We at ShareCafe understand you are busy and may not have been left with enough time to keep up with the quality content we’ve been bringing you throughout the week. To make it easier to do so, here it all is in one handy location. Just click on the headline and you’ll be taken straight to the story.
Monday 17th May, 2021
First Signs of Consolidation in US Streaming Sector
The merger talks between AT&T/Warner and Discovery show that the streaming video business has started consolidating, even though to most investors it is the most recent example of ‘new’ digital media.
Tuesday 18th May, 2021
Welcome to the New Roaring 20s
The parallels between the end of a world war and the Spanish flu pandemic and the current Covid-era aren’t exact but there is an overlap between this century and last, writes APN’s David Kruth.
Shares in Crown Resorts held up yesterday despite the embattled casino group telling one would be suitor to go away, opening the door for a marriage to Sydney based rival group Star.
No Respect for Elders Result, Upped Dividend
Shares in rural services giant Elders dropped yesterday despite the company announcing a 40% lift in profits and rewarding shareholders with a sharp increase in interim dividend.
Incitec Pivots Away from Profitability
As expected, it was a miserable interim result for Incitec Pivot thanks to unexpected and very expensive plant outages at a major plant in the US state of Louisiana.
Cars and iPhones All the Rage in China
We have been pointing out for more than a month now small misses and blips in Chinese economic data, but car and iPhone sales are solid, so it’s not all bad news.
ESG, Crypto and the Power of Social Media
Fidelity’s Tom Stevenson is back with his regular column, and this time he picks apart the recent comments by Elon Musk and looks at cryptocurrencies in an ESG context.
Chinese Steel Production Shrugs off Rule Changes
Despite the government’s moves to curb annual production to reduce pollution and capacity and surging iron ore prices, China’s crude steel output hit an all-time high in April.
Wednesday 19th May, 2021
Retirees Join The Beekeepers As The Dividend Honeypot Swells
Plato’s Dr Don Hamson has a look at the biggest takeaways from last week’s budget and the continued resurgence of dividend payouts among the major stocks.
Woodside, St Barbara, South32 Give Updates
Some balance sheet and operational house cleaning yesterday from Woodside Petroleum and gold miner St Barbara Mining, while South32 had a promising update for shareholders.
Shedding Light on Sustainable Fixed Income
Janus Henderson’s Shan Kwee explains the different types of sustainable investments available and the complexities faced in issuing and tracking sustainable investment outcomes.
Buffett Lets Go Most of Fargo Stake
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has quit almost all of its stake in US bank Well Fargo that was once one of his so-called ‘pillar’ stocks (along with Amex and Coca Cola).
Strong Result for Hardies Leads to Dividend Reinstatement
James Hardie has confirmed it will resume paying ordinary dividends later this year after reporting a 9% increase in full-year net profit to $US262.8 million ($338.2 million).
When the Hype Disappears and Fundamentals Reappear
Anton Tagliaferro from Investors Mutual explains why stocks which can generate a lot of hype and capture the headlines for a time are no substitute for quality businesses trading at a reasonable price.
Walmart Catches US Retail Wave
Walmart has kicked off retail earnings week with a second quarter performance that beat expectations and saw it boost its full year guidance.
Thursday 20th May, 2021
EML Suffers Bad Luck of the Irish Variety
Shares in EML Payments lost more than 40% of their value when it confirmed media reports that a business it bought in Ireland had major problems with a key regulator.
Putting COVID-19 in the Rear-View Mirror
Edmund Leung from First Sentier Investors looks at various geographies where COVID-19 is largely under control, to consider what the new-normal might look like for various infrastructure sectors.
Webjet Sinks Further into the Red
More losses for online travel and accommodation agency Webjet have underlined the sector’s continuing problems with the pandemic and closed borders with a result again strewn with red ink.
Wage Price Index Comes in as Forecast
Yesterday’s weak WPI data met expectations and today’s jobs data will likely confirm that the ending of JobKeeper has done little to interrupt the employment rebound.
COVID Catches United Malt on the Hop
GrainCorp spin-off United Malt Group says its first half revenue and profit was sapped by COVID lockdowns that forced widespread retail closures and lower in-venue alcohol consumption.
Appen Stands Tall on Horror Trading Day
Shares in AI services provider Appen bounced back with a strong relief rally to close up 17% at $13.20 on a day when the wider market suffered its biggest selloff since February.
Friday 21st May, 2021
Valuations: A Surprising Message
While equity valuations appear elevated, GAM Investments’ Julian Howard suggests that the asset class could be considered appealing on an absolute basis in the right context.
Gold Miners React and Ready for More
Joe Foster from VanEck Investments digs deep into the current elements at play in the gold space and how they have spilled over into other mining and resource sectors.
Cryptos Bit Hard, Chewed Up, and Spat Out
The great crypto rout continues with Bitcoin shedding 30% amid fears that Chinese regulators would intensify a crackdown on financial institutions using digital tokens.
Copper Sold Off on Further Chinese Intervention
Copper prices fell more than 3% on Wednesday after China said it will strengthen its management of commodity supply and demand and crack down on any “unreasonable” increases in prices.
Aust Ag Defies Lower Sales to Post Higher Profit
While meat and cattle sales were lower at Australian Agriculture Co in 2020-21, the beef giant still managed to boost its profit as the price for Wagyu beef rose.
Lake’s Kachi Drill Program Expands to Support Future Production Increase (video)
Clean lithium developer Lake Resources is expanding the drill hole program and testing beyond the activities required for the Definitive Feasibility Study at the Company’s flagship Kachi Lithium Brine Project.
Unemployment Rate Eases Despite Fall in Jobs
As Australia’s jobless rate eased to a post-Covid low of 5.5% in April from March’s revised 5.7%, Qantas revealed plans to add to the pool of unemployed and freeze wages for two more years.
Nufarm Result a Story of Two Halves
Investors took Nufarm shares higher yesterday, despite a clear warning that second half earnings will come in much lower than those for the six months to the end of March.
Market OK with Qantas Long-Haul Route to Recovery
Despite the prospect of more red ink, Qantas shares rose yesterday as investors liked the news of an upsurge in domestic travel, peaking debt, more job cuts and a two-year wage freeze.
Kogan Another Puncture in the Tech Balloon
Kogan.com, one of the tech sector’s leaders, sharply downgraded June 30 earnings forecasts on Friday because of a slew of problems that have worsened as the year has gone on.
