The ASX200 slipped 1% last week, eroding 40% of July's gains as the RBA took the shine off the local market even as global indices pushed to fresh highs, i.e. the US S&P 500 advanced +1.5% last week. The S&P 500 notched its 5th straight record weekly closing high, courtesy of more than 80% of the 169 S&P 500 companies that have reported to date have beaten Wall Street’s expectations. In Australia, it's been a more mixed and polarised affair on the reporting front, but with the “Big Four Banks” retreating on average close to 4% the ASX was always going to struggle to match its overseas peers.
The ASX put in a weaker session seeing sustained selling through the day, as softer iron ore prices weighed on the materials space. With heavyweight resources and the big banks down, the index was fighting a losing battle from start to finish, though we still managed to close higher for the week.
The ASX 200 keeps teasing us with a significant breakout on the upside before gains are tempered by macro &/or geopolitical news. On Thursday, it was the RBA with Michele Bullock delivering a less dovish speech than hoped by many, warning that underlying inflation may not fall as quickly as anticipated, signalling that an interest rate cut next month is not guaranteed - futures markets are still pricing it as a certainty, with a 40% chance of a third before Christmas.
A softer session across the ASX today despite the positive session in the US overnight, and US Futures remained solid during our time zone, inline with other Asian markets bar our own. We were a bit of an anomaly today.
The ASX200 rallied +0.7% on Wednesday, closing back above 8700 and within 0.4% of its all-time high. Buying was broad-based, with over 70% of the index closing higher. Although Paladin (PDN) and Telix Pharma (TLX) delivered a couple of negative surprises, bullish sentiment continued to prevail with all of the big names from banks to resources advancing.
The index climbed steadily higher throughout the day with the resources rally continuing and banks rebounding after two days of moving in opposite directions. With CBA closing ~10% off its recent highs yesterday, it was a matter of time until buyers returned, though ANZ was the pick of the bunch in the Big Four.
The ASX200 struggled to close up +0.1% on Tuesday, with over 40% of the main board closing lower, and notable weakness in the influential banking sector.
While it was quiet session from an index perspective, we saw further sector rotation sweep through the ASX with Materials outperforming Financials by ~4%, and if we look at the last 5 trading sessions, that divergence extends to ~7%. Resources are running as the market consolidates its recent breakout above 8600.
The ASX200 closed down more than 1% on Monday, enduring its worst drop in three months. The last two trading days have seen similar see-saw action to a pair of days in early April, hopefully it's not a precursor of the volatility ahead!
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