04 March 2024 – Australian real estate and tech stocks are the best performing after the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 closed at record highs on Friday 16,274.94 and 5137.08, respectively. Fresh US manufacturing data on Friday added to hopes the Federal Reserve will begin cutting rates in the first half of this year.

01 March 2024 – At the open, Australian shares, led by gains in the technology and resources sectors, reached a record high of 7733.2 points, rising by 0.2 per cent, with optimism fueled by expectations of central bank rate cuts in 2024. At 11:30am, the S&P/ASX 200 is 0.03 per cent higher at 7,700.80.

In January, retail sales increased by 1.1%, falling short of the expected 1.5% growth, indicating volatility in spending patterns. Despite a rise to $35.7 billion in sales, the year-on-year increase was only 1.1%, reflecting weak performance relative to the country's rapid population expansion.

On Wednesday, the ASX experienced a slight decline, ending a four-day winning streak, with the ASX 200 falling by 0.03%, attributed to disappointing earnings reports from major companies.

Australia's Consumer Price Index grew by 3.4% in January, falling below analysts' expectations of a 3.6% increase, holding steady from December's level.

On Tuesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index closed slightly higher by 0.1%, with consumer staples leading the gains due to Coles' strong earnings report, which saw its shares rise by 5.5%.

Stocks dipped shortly after the market opened, mirroring the downturn on Wall Street. Declines were led by property and mining sectors, outweighing the gains seen in consumer-related stocks amidst a flurry of corporate earnings reports.

On Monday, the Australian sharemarket experienced a slight increase, with the S&P/ASX 200 rising by 0.12% to reach 7,652.80 at the close of trading.

Australian stocks are experiencing an upswing this Monday, buoyed by the same positive sentiment that propelled Wall Street to a new record last Friday, leveraging the momentum from Nvidia's historic rally.

The S&P/ASX 200 increased by 0.4% on Friday at 11:30am, primarily driven by a notable 2.2% increase in the technology sector, reflecting a broader global market uptrend fueled by growing demand for artificial intelligence products. Wall Street witnessed record highs as both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Index reached new peaks.

The Australian sharemarket declined as Woolworths' announcement of declining sales volume led to a 0.7% drop in the S&P/ASX 200 index, with consumer staples suffering the most.

In the fourth quarter, Australia's Wage Price Index increased by 0.9 percent, aligning with analysts' consensus expectations. This growth, rising from 1.3 percent in the previous quarter, highlights a key factor influencing inflation and monetary policy decisions by the Reserve Bank of Australia, particularly as it forecasts further increases in wage growth.

Australian shares declined, tracking losses in Asian markets despite a larger-than-anticipated interest rate cut in China, driven by BHP's lowest half-year profit in eight years.

Australian stocks declined as mining and energy sectors retreated, prompted by a significant overnight decline in iron ore prices and BHP reporting its weakest half-year profit in eight years.

The S&P 500 index experienced a 0.5% decline on Friday following the release of a US producer price index report indicating a rise in prices, particularly attributed to increased service costs, retracting from its previous record high.

Australian shares surged 0.5% by 11:30am, driven by gains in mining stocks due to rising commodity prices and a weakening US dollar, with the S&P 500 Index reaching a record high on Wall Street.

The technology sector saw a notable surge in stock prices following the announcement of a $9.1 billion takeover bid for Altium, propelling the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index to a 0.8% increase, with technology shares specifically soaring by 6.8%.

In January, Australian employment saw a modest increase of 500 jobs, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.1 percent from the previous 3.9 percent, contrary to the consensus expectation of 30,000 jobs created and a 4 percent unemployment rate.

The Australian sharemarket saw a 0.7 per cent decline, with the S&P/ASX 200 index dropping 55.9 points at closing, primarily due to dashed hopes of an immediate rate cut by central banks triggered by a hotter-than-expected United States CPI result.

The Australian sharemarket saw a 0.7 per cent decline, with the S&P/ASX 200 index dropping 55.9 points at closing, primarily due to dashed hopes of an immediate rate cut by central banks triggered by a hotter-than-expected United States CPI result.

The Australian sharemarket declined sharply as global markets reacted negatively to a higher-than-anticipated US Consumer Price Index, leading to fears of delayed Federal Reserve rate cuts.

Australian shares experienced a second consecutive decline, driven by CSL's disappointing outlook, while investors awaited US inflation data for insights into potential Federal Reserve interest rate adjustments.

The Westpac Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Index increased by 6.2% to reach 86 in February, marking its highest level since June 2022, signaling a shift towards optimism among Australian consumers amidst moderating inflation, evolving interest rate expectations, and anticipated income tax reductions later in the year, as indicated by Matthew Hassan, a senior economist at Westpac.