The ASX 200 ground out another +0.7% gain last week, but it was a very choppy affair day to day, with stock and sector rotation still prevalent. It doesn’t feel like it, with heavyweights CBA (11%) and BHP (14%) both trading well off their highs, but the index is still only 2.3% below its all-time high. It was also encouraging for the bulls, like MM, that both our own and US indices were able to shrug off the problems at NVIDIA and increasing inflation worries in the US, with a rate hike now appearing a near certainty in December.
Aussie shares finished lower as renewed uncertainty around the AI trade, a sharp rebound in oil prices and rising global bond yields snuffed any chance of extending what has been a strong ~2 weeks for the local index. The overnight departure of Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang unsettled technology sentiment, while higher energy prices revived inflation and interest-rate concerns, leaving materials and property among the market’s weakest areas.
The ASX 200 almost managed to recover from early weakness on Thursday, finishing the session on its intra-day high, down just 0.1%. The miners and banks again changed roles, with the materials sector taking 48 points off the market while the financials added 34 points - if they could just rally together, we would be trading at new highs in the blink of an eye.
The local market edged lower as a sharp pullback in miners and consumer-facing stocks offset strength across technology, healthcare and the banks. Despite opening weaker and sliding to an intraday low of ~9,100, buyers stepped in to drive a solid recovery through the session, with the ASX 200 clawing back the early losses to finish close to flat.
The ASX 200 again illustrated it’s regained its “Mojo” on Wednesday, reversing early losses to close up +0.3%, its best close since late August - it will get another test today with the index set to open down 0.5%. Gains were again fairly broad-based on Wednesday, with more than 60% of the main board closing higher, and the miners contributing over 70% of the day's advance.
The ASX finished mildly higher today, impressive given it was down 0.5% early on + Wall Street was on the skids overnight. The ASX 200 has now outperformed the S&P 500 by over 4% in the last 5 sessions as the outlook for interest rates have diverged. Aussie bonds are now pricing in no hikes, and the potential for cuts in 2027, while US bonds are still saying the Fed will hike 2-3 times.
The ASX 200 surged out of the gates on Tuesday, steadily building on its early gains to finish up +1.1%, helped by broad-based buying with close to 90% of the market’s main board closing higher. The financials took over the baton from the miners in terms of market gains, but only just; the banks & Co added 34 points while the materials sector added 33 points, and importantly, there were no major groups that weighed on the index
The ASX finished at a two-month high this afternoon as a broad-based rebound in global equities and falling oil prices lifted sentiment. Wall Street had its strongest session since April overnight, with the market swarming back to technology stocks after last week’s sharp sell-off, just as easing crude prices helped take some of the pressure off inflation and interest-rate concerns.
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