HomeReportsThe Match Out: Stocks drop; RBA holds rates unchanged…
The ASX 200 slid to a six-week low with the RBA’s final decision of the year yielding no change to the cash rate – 10/11 sectors were down on low activity due to the Melbourne Cup shenanigans
The ASX couldn’t hold early gains, with weakness in the oil names overpowering a solid tech-led rally. By the close, the ASX 200 was up just +10pts, despite nine sectors trading higher.
The ASX200 advanced +0.8% on Wednesday, although another hot CPI reading took the edge off the strong performance. Well over 70% of the main board closed higher, with the miners again the shining light while the banks reversed early gains with two closing lower as the influential sector struggles in the face of no further rate cuts by the RBA.
A hotter-than-expected inflation print has poured some cold water on what was shaping up as a very strong rebound for the ASX today. The market opened firmly, riding a strong lead from Wall Street and growing conviction around a December cut from the US Fed — but local data somewhat changed the tone.
The ASX200 limped into the close on Tuesday finishing the day up +0.1%, after spending most of the day swinging between positive and negative territory. A sell-off in the banking sector all but wiped-out the markets initial gain with a ~7% plunge by Bendigo Bank leading the decline.
The ASX ended the session broadly unchanged, with gains in miners, gold stocks and select tech names offset by heavy selling across the major banks. There was limited activity at the index level ahead of tomorrow’s first full monthly CPI release, expected to show a lift in inflation. Tech names benefited from renewed optimism around potential US rate cuts, though the weight of financials capped any meaningful momentum into the close.
The ASX 200 opened strongly on Monday, buoyed by Friday’s dovish commentary from the Feds John Williams, and encouragingly it held those gains throughout the session. The index closed near its highs, up 1.3%, with 85% of the main board advancing. It was the local markets largest gain in 4-months with positive sentiment reinforced after Macquarie Asset Management offered to buy Qube Holdings (QUB) in a $11.6 billion deal, sending the logistics company up more than 19%.
The ASX found its footing today, snapping back from a six-month low as investors embraced a more dovish tone from the US Federal Reserve. After nearly $40bn was wiped off the local market late last week, today’s relief rally felt well-timed and broad-based. Rate-sensitives led the bounce, but we also saw solid rotation across industrials, healthcare and selected pockets of materials.
Division within the Fed has increased in recent weeks, as policymakers deliver increasingly divergent positions ahead of the central bank’s December meeting — all while Chair Jerome Powell remains conspicuously silent. The situation escalated on Friday when New York Fed President John Williams — often viewed as a bellwether for Powell’s thinking — signalled support for a rate cut, even as several other officials argued against easing policy.
The ASX 200 ended the week down another -2.5% with only the defensive natured consumer staples sector managing to eke out a small gain. It was the local market's worst week since “Liberation Day” with the index closing at its lowest level since June, on a combination of worries around stretched valuations and the direction of interest rates. On Friday, the local bourse closed 7.7% below its all-time high posted in October when the prospect of lower rates was managing to offset lingering fears around frothy valuations.
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