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| NOTE #01 |
Notes as at 23rd May 2006 Total value on the 11th May = $215194 Total value on the 23rd May = $194050 A fall of $21144 in twelve days - eight trading days!!! |
| NOTE #02 |
Notes as at 13th June 2006 Total value on the 11th May = $215194 Total value on the 13th June = $185573 A fall of $29621!!! |
| NOTE #03 |
Notes as at 16th June 2006 Total value on the 13th June = $185573 Total value on the 16th June = $194267 An increase of $8694 in three days!! |
| NOTE #04 |
Notes as at 18th July 2006 Total value on the 11th July = $198822 Total value on the 18th July = $189299 A fall of $9523!!! - due to "The War of the Ragheads" in the Middle East!!! |
| NOTE #05 |
Notes as at 17th August 2006 Total value on the 15th August = $189833 Total value on the 17th August = $195576 An increase of $5743 in two days!! - ceasefire in the Middle East - oil price going down!! |
| NOTE #06 |
Notes as at 12th September 2006 Total value on the 5th September = $192124 Total value on the 12th September = $182479 A fall of $9645!!! |
| NOTE #07 |
Notes as at 27th September 2006 Total value on the 26th September = $183223 Total value on the 27th September = $188332 An increase of $5109 in just one day!! |
| NOTE #08 |
Notes as at 26th October 2006 Total value on the 24th October = $202151 Total value on the 25th October = $206241 An increase of $4090 in one day!! - it was a 'good day' on the Stock Exchange - plus Brett reinvested some of his accumlulated cash dividends - see note #20 at the top of this page Total value on the 26th October = $208265 Another increase!! - of $2024 in one day!! |
| NOTE #09 |
Notes as at 6th November 2006 Total value on the 6th November = $210033 Refer to NOTE #21 above for portfolio changes |
| NOTE #10 |
Notes as at 7th November 2006 Total value on the 7th November = $213799 The highest total since 11th May!! |
| NOTE #11 |
Notes as at 18th December 2006 Total value on the 18th December = $211976 Highest total since early November!! |
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| NOTE #12 |
Notes as at 25th January 2007 Total value on the 23rd January = $234834 Total value on the 25th January = $241999 An increase of $7165 in two days!! |
| NOTE #13 |
Notes as at 13th February 2007 1 - six '+' weeks in a row!! 2 - this page has now been in operation for 406 days = 58 weeks 3 - of those 58 weeks, 40 of them have been '+' results!! |
| NOTE #14 |
Notes as at 15th February 2007 Total value on the 13th February = $250540 Total value on the 14th February = $257333 An increase of $6793 in just one day!! Worley Parsons jumped by $4.70 per share!! (Brett has 1000 shares) Up again!! - total value on the 15th February = $259589 And that is an increase of $9049 in just two days!! |
| NOTE #15 |
Notes as at 20th February 2007 1 - seven '+' weeks in a row!! - and also refer to Note #13 above 2 - +$9964 for the week - highest ever weekly total!! 3 - highest 'per day' amount since the 30th May 2006 |
| NOTE #16 |
Notes as at 26th February 2007 Total value on the 25th February = $262409 Total value on the 26th February = $265822 - and that is a record total to date!! An increase of $3413 in just one day!! |
| NOTE #17 |
Notes as at 27th February 2007 1 - eight '+' weeks in a row!! 2 - this page has now been in operation for 420 days = 60 weeks 3 - of those 60 weeks, 42 of them have been '+' results!! |
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0 NOTE #18 |
Notes as at 27th February 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $265822 Brett's Closing Total - $263813 A drop of $2009 for the day!! Notes as at 28th February 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $263813 Brett's Closing Total - $257268 A drop of $6545 for the day!! - down $8554 over the last two trading days!! *** Before the ASX opened - "Wall Street in freefall" USA Wall Street shares went into a freefall today following steep declines in other global markets, with the main blue-chip Dow Jones index plunging 416 points or 3.17 per cent at the final bell At the closing bell, the Dow index had tumbled 416 points (3.17 per cent) to 12,232.26 after plunging as much as 540 points moments earlier in a highly volatile session and the worst day on Wall Street since 2001 The main blue-chip index had plunged some 250 points in a matter of minutes in late afternoon deals, a move analysts attributed to computerized program trades The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite plummeted 94 points (3.76 per cent) to 2,410.33 and the broad-market Standard and Poor's 500 index lost 49 points (3.35 per cent) to a preliminary close of 1400.84 The sharp slide came amid a tumble in global markets as fears about an economic slowdown in the US and the end of the Chinese economic bubble triggered a global wave of selling China's Shanghai Composite dropped almost 9 per cent Analysts at Briefing.com called the action "one of the worst days for stocks in recent memory" "The sell-off in China continues to have a profound effect on stocks across the board, since the largest unwinding in the Shanghai Composite Index since 1997 leaves investors questioning the sustainability of stock gains everywhere'' the analysts said in a note to clients Asia was dragged down by a plummeting Shanghai stock market, Wall Street slumped, and the main European shares were off 2.5 per cent and shares of Latin American stocks fell between 3 per cent and 4.5 per cent In London, the FTSE 100 lost 2.31 per cent to close at 6286.10 points, in Paris the CAC 40 shed 3.02 per cent to 5588.39 points while in Frankfurt the Dax fell 2.96 per cent to 6819.65 points Metal and mining stocks were particularly hard hit because of concerns about demand from China, which has been the driving force behind record prices for raw materials in recent years Local shares are expected to open sharply lower, led by resources shares such as BHP Billiton which was sold down heavily in London trading overnight Australian shares have surged in recent times given a boom in commodity prices on the back of strong economic growth in China But any unwinding of Chinese stock prices could cause commodity prices to crash, sending local miners' share prices down *** At the close of business - "Brakes put on share meltdown" The stock market had recouped some losses by the end of trade today following a plunge of 3.5 per cent at the open after a free fall on Wall Street overnight At 10.17am AEDT, the S&P/ASX200 was quoted at 5786.8, down 207 points, or around 3.5 per cent. The All Ordinaries Index was quoted at 5765.0, down 212.6 points, also down around 3.5 per cent The early tumble was the biggest since September 2001 But by the close of trade, share prices had recouped some of their losses At the close of trade on the Australian Stock Exchange, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index had recovered slightly to be down 2.6 per cent, or 157.7 points to 5836.1, while the All Ordinaries Index had given up 2.6 per cent or 159.4 points to 5818.2 Wall Street shares plunged overnight with the main Dow Jones index dropping 416 points or 3.17 per cent, the biggest fall since September 2001 At the closing bell, the Dow index had tumbled 416 points (3.17 per cent) to 12,232.26 after plunging as much as 540 points moments earlier in a highly volatile session and the worst day on Wall Street since 2001 Around the world, global stock markets plunged overnight after Chinese stocks suffered their worst one-day sell-off in a decade China’s Shanghai Composite dropped almost 9 per cent, European shares were off 2.5 per cent and shares of Latin American stocks fell between 3 per cent and 4.5 per cent But by midday today, Chinese shares had recovered slightly Treasurer Peter Costello said the share market volatility might continue "I would expect that following events in China there will be volatility on equity markets for some time" he said "But Australia, being one of the strongest performing economies in the world of course, it is well braced to deal with those shocks which may be coming from overseas" Resources stock were some of the hardest hit stocks locally Of the top 10 losing stocks on the ASX, most were resource stocks Some of the hardest hit included former stock-market darlings Fortescue Metals and Paladin Resources BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto were also hard hit BHP closed down $1.56 at $27.29, while Rio Tinto closed at $75.77, down $3.84 ABN Amro Morgan private client adviser Kylie Macdonald said there could be come short-term pain for investors but the outlook for the Australian market was robust "The market's anticipated this, in a way, it's the correction we had to have'' Ms McDonald said "But it's giving the market back a little bit of value and that's a good thing Unless we get some major negative world event these falls won't last too long, there's lots of cash sitting on the sidelines" she said Notes as at 1st March 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $257268 Brett's Closing Total - $254824 A drop of $2444 for the day!! - down $10998 over the last three trading days!! Notes as at 2nd March 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $254824 Brett's Closing Total - $253590 A drop of $1234 for the day!! - down $12232 over the last four trading days!! Notes as at 5th March 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $253590 Brett's Closing Total - $248649 A drop of $4941 for the day!! - down $17173 over the last five trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Stock close deeper into red" The stock market sold off heavily today following Asian markets lower and more losses are expected as volatility and fear hit global equity markets The S&P/ASX200 and All Ordinaries Index both opened lower following weaker US markets on Friday By the close of trade, the losses had deepened The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closed down 132.4 points at 5653.6, or about 2.2 per cent lower, while the All Ordinaries Index had given up 132.8 points to 5642.4, down about 2.3 per cent Bell Potter senior adviser Stuart Smith said the market's momentum was on the downside "I give it some chance this week of a pick-up but you don't stand in the way of a speeding train'' Mr Smith said Asian stock markets came under fresh selling pressure today, tracking Wall Street lower amid anxiety about the health of global markets Dealers said investors in the Asian region were keeping a close watch on the Shanghai market where share prices extended losses in morning trade as a keenly anticipated speech by Premier Wen Jiabao's provided few new leads Tokyo share prices also fell, with the benchmark Nikkei-225 index down 2.34 per cent in mid-afternoon trade, dropping below the 17,000 points level for the first time in almost two months "A short-term bottom is not in sight right now as shares are still on course for a further decline'' said Norihiro Fujito, chief analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities, warning that the 16,000 points level was within range The recent slide in Shanghai was a major trigger for the falls in Tokyo "but concerns about prospects for the US economy are also playing a key role in this downturn'' he said In Shanghai the benchmark Composite Index, which covers both A- and B-shares, ended the morning down 37.15 points or 1.31 per cent at 2794.37 Asian shares followed Wall Street down, where Friday marked the third day of losses in the past four sessions in the US and followed Tuesday's rout which saw the worst slump since the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks The tech-rich Nasdaq composite meanwhile slumped 36.21 points (1.51 per cent) to 2,368.00, while the broad-market Standard and Poor's 500 index had lost 16.23 points (1.16 per cent) to a preliminary close at 1386.94 Australian share prices also followed the sharp fall on Wall Street last week and drops in commodities prices Global miner BHP Billiton was 78 cents lower at $26.34 while Rio Tinto dumped $1.87 at $73.59 Oil and gas producer Woodside Petroleum retreated $1.53 to $35.17, and Santos descended 31 cents to $9.16 In the gold sector, Newcrest fell $1.47 to $20.61, and Lihir shed 21 cents to $3.06 "It was to be expected given the sharp falls we've seen in the US on Friday and falling prices for gold, oil and base metals'' said Craig James, chief equities economist with CommSec "We still don't believe that there's anything for investors to get too worried about Nothing fundamental has changed China's economy is still strong, so is the US and as share prices continue to fall it is going to unearth more and more value for investors'' he said Among the major banks, the National Australia Bank fell 44 cents to $39.46, Westpac surrendered 24 cents to $24.85, the ANZ gave away 49 cents to $28.37, and the Commonwealth Bank sagged 63 cents at $49.02 Insurer Promina lost 27 cents to $6.91 as Promina shareholders today overwhelmingly approved a $7 billion-plus merger with Suncorp Metway Suncorp fell 91 cents to $20.00 News Corp weakened 41 cents to $29.29 while its non-voting scrip was 35 cents lighter at $27.82 Publishing and Broadcasting was down 53 cents at $18.47, and Fairfax dipped 14 cents to $4.67 Elsewhere shares closed down 4.54 per cent in Manila at a near two-month low, while Hong Kong fell 2.6 per cent in early trade, Kuala Lumpur slumped 4.6 per cent, Seoul lost about two per cent and Taipei shed almost 3.5 per cent Across the region investors were keeping a close watch on Wen's address to the National People's Congress's annual session Mr Wen said that China's economy was projected to grow "around 8 per cent'' this year Last week investors in Chinese stocks endured a roller coaster ride as the key index in Shanghai recorded its sharpest single-day decline in ten years amid fears the government would slap capital gains taxes on securities investments Notes as at 6th March 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $248649 Brett's Closing Total - $253646 Total up by $4997!!! Notes as at 7th March 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $253646 Brett's Closing Total - $255611 Total up by $1965!!! - up by $6962 over the last two trading days!! |
| NOTE #19 |
Notes as at 9th March 2007 - Merger between Ballarat
Goldfields and Lihir Gold Copy of a note sent to Brett - and this tells the story!!! You had 92230 shares of BGF and the last trading price was $0.34 So they were worth $31358.20 You now have 8540 shares of LHG and this morning's opening price was $3.16 So they are worth $26986.40 The difference is that you are down by $4371.80!!! |
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0 NOTE #20 |
Notes as at 14th March 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $252737 Brett's Closing Total - $246720 - and this is the lowest total since 6th February 2007!! A drop of $6017 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Sellers rip another 123 points off ASX200 Index - investors look for fair value" The bull run is not over, analysts say, with the domestic market trading towards fair value despite a US led sell off yesterday that saw Australian shares drop another 2.1 per cent, leaving them almost 5 per cent below their late February peak The tone was set early, after Wall Street experienced its second-worst trading day this year Then the Shanghai Composite Index, which collapsed to spark a global selldown a fortnight ago, fell again by 1.97 per cent on concerns that the Chinese Government could intervene to slow the rampaging economy Nervous investors in Australia started selling as soon as the market opened The sell-off, essentially from retail investors, was sustained until the closing bell The S&P/ASX200 index shed 123.1 points to 5741.9, while the broader market benchmark, the All Ordinaries, suffered a loss of 116.7 points to 5727.3 Brokers said the result was a 'trading correction" and not the start of a long-term bearish equities market Hardest-hit yesterday was BHP Billiton on the back of weaker commodity prices overnight, and stocks with US exposure, particularly to the housing market, such as James Hardie, Rinker and Boral The major banks were also the target of sustained selling, prompted by fears of repercussions in the US banking market from the sub-prime lending scandal The big miners were weaker, with BHP Billiton dropping 88c to $26.88 and rival Rio Tinto slipping $1.97 to $72.53 The big banks were also weaker, with the Commonwealth giving up 94c to $48.70, the NAB tumbling 56c to $39.40, ANZ dropping 50c to $28.30 and Westpac dipping 53c to $25.24 Citigroup head of research and sales Grant Eshuys said the Australian S&P/ASX200 was fairly valued at 4900 to 5700 Retail broker ABN AMRO Morgans placed a valuation of 5780, and before the fall, indicated that equities had been overbought Mr Eshuys said he believed the driver of US weakness, the uncertain mortgage market, was not enough to to threaten the stability of the US economy "We saw the Australian market at the top end of the fair valuation range" he said "With a reasonably benign outlook for global economies, we would start to feel more comfortable getting on the front foot and buying into the market once we are back into that fair valuation range" Citigroup has positive recommendations on the major banking stocks and the diversified resource groups The Australian volatility was replicated across the region, with all the main Asian markets following the Wall Street direction Fears over the US economy prompted investors to sell down the Japanese Nikkei Index by almost 3 per cent, while the Hang Seng was off 2.57 per cent Macquarie Equities adviser David Halliday said there was still healthy liquidity in the market, but investors were showing caution "The backdrop is still very supportive of equities" Mr Halliday said "This is a trading correction, not a fundamental sell-off "We don't have a bubble in valuations or a deterioration of earnings going forward" Sue Delmenico, broker at Deutsche, said potential investors were keen to see the direction of the market, whether it be up or down, before delving in Two recent stocks to have done well in trade over the past few days, Coca-Cola Amatil and Foster's, were hammered in trade yesterday "A lot of people are sitting on their hands, waiting for the right point to enter the market" Ms Delmenico said "They are looking for a base. They are happy for the market to find that base" |
| NOTE #21 |
Notes as at 15th March 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $246720 Brett's Closing Total - $251689 Total up by $4969!!! Notes as at 22nd March 2007 Brett's Closing Total - $260467 Notes as at 26th March 2007 Brett's Closing Total - $261526 Total up by $14806 in the eight trading days since opening on the 15th March!! |
| NOTE #22 |
Notes as at 19th April 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $270994 Brett's Closing Total - $266565 Total down by $4429 for the day!!! |
| NOTE #23 |
Notes as at 24th April 2007 - LIHIR GOLD This company is about to have a "Retail Entitlement Issue" Existing shareholders will be able to purchase additional shares on a 1-for-3 basis in this Issue The price to be paid will be just $2.30 for each of the shares!!! The share price on the 16th April was $3.36 This dropped to $3.01 at the close of trading on the 24th April A drop of $0.35 per share - and Brett holds 8540 shares The value of his holding is down by $2989.00 over that period - seven trading days!!! |
| NOTE #24 |
Notes as at 1st May 2007 Total on Tuesday night 17th April - $269411 Total on Friday night 27th April - $263355 Total down by $6056 in seven trading days!! Total on Monday night 30th April - $266574 Up by $3219 for the day!! Total on Tuesday night 1st May - $263309 Down by $3265 for the day!! |
| NOTE #25 |
Notes as at 8th May 2007 - WHAT A WEEK!!! Total on Tuesday night 1st May - $263309 Total on Wednesday night 2nd May - $267734 Up by $4425 for the day!! Total on Thursday night 3rd May - $267428 Down by $306 for the day!! Total on Friday night 4th May - $272265 Up by $4837 for the day!! And the total is up by $8956 over these three trading days!! Total on Monday night 7th May - $276384 Up by $4119 for the day!! And the total is up by $13075 over these four trading days!! Total on Tuesday night 8th May - $274249 Down by $2135 for the day!! But the total is still up by $10940 over these five trading days!! |
| NOTE #26 |
Notes as at 9th May 2007 - RIO TINTO Share price on Wednesday night 2nd May - $82.75 Share price on Wednesday night 9th May - $95.50 That is an increase of $12.75 per share - and Brett has 592 shares That is a total increase of $7548 in Rio Tinto's value during those five trading days!! Update on 11th May 2007 - RIO TINTO Share price on Friday night 11th May - $92.00 That is a decrease of $2072 in Rio Tinto's value over the last two trading days!! Update on 11th May 2007 - PORTFOLIO Total on Wednesday night 9th May - $279133 Total on Friday night 11th May - $275081 Total down by $4052 in two trading days!! |
| NOTE #27 |
Notes as at 5th June 2007 Total on Wednesday night 30th May - $271007 Total on Tuesday night 5th June - $281132 Total jumped up by $10125 in four trading days!! - an average of $2532 per day!! |
| NOTE #28 |
Notes as at 8th June 2007 Total on Tuesday night 5th June - $281132 Total on Friday night 8th June - $273017 Total down by $8115 in three trading days!! - a drop of $2705 per day!! |
| NOTE #29 |
Notes as at 28th June 2007 Total on Tuesday night 26th June - $287903 Total on Wednesday night 27th June - $282944 Total down by $4959 in one trading day!! Total on Wednesday night 27th June - $282944 Total on Thursday night 28th June - $289604 Total jumped back up by $6660 in one day!! |
| NOTE #30 |
Notes as at 9th July 2007 Total on Tuesday night 3rd July - $295607 Total on Monday night 9th July - $307084 Total jumped up by $11477 in four trading days!! - an average of $2869 per day!! |
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x NOTE #31 |
Notes as at 16th July 2007 - RIO TINTO Share price on Thursday night 12th July - $103.84 Share price on Monday night 16th July - $97.10 That is a decrease of $6.74 per share - and Brett has 592 shares That is a total decrease of $3990.08 in Rio Tinto's value during two trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Big Two slide as traders await new aluminium plays" The sharemarket closed slightly lower yesterday, dragged back by hefty falls in major miners Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton as consolidation and speculation gripped the aluminium sector CMC markets market analyst David Land said the market started well but then fell away "Rio has been falling sharply over the course of the session, with the large bid that has been made for Alcan," Mr Land said Rio has launched a $US38 billion ($44 billion) takeover offer for Canadian aluminium producer Alcan, but some analysts say Rio could be paying too much Mr Land said investors were also waiting to see if BHP Billiton was interested in US aluminum producer Alcoa and if Alcoa's Australian joint-venture partner, Alumina, could also be a target BHP declined to comment yesterday on speculation it was preparing a bid for Alcoa, following Alcoa's failed offer for Alcan The ASX200 index was down 8.6 points to 6380.8, while the All Ordinaries slipped 7.0 points to 6418.4 Rio Tinto was $4.20, or 4.15 per cent, lower at $97.10, BHP Billiton was off 96c at $38.20, and Alumina added 25c to $8.80 |
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x NOTE #32 |
Notes as at 25th July 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $305146 Brett's Closing Total - $300258 A drop of $4888 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Local shares close deep in red" The Australian sharemarket ended deep into the red, with jittery investors today pulling back after a higher than expected inflation figures fanned fresh worries about higher interest rates At the 4.15pm (AEST) close, just a day after setting a fresh record high of 6422.3, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index tumbled 81.8 points to 6,340.5 The all ordinaries dumped 77.5 points to 6378 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the September share price index contract lost 83 points to 6332 on a volume of 21,957 contracts, according to preliminary figures Aequs Securities institutional dealer Ric Klusman said the local bourse was the weakest of all Asia-Pacific markets today "We are about 1 per cent down ... and we probably were looking at coming back a long way this morning when the inflation figures came out and scared the market a bit" he said "The miners are taking the brunt of it" The headline consumer price index (CPI) rose by 1.2 per cent in the June quarter, for an annual rate of 2.1 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said Market economists had expected the headline CPI to rise by 1.0 per cent in the June quarter for an annual rate of 1.9 per cent Economists agreed the Reserve Bank has been given a push toward raising rates "It's making it much more likely that we get an interest rate increase and possibly in August" Grange Securities research director Stephen Roberts said In the resources sector was hurting on mixed metals prices out on London last night with BHP Billiton down 73 cents to $38.05, while rival Rio Tinto was $2.30 lower at $97.20 Potential takeover target aluminium producer Alumina Ltd fell 56 cents, or 6.67 per cent, at $7.59 The company is anticipating underlying earnings of $490 million for fiscal 2007, lower than many analysts had expected, which is a significant step back from its 2006 result as the stronger Australian dollar bites into earnings Local markets started off on shaky ground as US stocks took a hammering overnight after poor profit results from lender Countrywide Financial intensified worries over the housing and sub-prime mortgage market The Dow Jones industrial average fell 226.47 points, or 1.62 per cent, to 13,716.95 The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 30.53 points, or 1.98 per cent, to 1,511.04 and the Nasdaq Composite Index lost 50.72 points, or 1.89 per cent to 2,639.86 The price of gold in Sydney was $US681.60 per fine ounce, down $US0.30 on yesterday's close In the gold sector, Newcrest Mining added two cents to $26.09, Newmont Mining gained four cents at $4.94, but Sino Gold Mining dipped 12 cents to $6.38 and Lihir Gold Ltd shed six cents at $3.13 In energy, Oil and gas producer Woodside Petroleum was 28 cents lower at $44.90, and Santos reversed 25 cents to $13.78. Oil Search shed 14 cents to $3.98 All the major banks were lower, with National Australia Bank falling 62 cents to $40, Westpac was 33 cents cheaper at $26.47, ANZ lost 24 at $29.15 and Commonwealth Bank was 22 cents lower at $56.50 Notes as at 26th July 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $300258 Brett's Closing Total - $296330 A drop of $3928 for the day!! And that is a drop of $8816 over the past two trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Good start but soon fell into the abyss" The sharemarket finished lower yesterday, despite a positive opening, led down by miners hit by weaker commodity prices overnight The ASX 200 index had opened above Wednesday's close but soon fell into a pit where it stayed the rest of the day, closing down 82 points at 6258.5 The All Ordinaries was 76.6 lower at 6301.4 CMC Markets chief analyst David Land said the momentum turned very quickly "We had a better night in the US but that was combined with a pretty ordinary session on the metals markets in London" Mr Land said "Particularly BHP and Rio were under water right from the get-go With that then came a bit of shifting momentum for the market overall" Mr Land said there was a lack of direction among the big banks early but they soon joined the miners and headed south "Basically all the headliners, as well as Telstra, which is down quite a bit … all of that is aligning to push the market lower" However, the shift down was not as broad across the top-200 stocks as it was earlier in the week, with about 50 stocks remaining in positive territory Tin, lead, aluminium, zinc, nickel and copper prices all fell on the London Metal Exchange on Wednesday night BHP Billiton slipped 75c to $37.30, while rival miner Rio Tinto shed $3.32 to $93.88 Of the big four banks, with NAB shed 52c to $39.48, Commonwealth dropped 72c to $55.78, Westpac fell 37c to $26.10 and ANZ was down 37c to $28.78 The goldminers followed the price down, with Newcrest shedding 49c to $25.60 and Newmont down a penny at $4.93. However, Lihir Gold was steady at $3.13 Wednesday's star, Buka Gold, was up another 11.5c to 34c It has tripled in two days Energy stocks were mixed despite the September crude price settling $US2.32 higher at $US75.88 a barrel overnight Santos finished 6c up at $13.84 after announcing it was on track to meet its full-year production guidance after a record first half Oil Search also gained 2c to $4 but Woodside Petroleum lost 46c to $44.44 AWB slipped 14c to $3.53 after it announced the new wheat export marketing arrangements made it too costly and complex to demerge its international wheat marketing arm Diversified manufacturer GUD Holdings fell 17c to $11.35 despite expecting earnings this year to rise by as much as 15 per cent as sales of water products rise Uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia gained $1.66 to $20.92 despite delivering a sharp fall in first-half profit The top two retailers were trading lower, with Woolworths down 55c at $26.90 and Coles 3c worse at $14.82 However, upmarket retailer David Jones prospered, rising 7c to $5.67 Notes as at 27th July 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $296330 Brett's Closing Total - $288219 A drop of $8111 for the day!! And that is a drop of $16927 over the past three trading days!! - an average drop of $5643 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Stock market in one of biggest falls" The stock market tumbled in one of its biggest falls since soon after the terrorist attacks on the US in 2001, and has just completed its worst week in 15 years Today's steep drop followed sharp falls on Wall Street and weak metal prices overnight The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closed 175.6 points lower at 6082.9, while the all ordinaries shed 174.1 points to 6127.3 At the close of day trading on the Sydney Futures Exchange, the September share price index contract was 176 points lower at 6065, on a volume of 40,975 contracts James Hardie Industries and BHP Billiton led the slide amid concern a worsening US housing slump will slow growth in the world's biggest economy and prompt investors to shun stocks "You've got an economic impact from lower housing prices and housing demand" said Simon Doyle, a strategist at Schroder Investment Management "That's where we feed back through into the local market If the US is under question, there might be a broader contagion" US stocks fell the most in five months on Thursday after sales of new homes last month declined the most since January Orders for durable goods also dropped unexpectedly, suggesting the economy will slow in the second half CMC Markets senior dealer Josh Whiting said the Australian stock market bore the brunt of a strong sell off after falls in the US overnight "Thursday night's steep fall in the US and European markets, coupled with weakness in metals prices, shocked the local market into free-fall at today's open" Mr Whiting said "Although there was a modest recovery towards the close, many investors were likely to be nursing sore heads and re-evaluating where support might be going into another nervous offshore trading session" The big miners were weaker, with BHP Billiton dropping $1.33 to $35.97 and rival Rio Tinto losing $3.28 to $90.60 Zinc and lead miner Zinifex lost 59 cents to $19.10 after the company delivered production broadly in line with expectations for its fourth quarter, while annual production dropped by five per cent The spot gold price was lower and it closed in Sydney trading at $US664 an ounce, down $US12.20 an ounce on yesterday's local close The gold miners were weaker, with Newcrest falling 85 cents to $24.75, Lihir losing 11 cents to $3.02 and Newmont dropping 12 cents to $4.81 The energy sector was in negative territory, with Woodside dropping $1.43 to $43.01, Santos losing 39 cents to $13.45 and Oil Search retreating 12 cents to $3.88 Woodside today gave the green light to the development of its $11.2 billion Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Western Australia The media sector was weaker, with News Corp dropping 25 cents to $26.40, its non-voting shares losing 26 cents to $24.61, PBL falling 48 cents to $18.26 and Fairfax dipping six cents to $4.91 The Seven Network shed 49 cents to $10.91 after the Federal Court rejected claims that its pay television arm C7 was driven out of business when it was deprived of pay TV rights to the AFL and NRL in 2000 Lion Nathan dropped 36 cents to $8.45 despite the Trans-Tasman brewer tipping an operating profit of $250 million to $260 million for fiscal 2007 as the beer market continues to grow AWB shed 13 cents to $3.40 after the wheat exporter said new export marketing arrangements meant it would be too costly and complex to demerge its international arm, AWB International The big banks were weaker, with ANZ retreating 61 cents to $28.17, the Commonwealth Bank losing $1.21 to $54.57, National Australia Bank shedding $1.28 to $38.20 and Westpac giving up 39 cents to $25.71 The retailers were weaker, with Woolworths losing 66 cents to $26.24, Coles dropping 53 cents to $14.29, David Jones giving up four cents to $5.63 and Harvey Norman tumbling eight cents to $5.16 IM Medical was the most traded stock on the market, with 162 million shares changing hands collectively worth $6.2 million IM Medical added 0.6 cents to close at 3.9 cents Market turnover was 2.81 billion shares worth $12.2 billion, with 239 stocks, 1,183 down and 233 unchanged |
|
x NOTE #33 |
Notes as at 1st August 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $290014 Brett's Closing Total - $281503 A drop of $8511 for the day!! Opening Total on 25th July was $305146 - so that is a drop of $23643 since that date which is six trading days which is an average drop of $3940 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Billions lost as markets tumble" Global fears gripped financial markets yesterday, in a rout that wiped $51 billion from Australian investors' trading accounts - the biggest one-day fall since the September 11 terrorism attacks of 2001 The race downwards was led by Macquarie Bank, which lost almost $2.4 billion from its market capitalisation as investors reacted strongly to continuing bad news about the sub-prime mortgage market in the United States The Australian investment bank had revealed that retail investors in its Fortress Notes would face losses of up to 25 per cent because of the fallout from the US mortgage crisis The ASX 200 plummeted 203 points or 3.3 per cent, falling below the 6000 mark it broke through in April The stock market has now fallen almost 8 per cent in the past week, cutting a hefty chunk out of money many investors placed in superannuation at the end of the financial year Fund managers were warning yesterday the sell-off could be far from over, with predictions that more nervousness could push the market down another 5 per cent Trading rooms were frantic with stop-loss sell orders There were modest falls at first, which grew as the market plunge spread through Asia While investment banks Macquarie Bank and Babcock & Brown bore the brunt of investor angst, there was little reprieve for investors in other sectors A veteran analyst, Peter Chilton, of the fund manager Constellation Capital Management, said: "There doesn't seem to be any stocks that are safe havens. It's absolutely across the board" Not one stock among the ASX 200 recorded a green ticker, marking an upward movement Market jitters were increased by rumours that a major hedge fund in Asia was suffering substantial losses because of investments related to sub-prime mortgages in the US The sell-off occurred despite a benign view of the coming company reporting season, in which brokers are generally forecasting double-digit profit increases The Treasurer, Peter Costello, said the instability should be taken into account by the Reserve Bank when it meets to decide interest rates next week A slowdown in the US economy or the possibility of a global financial contagion would argue against the need for a politically damaging interest rate rise "I just say that there is a lot of instability in the globe at the moment" Mr Costello said "All of these things will impact on the global economy. They will affect Australia one way or another and economic policy has to take them into account" Mr Costello, on the Sunshine Coast for talks today with 21 Asia-Pacific finance ministers, said the region was not immune to a relapse of the Asian financial crisis "If those imbalances are not properly dealt with, if they were to unwind in a very disorderly way, you could get further risks - the region is not immune from future shakes" he said *** At the close of business - "Sharemarket plunges on US fears" Australian shares slid 3.3 per cent today, the biggest one-day percentage fall in almost six years, as fresh worries about the US subprime mortgage sector hit sentiment and as Macquarie Bank slumped after warning of losses in two of its investment funds Sentiment was also dented after domestic retail sales rose faster than expected in June, fuelling the risk that the Reserve Bank of Australia may raise interest rates as early as next week The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 203.0 points to 5941.2, based on the latest available data, posting its biggest one-day percentage drop since September 17, 2001 and its lowest closing level since April 2 The All Ordinaries shed 198.1 points to 5989.4 At 4.16pm on the Sydney Futures Exchange, the September share price index contract was 194 points lower at 5929, on a volume of 48,649 contracts CMC Markets analyst David Land said ongoing concern about the worsening lending conditions in the US market impacted heavily on the Australian bourse, particularly the finance sector "It has been of very aggressive sell off and its really continued lower over the course of the day'' Mr Land said "There appears to be a bit of ongoing concern about the implications of the sub-prime issue in the US and the subsequent fall-out impacting upon local companies and the market as a whole We've seen some very aggressive selling in the finance sector, that is probably the key negative driver that we've seen today'' The big banks were weaker, with Commonwealth Bank dropping $2.01 to $52.25, National Australia Bank losing $1.28 to $37.08, ANZ slipping 78 cents lower to $27.52 and Westpac dipping 65 cents to $25.55 Macquarie Bank gave up $8.80 or 10.67 per cent to $73.70 after it revealed last night that two of its funds faced losses relating to the US subprime mortgage crisis of up to 25 per cent The big miners were weaker with BHP Billiton dropping $1.04 to $35.96 and rival Rio Tinto retreating $1.88 to $91.20 Alumina lost 38 cents to $6.92 despite posting a nine per cent jump in first half net profit to $284 million and forecasting world demand for alumina and aluminium will rise by ten per cent in 2007 Qantas lost 15 cents to $5.59, with the airline indicating it would increase surcharge on its international airfares to offset the rising cost of fuel Listed investment company Milton Corp fell 25 cents to $23.25 despite delivering a 35.9 per cent rise in full year profit to $85.73 million in 2006/07 Melbourne-based developer Becton Property Group lost 24 cents to $4.10 and has upgraded its full-year net profit guidance by 13.5 per cent to about $34.5 million Explosives supplier Dyno Nobel gave up nine cents to $2.06 after the company completed a $300 million capital raising via the issue of three million Dyno Nobel step-up preference securities Wesfarmers dipped $1.49 to $37.50 after its chemical and fertiliser division, CSBP Ltd, flagged the acquisition of Australian Vinyls Corporation for $137.7 million The retailers were weaker, with Woolworths shedding 74 cents to $26.55, Coles dropping 71 cents to $13.80, David Jones losing 21 cents to $5.54 and Harvey Norman giving up 17 cents to $5.12 The media sector was mixed, with News Corp steady at $26.49 after its $US5 billion ($5.89 billion) takeover bid for Dow Jones Inc, publisher of The Wall Street Journal succeeded News Corp's non-voting shares dipped 11 cents to $24.60, PBL lost 50 cents to $18.02 and Fairfax shed seven cents to $4.77 The energy sector was weaker, with Woodside dropping $1.09 to $42.20, Santos losing 36 cents to $12.94 and Oil Search giving up 25 cents to $3.62 The spot gold price was lower and at 4.26pm was trading at $US661 an ounce, down $US4.80 an ounce from yesterday's local close The gold miners were weaker, with Newcrest losing $1.06 to $23.84, Newmont dropping eight cents to $4.83 and Lihir shedding seven cents to $2.99 IM Medical was the most traded stock on the market today with 296.2 million shares changing hands collectively worth about $17.97 million IM Medical added 0.1 cents to 5.5 cents Preliminary market turnover reached 2.6 billion worth a total of $8.4 billion with 170 stocks moving up, 1,243 moving down and 243 unchanged US equities ended lower overnight as investors remained sensitive to news of worsening lending conditions The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 146.32 points, or 1.10 per cent, to 13,211.99. For the month, the Dow was down 1.5 per cent The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 18.64 points, or 1.26 per cent, to 1455.27 The Nasdaq Composite Index slumped 37.01 points, or 1.43 per cent, to 2546.27 For July, the Nasdaq was down 2.2 per cent In economic news today, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed retail trade at current prices rose 1.4 per cent in June to a seasonally adjusted $19.18 billion from a downwardly revised $18.914 billion in May US crude oil futures ended at a record settlement last night, fuelled by momentum buying and expectations that key government inventory data due on Wednesday morning would show that crude stocks fell last week On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for September delivery settled at $78.21 a barrel, gaining $1.38 or 1.8 per cent, after trading between $76.60 and $78.28 |
| NOTE #34 |
Notes as at 9th August 2007 Total on Tuesday night 7th August - $282374 Total on Wednesday night 8th August - $287925 Total jumped up by $5551 in just one trading day!! Total on Wednesday night 8th August - $287925 Total on Thursday night 9th August - $289864 Total up by another $1939 - and that is an increase of $7490 in two trading days!! |
|
x NOTE #35 |
Notes as at 10th August 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $289864 Brett's Closing Total - $280725 A drop of $9139 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Correct behaviour" A robust trading season has not inspired confidence for Australian investors, who have hit the panic button as the US credit crunch signals a global market slowdown 'I've got my helmet on here - it's ugly mate" groaned Greg Bundy, a former head of Merrill Lynch Australia, watching on helplessly as the sharemarket plunged to its biggest one-day fall since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks Investors throughout Asia pushed the panic buttons on Friday as the fallout from a home mortgage crisis in the US heightened, forcing that country's largest non-bank lender to warn it was having problems meeting its lending commitments The benchmark ASX 200 index plunged 3.72 per cent, or 229.6 points, to 5936 while the broader All Ordinaries dropped 222.5 points to 5965.2, wiping $55 billion from the market's value The day's rout takes the Australian sharemarket's fall since hitting a record high in late July to almost 8 per cent - just shy of a technical correction And market strategists warn it has further to fall over the next few weeks, predicting the overall damage could amount to a drop of as much as 15 per cent as the contagion from the US subprime mortgage market takes hold in financial markets around the world It's been enough to prompt the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank to inject tens of billions of dollars into financial markets in an attempt to avert a liquidity crisis "It's getting more nerve-racking It now risks turning into a full-blown credit crunch, which was more worrying than a couple of weeks ago" says Shane Oliver, AMP Capital Investors' head of investment strategy Adding to Australian investors' nerves on Friday was the warning from Countrywide Financial, the US's biggest mortgage lender, shortly after Wall Street closed on Thursday, leading to fears here that it would lead to another slump in American markets overnight The credit crunch is set to lead to a significant slowdown in the US, which has ramifications for the global economy such as a reduction in investments and a fall in growth in gross domestic product "I'm not predicting calamity, but it's inevitable that you can expect a slowdown in economic growth driven by this credit crunch" says Greg Bundy, the former banker who now heads boutique corporate advisory firm InterFinancial "There is more structural damage ahead The driver of global growth has been cheap credit and I think that is going to change" This despite the fundamentals remaining strong in Australia where companies are in the midst of another robust profit reporting season But investors are quickly reassessing their appetite for risk, says Nomura Australia's market strategist, Eric Betts Nervousness on the Australian stockmarket shows deep concerns about the effect of lending drying up and affecting businesses as broad-based as junior miners and investment banks *** At the close of business - "Market falls away at end of session as investors retreat" The Australian stockmarket posted its biggest one-day fall in six years as Wall Street reeled in the wake of the rout in the US subprime mortgage sector It was the largest fall since the September 11 US terrorist attacks wiped almost $53 billion from the value of the Australian market At the close, the benchmark ASX 200 index was 229.6 points lower at 5936, while the All Ordinaries retreated 222.5 points to 5965.2 Compared with the previous week's close, the ASX 200 was off 81 points or 1.41 per cent On the Sydney Futures Exchange the September share price index contract was 227 points lower at 5924, on a volume of 34,944 contracts The chief executive of MFS, Guy Hutchings, said it would take time for the market to settle, with further volatility expected next week "Cash is king at present, with the market continuing to respond very directly to offshore volatility as the fallout from subprime credit crisis spreads" Mr Hutchings said "Investors are clearly spooked by the extent of loses in the US and Europe overnight, and there were no real positions of safety, with losses across the board The fact that the local market fell away quite dramatically at the end of the session implies traders did not want to hold stocks over the weekend" The Dow Jones dropped 387.18 points to 13,270.68 overnight, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index dropped 44.40 points to 1453.09 and the Nasdaq dropped 56.49 points to 2556.49 Locally, the big miners were weaker, with BHP Billiton losing $2 to $34.66 and its rival Rio Tinto losing $3.49 to $84.77 The big banks were weaker, with NAB losing $1.28 to $38.22, ANZ 75c to $28.22, Commonwealth $1.45 to $53.35 and Westpac 79c to $25.80 Flight Centre lost $1.60 to $17.70, despite reaffirming its profit expectations for 2006-07 and estimating a lift in the value of its transactions this financial year by up to 15 per cent The furniture retailer Nick Scali picked up 10c to $2.50 on a negative day after reporting a 6.9 per cent increase in annual net profit for 2006-07 to $8.66 million But retailers were mostly weaker, with Woolworths losing 80c to $26.36, Coles down 82c to $13.87, Harvey Norman down 19c to $5.04 and David Jones down 35c to $4.91 In the media, News Corp fell 84c to $25.93, PBL fell 38c to $18.08 and Fairfax fell 12c to $4.60 Among energy stocks, Woodside lost $1.91 to $41.70, Santos lost 93c to $11.78 and Oil Search lost 26c to $3.41 Energy utility Alinta lost 34c to $14.54 despite posting a 20 per cent increase in first-half net profit to $96.5 million The spot price of gold was lower, trading at $US663.70 an ounce, down $US9.80 from Thursday's close Preliminary market turnover reached 2.62 billion shares, worth $8.91 billion, with 225 stocks moving up, 1180 down and 230 unchanged Notes as at 14th August 2007 Brett's Closing Total - $279844 This is the lowest total since Brett made the new investments on 2nd July!! After these new investments, the high of $307084 was reached a week later on 9th July This is a difference of $27240!! *** At the close of business - "Sellers to the fore again as credit crisis continues" The sharemarket reverted to the downward trend yesterday as worries about the fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States continued to frighten the local bourse The ASX 200 index ended the day 46.8 points lower at 5964.8 points, having touched 5938.7 in the morning, and the All Ordinaries was 45 lower at 5982.5 On the Sydney Futures Exchange the September share price index contract was 63 points lower at 5934 at 4.15 pm but put on 30 points as 6000 contracts went through in the next 15 minutes to close at 5964 on a volume of 35,490 The CMC Markets analyst David Land said selling in the finance sector weighed on the bourse "The volatility remains such an uncertainty at the moment simply because no one is exactly sure how much more weight is going to come on the market as a result of the new information coming in about the subprime issue" Mr Land said "There's obviously some lingering concern remaining in the market, and that will probably take a little while to shake itself out, I would think" US stocks were little changed overnight as concerns about subprime mortgage exposure haunted financial shares even as central banks pumped cash into the global financial system The big miners were mixed with Rio Tinto picking up $2.05 to $86.05 and its rival BHP Billiton losing 8c to $35.06 The banks were weaker, with National Australia Bank shedding 23c to $39, ANZ retreating 39c to $28.20, the Commonwealth dropping 60c to $54 and Westpac falling 29c to $25.85 St George Bank was down 53c to $33.88 and Suncorp was 16c cheaper at $18.94 Cochlear rose $1.44 to $63.25 after the hearing-implant company posted a full-year net profit of $100.13 million News Corp was 13c dearer at $26.28, and its non-voters picked up 17c to $24.57 but PBL fell 45c to $17.85 and Fairfax fell 8c to $4.65 APN News & Media dipped 14c to $5.55 after the publishing, broadcasting and online media business group posted a very modest first half net profit growth of just 0.5 per cent to $72.5 million Leighton Holdings fell $2 to $40.65 despite the construction company delivering a 63 per cent increase in full-year net profit to $450 million The retailers were mixed, with Woolworths rising 34c to $26.94, David Jones dipping a penny to $4.78, Harvey Norman shedding 3c to $5.01 and Coles steady at $14.05. Its suitor, Wesfarmers, fell 50c to $39.90 The consumer electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi jumped $1.23 to $11.35 after it booked an annual net profit for 2006-07 of $40.4 million, up 56.5 per cent on the previous year The country's second biggest telecom, Optus, reported a 12 per cent rise in first quarter earnings to $122 million Singapore Telecommunications, which owns Optus, rose 7c to $2.74 Telstra was up 4c to $4.39 and the partly paids up 5c to $2.90 The energy sector was weaker, with Woodside dropping 31c to $41, Santos losing 11c to $11.70 and Oil Search falling 2c to $3.43 AWE, though, was up 2c to $3.14 even after its Hector-1 well in the Taranaki Basin off New Zealand came up a duster The goldminers were weaker, with Newcrest giving up 48c to $25.30, Lihir retreating 3c to $3.16 and Newmont shedding 9c to $4.86 Empire Oil & Gas was again the most traded stock, with 908 million shares changing hands worth $43.01 million The Perth explorer has a 14.8 per cent interest in the Valentine 1 well in the onshore Canning Basin, which only spudded on Monday It was up 1.2c to 4.7c, having hit 6.3c. It was 1c two weeks ago |
|
x NOTE #36 |
Notes as at 15th August 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $279844 Brett's Closing Total - $270138 A drop of $9706 for the day!! This is the lowest total since Brett made the new investments on 2nd July!! After these new investments, the high of $307084 was reached a week later on 9th July This is a difference of $36946!! *** At the close of business - "Sharemarket plunges - Mining dive deepens sea of red ink" The Australian stock market closed in negative territory following further drops on Wall Street overnight, with heavy losses in the resources sector weighing on the local bourse At the close, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was 3 per cent, or176.8 points, lower at 5788 and the all ordinaries lost 181 points to 5801.5 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the September share price index contract fell 207 points to 5757 on a volume of 38,046 contracts CMC Markets analyst David Land said falls in the United States overnight triggered heavy selling on the local market, with the resources and energy sectors some of the hardest hit ''The sub-prime fears are the big factor behind it and we saw the same weakness in the US overnight'' Mr Land said ''The large falls on the Dow were translated to a very aggressive sell-off on the Australian market for the course of the day, with all of the major sectors well into negative territory Some of the most aggressive selling came from the resources and energy sectors ... and with the news in the US driving quite a bit of volatility in that market, I think it does seem to point towards a continued higher degree of volatility'' In the US, stocks skidded overnight on fresh signs that global credit markets were seizing up, while a lower profit forecast from Wal-Mart renewed worries about consumer spending The Dow Jones industrial average shed 207.61 points to 13,028.92 - its lowest close since April 24 - the Standard and Poor's 500 Index fell 26.38 points to 1,426.54 and the Nasdaq gave up 43.12 points to 2,499.12 Locally, the big miners were weaker, with BHP Billiton losing $1.86 to $33.20 and rival Rio Tinto shedding $3.05 to $83.00 Notes as at 16th August 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $270138 Brett's Closing Total - $264211 A drop of $5927 for the day!! Brett made new investments on the 2nd July, and after these changes a high of $307084 was reached a week later on 9th July Today's closing total is a drop of $42873 since that date, which is a period of 28 trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Market recovers slightly after fall" The Australian share market plunged as much five per cent in its biggest intraday fall in more than seven years before recovering to finish just over one per cent lower The big decline coincided with a halt to trading on the Sydney Futures Exchange (SFE) for more than an hour The suspension exaggerated the negative sentiment already in the market, with $21.1 billion wiped from the value of stocks comprising the All Ordinaries index Traders were left with nowhere to hedge risk because of the SFE delay, triggering the sale of physical stocks instead Futures trading was halted at about 1245 AEST to address an urgent "hardware rectification" before trading recommenced at almost 1400 AEST Today's intraday fall, which left the market down more than 5.5 per cent at one stage, was the worst one-day decline since April 2000 when the market fell 5.7 per cent But the market came back and the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index ended down 76.5 points or 1.32 per cent to 5711.5 at the close The All Ordinaries index was 89.3 points, or 1.54 per cent, lower at 5712.2, shedding $21.1 billion from the value of stocks comprising the index The September share price index contract closed 83 points lower at 5,700 after it reached a volume of 59,338 contracts ABN Amro Morgans private client adviser Bill Bishop said today's sell-off meant the fall on both major indices amounted to 11 per cent since July 19 "It started off bad and got worse" Mr Bishop said. "There was a combination of factors swinging around There was the futures market glitch - large cap stocks got pummelled and small cap stocks always really feel it in a situation like this, and the losses were significant across all sectors We were hopeful we would have a milder day, and those hopes were dashed before lunch" Mr Bishop said the market was saved by what he described as a "massive afternoon comeback" "It was a great relief to see the All Ordinaries only down 89 points, given the Asian markets were down today, and the Japanese market was down two per cent" Major stocks such as Commonwealth Bank were hammered, despite Commonwealth's strong financial results on Wednesday The All Ordinaries dropped 311, then came back 222 points by the finish The All Ordinaries has fallen 11.52 per cent or 744 points since July 19 The S&P/ASX 200 has lost 11.07 per cent since July 24 when it was at 6422, and today the index slipped to an intraday low of 5483.3 before bouncing back Most of stocks took a battering, including BHP Billiton, which ended down 20 cents to $33.00 Rival Rio Tinto dropped 43 cents to $82.57 and Alumina lost seven cents to $6.12 Banks were all hit, as Commonwealth fell 50 cents to $52.50, National Australia Bank dropped 41 cents to $37.95, Westpac was down 37 cents to $24.77 and ANZ fell 55 cents to $27.05 Telstra closed down eight cents to $4.27, while its instalment receipts lost seven cents to $2.78 Media giants gained, except for Publishing and Broadcasting, which was down 90 cents to $16.50 News Corp ended up 56 cents to $25.96 and its non voting stock finished up 46 cents to $24.31 Fairfax increased seven cents to $4.55, Seven Network was up three cents to $10.94 and Ten Network rose two cents to $2.50 Among the retailers, major stocks fell, including Woolworths, down 10 cents to $26.70, Wesfarmers, down 41 cents to $39.09, and Coles was down 40 cents to $13.37 Energy giant Woodside Petroleum fell 34 cents to $39.80, Santos lost eight cents to $11.30 and Oil Search was steady at $3.25 The closing price of gold in Sydney was $US665.20, down $US1.30 from yesterday's close of $US666.50 Gold miner Newcrest Mining fell 60 cents to $24.52, Lihir Gold was down 13 cents to $2.91, while Newmont gained ten cents to end at $4.93 Overall, today's most traded stock was Empire Oil and Gas, which had 351.2 million shares change hands worth $9 million The company's shares fell 0.8 cents to 2.5 cents Preliminary market turnover was 3.8 billion stocks worth $12.67 billion, with 245 stocks ending higher, 1,284 lower and 196 unchanged Notes as at 17th August 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $264211 Brett's Closing Total - $260081 A drop of $4130 for the day!! Brett made new investments on the 2nd July, and after these changes a high of $307084 was reached a week later on 9th July Today's closing total is a drop of $47003 since that date, which is a period of 29 trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Lacklustre US leads the way for disappointing day" The Australian sharemarket closed lower yesterday, after a choppy day's trading on a lacklustre lead from US markets still buffeted by concerns over the US subprime mortgage crisis, and lower commodity prices At the close, the benchmark ASX200 index was 40.5 points lower at 5671.0 and the All Ordinaries fell 41.9 points to 5670.3 The market plunged 4.9 per cent over the week, after recording its biggest intra-day fall in seven years on Thursday It has fallen about 12 per cent since hitting record highs above the 6400-point level on the ASX 200 late last month, and lost about $186 billion in value On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the September share price index contract fell 115 points to 5585 on a volume of 55,924 contracts A senior dealer with CMC Markets, Josh Whiting, said the fortunes of the market were split, with financial stocks generally higher and resources stocks lower "The market started the day on the front foot, but succumbed to the weight of sellers shortly after the open" Mr Whiting said The head of investment strategy and chief economist at AMP Capital Investors, Shane Oliver, said the Australian market would bounce back "I'm pretty confident we'll get a rebound through the final quarter of the year" Dr Oliver said "Often when we go through these shakeouts, it takes a couple of months for the dust to settle We could have another couple of months of volatility, but I think the bulk of the damage has been done" Financial stocks improved as the Reserve Bank governor, Glenn Stevens, said that recent volatility on global markets was "bordering on the irrational" Shares in Commonwealth Bank closed steady at $52.50, ANZ Bank gained 49 cents to $27.54 and National Australia Bank picked up three cents to $37.98 The biggest major gainer on the day was Westpac, which rose 43 cents to $25.20 on news it had poached the St George Bank chief executive, Gail Kelly, as its new head St George fell 10 cents to $32.58 Investment banks were mixed, with Macquarie up 74 cents to $64.74, Babcock & Brown down 71 cents, or 3.64 per cent, to $18.80 and Allco Finance up seven cents to $7.21 The resources giant BHP Billiton fell 56 cents to $32.44 and its rival Rio Tinto fell $1.41 to $81.16 as oil, gold, and all the main base metals lost value The goldminer Newcrest fell 26 cents to $24.26 after announcing a 79 per cent drop in annual profit, with a hedge accounting charge hitting the bottom line |
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x NOTE #37 |
Notes as at 20th August 2007 Brett's Portfolio Total on 9th July - $307084 Brett's Portfolio Total on 17th August - $260081 This is a drop of $47003 over a period of 29 trading days!! Brett's Portfolio Total on 20th August - $273723 Total jumped up by $13642 in just one trading day!! *** At the close of business - "Stocks boom on US Fed intervention" Australian shares rose 4.6 percent on Monday in their biggest one-day percentage jump in nearly a decade, led by a rally in financial firms as the US Federal Reserve's move to cut its discount rate helped soothe fears of a credit crunch On Wall Street on Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average surged 233.3 points to 13,079.08 after the US Federal Reserve slashed the discount cash rate charged to banks by 0.5 percentage points, stabilising credit markets that had been rocked by the sub-prime mortgage lending crisis Recovering global equity markets also triggered a bounce in metal prices, lifting shares in mining firms such as BHP Billiton But analysts said while the Fed's move was a big confidence booster, equity markets were in for more volatility in the weeks ahead as investors continue to fret over the risk of more trouble in credit markets "The Fed rate cut has worked - at least for now'' said Craig James, chief equities economist at CommSec "We can't say for certain that share markets have hit bottom because US home buyers are still likely to default on loans, putting pressure on lenders There is still a high chance of a US recession of around 40 percent, restraining the outlook for globally dependent companies'' he added CMC Markets senior dealer Josh Whiting said the local market had had a "crazy" day "It was up very strongly, with some investors in the market cheering the Fed's intervention by changing the discount rate" he said The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 261.6 points to 5,932.6, based on the latest available data, its biggest one-day percentage jump since Oct. 29, 1997 It recouped all of its losses posted last week The All Ordinaries index lifted 256.2 points, or 4.52 per cent, to 5926.5 Preliminary national turnover was 2.18 billion shares worth $7.39 billion, with 1160 stocks up, 235 down and 239 unchanged The index, which dropped 4.5 percent last week, has now risen 8.2 percent since hitting a 2007 intraday low of 5,483.3 on Aug. 16, though it is still 7.8 percent below its lifetime high of 6,436.7 set on July 13 Central banks in Asia remained vigilant with the Reserve Bank of Australia injecting $US2.67 billion in cash to the banking system to temper upward pressure on some short-term market interest rates Financial shares, which have been hardest hit in recent weeks due to credit fears, led the rise in Australia, driving the financial services index up 4.5 percent on the day Macquarie Bank, which warned early August that investors in two of its funds face losses of up to 25 percent amid the fall-out from the subprime mess, jumped 9.3 percent to $70.75 In the banking sector, National Australia Bank was up $1.81 at $39.79, Westpac improved $1.15 to $26.35, Commonwealth Bank put on 86 cents to $53.36, and ANZ gained $1.04 to $28.58 A bounce in global stock markets also buoyed industrial metal prices, which in turn, boosted mining stocks In the resources sector, global miner BHP Billiton gained $2.46, or 7.58 per cent, to $34.90 Rio Tinto rose $3.89 to $85.05 In the gold sector, Newcrest rose 75 cents to $25.01, Newmont was up 12 cents at $5.05, amd Lihir added 16 cents to $2.90 At 4.57pm AEST the price of gold in Sydney was $US656.20 per fine ounce, up $US9.20 on Friday's close Some companies that went ex-dividend on Monday dropped, with Telstra Corp down 1.2 percent at $4.19, GUD Holdings falling 4.4 percent to $9.78 while Crane Group closed down 1.6 percent at $16.51 Notes as at 21st August 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $273723 Brett's Closing Total - $277981 Up by $4258 for the day And that makes a total increase of $17900 over the past two trading days!! Notes as at 23rd August 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $276810 Brett's Closing Total - $287100 Up by $10290 for the day And that makes a total increase of $27019 over the past four trading days!! An average of $6755 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Market closes higher - Resources and Dow pave way forward" The stockmarket has closed in positive territory underpinned by strong gains in the resources sector and a solid lead from Wall Street The ASX 200 index finished 154.7 points higher at 6159.7, while the All Ordinaries was up 152.3 to 6149.7 CMC Markets senior dealer James Foulsham said a strong lead from the United States and gains from BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto drove the local bourse into positive territory "It was a pretty crazy day - Rio was up over 7 per cent, and to see top cap stocks like that moving that much in a day is pretty amazing" Mr Foulsham said the volatility that had gripped the market was expected to continue "I think it is going to continue really for the short term at least" he said The big miners were stronger, with BHP Billiton rising $2.30 to $37.70 and rival Rio putting on $5.57 to $91.00 The goldminers were also up Newcrest gained 49c to $25.59, Lihir picked up 10c to $3.02 and Newmont rose 8c to $5.08 The big banks were strong, with ANZ lifting 60c to $29.39, National Australia Bank finding 49c to $40.13, the Commonwealth picking up 61c to $55.01 and Westpac gaining 42c to $26.77 Lending giant Macquarie surged $3.90 to $78.75 after receiving an infusion of capital Babcock & Brown put on $1.90 to $24.50 after the investment firm upgraded its annual earnings guidance and reported a rise in first-half net profit to $250 million Market turnover reached 2.38 billion worth $8.43 billion, with 955 stocks up, 343 down and 286 unchanged Notes as at 27th August 2007 Brett's Opening Total - $283506 Brett's Closing Total - $294194 Up by $10688 for the day And that makes a total increase of $34113 over the past six trading days since 17th August!! An average of $5686 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Another day of 97 points in black" The stockmarket closed with strong gains, driven by solid growth in the big miners and banks The ASX200 index finished up 96.7 points at 6185.2, while the All Ordinaries was 97.7 higher at 6184.9 The September share price index contract ended up 97 at 6190, a slight premium, on a volume of 22,248 contracts Austock Securities senior client adviser Michael Heffernan said the market was putting overseas influences to one side and focusing on the fundamentals of Australian companies "It's another all-green day" Mr Heffernan said "We have just absolutely stunned the market with this recovery in the last seven trading sessions The thing that's so impressive is that investors are now focusing on the great profit reports from companies across the spectrum We can get sidetracked by the US but what really counts in terms of the market's trajectory is whether our companies are making profits and they're in the high distinction category Rio Tinto and BHP both had a stellar day" BHP Billiton was uo 97c to $37.57 and Rio Tinto rose $2.61 to $91.73 Among the big banks Westpac led the way, gaining 27c to $27.05. The Commonwealth rose 39c to $55.20, National Australia Bank improved 17c to $40.17 and ANZ was up 12c to $29.57. St George Bank was up 47c to $35 There seems to be some arbitrage going on in engaged couple Bendigo and Adelaide banks. Bendigo fell 44c to $15.81 but Adelaide was up 23 to $15.69 The big oil stocks also enjoyed strong gains, with Woodside up 69c to $42.80 and Santos was up 40c to $12.76. Oil Search was 14c higher and Beach gained 12c to hit $1.265 Lihir Gold jumped 9c to $3.07, Newcrest tumbled 24c to $24.84 and Newmont was steady at $4.96 The media sector was patchy, despite good gains for News Corp which was up 15c to $26.85 and its non-voters gained 24c to $25.10. PBL was 11c lower at $17.80 and Fairfax edged down 1c to $4.68 Telstra gained 4c to $4.37 and Singapore Telecommunications gained 8c to $2.93 The most traded stock was the Harrington Group, with 201.93 million shares traded, at a value of $6.95 million. The electrifier of rubber and ordinary bullets was up 1c to 3.6c |
| NOTE #38 |
Email to Brett - Saturday 1st September 2007 CommSec reached $300889 yesterday, Friday 31st August This is the highest total since 24th July The record is $307084, and this was on 9th July Only $6195 to go for a new record!! Saturday morning here and I have just looked at the DOW for USA Friday trading And that is "green and in the plus-hundreds" Could be a good day here on Monday 3rd September!! Might be new records set before you get back PS - everything looking a bit different to the total of $260081 on the 17th August!! |
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x NOTE #39 |
Notes as at 7th September 2007 Brett's Total as at 5th September - $299248 Brett's Total as at 7th September - $309644 Up by $10396 over these two trading days!! An average of $5198 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Miners lift prices - Commodities on the rise as credit fears ease" The Australian sharemarket ended the week slightly higher, with resource stocks leading the charge on a day of light trading volume due to the public holiday in Sydney Commodities are once again figuring in the daily movements of the market, as oil and metal prices rise They had been overshadowed by concerns over a global shortage of credit and the US economy The ASX200 closed up 27.4 points at 6278.4, and the All Ordinaries rose by 31.2 points to 6296.5 On the Sydney Futures Exchange the September share price index contract closed up eight points at 6282 on a volume of 6271 contracts A CMC Markets dealer, Matthew Lewis, said a positive lead came from overseas "Both BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto hit six-week highs after a strong performance in their UK-based listings overnight" he said "Base metals were also strong, with copper, zinc and nickel prices all advancing" Mr Lewis said goldminers also experienced strong gains, with a $US13 surge in the gold price, which rose above $US700 a troy ounce in overseas trade overnight Trading in Woodside Petroleum shares was heavy, he said, with crude oil prices rising to a five-week high "Woodside would also benefit from the recent signing of another contract to sell liquefied natural gas to the Chinese energy company PetroChina" Mr Lewis said the finance and banking sector had been the only drag on the index The four big banks weakened in response to continuing fears about US mortgage problems and concerns about tightening credit BHP Billiton, which makes up more than 10 per cent of the benchmark index, gained 85c to reach a record close of $39.75 Amid renewed takeover speculation, Rio Tinto once again became the most expensive stock on the market, at $101 a share, with a $2 rise The strong rise in Rio Tinto shares, which once again punched through the $100 mark, followed speculation that it was again on the radar of BHP Billiton The goldminer Newcrest closed up 68c at $24.99. Newmont rose 18c to reach $5.37, as did Lihir, which finished at $3.34 Among the banks, Commonwealth Bank fell 33c, to $54.67, National Australia Bank fell 30c, to $39, Westpac fell 8c, to $26.65, and ANZ fell 17c, to $28.42 Among non-resource stocks, Ramsay Health rocketed 85c, or 8.1 per cent, to $11.32 after agreeing to buy a British health-care company Preliminary market turnover figures show 1.57 billion shares being traded for $3.38 billion, with 706 stocks closing higher, 496 lower and 333 unchanged |