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I've babbled before about how computers often do things which border on 'fuzzy'. Recent experience does nothing whatsoever to change my mind. While I was doing my stint as guest editor for Strike the Root, I noticed a story about the CTO of intel who claimed that the chip giant has made some strides in AI-related fields. I think that my server is AI, and it doesn't like me.
Why would such a paranoid idea cross GT's brain? you muse.
Well, consider this: I have been stymied by two databases that don't talk to one another - ever - and which are called by two processes that never appear together in the same page. You can't get more binary than that. But we often forget that for all the control we have over individual page elements, individual login scripts and individual databases, there is a whirring dervish of activity over which we have little or no hands-on control.
What ended up happening is that: after starting out with high hopes for a typing-free user management system thanks to interaction with Paypal's servers, I am reduced to keying in all subscriber data by hand. I have never been a believer in repetitive strain injury, but my forearms are pretty ache-y this morning, I can tell you.
And the poor folks who have exhibited 'early uptake' for the subscriber site have - without exception - been extremely tolerant of this ongoing débacle. (as debacles go, it doesn't rank up there with Iraq, or even Collingwood's showing in the 1980 Grand Final, but still).
Major Market Indices
The broad market - the All Ordinaries (XAO) - declined gently, dropping 19.5 points (0.37%), finishing at 5196 points. The index hit an intraday high of 5215.5 at 10:00 am, while the low for the day was 5176.4 - set at 10:12 am Sydney time. The Ords then bounced back to 5210-ish at 11 a.m. precisely, and wandered around between 5180 and 5200 for the remainder of the session.
Oddly enough, total volume traded on the ASX was reasonably brisk at 1.21bn units: that's 8.5% above its average aver the last two weeks. The ASX's daily listing of all stocks included 1313 different 3-letter FPO's which traded (i.e., had non-zero trade volume). Of these, 505 issues rose, with volume in rising issues totalling 393.2m units; decliners numbered 511 counters, and between them they traded aggregate declining volume of 709.9m shares. That's interesting - the A/D gap being negligible (511 losers, 505 winners) and yet declining volume 1.75 times the size of advancing volume.
The same odd pattern (although to a less marked extent) can be seen within the Ordinaries: of the 492 All Ordinaries components, 206 rose while 208 fell. Volume was tilted in favour of the losers by a margin of 1.2:1, with 286.75m shares traded in gainers while 338.21m 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 mildly, losing 21.5 points (0.42%), closing out the session at 5114.1 points.
| Name | Close | +/-(%) |
|---|---|---|
| All Ordinaries | 5196.00 | -19.50 (0.4%) |
| ASX 20 | 2897.20 | -12.50 (0.4%) |
| ASX 50 | 5003.00 | -23.10 (0.5%) |
| ASX 100 | 4143.40 | -19.90 (0.5%) |
| ASX 200 | 5114.10 | -21.50 (0.4%) |
| ASX 300 | 5109.40 | -20.80 (0.4%) |
| ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 5087.50 | -30.60 (0.6%) |
| ASX Small Ordinaries | 2935.00 | 7.40 (0.3%) |
The "heavy hitters" of the Australian market - the ASX 20 Leaders (XTL) - slid modestly, falling 12.5 points (0.43%), closing out the session at 2897.2 points.
The 20 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 83.83m units; 10 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 31.5m shares, while the 10 decliners had volume traded totalling 52.33m units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- AMP (AMP), +$0.16 (2.3%) to $7.12 on volume of 4 million shares;
- Wesfarmers (WES), +$0.70 (2.27%) to $31.50 on volume of 1 million shares;
- Brambles (BXB), +$0.17 (2.21%) to $7.87 on volume of 3.8 million shares;
- Stockland (SGP), +$0.09 (1.71%) to $5.36 on volume of 2.7 million shares; and
- Macquarie Group (MQG), +$0.75 (1.7%) to $44.79 on volume of 1.9 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 (QBE), -$0.72 (3.01%) to $23.23 on volume of 2 million shares;
- Woodside Petroleum (WPL), -$1.68 (2.66%) to $61.37 on volume of 2.9 million shares;
- Woolworths (WOW), -$0.75 (2.64%) to $27.61 on volume of 3.9 million shares;
- Rio Tinto (RIO), -$2.66 (2.09%) to $124.84 on volume of 763.7 thousand shares; and
- Suncorp-Metway (SUN), -$0.13 (1.14%) to $11.29 on volume of 3.9 million shares.
The ASX Small Ordinaries (XSO) defied the weakness, adding 7.4 points (0.25%) to close at 2935 points.
The 195 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 254.13m units: volume in the 81 gainers totalling 151.33m shares, with trade totalling 86.65m units in the index's 94 declining components. The major percentage gainers within the index were- Admiralty Resources NL (ADY), +$0.03 (19.23%) to $0.16 on volume of 23.5 million shares;
- Australian Education Trust (AEU), +$0.09 (18.28%) to $0.55 on volume of 295 thousand shares;
- Compass Resources (CMR), +$0.10 (15.75%) to $0.74 on volume of 555.2 thousand shares;
- Sundance Resources (SDL), +$0.04 (15.69%) to $0.30 on volume of 39.4 million shares; and
- Atlas Iron (AGO), +$0.32 (14.04%) to $2.60 on volume of 4.2 million 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), -$0.02 (21.69%) to $0.07 on volume of 1.2 million shares;
- Babcock & Brown Power (BBP), -$0.03 (15.79%) to $0.16 on volume of 17.7 million shares;
- Rubicon Japan Trust (RJT), -$0.01 (13.79%) to $0.05 on volume of 623.1 thousand shares;
- Perilya (PEM), -$0.04 (6.6%) to $0.50 on volume of 1.1 million shares; and
- Allco Finance Group (AFG), -$0.03 (6.49%) to $0.36 on volume of 2 million shares.
Index Changes
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XAO | All Ordinaries | 5196 | -19.5 | -0.37 | 671.8m |
| XFL | ASX 50 | 5003 | -23.1 | -0.46 | 208.9m |
| XJO | ASX 200 | 5114.1 | -21.5 | -0.42 | 520m |
| XKO | ASX 300 | 5109.4 | -20.8 | -0.41 | 609.4m |
| XMD | ASX Mid-Cap 50 | 5087.5 | -30.6 | -0.6 | 146.4m |
| XSO | ASX Small Ordinaries | 2935 | 7.4 | 0.25 | 254.1m |
| XTL | ASX 20 | 2897.2 | -12.5 | -0.43 | 83.8m |
| XTO | ASX 100 | 4143.4 | -19.9 | -0.48 | 355.3m |
Market Breadth
| ASX20 | XTO | XJO | XAO | XSO | Market | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advances | 10 | 42 | 81 | 206 | 81 | 505 |
| Declines | 10 | 52 | 101 | 208 | 94 | 511 |
| Advancing Volume | 31.5m | 106.7m | 196.9m | 286.7m | 151.3m | 393.2m |
| Declining Volume | 52.3m | 238.1m | 302.6m | 338.2m | 86.6m | 709.9m |
GICS Industry Indices
Among the 11 industry indices, 2 registered an advance for the session, the remaining 9 lost ground.
The best performing index was Financials ex Property Trusts (XXJ), which added 11.3 points (0.23%) to 4978.4 points. The 30 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 49.59m units; 14 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 31.78m shares, while the 14 decliners had volume traded totalling 17.51m units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- Australian Wealth Mgt (AUW), +$0.04 (2.42%) to $1.48 on volume of 985.4 thousand shares;
- AXA Asia Pacific Holdings (AXA), +$0.12 (2.31%) to $5.31 on volume of 1.2 million shares;
- AMP (AMP), +$0.16 (2.3%) to $7.12 on volume of 4 million shares;
- Challenger Financial Services Group (CGF), +$0.05 (1.82%) to $2.79 on volume of 3.3 million shares; and
- Macquarie Group (MQG), +$0.75 (1.7%) to $44.79 on volume of 1.9 million shares.
Second in the index leadership stakes was Industrials (XNJ), which gained 7.2 points (0.15%) to 4865.4 points. The 32 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 85.8m units; 13 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 28.63m shares, while the 17 decliners had volume traded totalling 51.31m units. The major percentage gainers within the index were
- Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG), +$0.10 (4.57%) to $2.29 on volume of 11.7 million shares;
- Hills Industries (HIL), +$0.18 (4.23%) to $4.44 on volume of 215.6 thousand shares;
- Seek (SEK), +$0.19 (3.61%) to $5.46 on volume of 682.5 thousand shares;
- NRW Holdings (NWH), +$0.05 (2.45%) to $2.09 on volume of 496.6 thousand shares; and
- Bradken (BKN), +$0.25 (2.27%) to $11.25 on volume of 685.1 thousand shares.
The worst-performed index for the session was Utilities (XUJ), which dipped 139.6 points (2.62%) to 5188 points. The 10 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 53.48m units; The 5 decliners had volume traded totalling 41.49m units, and 4 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 11.63m shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Babcock & Brown Power (BBP), -$0.03 (15.79%) to $0.16 on volume of 17.7 million shares;
- Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Group (BBI), -$0.09 (15.6%) to $0.46 on volume of 20.1 million shares;
- Babcock & Brown Wind Partners Group (BBW), -$0.08 (5.6%) to $1.27 on volume of 2.5 million shares;
- AGL Energy (AGK), -$0.47 (3.06%) to $14.88 on volume of 766.1 thousand shares; and
- APA Group (APA), -$0.04 (1.1%) to $3.60 on volume of 390.2 thousand shares.
Just missing out on the wooden spoon was Healthcare (XHJ), which slid 103.7 points (1.07%) to 9629.9 points. The 8 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 5.99m units; The 6 decliners had volume traded totalling 4.77m units, and volume in the lone rising index component was 0.37m shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Sonic Healthcare (SHL), -$0.41 (2.83%) to $14.07 on volume of 625.1 thousand shares;
- Cochlear (COH), -$1.13 (2.05%) to $53.92 on volume of 195 thousand shares;
- ResMed Inc. (RMD), -$0.1 (1.86%) to $5.29 on volume of 1.8 million shares;
- CSL (CSL), -$0.34 (0.83%) to $40.71 on volume of 1.4 million shares; and
- Healthscope (HSP), -$0.02 (0.48%) to $4.19 on volume of 485 thousand shares.
Third-to-last amongst the sector indices was Energy (XEJ), which slid 177.2 points (0.95%) to 18527.1 points. The 17 stocks which make up the index traded a total of 31.27m units; The 7 decliners had volume traded totalling 12.9m units, and 9 index components rose, with rising volume amounting to 13.8m shares, The major percentage decliners within the index were
- Queensland Gas Company (QGC), -$0.12 (2.82%) to $4.13 on volume of 2 million shares;
- Woodside Petroleum (WPL), -$1.68 (2.66%) to $61.37 on volume of 2.9 million shares;
- Santos (STO), -$0.37 (1.84%) to $19.73 on volume of 2 million shares;
- Australian Worldwide Exploration (AWE), -$0.02 (0.57%) to $3.48 on volume of 1.4 million shares; and
- Origin Energy (ORG), -$0.09 (0.56%) to $16.06 on volume of 2.3 million shares.
Sector Indices
| Code | GICS Sector | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XXJ | Financials ex Property Trusts | 4978.4 | 11.3 | 0.23 | 50m |
| XNJ | Industrials | 4865.4 | 7.2 | 0.15 | 86m |
| XPJ | Property Trusts | 1458.6 | -0.6 | -0.04 | 80m |
| XDJ | Consumer Discretionary | 1708.7 | -1.9 | -0.11 | 31m |
| XIJ | Information Technology | 516.2 | -2.4 | -0.46 | 1m |
| XTJ | Telecommunications | 1479 | -7.4 | -0.5 | 22m |
| XSJ | Consumer Staples | 7298.3 | -40.4 | -0.55 | 21m |
| XMJ | Materials | 13905.1 | -131 | -0.93 | 153m |
| XEJ | Energy | 18527.1 | -177.2 | -0.95 | 31m |
| XHJ | Healthcare | 9629.9 | -103.7 | -1.07 | 6m |
| XUJ | Utilities | 5188 | -139.6 | -2.62 | 53m |
All Ordinaries Major Movers
All Ords Volume Leaders
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDL | Sundance Resources Limited | 0.30 | 0.04 | 15.69 | 39.4m |
| AWC | Alumina Limited | 3.87 | -0.48 | -11.03 | 32.9m |
| ADY | Admiralty Resources NL | 0.16 | 0.03 | 19.23 | 23.5m |
| BBI | Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Group | 0.46 | -0.09 | -15.6 | 20.1m |
| TLS | Telstra Corporation Limited. | 4.31 | -0.04 | -0.92 | 19.7m |
All Ords Percentage Gainers
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADY | Admiralty Resources NL | 0.16 | 0.03 | 19.23 | 23.5m |
| AEU | Australian Education Trust | 0.55 | 0.09 | 18.28 | 295k |
| CMR | Compass Resources Limited | 0.74 | 0.10 | 15.75 | 555.2k |
| SDL | Sundance Resources Limited | 0.30 | 0.04 | 15.69 | 39.4m |
| AGO | Atlas Iron Limited | 2.60 | 0.32 | 14.04 | 4.2m |
All Ords Percentage Losers
| Code | Name | Close | +/- | % | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAT | Rubicon America Trust | 0.07 | -0.02 | -21.69 | 1.2m |
| BBP | Babcock & Brown Power | 0.16 | -0.03 | -15.79 | 17.7m |
| BBI | Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Group | 0.46 | -0.09 | -15.6 | 20.1m |
| GWR | Golden West Resources Limited | 1.44 | -0.26 | -15.29 | 796.1k |
| RJT | Rubicon Japan Trust | 0.05 | -0.01 | -13.79 | 623.1k |
