | 22.5m |
All Ords Percentage Gainers
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVM | Anvil Mining Limited | 11.94 | 2.94 | 32.67 | 5.5k |
| RRT | Record Realty | 0.05 | 0.01 | 12.2 | 283.2k |
| PEM | Perilya Limited | 0.75 | 0.08 | 11.94 | 1.5m |
| CVN | Carnarvon Petroleum Limited | 0.52 | 0.06 | 11.83 | 3m |
| RMS | Ramelius Resources Limited | 0.82 | 0.08 | 10.81 | 340.8k |
All Ords Percentage Losers
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UOS | United Overseas Australia Limited | 0.18 | -0.05 | -20 | 32.6k |
| MIX | Mirvac Industrial Trust | 0.20 | -0.03 | -13.04 | 741.6k |
| MDT | Macquarie DDR Trust | 0.28 | -0.04 | -11.29 | 19.1m |
| CDI | Challenger Diversified Property Group | 0.54 | -0.06 | -10 | 61.6k |
| CUS | Customers Limited | 0.08 | -0.01 | -9.78 | 126.4k |
