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 is in one handy location. Just click on the headline and you’ll be taken straight to the story.
Monday 12th July, 2021
In his weekly Bites column, David Bassanese from BetaShares gives us a rundown of what’s happening in markets, both local and global.
Chinese Slowdown Forces Government to Change Tack
The Chinese government has blinked and moved to try and help the slowing economy after a year of boasting how well the country was recovering from the pandemic.
Biden Landscaping a Level Playing Field
The executive order signed on Friday by US President Joe Biden is the first to encourage federal agencies to crack down on anti-competitive practices in a wide range of industries.
Tuesday 13th July, 2021
Beijing Takes Umbrage at US Blacklist
Sunday’s strongly-worded statement opposing the addition of 23 Chinese entities to a US economic blacklist once again shows the government’s two-faced attitude toward foreign investment.
Wesfarmers’ API Bid Could Put the Sector in Play
Wesfarmers’ surprise $687 million, $1.38 per share bid for Australian Pharmaceutical Industries (API) could very well re-ignite a brawl over the big retailers getting into the business.
Magellan Minutes: Is Society Going Cashless? (video)
The move towards a cashless society continues apace, but does this mean the end to physical cash as we know it? Magellan’s Dom Giuliano tackles this and other issues from the sector.
The Intersection Between Quality and Value
Dan Rasmussen, author and founder of asset management business Verdad, speaks with Schroders about how to target value businesses – with leverage – for ‘a wilder ride’.
Wednesday 14th July, 2021
Youfoodz Delivered from Its Misery
Floated at $1.50 a share last December, buried at 93 cents in an agreed bid on Tuesday – the 8 months of life for Youfoodz Holdings has been one long (short) slide.
More than a Label: Powerful Structural Themes
Richard Jones from First Sentier Investors gives some insights on how his firm is managing its portfolios amid the current uncertainties across markets, sectors, and countries.
NAB Remains Confident, Business Not So Much
NAB economists are confident business conditions will be able to ride out the current surge in delta Covid variants but remain on the lookout for any signs of damage to the economy.
Peaks and Valleys Persist for Nearmap
Shares in mapping tech Nearmap surged nearly 15% in trading on Tuesday after the company surprised with an upgraded outlook, more than wiping out its loss for the year.
Chinese Economy Continues to Mystify
The economic data coming out of China continues to be almost impossible to get a bead on as imports and exports were stronger than forecast in June and the country reported another huge surplus.
Investors Should Confront the Dark Side of Tech
Investors need to look deeper and challenge unethical and unsustainable practices across the tech industry, argue Louise Piffaut and Charles Devereux from Aviva Investors.
US Set to Issue Hong Kong Business Warning
In an action that will resonate in Australia, the US government is about to upgrade warnings to American companies of the growing risks of doing business in Hong Kong.
Thursday 15th July, 2021
Mirrabooka Cashed Up and Ready to Pounce
LIC Mirrabooka Investments remains cashed up and ready to exploit what it says will be times when stocks “temporarily’ fall out of favour with investors in the coming year.
US Giant’s Entry Upsets BNPL Apple Cart
Did reality catch up with Australia’s buy-now-pay-later sector yesterday with the news that Apple is about to enter the sector just as PayPal has kicked off its local assault?
Remaining Grounded During Market Dislocations
Kevin Schmitz from MFS Investment Management illustrates how his firm’s active management process helps them focus on opportunities during market dislocations.
DeGrussa Pushes Sandfire to Record Profit
2020-21 turned out to be a very good year for Sandfire Resources, thanks to the late surge in copper prices to record highs and solid production from its DeGrussa mine in WA.
Fed’s Inconclusive Vision Keeps Gold in Sight
Joe Foster from VanEck Investments takes us on a deep dive into the current state of the gold market and where it sits in the context of recent inflationary pressures.
Decision Time for Stokes with Boral
Did Kerry Stokes’ Seven Group Holdings really want to get more than 50.01% of the issued capital of Boral and take on all the problems of a majority-owned subsidiary?
Thumbs up from the currency markets yesterday to the news that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand plans to end its $NZ100 billion quantitative easing program next week.
Sturdy US Bank Results Falling on Deaf Ears
Good bank quarterly profits in the US are not resulting in surging share prices, an indication of growing scepticism among investors about the strength of a key sector of the US economy.
Powell Maintains Transitory Line
One down, another to go tonight in the campaign by Federal Reserve chair, Jay Powell to assure Congress and markets that the current spurt in inflation won’t be long-term.
Friday 16th July, 2021
Rising Inflation Signals the Need for Wariness in Highly Favoured Names
Platinum’s Andrew Clifford gives us his thoughts on rising inflation, whether or not it is here to stay and what it means for markets, and where US / China relations fit in the overall context.
Renewed Lockdowns Endanger Job Growth
It looks like we’ve seen the best of the jobs data for a while as the growing spread of the Delta variant of Covid leads to widespread lockdowns around the country.
LNG Surge Fuels Woodside Revenue Surprise
Woodside Petroleum is looking at a solid rebound in first half earnings from 2020’s very weak level after higher prices of LNG boosted revenue nearly 30% in the June half.
China’s Catch-22: Ecology or Economy?
With steel production encroaching upon the government’s output limit but a weakening economy that needs all the help it can get, Beijing faces some tough choices over the second half of 2021.
Investors’ ongoing love affair with capital-light businesses continues unabated in a giant game of pass the parcel with highly inflated assets – but it’s hard to see when the music will stop.
Fed Chair Plays Sticky Wicket with Straight Bat
Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell made his second appearance before the US Congress on Thursday but it was one of his predecessors who had a bigger impact late in the day.
