Note - from June 24th 2009, this blog has migrated from Blogger to a self-hosted version. Click here to go straight there.
Oh my aching brain-box. Last night's festivities - the annual village fete - went on until 5 a.m., and as with all festivities worth writing about, I am paying for it this morning (afternoon, in fact... the clocktower just bonged twelve). Imagine trying to find something interesting to say with a head that feels like it's been in a vice for the last ten hours...
Now where are those Ibuprofen?....
Major Market Indices
The broad market - the All Ordinaries (XAO) - hardly budged (on a close-close basis) closing with a gain of 0.1 points (not worth expressing as a percentage), finishing at 5039 points. The index hit an intraday high of 5086.2 at 11:29 am, while the low for the day was 4994.3 - set at 10:11 am Sydney time. So all things considered, the trading range was quite wide given the lack of close-close movement. I believe that our Japanese Candlestick-y chums would call it a doji.
Total volume traded on the ASX was 915.9m units, 16.6% below its 10-day average. The ASX's daily listing of all stocks included 1247 different 3-letter FPO's which traded (i.e., had non-zero trade volume). Of these, 423 issues rose, with volume in rising issues totalling 321.1m units; decliners numbered 547 counters, and between them they traded aggregate declining volume of 469.6m shares.
Of the 494 All Ordinaries components, 196 rose while 222 fell. Volume was tilted in favour of the losers by a margin of 1.4:1, with 247.99m shares traded in gainers while 352.43m 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) - barely troubled the scorers, losing 1.4 points (0.03%), closing out the session at 4980.3 points.
| Name | Close | +/-(%) |
|---|---|---|
| All Ordinaries | 5039.00 | 0.10 (0.0%) |
| ASX 20 | 2835.00 | 0.10 (0.0%) |
| ASX 50 | 4902.20 | 3.50 (0.1%) |
| ASX 100 | 4040.70 | -0.20 (0.0%) |
| ASX 200 | 4980.30 | -1.40 (0.0%) |
| ASX 300 | 4972.80 | -2.10 (0.0%) |
| ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 4817.40 | -22.90 (0.5%) |
| ASX Small Ordinaries | 2805.30 | -10.80 (0.4%) |
The "heavy hitters" of the Australian market - the ASX 20 Leaders (XTL) -
Among the 20 big guns, the decliners just edged out the gainers - 10 advancing components were only just edged out (in numerical terms) by the decliners. The 20 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 112.75m units; 10 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 38.69m shares, while the 9 decliners had volume traded totalling 71.13m units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- QBE Insurance Group (QBE), +$0.75 (3.21%) to $24.10 on volume of 3 million shares;
- Woodside Petroleum (WPL), +$1.60 (2.95%) to $55.80 on volume of 1.6 million shares;
- Suncorp-Metway (SUN), +$0.36 (2.89%) to $12.80 on volume of 4.8 million shares;
- Woolworths (WOW), +$0.40 (1.5%) to $27.10 on volume of 2.7 million shares; and
- BHP Billiton (BHP), +$0.53 (1.4%) to $38.51 on volume of 8.7 million shares.
On the less salubrious side of the big-cap fence, the following stocks were the worst-performed within the index:
- Commonwealth Bank Of Australia (CBA), -$1.65 (3.78%) to $42.05 on volume of 6.2 million shares;
- Wesfarmers (WES), -$1.15 (3.22%) to $34.55 on volume of 1.4 million shares;
- Macquarie Group (MQG), -$1.42 (2.71%) to $50.93 on volume of 2.2 million shares;
- CSL Limited (CSL), -$0.6 (1.62%) to $36.40 on volume of 2.7 million shares; and
- Foster's Group (FGL), -$0.05 (0.93%) to $5.35 on volume of 5.9 million shares.
At the other end of the market-cap spectrum lie the denizens of the ASX Small Ordinaries (XSO) - the place where non-mania excess returns lie. The small end of the market , while still dropping overall, did significantly better than its large-cap counterpart. The Small Ords slid modestly, falling 10.8 points (0.38%), closing out the session at 2805.3 points.
Among the stocks that make up the Small Caps index, 72 index components finished to the upside, and of the rest, 103 closed lower for the session.
The 195 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 205.9m units: volume in the 72 gainers totalling 56.07m shares, with trade totalling 141.44m units in the index's 103 declining components. The major percentage gainers within the index were- Felix Resources (FLX), +$1.60 (9.32%) to $18.76 on volume of 499.4 thousand shares;
- Rivercity Motorway Group (RCY), +$0.02 (7.84%) to $0.28 on volume of 1 million shares;
- Carnarvon Petroleum (CVN), +$0.03 (6.76%) to $0.40 on volume of 1.9 million shares;
- Arrow Energy (AOE), +$0.15 (4.93%) to $3.19 on volume of 3.2 million shares; and
- Arana Therapeutics (AAH), +$0.05 (4.76%) to $1.10 on volume of 198.9 thousand shares.
In the red-zone of the little-stock index, the following list represents the biggest downers (in terms of percentage decline):
- Babcock & Brown Power (BBP), -$0.18 (41.18%) to $0.25 on volume of 35.3 million shares;
- AED Oil Limited (AED), -$0.29 (12.5%) to $2.03 on volume of 703.1 thousand shares;
- Mineral Deposits (MDL), -$0.07 (11.29%) to $0.55 on volume of 487.9 thousand shares;
- Becton Property Group (BEC), -$0.12 (10.76%) to $1.00 on volume of 725 thousand shares; and
- Gunns (GNS), -$0.23 (10.47%) to $1.93 on volume of 2.9 million shares.
Index Changes
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XAO | All Ordinaries | 5039 | 0.1 | 0 | 625.1m |
| XFL | ASX 50 | 4902.2 | 3.5 | 0.07 | 229.2m |
| XJO | ASX 200 | 4980.3 | -1.4 | -0.03 | 543.8m |
| XKO | ASX 300 | 4972.8 | -2.1 | -0.04 | 595.6m |
| XMD | ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 4817.4 | -22.9 | -0.47 | 160.5m |
| XSO | ASX Small Ordinaries | 2805.3 | -10.8 | -0.38 | 205.9m |
| XTL | ASX 20 | 2835 | 0.1 | 0 | 112.7m |
| XTO | ASX 100 | 4040.7 | -0.2 | -0 | 389.7m |
Market Breadth
| ASX20 | XTO | XJO | XAO | XSO | Market | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advances | 10 | 51 | 90 | 196 | 72 | 423 |
| Declines | 9 | 45 | 99 | 222 | 103 | 547 |
| Advancing Volume | 38.7m | 180.5m | 218.1m | 248m | 56.1m | 321.1m |
| Declining Volume | 71.1m | 200.4m | 312.6m | 352.4m | 141.4m | 469.6m |
GICS Industry Indices
Among the 11 industry indices, 4 registered an advance for the session, the remaining 7 lost ground.
The best performing index was Energy (XEJ), which added 294 points (1.75%) to 17082.8 points. So there are still people positioning themselves in large numbers, preparing for a surge in energy prices. While that is the case, they are likely to be disappointed. I wish they would all bugger off so that we could finally finally finally get set in a new long Crude position.
The 17 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 33.27m units; 10 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 26.35m shares, while the 6 decliners had volume traded totalling 5.83m units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- Felix Resources (FLX), +$1.60 (9.32%) to $18.76 on volume of 499.4 thousand shares;
- Arrow Energy (AOE), +$0.15 (4.93%) to $3.19 on volume of 3.2 million shares;
- Oil Search (OSH), +$0.20 (4.06%) to $5.13 on volume of 6.5 million shares;
- Beach Petroleum (BPT), +$0.03 (3.03%) to $1.02 on volume of 6 million shares; and
- Woodside Petroleum (WPL), +$1.60 (2.95%) to $55.80 on volume of 1.6 million shares.
Second in the index leadership stakes was Property Trusts (XPJ), which gained 12.9 points (0.93%) to 1402.4 points. The 21 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 87.16m units; 12 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 56.26m shares, while the 8 decliners had volume traded totalling 29.93m units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- Goodman Group (GMG), +$0.10 (3.48%) to $2.97 on volume of 6.2 million shares;
- ING Industrial Fund (IIF), +$0.05 (3.35%) to $1.39 on volume of 4.3 million shares;
- GPT Group (GPT), +$0.05 (2.91%) to $1.77 on volume of 13.7 million shares;
- Bunnings Warehouse Property Trust (BWP), +$0.05 (2.73%) to $1.88 on volume of 400 thousand shares; and
- Mirvac Group (MGR), +$0.06 (2.17%) to $2.82 on volume of 2.9 million shares.
The bronze medal for today goes to Materials (XMJ), which climbed 58.1 points (0.45%) to 13104.6 points. The 42 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 117.21m units; 16 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 49.6m shares, while the 25 decliners had volume traded totalling 66.55m units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- Independence Group NL (IGO), +$0.10 (3.7%) to $2.80 on volume of 622.5 thousand shares;
- James Hardie Industries N.V. (JHX), +$0.15 (3.14%) to $4.92 on volume of 2 million shares;
- Boral (BLD), +$0.15 (2.52%) to $6.10 on volume of 7.8 million shares;
- Mincor Resources NL (MCR), +$0.04 (2.48%) to $1.65 on volume of 683 thousand shares; and
- Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (FMG), +$0.13 (1.73%) to $7.63 on volume of 3.9 million shares.
The worst-performed index for the session was Utilities (XUJ), which dipped 81 points (1.51%) to 5276.4 points. The 10 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 68.52m units; The 5 decliners had volume traded totalling 65.12m units, and 3 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 2.02m shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Babcock & Brown Power (BBP), -$0.18 (41.18%) to $0.25 on volume of 35.3 million shares;
- Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Group (BBI), -$0.05 (6.21%) to $0.68 on volume of 18.6 million shares;
- SP Ausnet (SPN), -$0.03 (2.13%) to $1.15 on volume of 6.7 million shares;
- Babcock & Brown Wind Partners Group (BBW), -$0.03 (2.03%) to $1.45 on volume of 1.6 million shares; and
- Spark Infrastructure Group (SKI), -$0.03 (1.49%) to $1.66 on volume of 3 million shares.
Just missing out on the wooden spoon was Healthcare (XHJ), which slid 109.3 points (1.23%) to 8800 points. The 8 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 7.91m units; The 5 decliners had volume traded totalling 4.61m units, and 3 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 3.3m shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Sonic Healthcare (SHL), -$0.32 (2.27%) to $13.78 on volume of 457.2 thousand shares;
- Sigma Pharmaceuticals Ltd (SIP), -$0.02 (1.74%) to $1.13 on volume of 701.5 thousand shares;
- CSL (CSL), -$0.6 (1.62%) to $36.40 on volume of 2.7 million shares;
- Ramsay Health Care (RHC), -$0.16 (1.6%) to $9.83 on volume of 419.5 thousand shares; and
- Healthscope (HSP), -$0.05 (1.14%) to $4.35 on volume of 340.8 thousand shares.
Third-to-last amongst the sector indices was Industrials (XNJ), which slid 45.1 points (0.92%) to 4852.2 points. The 32 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 59.43m units; The 17 decliners had volume traded totalling 41.66m units, and 12 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 12.59m shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Cabcharge Australia (CAB), -$0.59 (7.66%) to $7.11 on volume of 623.8 thousand shares;
- Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG), -$0.14 (5.19%) to $2.56 on volume of 4.7 million shares;
- Bradken (BKN), -$0.44 (4.38%) to $9.61 on volume of 352.3 thousand shares;
- Boart Longyear (BLY), -$0.08 (3.87%) to $1.87 on volume of 3.9 million shares; and
- United Group (UGL), -$0.41 (3.04%) to $13.07 on volume of 521.8 thousand shares.
Sector Indices
| Code | GICS Sector | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XEJ | Energy | 17082.8 | 294 | 1.75 | 33m |
| XPJ | Property Trusts | 1402.4 | 12.9 | 0.93 | 87m |
| XMJ | Materials | 13104.6 | 58.1 | 0.45 | 117m |
| XIJ | Information Technology | 505.9 | 2.1 | 0.42 | 2m |
| XDJ | Consumer Discretionary | 1645.1 | -0.2 | -0.01 | 38m |
| XXJ | Financials ex Property Trusts | 5003.9 | -22.1 | -0.44 | 68m |
| XSJ | Consumer Staples | 7403.1 | -38.6 | -0.52 | 22m |
| XTJ | Telecommunications | 1498.5 | -12.3 | -0.81 | 41m |
| XNJ | Industrials | 4852.2 | -45.1 | -0.92 | 59m |
| XHJ | Healthcare | 8800 | -109.3 | -1.23 | 8m |
| XUJ | Utilities | 5276.4 | -81 | -1.51 | 69m |
All Ordinaries Major Movers
All Ords Volume Leaders
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TLS | Telstra Corporation | 4.38 | -0.04 | -0.9 | 36.9m |
| BBP | Babcock & Brown Power | 0.25 | -0.18 | -41.18 | 35.3m |
| BBI | Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Group | 0.68 | -0.05 | -6.21 | 18.6m |
| LGL | Lihir Gold | 2.23 | -0.03 | -1.33 | 17.3m |
| OZL | OZ Minerals | 1.82 | 0.02 | 1.11 | 16.8m |
All Ords Percentage Gainers
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRK | Carrick Gold | 0.90 | 0.12 | 15.38 | 49k |
| NCK | Nick Scali | 0.75 | 0.09 | 13.64 | 98.2k |
| FLX | Felix Resources | 18.76 | 1.60 | 9.32 | 499.4k |
| RCY | Rivercity Motorway Group | 0.28 | 0.02 | 7.84 | 1m |
| TWO | Talent2 International | 1.56 | 0.10 | 6.85 | 673.9k |
All Ords Percentage Losers
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBP | Babcock & Brown Power | 0.25 | -0.18 | -41.18 | 35.3m |
| ARR | Arasor International | 0.11 | -0.02 | -15.38 | 295.1k |
| AED | AED Oil | 2.03 | -0.29 | -12.5 | 703.1k |
| MDL | Mineral Deposits | 0.55 | -0.07 | -11.29 | 487.9k |
| FPA | Fisher & Paykel Appliances Holdings | 1.50 | -0.19 | -11.24 | 739.4k |
