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x NOTE #40 |
Notes as at 10th September 2007 Brett's Total as at 7th September - $309644 Brett's Total as at 10th September - $304724 A drop of $4920 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Aussie stocks close lower on US worries" The sharemarket fell from the bell yesterday and spent the rest of the day weakly climbing back up, though to little avail The Australian sharemarket closed in negative territory on Monday after US stocks fell overnight amid fears that the world's biggest economy could be heading for a recession At the 4.15pm close, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index finished down 87.2 points to 6191.2 and the All Ordinaries had lost 86.9 points to 6209.6 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the September share price index contract was down 71 points to 6220 on a volume of 22,370 contracts ABN Amro Morgans private client adviser Bill Bishop said the Australian market had reacted to US sub-prime mortgage fears and the release of US monthly job figures on Friday night, which were weaker than expected "The sub-prime fears came up to play on Wall Street and that combined with the drop in US jobs produced a drop on Wall Street which has spooked our market'' he said "Our resources copped it as metal prices fell because of the Americans Everyone thinks the American consumer will stop buying from China and then our resources won't be needed, but I don't think we have to worry too much ... China will buy the metals anyway'' Mr Bishop said there was a good chance market volatility would continue for several months "This sub-prime crisis and how it affects the rest of us is what everyone is worried about, but the Australian economy is in good shape ... but that doesn't mean it can't get sideswiped by the Americans Half the world is saying the volatility will continue and we don't know how wild the fluctuations are going to be'' In the US on Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 249.97 points, or 1.87 per cent, to 13,113.38 The Standard and Poor's 500 Index lost 25 points to 1,453.55 and the Nasdaq Composite Index slid 48.62 points to 2,565.70 The decline followed US non-farm payrolls data, which showed US employers cut nearly 4,000 jobs in August Financial markets had expected the non-farm payrolls report to show jobs growth of 110,000 The result has increased fears the US sub-prime mortgage crisis could force the wider US economy into recession At close, BHP Billiton shrank $1.45 to $38.30, although the stock was trading ex-dividend today Rio Tinto dropped $2.72 to $98.28 and Alumina dipped 11 cents, or 1.59 per cent, to $6.83 The big banks all closed down, with ANZ dipping 11 cents to $28.31, National Australia Bank losing 79 cents to $38.21, Commonwealth Bank of Australia dropping 32 cents to $54.35 and Westpac shares shrunk 10 cents to $26.55 |
| NOTE #41 |
Notes as at 20th September 2007 Brett's Total as at 18th September - $298995 - PORTFOLIO CHANGES Brett's Total as at 19th September - $310353 Up by $11358 for the day!! Brett's Total as at 20th September - $312491 Up another $2138!! A total increase of $13496 over the past two trading days An average of $6748 per day!! |
| NOTE #42 |
Notes as at 25th September 2007 Brett's Total as at 20th September - $312491 Brett's Total as at 24th September - $316163 Up by $3672 over the past two trading days!! Brett's Total as at 25th September - $319433 Up another $3270 for the day!! NOTE - period from 18th September until 25th September Portfolio value has increased from $298995 to $319433 That is an increase of $20438 over those five trading days!! An average of $4088 per day!! |
| NOTE #43 |
Notes as at 2nd October 2007 Brett's Total as at 2nd October - $332634 NOTE - period from 18th September until 2nd October Portfolio value has increased from $298995 to $332634 That is an increase of $33639 over those ten trading days!! An average of $3364 per day!! |
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x NOTE #44 |
Notes as at 3rd October 2007 Brett's Total as at 2nd October - $332634 Brett's Total as at 3rd October - $326643 A drop of $5991 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Resources down but banks underpin continued climb" The Australian sharemarket cracked new records despite a flat close, as gains among banks and insurers were offset by lower resource stocks At the 4.15pm close the benchmark S&P/ASX200 was up 0.05 to 6659.95, just topping Tuesday's record close of 6659.89 The S&P/ASX200 also set a new intraday high of 6680.3 after touching 6666.8 on Tuesday The All Ordinaries fell 2.2 points to 6665.4, but touched an intraday record high of 6682.2 and Tuesday's intraday record was 6673.6 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract was down two points at 6722 by 4.45pm on a volume of 18,065 contracts A CMC Markets senior dealer, Dominic Vaughan, said the market had closed relatively flat, but recovered from a weak start with gains in the finance sector during the day This was after gold fell $US17.80 to $US736.30 and crude fell 19US cents to $US80.05 in the US overnight "It is a repeat of what happened overnight in the US - we had gold and oil come off and that is reflected in the fall of heavyweight stocks such as BHP and Rio" BHP Billiton closed down 85c to $45.20 and Rio Tinto fell $2.53 to $109.97 Mr Vaughan said banks were driving the market The big banks closed stronger, except for Westpac which lost 1c to $29.00 ANZ added 26c to $30.46, National Australia Bank picked up 55c to $40.98 and the Commonwealth Bank gained 35c to $57.95 At 5.45pm the spot price of gold was $US735.30 an ounce, up 10 US cents an ounce on Tuesday's close of $US735.20 The gold miners closed mixed, with Lihir down 3c to $4.03 and Newcrest off 56c to $27.71 Final turnover was 1.62 billion, worth $7 billion, with 544 stocks up, 709 down and 350 unchanged Notes as at 4th October 2007 Brett's Total as at 3rd October - $326643 Brett's Total as at 4th October - $320423 A drop of $6220 for the day!! And that is a drop of $12211 over the past two working days!! An average drop of $6106 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Market down after profit-taking bout" The sharemarket closed lower yesterday after local profit-taking among the big miners and a weak overnight lead from Wall St The ASX200 index fell 93 points to 6566.9 and the All Ordinaries dropped 85.5 points to 6579.9 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract closed 78 points down at 6644 on a volume of 25,493 contracts The chief analyst for CMC Markets, David Land, said the market's retreat since the opening was more than anticipated "It has been quite a large fall in Australia" Mr Land said While there were falls across most sectors, the major banks and the big miners weighed most on the benchmark indices, he said "If you look at the run up BHP has had since its recent lows around $32, it's certainly quite a big retreat" he said "But in the overall scheme of things, it's not really an overly large move There's every chance there's a bit of profit-taking going on" BHP Billiton dropped $1.45 to $43.75 and Rio Tinto lost $3.69 to $106.28 The major banks fell, with Commonwealth Bank down 75c to $57.20, ANZ 1c lower to $30.45, Westpac down 1c to $28.99 and National Australia Bank down 40c to $40.58 Gold miner Newmont dropped 3c to $5.07 and Lihir fell 12c to $3.91, but Newcrest gained 29c to $28. Overnight, US stocks dropped after a broker's weak outlook for chip makers drove a sell-off of technology shares and as investors feared monthly jobs data could show deterioration in the labour market The Dow Jones industrial average was down 79.26 points, or 0.56 per cent, to end at 13,968.05 The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 7.04 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 1539.59, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was down 17.68 points, or 0.64 per cent, to 2729.43 In Australia, preliminary market turnover was 1.73 billion shares worth $6.21 billion with 497 shares up, 756 down and 336 unchanged Notes as at 5th October 2007 Brett's Total as at 4th October - $320423 Brett's Total as at 5th October - $322896 Back up by $2473 for the day!! Total has now dropped $9738 over the past three working days!! *** At the close of business - "Resources bounce leads market gain" Australia's ASX 200 Index climbed yesterday, rounding its seventh straight weekly gain, led by Newcrest and Woodside after gold and oil prices rose "Gold prices are reassuringly strong and that's helped the gold producers; likewise for the oil stocks" said Paul Xiradis, who manages about $9.4 billion in Australian stocks at Ausbil Dexia in Sydney "The penny's dropped that Asian growth remains robust, commodities supply is still stretched and resources are the place to be" The ASX 200 index added 38.50 points, or 0.6 per cent, to close at 6605.40 while the All Ordinaries gained 37.4 points to 6617.3 The ASX 200 advanced 0.6 per cent over the week About five stocks rose for each two that fell Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 6.26 points to end at 13,974.31 Dominic Vaughan, a senior dealer at CMC Markets, said it was a topsy-turvy week, starting with a run-up, followed by a sell-off on Thursday and a mild recovery yesterday "The market, to a degree, is standing on the sidelines a bit ahead of the payroll figures coming from the US tonight" Mr Vaughan said "That has been one of the main focuses for the week and will determine how well the US economy is going" Mr Vaughan said Commonwealth Bank had a notable dip of 50c in intra-day trade but had recovered considerably towards the end of trade. Commonwealth closed 14c lower at $57.06 The other major banks were up at close, with ANZ ending 12c higher at $30.57, NAB gaining 18c to $40.76 and Westpac up 4c to $29.03 The big miners were stronger, with BHP Billiton 35c higher at $44.10 and Rio Tinto up $1.37 to $107.65 Newcrest, Australia's biggest goldminer, added 20c to $28.20 Lihir Gold rose 3c to $3.94 while Newmont dipped 4c to $5.03 The price of gold rose as the US dollar ended a three-day rally against the euro, bolstering the appeal of the precious metal as an alternative investment Gold futures for December delivery added $US8.10, or 1.1 per cent, to $US743.80 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, ending a two-day decline The ASX 200's futures contract for December added 0.1 per cent to 6651 The broader All Ordinaries Index gained 0.6 per cent, to 6617.30 Notes as at 8th October 2007 Brett's Total as at 5th October - $322896 Brett's Total as at 8th October - $327135 Back up by $4239 for the day!! Total has now dropped $5499 over the past four working days!! *** At the close of business - "Here we go again - yet more records set" The sharemarket hit another record close after stronger-than-expected US employment data on Friday calmed concerns over slowing growth in the world's biggest economy, and higher metal prices boosted local resources stocks The ASX200 index closed 48.9 points higher at 6654.3, beating the previous record set last Wednesday of 6659.95 The All Ordinaries gained 49.9 points to 6667.2, just under its record of 6667.6 set last Tuesday The S&P 200 hit intraday highs of 6684.4 and the All Ords 6695.4 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract closed the day 29 points higher at 6680 on a volume of 14,313 contracts Macquarie Equities client adviser David Halliday said strong metal prices helped resource stocks "But investors were mostly heartened by the strong economic news out of the US on Friday" Mr Halliday said "It appears that the market over there's cheering good news as much as it's cheering bad news at the moment So, essentially, whatever comes out, it's being construed as good That's why that market's at records and we've followed that cue today" Rio Tinto led the market higher, putting on $3.67, or 3.41 per cent, to $111.32, while rival BHP Billiton added 59 cents to $44.69 Newcrest Mining gained 5c to $28.25 as the spot price of gold reached $US739.50, up $US3.50 on Friday's close and Lihir Gold was up 6c to $4. Even Newmont was 6c higher at $5.09 Notes as at 9th October 2007 Brett's Total as at 8th October - $327135 Brett's Total as at 9th October - $324835 Down by $2300 for the day!! Total has now dropped $7799 over the past five working days!! *** At the close of business - "Another record close for local stocks" The Australian sharemarket closed at yet another record high after a flat start to trade today The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index ended 23.5 points higher to 6677.8, beating the previous record close of 6659.95 last Wednesday The benchmark S&P/ASX200 also posted a fresh intraday high record - at 6685.9 eclipsing yesterday's intraday record of 6684.4 The All Ordinaries also reached new heights, up 20.5 points to 6687.7, bettering the previous record close of 6667.6 points last Tuesday The All Ordinaries intraday high was also a fresh record, at 6695.9, marginally beating yesterday's 6695.4 On the Sydney Futures Exchange at 4.18pm, the December share price index contract had leapt 28 points to 6708 on a volume of 18,716 contracts CMC Markets chief market analyst David Land said it had been an interesting session that ended strongly, after a weak start to the day's trading. "That was driven by the largely lower commodities markets, particularly base metals as well as the price of oil in trade overnight'' Mr Land said "That really weighed on a number of the large commodities companies but in some cases, we've seen a retracement of those early losses with BHP Billiton, which is still in negative territory but its at least well off its lows of the day We've seen some very good gains for the finance sector today and consumer staples have done really well, particularly Woolworths'' In the US, the Dow Jones industrial average had lost 22.28 points to 14,043.73 overnight while the Standard and Poor's 500 Index had fallen 5.01 points to 1,552.58 The Nasdaq Composite Index, however, had lifted 7.05 points to 2,787.37 Back on our shores, the big miners were weaker BHP Billiton shed 21 cents to close at $44.48 and Rio Tinto had dipped $2.22 to finish at $109.10 |
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x NOTE #45 |
Notes as at 10th October 2007 Brett's Total as at 9th October - $324835 Brett's Total as at 10th October - $327747 Up by $2912 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "It can't go on - but it does, higher and higher each day" The sharemarket is so boring It continued its record run yesterday as, as usual, BHP Billiton, up $1.02 to $45.50, led the charge The ASX200 index finished 60.5 points higher at a record 6738.3, eclipsing the previous close of 6677.82 points set on Tuesday The All Ordinaries picked up 56.9 to close at a record 6744.6 Punters on the Sydney Futures Exchange expect more, the December share price index contract finishing the day 56 points higher at 6765, a premium of 27 to the physical, on a volume of 16,124 contracts "All sectors are up, banks are up, commodity stocks are up - in general everything seems to be in green today" said a CMC Markets senior dealer, Dominic Vaughan "We've been sitting on this bull run for a while and there are question marks whether we can maintain it but, at this stage, the bias is still to the upside" The market got off to a strong start after a robust lead from Wall Street overnight The Dow was up 120.8 to 14,164.5 Rio Tinto has settled into its second century, up $1.01 to $110.11 The goldminers were stronger, with Newcrest up 5c to $28.45, Lihir up 9c to $3.98 and Newmont up 9c also, to $5.11 Market turnover reached 2 billion, worth a total value of $6.1 billion, with 734 stocks moving up, 567 stocks moving down and 348 unchanged |
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x NOTE #46 |
Notes as at 18th October 2007 Brett's Total as at 17th October - $328880 Brett's Total as at 18th October - $336200 Up by $7320 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Wall Street wobbles fail to rub gloss off local markets" The stockmarket made good gains yesterday despite a mixed lead from Wall Street and a slide in oil futures and base metal prices overnight At the close, the benchmark ASX 200 index was 87.6 points higher at 6767.7 and the All Ordinaries had risen by 84.9 points to 6781 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract added 102 to 6816 on a volume of 19,850 contracts Matt Wacher, a dealer with CMC Markets, said local stocks performed strongly considering Wall Street's mixed lead "The materials and energy sector led the way again, with a bit of support from the banks" he said "BHP has again put in a stellar performance, up 2.5 per cent, followed by smaller mining stocks" Mr Wacher said Asian markets might have encouraged local investors after mixed signals from Wall Street and London "Hong Kong earlier opened up about 600 points and Japan has been pretty strong as well That strength, and the strength of the Chinese market, has probably helped us to really get onwards and upwards" BHP Billiton hit a record high to close $1.40 higher, or more than 3 per cent, at $47.70 Its rival, Rio Tinto, gained $2.83 to $112.83 after announcing it had won Canadian regulatory approval for its $US38.1 billion ($42.7 billion) takeover of Alcan The spot price of gold was $US759 an ounce, up US25c an ounce on Wednesday's local close of $US758.75 The goldminers were mixed, with Newcrest up 29c to $28.54, Newmont down 21c to $5.15, and Lihir Gold gaining 7c to $4.21 Overnight on Wall Street, confidence in technology stocks did not translate to the broader market, which finished flat after the US Federal Reserve sounded a note of caution on the economy. The Dow Jones was down 20.40 points to end at 13,892.54 The Nasdaq was up 28.76 points at 2792.67 Preliminary market turnover was 2.01 billion shares worth $6.19 billion, with 748 stocks higher, 517 lower and 363 unchanged |
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x NOTE #47 |
Notes as at 22nd October 2007 Brett's Total as at 19th October - $335701 Brett's Total as at 22nd October - $326176 Down by $9525 for the day!! (Friday night to Monday night) *** At the close of business - "Gloomy news from the US hands our market its medicine" Investors pushed the sell button yesterday as the sharemarket suffered its biggest fall in two months, stoking fears that a slowdown in global economies could cause a correction in stocks Coinciding almost to the day with the 'Black Tuesday' crash 20 years ago, the market failed to recover from a plunge just after the opening bell Resource companies and Australia's two largest investment banks, Macquarie and Babcock & Brown, led the fall as investors reacted to warnings from tractor maker Caterpillar about a recession in the United States Caterpillar, considered a bellwether stock on the Dow Jones industrial average, said the US economy would be "near to, or even in, recession" next year The warning wiped more than 5 per cent from Caterpillar's price and damaged other big stocks The Dow Jones industrial average lost 366.94 points, or 2.64 per cent, to 13,522.02 The Standard & Poor's 500 Index closed 39.45 points, or 2.56 per cent, lower at 1500.63, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 74.15 points, or 2.65 per cent, to 2725.16 It was the worst percentage drop for the Dow and the S&P 500 since August 9, when the European Central Bank injected money into the banking system to help calm markets Here, the benchmark ASX 200 index slumped 1.9 per cent, or 129 points, to 6577.3, in the biggest one-day fall since mid-August, when global markets were in the grip of fears about a credit crunch The broader All Ordinaries dropped 131.2 points to 6592.1 Fund managers said the market had been ripe for at least a mini-correction after surging more than 16 per cent since late August, when it hit a six-month low Hugh Giddy, a portfolio manager at Cannae Capital Partners, said the fall was long overdue, given the market's rally since the US Federal Reserve stepped in in August to cut the interest rate it charges banks, prompting rallies in stockmarkets around the world "It's been up strongly since the lows in the middle of August without good reason" he said "I'm as sure as I can be that there will be a slowdown in economies and that will crimp profitability" Resources companies bore the brunt of the fall yesterday BHP Billiton dropped $1.18 to $45.92 and Rio Tinto $4.10 to $105.50 Mr Giddy said that although the latest sell-off was only a "sneeze" at this stage, it could still develop into a cold given that the market was vulnerable because of the high level of investor optimism and the global economy had underpinned company profitability But the local market fared better than its Asian counterparts yesterday Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 3.4 per cent, and Japan's Nikkei dropped 2.2 per cent Last night the sell-off continued in European markets in early trading with London's FTSE index down 1.6 per cent "The fact is that the market looks expensive and the 20-year anniversary of 'Black Tuesday' gives investors something to think about" said Paul Fiani, the managing director of the boutique fund manager Integrity "At some stage the market is going to have to take its medicine" Mr Fiani said the prospects of a sharp correction or lower returns from stocks over the next few years had heightened in recent months A Nomura Australia equities strategist, Eric Betts, said the market was unlikely to stage a sharp recovery over the next few days, but rather could be expected to fall further before value buyers returned "The volatility will continue for the foreseeable future" he said At 4.35pm, the spot gold price in Sydney was $US760.60 down $US8.60 from Friday's closing price of $US769.20 Major gold stocks also dropped, with Newmont down 10 cents to $5.08, Newcrest $1.29 lower to $28.64 and Lihir Gold 21 cents down to $4.04 BHP Billiton and Newcrest Mining will report their latest production figures tomorrow Notes as at 23rd October 2007 Brett's Total as at 22nd October - $326176 Brett's Total as at 23rd October - $331075 Up by $4899 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Investors eager to get their deposits in as banks lead the game of catch-up" The Australian stockmarket closed higher yesterday, bouncing back from Monday's sharp fall as US markets provided a positive lead overnight A private client adviser at ABN Amro Morgans, Simon Ferguson, said the big banks performed strongly, with investors jumping in before ANZ's results tomorrow "The market probably over-reacted yesterday, so we're playing a bit of catch-up today" Mr Ferguson said "The US rebound gave our market confidence and there were some encouraging profit results from America" Mr Ferguson said local investors were also heartened by good quarterly sales results from Woolworths, which indicated that the economy was still in good shape But BHP Billiton shares underperformed against other stocks in the resources sector after investors were disappointed by some aspects of the global miner's quarterly production report The benchmark ASX 200 index rose 83.6 points to 6660.9, and the All Ordinaries gained 85.4 points to 6677.5 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract was up 69 points to 6682 In the resources sector, BHP Billiton firmed 8c to $46 after it reported record quarterly iron ore output and a strong rise in copper production but pushed back the start-up date for its Neptune oil project in the US Rio Tinto gained 95c to $106.45 Among gold stocks, Newcrest Mining was 30c richer at $28.94 as it reported an 18 per cent rise in first-quarter production. Newmont dipped 3c to $5.05, and Lihir found 7c to reach $4.11 The price of gold in Sydney was $US756.70 per fine ounce, down $US4.10 on Monday's close On Wall Street overnight Monday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 44.95 points to 13,566.97 |
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x NOTE #48 |
Notes as at 26th October 2007 Brett's Total as at 25th October - $332620 Brett's Total as at 26th October - $341355 Up by $8735 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Metals lead charge into positive territory" Australian stocks rose for the first time in three days, led by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, on speculation that mining companies' earnings will increase Rio, the world's third-largest mining company, forecast that global aluminium demand will rise "The market's been so strong today" said Michael Birch, who helps manage the equivalent of $162 million at Wallace Funds Management in Sydney "It's definitely because of resources and financials and that's on the back of the fact that people think growth is looking good" Less concern relating to the US subprime lending market had also buoyed stocks, Mr Birch said The ASX 200 added 76.3 points to 6700.6 at the close, down 6 points on last Friday's close The broader All Ordinaries gained 71.6 points to close at 6716.40 Rio gained $2.57 to $107.00 The company expects global aluminum demand to increase by more than 6 per cent a year until 2011 because of rising use in China and India, Rio's chief executive, Tom Albanese, said at a briefing on Thursday marking the completion of a merger with Alcan BHP added $1.02 to $45.76 The company said this week that copper and iron ore production rose to meet higher Chinese demand A measure of six metals, including copper and nickel, rose by 1.3 per cent on Thursday on the London Metal Exchange, the most in more than two weeks The spot price of gold was higher, trading at $US776.30 an ounce, up $US13.20 an ounce on Thursday's local close. Preliminary market turnover reached 2.01 billion shares worth $10.48 billion In the US overnight on Thursday, the Dow Jones dipped 3.33 points to 13,671.92 and the S&P 500 lost 1.48 points to 1514.40 Notes as at 29th October 2007 Brett's Total as at 26th October - $341355 Brett's Total as at 29th October - $351124 Up by $9769 for the day!! (Friday night to Monday night) And that makes a total increase of $18504 over the last two trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Stocks surge led by resource spurt" The sharemarket closed at record highs yesterday after a $3.1 billion takeover bid for Jubilee Mines lit up the resources sector and sent nickel stocks soaring Peter Knight, an ABN Amro Morgans private client adviser, said a positive lead from Wall Street had helped the local market But higher prices for base metals and the takeover bid for Jubilee had given an even greater boost to the resources sector, with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto accounting for much of the market's rise "Mainly the green is in resources" Mr Knight said "Rio and BHP alone are 30 points of the market today. Jubilee is up 40 per cent. All the nickel miners are up, all the mid-tier ones. The banks are also a fair bit firmer" At the close, the benchmark ASX200 index had risen 91.5 points to 6792.1, beating the closing high of 6771.913 set on October 11 The All Ordinaries added 91.8 points to 6808.2, surpassing its previous record close of 6779.585, also set on October 11 On the Sydney Futures Exchange the December share price index contract was 88 points higher at 6814 on a volume of 16,713 contracts, according to preliminary calculations BHP Billiton rose $1.54 to $47.30, and Rio Tinto rose $5.59 to $112.59 Jubilee Mines rose $6.72, or more than 39 per cent, to $23.82 after the Swiss mining giant Xstrata bid $3.1 billion for the company In the gold sector, Newmont rose 9c to $5.26, Newcrest 81c to $32.06 and Lihir 8c to $4.42 Perseverance rose 4.5c to 19c after the Canadian gold miner Northgate Minerals launched a bid valuing it at $282 million The price of gold was $US793.30 per fine ounce, up $17.30 on Friday's close. Coles rose 8c to $16.15, and Woolworths rose 10c to $33.01. On Wall Street on Friday the Dow Jones rose 134.78 points to 13,806.70 |
|
x NOTE #49 |
Notes as at 1st November 2007 Brett's Total as at 31st October - $345648 Brett's Total as at 1st November - $350558 Up by $4910 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "The ASX joins gold in race for the top" The stockmarket rose to new highs yesterday following a positive lead from US markets, soaring gold and oil prices and a solid annual result from Westpac Banking Corp The big resources stocks performed strongly and the big banks had solid rises "It's a pretty buoyant market, overall" Trent Muller, private client adviser at ABN Amro Morgans, said "Most of it is in the resources sector today It would be the higher price for oil in general behind it Base metal prices weren't really anywhere to speak about" The Westpac result, which Mr Muller said was above market expectations, boosted the banking sector and the higher price for gold was ramping up gold stocks The ASX 200 index closed 74.6 points higher at 6828.7, surpassing its prior record close of 6792.13 set on Monday The All Ordinaries gained 74.5 points to 6853.6, beating its previous closing high of 6808.24 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract closed the day up 50 points at 6844, on a volume of 22,978, contracts at a 15 point premium, suggesting the bulls are running out of steam On Wall Street on Wednesday night, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 137 points to 13,930 after the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates and data showed the US economy grew by more than forecast In the resources sector, BHP Billiton rose 80c to $46.90 and Rio Tinto surged $5.00 to $115.00 As the price of gold came within cooee of $US800, Newcrest jumped $1.10 to $33.50, a record high, and it said it planned to grow through acquisitions and had set up a team to search for takeover targets Maybe it thinks we're nowhere near the top Newmont, which has languished somewhat, but said its quarterly profit had doubled, was 31c richer at $5.42, and Lihir advanced 18c to $4.31 |
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x NOTE #50 |
Notes as at 2nd November 2007 Brett's Total as at 1st November - $350558 Brett's Total as at 2nd November - $339942 A fall of $10616 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Wall Street jitters wipe out week's gains" The Australian sharemarket closed in negative territory after significant losses on Wall Street overnight US equity markets fell sharply after broker downgrades of Citigroup and Bank of America At the close in Sydney the benchmark ASX 200 index was 132.1 points lower at 6696.6, while the All Ordinaries shed 126.9 points to 6726.7 For the week, the ASX 200 was off fractionally from its close on Friday last week of 6700.6 Both indices closed at record highs on Thursday On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price contract was 130 points lower at 6714 on a volume of 25,938 contracts The CMC Markets senior dealer Dominic Vaughan said the local market was hit hard by sharp falls on Wall Street "Today's equity markets have been hit with a triple whammy: declining oil prices, falling metal prices and heightened global credit risk" Mr Vaughan said "The market reached its peak of 6851.5 yesterday but most of the gains this week have been wiped out" In the US, the Dow Jones dropped 362.14 points to 13,567.87, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index lost 40.94 points to 1508.44, and the Nasdaq lost 64.29 points to 2794.83 Locally, the big miners were weaker. BHP Billiton fell $1.90 to $45 and Rio Tinto fell $4.04 to $110.96 The spot price of gold was lower, trading at $US789.60 an ounce, down $US7.50 from Thursday's local close The gold miners were weaker, with Newcrest falling 80c to $32.70 and Lihir falling 13c to $4.18 Preliminary market turnover reached 1.86 billion, worth $6.95 billion There were 414 stocks up, 893 stocks down and 344 unchanged Notes as at 5th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 2nd November - $339942 Brett's Total as at 5th November - $333886 A fall of $6056 for the day!! (Friday night to Monday night) And that makes a total drop of $16672 over the last two trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Dark mood obliterates market's positive start" The Australian sharemarket retreated yesterday amid concerns there may be more bad news from the global credit crunch The ASX200 index was 114.3 points lower at 6582.3, while the All Ordinaries lost 106.6 points to 6620.1 At 4.15pm on the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price contract was 104 points lower at 6594 on a volume of 31,218 contracts The market opened in positive territory but soon resumed the trend from last Friday when fears of the credit crisis regained impetus Since then, Citigroup boss Charles Prince has stepped down after the biggest bank in the US warned it may have to write down as much as $US11 billion ($11.95 billion) from subprime mortgages The CMC Markets chief analyst David Land said the credit issue, combined with lower metal prices, prompted selling in some of the biggest sectors of the market "The session didn't really start out badly at all, but it quickly turned and we've seen some more selling pressure applied in the latter part" Mr Land said "The focus in the US was on the financial sector and we've seen that really transfer over" Nevertheless some sectors, particularly gold and oil, had made gains, Mr Land said "Despite the large fall we've seen, it hasn't been a universal fall" The big miners went backwards, with BHP Billiton giving up $1.30 to $43.70 and rival Rio Tinto shedding $2.21 to $108.75 At 4.19pm the spot price of gold was $US802.70 an ounce, up $US12.55 from Friday's close of $US790.15 an ounce The goldminers were mostly brighter, with Newcrest gaining 70c to $33.40, Lihir dipping 1c to $4.17 and Newmont gaining 16c to $5.56 Last Friday US shares finished higher after spending most of that day in negative territory The Dow Jones industrial average was up 27.23 points, or 0.20 per cent, to 13,595.10 The S&P 500 was up 1.21 points, or 0.08 per cent, to 1,509.65 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 15.55 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 2810.38 |
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x NOTE #51 |
Notes as at 7th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 6th November - $333998 Brett's Total as at 7th November - $344000 Up by $10002 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Shares up thanks to shops and miners" The sharemarket closed in positive territory yesterday, boosted by the big miners and a stronger retail sector, and taking the rise in official interest rates in its stride The Reserve Bank of Australia raised official cash rates by 25 basis points to 6.75 per cent The ASX 200 index closed 64.4 points higher at 6692.4, while the All Ordinaries was up 69 points to 6728.1 Still, heads are cooler on the Sydney Futures Exchange, where the December share price index contract finished the day 71 points higher at 6687, a slight discount to the physical, on a volume of 23,129 contracts "We had a very good lead in terms of commodity prices overnight, so that set up a good portion of the market for gains in trade today" the CMC Markets analyst David Land said "That's what we saw from stocks like the big diversified miners like BHP and Rio and some of the more specific companies - Newcrest from gold and Woodside from oil" The market got off to a strong start following a positive lead from Wall Street overnight, which was boosted by higher commodity prices The Dow Jones industrial average was 117.54 higher at 13,660.94 The big miners finished stronger, with BHP Billiton picking up 71c to $44.86 and Rio Tinto plucking back $3.72 to $112.22. Gold continued to surprise, closing in Sydney at $US835.20, up $US25.70 Newcrest jumped $2.06 to $34.86, Lihir was up 21c to $4.38 and Newmont was 15c higher at $5.84 Even Emperor Mines, which now has no mines, was up three-tenths of a cent to 7.9c The total market turnover reached 1.87 billion, worth a total value of $6.66 billion, with 742 stocks up, 561 down and 366 unchanged |
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x NOTE #52 |
Notes as at 8th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 7th November - $344000 Brett's Total as at 8th November - $338925 A fall of $5075 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Sharemarket closes sharply lower" The Australian share market closed down more than two per cent in its biggest one-day loss for several weeks because of global credit woes, a sharp sell on Wall Street overnight and falling commodity prices At the close, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index lost 170.8 points or 2.55 per cent to 6521.6, while the all ordinaries shed 159.6 points or 2.37 per cent to 6568.5 At 4.17pm on the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract was 136 points lower at 6551, on a volume of 38,845 contracts CMC markets senior dealer Dominic Vaughan said the market was hit by a combination of falling commodity prices and the continuing credit crisis in the United States "The nervousness that has come out of the US overnight again relates to credit issues, we also had base metal prices decline and oil prices also came down,'' Mr Vaughan said "It is a triple whammy for the market because we are heavily biased towards our financial stocks and resource sector "On top of that, we have had a couple of particular stocks that came under pressure today - Wesfarmers, Leighton and ANZ'' The market got off to a poor start following a weak lead from Wall Street overnight The Dow Jones industrial average fell 360.92 points, or 2.64 per cent, to 13,300.02, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index shed 44.65 points, or 2.94 percent, to 1,475.62 The Nasdaq lost 76.42 points, or 2.7 percent, to 2,748.76 Locally, the big miners were mixed, with BHP Billiton dipping $1.62 to $43.24 and rival Rio Tinto adding $1.18 to $113.40 |
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x NOTE #53 |
Notes as at 9th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 8th November - $338925 Brett's Total as at 9th November - $351405 Up by $12480 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Billiton bid puts rocket under Rio shares" The stockmarket closed higher, boosted by the miner Rio Tinto, whose shares soared after a $272-billion takeover proposal from rival BHP Billiton The huge bid overshadowed a solid profit result from the National Australia Bank, whose shares rose while the other major banks fell Trent Muller, a private client adviser for ABN Amro Morgan, said Rio was the main driver of the market yesterday, and other resource stocks were boosted as investors considered likely takeover candidates "If you look at Rio, it has added the bulk of the points rise to the ASX 200" Mr Muller said "It's certainly been a market for resources today" The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was up 24.1 points to 6545.7, while the All Ordinaries rose 38.9 points to 6607.4 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index added 44 points to reach 6582 on volume of 32,534 contracts In the resources sector, Rio Tinto shares surged $17.50, or 15.43 per cent, to $130.90 as investors piled into the stock in the hope that a bidding war may eventuate NOTE - Brett has 596 of these shares Suitor BHP Billiton fell 77c to $42.47 NOTE - Brett has 1482 of these shares BHP Billiton announced on Thursday night that it had put a £120 billion ($272.05 billion) takeover proposal to Rio Tinto, which Rio rejected as inadequate The combination of the two companies would create the world's biggest iron ore producer Among gold stocks, Newmont eased 6c to $5.86 and Lihir dipped 3c to $4.27, but Newcrest gained $1.05 to $35.85 The price of gold in Sydney was $US833.05 per fine ounce, down US50c on yesterday's close National turnover was 1.63 billion shares worth $9.4 billion, with 641 stocks up, 616 down and 362 unchanged On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average closed 33.73 points lower at 13,266.29 Notes as at 12th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 9th November - $351405 Brett's Total as at 12th November - $349522 A fall of $1883 for the day!! (Friday to Monday) *** At the close of business - "US catches cold and sneezing starts here" The stockmarket closed 1.4 per cent lower after a bad Friday on Wall Street and mixed commodity prices discouraged traders here but the losses were pared by another strong showing from takeover target Rio Tinto Its potential suitor, BHP Billiton Ltd, said that it was continuing to "seek to engage in discussions with Rio Tinto" about a potential $USD150 billion (AUD$165.85 billion) mega merger The world's biggest miner launched the scrip bid for Rio Tinto on Friday and said today it would carry out a $USD30 billion share buyback if the merger was successful The ASX 200 index ended 90.4 points lower at 6455.3 while the All Ordinaries had fallen 84.1 points to 6523.3 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index future closed the day 98 lower at 6484 on volume of 34,893 contracts "The market had held up at one stage, basically on the back of the Reserve Bank of Australia's quarterly comments" Tony Russell of ABN Amro Morgans Ipswich said The central bank yesterday forecast the local economy to keep running hot and tipped underlying inflation to rise above its 2 to 3 per cent band "But there are concerns that the weakness in the US on Friday might carry over once the US markets open from the Labour Day public holiday today" Mr Russell said US stocks fell 1.7 per cent on Friday on a poor outlook from the wireless technology company Qualcomm Inc and a third-quarter net loss from the mortgage financier Fannie Mae Back home, Rio Tinto surged $8.82, or 6.74 per cent, to $139.72 after the stock had jumped more than 15 per cent on Friday NOTE - Brett has 596 of these shares BHP fell 77c to $41.70 NOTE - Brett has 1482 of these shares Gold was down $US16.20 to $US815.20 Newcrest fell $1.67 to $34.18, Lihir was off 25c to $4.02 and Sino Gold fell 55c to $7.50. Newmont did well to fall only 2c to $5.84. Total turnover on the Market was 1.74 billion shares worth $8.27 billion Notes as at 13th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 12th November - $349522 Brett's Total as at 13th November - $347858 A fall of $1664 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Banks help market to a surprise high" The sharemarket finished higher yesterday, which was unexpected given the negative lead from Wall Street The stocks clawed back a little over half of Monday's losses as gains from the banks offset the falling heavyweight miners The ASX 200 finished up 59.9 points at 6515.2, while the All Ordinaries was 47.6 higher at 6570.9 David Land, of CMC Markets, said the positive finish was a nice surprise given an unspectacular lead from the US and weaker base metals "It has turned into quite a strong session We saw some real strength in the big banks, which dominated the positive side of the markets" he said. Takeover target Rio Tinto ended down for the first time in a week, falling 72c to $139.00 NOTE - Brett has 596 of these shares Rio's potential suitor, BHP Billiton, was 10c higher to $41.80 NOTE - Brett has 1482 of these shares Gold miners were weaker, as was the price of gold, with Lihir shedding 6c to $3.96, Newcrest losing $1.47 to $32.81 and Newmont falling 15c to $5.69 Notes as at 14th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 13th November - $347858 Brett's Total as at 14th November - $351662 Up by $3804 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Banks put rocket under sharemarket" Shares went for bit of a gallop yesterday, the indices closing more than 1 per cent higher, boosted by a strong run in financials for a second day, while a rally on Wall Street eased fears the subprime fallout had a lot longer to run The ASX 200 index closed 83.4 points higher at 6598.6 while the All Ordinaries had gained 79.1 points to 6650 A Macquarie Equities client adviser, David Halliday, said the flow-on from the positive US lead and the renewed confidence in the banks pushed the Australian market higher "The lower oil price eased some inflation concerns" he said Takeover target Rio Tinto ending down for the second day running, and Rio fell $1.50 to $137.50 NOTE - Brett has 596 of these shares Its suitor, BHP Billiton, was 40c higher at $42.20 NOTE - Brett has 1482 of these shares In New York, oil had fallen more than $US3 a barrel, the biggest decline in three months, but was still above $US91 a barrel Goldminers bucked the lower price of gold, with Lihir putting on 8c to $4.04, Newcrest added 58c to $33.39 and Newmont gained 3c to $5.72 Total market turnover was 1.92 billion shares worth $7.04 billion, with 809 stocks rising, 498 falling and 328 unchanged |
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x NOTE #54 |
Notes as at 16th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 14th November - $351662 Brett's Total as at 16th November - $341586 Down by $10076 over the past two trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Down again, as subprime fear persists" The Australian sharemarket ended 1 per cent lower for the second consecutive day as the banks felt the pressure of continuing subprime mortgage problems in the US The country's second-biggest lender by market value, National Australia Bank, was the hardest hit, falling more than 4 per cent Resource stocks were also lower, as commodity prices weakened and investors took profits on the takeover target Rio Tinto At the close, the benchmark ASX200 index was down 66.7 points, at 6461.9, and the All Ordinaries had fallen 68.3 points, closing at 6526.1 On the Sydney Futures Exchange the December share price index fell 84 points, to close at 6496 A senior dealer at CMC Markets, Dominic Vaughan, said Australian banks were coming under a lot of pressure "It's a continuation of the credit crisis in the US, there's a lot of nervousness in the banking sector at the moment" he said "A lot of the major investment banks are writing down more and more every night, Barclay's had a big write-down in Europe overnight" Mr Vaughan said profit-takers were selling Rio Tinto after its shares soared in reaction to a $US150 billion ($168 billion) takeover bid from BHP Billiton Rio Tinto shares fell $3.38 to $131.21 NOTE - Brett has 596 of these shares BHP was steady at $41.15 NOTE - Brett has 1482 of these shares The goldminer Newcrest fell $1.48, to $32.25, as the spot price of gold hit $US786.80, down sharply on last night's close of $US813.30 Preliminary market turnover was 1.6 billion stocks worth $6.4 billion, with 516 stocks rising, 717 falling and 374 unchanged Notes as at 19th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 16th November - $341586 Brett's Total as at 19th November - $346789 Up by $5203 for the day!! (Friday to Monday) Down by $4873 over the past three trading days!! Notes as at 20th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 19th November - $346789 Brett's Total as at 20th November - $336267 Down by $10522 for the day!! Down by $15395 over the past four trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Spooked market back on seesaw" The sharemarket erased Monday's gains, ending deep in the red as major banking stocks were pummelled after news that further subprime write-downs overseas may be on the cards Resource stocks also fell on lower metal prices At the close, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 109.8 points to 6425.4, while the All Ordinaries fell 111.1 points to 6490.4 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index lost 80 points to 6459 on volume of 24,420 contracts An ABN Amro Morgans private client adviser, Bill Bishop, said resources stocks were lower on the back of choppy metals prices overseas BHP Billiton lost $1.29 to $40.30 and Rio Tinto $4.10 to $131.90 Mr Bishop said the market had gone back to seesawing "While Australian banks have proved to be non-exposed to the subprime industry, Australian investors have knocked back the local banks, which have strong balance sheets, they are solid" In the US, the Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 218.35 points to 12,958.44 and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index lost 25.47 points to 1433.27 The spot price of gold finished the day at $US780.38, down $US8.62 on Monday's Sydney close Newmont lost 18c to $5.47, Newcrest $1.29 to $32.05 and Lihir Gold 13c to $3.72 Investors dumped Ramsay Health Care, which ended 22c lower at $10.53 Notes as at 21st November 2007 Brett's Total as at 20th November - $336267 Brett's Total as at 21st November - $337452 Up by $1185 for the day!! Down by $14210 over the past five trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Banking falls dominate session" The Australian stockmarket closed lower yesterday, following sharp falls in the banking sector The ASX 200 fell 41.1 points to 6384.3 and the All Ordinaries shed 40 points to 6450.2 A Macquarie Equities client adviser, David Halliday, said losses by the big banks had offset positive gains in the resources sector, driving the market lower "They are the big decliners on the day and mostly responsible for the falls" Mr Halliday said "The resources sector is such a big driver of the market and BHP Billiton is up almost 2 per cent, that is 10 points to the positive The work of the resources has certainly been offset by the falls in the financials" The market had started the day on a positive note, following a modest rise on Wall Street overnight The Dow Jones industrial average put on 51.70 points to 13,010.14, the S&P 500 gained 6.43 points to 1439.70 and the Nasdaq picked up 3.43 points to 2596.81 The big miners were mixed, with BHP Billiton gaining 75c to $41.05 and Rio Tinto shedding $1.00 to $130.90 The goldminers were stronger, with Newcrest adding $1.45 to $33.50, Lihir picking up 17c to $3.89 and Newmont putting on 27c to $5.74 Turnover on the market was 1.65 billion shares worth $7.21 billion, with 516 stocks rising, 737 falling and 357 unchanged Notes as at 22nd November 2007 Brett's Total as at 21st November - $337452 Brett's Total as at 22nd November - $334079 Down by $3373 for the day!! Down by $17583 over the past six trading days!! An average fall of $2930 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Another down day and this could be the new trend" Australian shares closed in negative territory again yesterday, hampered by lower base metals prices and a weak US lead overnight The ASX 200 index closed 50 points, or 0.78 per cent, lower at 6334.3, and the All Ordinaries dropped 55.1, to 6395.1 A market analyst with CommSec, Julianna Roadley, said the Australian dollar fell about 25-basis points in the 45 minutes before the market close, and this could be partially behind the dip in the local market "Most of the banks were down for most of the day, and there is not much happening in the property sector I think it's a case of wait and see what happens in the US" Ms Roadley said "There is going to be no trading there tonight with Thanksgiving so we'll have another quiet day tomorrow" She said the worst hit on the local market were small and mid-cap miners such as Kagara Zinc and Independence Group NL, affected by lower base metals prices "If you're holding your money in commodities you want to hold it in a safe position at the moment, with the volatility coming through, so you'd want to go for the big guns" Ms Roadley said. A standout was the pharmaceutical developer CSL, which was much favoured by day traders, Ms Roadley said The shares, which split three-for-one last month, closed up $1.01 at $32.26 The big miners were weaker, BHP Billiton falling 61c, to $40.44, and Rio Tinto falling $2.13, to $128.77 Among the goldminers, Newmont was steady at $5.74, Newcrest fell 65c, to $32.85, Lihir fell 5c, to $3.84, and Sino Gold fell 18c, to $6.84 Preliminary market turnover was 3.44 billion shares at a value of $6.56 billion, with 367 stocks up, 929 down and 359 unchanged Notes as at 23rd November 2007 Brett's Total as at 22nd November - $334079 Brett's Total as at 23rd November - $335344 Up by $1265 for the day!! Down by $16318 over the past seven trading days!! An average fall of $2331 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Low-key market for holiday and election" The Australian sharemarket closed yesterday in negative territory for the fourth consecutive day, with trading subdued due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States and local investors sitting tight as they await Saturday's federal election The benchmark ASX200 index closed 4.1 points lower at 6330.2, while the All Ordinaries shed 2.7 points to 6392.4 A CMC Markets senior dealer, Matt Lewis, said trading volumes were low with the market lacking direction "It was a directionless start with the Dow being closed overnight for Thanksgiving, and its been pretty choppy in morning trade" Mr Lewis said "We fell about 30 points at one stage and have really flattened out this afternoon The finance sector has been a bit of a negative weight on the market One of the few standout performers today was Woodside, despite early trade of crude oil coming off last night" Big miners were weaker BHP Billiton was 17c lower to $40.27, while its takeover target Rio Tinto was off 37c to $128.40 The spot gold price was $US807.30 a fine ounce, up $US2.60 on Thursday's closing price in Sydney of $US804.70 Accordingly, gold stocks were higher Newmont closed up 6c to $5.80, Lihir added 3c to $3.87 and Newcrest ended 16c higher at $33.01 Preliminary market turnover was 2.73 billion shares at a value of $4.18 billion, with 620 stocks up, 634 down and 370 unchanged |
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x NOTE #55 |
Notes as at 26th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 23rd November - $335344 Brett's Total as at 26th November - $350229 Over the past seven trading days, the total dropped by $16318!! That is an average fall of $2331 per day!! Today the total jumped back up by $14885 for the day!! (Friday to Monday) Today's total of $350229 is just $1433 off the record of $351662 set on the 14th November!! *** At the close of business - "Buyers are back on their spree" The sharemarket surged yesterday by more than 2 per cent as strong metal prices, a strong Friday on Wall Street and takeover speculation among the big miners sent investors on a spending spree The ASX 200 index finished 141.2 points higher at 6471.4, while the All Ordinaries was up 140.8 points at 6533.2 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract finished the day 136 points higher to 6490 on a volume of 26,340 contracts A CMC Markets dealer, Matt Wacher, said strong gains by the big miners had been the story of the day but other factors combined to send cheer through all sectors on the bourse "The metal prices were reasonably strong on Friday night and there was a pretty positive lead from Wall Street and out of Europe" Mr Wacher said "Here, every sector is up" Afternoon trading locally was given a further boost after Asian markets opened strongly "Good solid gains out of Asia have really kicked our market on as well, adding some impetus" Mr Wacher said BHP Billiton was $1.84 heavier at $42.11 NOTE - Brett has 1482 of these shares Its takeover target Rio Tinto finished $9.60 better at $138.00 NOTE - Brett has 596 of these shares Rio's price, a 7.48 per cent gain, soared on reports BHP may be facing a Chinese rival in an emerging takeover tussle China Investment Corp, the country's new sovereign wealth fund, is considering joining major steel producers to offer about $200 billion for Rio Tinto, according to reports China Investment Corp later denied it was considering a bid The goldminers were brighter, with Newmont closing 17c stronger at $5.97, Lihir lifting back over $4 and closing 20c higher at $4.07, while Newcrest was $1.99 higher at $35.00 US stocks rebounded on Friday in an abbreviated session as the start of Christmas holiday shopping lifted retail stocks, while progress in a plan to relieve the credit market's crisis aided American bank shares The Dow Jones was up 181.84, or 1.42 per cent, to 12,980.88 National market turnover was 2.86 billion shares worth $5.8 billion, with 781 stocks up, 509 down and 341 unchanged |
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x NOTE #56 |
Notes as at 29th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 28th November - $346678 Brett's Total as at 29th November - $354054 Up by $7376 for the day!! $354054 - that is a new record!! Combined investments - Shares and OMIP - Brett's profit has reached over 100% for the first time!! Invested = $182701 .......... Today's total value = $366640 .......... Increase = 100.68% *** At the close of business - "Sharemarket turns things around for one strong session" The Australian sharemarket closed in positive territory yesterday following a strong overnight lead from Wall Street and renewed optimism in local banking stocks The ASX 200 index closed 74.4 points higher at 6444.5 and the All Ordinaries also gained 74.4 points to 6507.2 On the Sydney Futures Exchange the December share price index contract was 89 points higher at 6477, on a volume of 27,031 contracts That was a 32.5 premium to the physical market A manager at ABN Amro Morgans, Tony Russell, said the local market performed well yesterday following a recovery on Wall Street overnight "A strong day on the back of very strong indicators coming out of Wall Street "People still see a lot of volatility in the market - it's up one day and down the next" In the US overnight, the Dow Jones industrial average ended up 331.01 points at 13,289.45 and the S&P 500 index gained 40.79 points to 1469.02 The Nasdaq Composite Index settled up 82.11 points at 2662.91 Locally, the big miners closed stronger. BHP Billiton was up 70c to $42.00, while its takeover target, Rio Tinto, gained $4.25 to $139.25 "Rio has been powering on strongly on the back of some very strong and optimistic comments made at the BHP annual general meeting" Mr Russell said The gold miners were mixed Lihir Gold closed 1c higher at $3.86, Newmont Mining rose 5c to $5.87 and Newcrest Mining lost 1c to finish at $33.99 Total market turnover was 2.36 billion shares worth $7.78 billion, with 684 stocks climbing on the day, 512 stocks falling and 393 stocks unchanged Notes as at 30th November 2007 Brett's Total as at 29th November - $354054 Brett's Total as at 30th November - $363170 Up by $9116 for the day!! $363170 - that is a new record!! And the total has increased by $16492 in the last two trading days!! *** At the close of business - "Bourse rebounds on US hopes of rate cut" Australian stocks turned around a poor start to rise 1.4 per cent after the US Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, reignited hopes for another US rate cut by Christmas The domestic rally would have been stronger if National Australia Bank hadn't slipped 2 per cent as brokers downgraded the stock after its $900 million US acquisition Dr Bernanke, in a speech delivered this morning Australian time, said renewed turbulence in world financial markets had partially reversed improvements that occurred in September and October "We at the Fed will have to remain exceptionally alert and flexible" he said The benchmark ASX 200 index moved into the black during the speech and by the close had added 88.6 points, or 1.4 per cent, to 6533.1 The All Ordinaries index rose 86.4 points to 6593.6 "Comments from US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke increased the market's hopes for a US rate cut, propping up the battered financial sector here" Dominic Vaughan, a senior dealer for CMC Markets said Mr Vaughan said the bourse was also boosted by resources stocks, which were buoyed by higher metal and oil prices But goldminers were hit by a sharp decline in the gold price, he said The global miner BHP Billiton rose 98c to $42.98 and its potential prey, Rio Tinto, jumped $5.94, or 4.27 per cent, to $145.19 Among the gold stocks, Newcrest Mining fell 23c to $33.76 but Lihir Gold picked up 5c as spot gold traded at $US796.70 an ounce, down $US10 on Thursday's close BHP Billiton Limited Purchased 400 shares during 2001 and 1000 shares in 2003 and another 82 shares in 2007 Average price paid = $11.38 and today's closing price is $42.98  Rio Tinto Limited Purchased 300 shares during 2000 and another 200 shares in 2002 plus 96 shares through the dividend reinvestment plan Average price paid = $23.57 and today's closing price is $145.19  |
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x NOTE #57 |
Notes as at 6th December 2007 Brett's Total as at 5th December - $360384 Brett's Total as at 6th December - $366026 Up by $5642 for the day!! $366026 - that is a new record!! *** At the close of business - "A good day despite monster in its cave" The sharemarket closed yesterday 1.43 per cent higher, buoyed by local resource and financial stocks and a strong lead from Wall Street overnight The ASX 200 index closed up 92.8 points at 6600.9 and the All Ordinaries was 92.1 points higher at 6660.5 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract finished the day 85 points higher at 6619, on a volume of 20,118 contracts "We had a very strong lead from Wall Street overnight and our market was up over 100 points at one stage" an ABN Amro Morgans private client adviser, Bill Bishop, said "The banks closed up, with just Westpac and Bendigo off a touch, and it was a huge day for Leighton Holdings, they just can't get enough of it BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto did well Woodside and Santos also were up strongly and the oil price jumped a little last night So the heavyweight resources are back in the box seat" Mr Bishop said residual nervousness in the local market persisted "The market wants to go up but it's looking over its shoulder all the time at the rocky credit market That monster is only tied up in its cave on a very frayed bit of rope It can jump out at any time" The main US stock indices had risen more than 1 per cent overnight, after strong economic data calmed recession fears and helped halt a two-day sell-off The data, including a report that showed unexpected vigour in the jobs market, stoked expectations for corporate spending and sparked a robust recovery in technology shares The bellwethers Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc drove the Nasdaq higher BHP closed up 68c at $43.38 and Rio Tinto rose 92c to $144.74 Among the goldminers, Newmont closed down 3c at $5.72, Lihir was off 3c to $3.74 and Sino Gold was down 9c to $6.76 Newcrest lifted 52c to $32.52 Notes as at 7th December 2007 Brett's Total as at 6th December - $366026 Brett's Total as at 7th December - $369267 Up by $3241 for the day!! $369267 - that is a new record!! The total has increased by $8883 over the past two trading days!! And "Brett's Net Worth Total" has passed three-hundred-thousand for the first time!! - $302,753.00 *** At the close of business - "US mortgage relief plan spurs market rally" The sharemarket finished the week higher, bolstered by a stronger US lead after news from the White House of mortgage relief for beleaguered subprime borrowers The benchmark ASX 200 index closed up 53.8 points, or 0.82 per cent, at 6654.7 and the All Ordinaries gained 53.5 points to 6714 The gains on Wall Street came after US President George Bush announced overnight a mortgage relief package to help 1.2 million distressed American mortgagees A CMC markets senior dealer, Matt Lewis, said the second day of increases on the Australian bourse suggested a level of confidence was creeping back into the market "Traders are seemingly optimistic about US regulators' plan to limit subprime defaults" Mr Lewis said "This bodes well, with all the big four banks showing gains Commonwealth Bank and Westpac faired the best, gaining around 2 per cent each" Mr Lewis said traders could have a nervous wait over the weekend, with the US Federal Reserve meeting early next week to decide whether to continue cutting interest rates An ABN Amro Morgans adviser, Lisa Jarvis, said the gains on Friday came despite a sell-off just before the closing bell "There was a bit of a sell-off at the close, partly because the US futures were providing a negative lead in the run-in for the night Rio Tinto rallied quite hard until 3.30pm then came off a bit" Rio Tinto finished up 74c at $145.48 and BHP Billiton closed 12c higher at $43.50 The spot price of gold in Sydney closed at $US798.90 an ounce, up $US6.30 from Thursday's $US792.60 close Goldminer Newcrest Mining rallied 40c to $32.92, Lihir Gold added 1c to $3.75 but Newmont lost 4c to $5.68 Preliminary market turnover was 1.82 billion shares worth $5.62 billion Notes as at 11th December 2007 Brett's Total as at 10th December - $367728 Brett's Total as at 11th December - $371201 - RECORD!! Up by $3473 for the day!! $371201 - that is a new record!! The total has increased by $34934 over the past three weeks!! *** At the close of business - "Step into line - Wall Street sets the positive trend" The Australian stockmarket closed in positive territory yesterday, underpinned by a strong lead from Wall Street trading overnight The ASX200 index gained 55.3 points at 6680.4, while the All Ordinaries added 52 points to 6738.1 At the close of day trading on the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract was 48 points higher at 6700 It was based on a volume of 17,677 contracts CMC Markets senior dealer Dominic Vaughan said the local market posted gains across the board after a positive lead from the US "We had some recovery in the financials but it really has been across the board" Mr Vaughan said "The good news out of the US has flowed through to our market" Mr Vaughan said the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, was likely to cut interest rates when it meets today, which would have a positive effect on the stockmarket US markets rose as investors reacted to news of a $11.5 billion injection into the embattled financial sector which helped ease credit concerns The Dow Jones industrial average picked up 101.45 points to 13,727.03 Locally, the big miners were mixed with BHP Billiton gaining 61c to $44.20 and rival Rio Tinto losing 20c to $146.50 Rio Tinto confirmed that it had written to the UK Takeover Panel to request a deadline for BHP Billiton to make a formal offer for the company So far it has only been presented with a proposal The spot price of gold was higher and it closed Sydney trading at $US807.15 an ounce, up $US8.45 an ounce from Monday's local close The gold miners were mixed, with Newcrest adding 38c to $33.20, Lihir picking up 5c to $3.81 and Newmont retreating 5c to $5.70 Market turnover reached 1.74 billion, worth $6.33 billion, with 648 stocks rising, 602 stocks falling and 385 unchanged |
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x NOTE #58 |
Notes as at 12th December 2007 Brett's Total as at 11th December - $371201 - RECORD!! Brett's Total as at 12th December - $364961 A fall of $6240 for the day!! *** At the close of business - "Miners, banks lead as we follow Wall Street down" The Australian stockmarket closed weaker yesterday after a smaller-than-expected interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve helped push United States markets sharply lower A senior client adviser at ABN Amro Morgans, Roger Chandler, said the Australian market followed Wall Street downwards, with global miners and some of the big banks leading the descent "It's following Wall Street just about identically because all the banking stocks, both in Europe and the US, struck a few hurdles last night" he said Mr Chandler said investors were in a subdued mood, not wanting to buy stocks even though the market was cheaper The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was 65.2 points lower at 6615.2, and the All Ordinaries was down 62.7 points at 6675.4 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract was off 57 points at 6643, on a volume of 22,291 contracts In the resources sector, BHP Billiton lost $1 to $43.20, and Rio Tinto fell $4.50 to $142 In the gold sector, Newmont dipped 5c to $5.65, Newcrest found 1c at $33.21, and Lihir stepped forward 9c to $3.90 The price of gold in Sydney was $US804.60 per fine ounce, down $US2.55 on Monday's close National turnover was 1.55 billion shares worth $6.04 billion, with 754 stocks down, 478 up and 369 unchanged Notes as at 14th December 2007 Brett's Total as at 13th December - $364904 Brett's Total as at 14th December - $356328 A fall of $8576 for the day!! The total has dropped by $14873 over the last three trading days!! An average fall of $4958 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Subprime crisis continues to spook market" The Australian stockmarket closed sharply lower yesterday as more fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States spooked investors The director of equities at ABN Amro Morgans, Bill Chatterton, said lower base metals prices helped pull down the big miners, but the nervousness from the latest development in the US subprime mortgage crisis affected stocks more broadly It emerged yesterday that the New York-based bank Citigroup will provide emergency support to seven 'structured investment vehicles' with investments totalling $US49 billion ($56 billion) SIVs sell short-term debt to buy longer-term, higher-yielding assets They were shut out of the short-term market as losses on subprime mortgage securities prompted investors to avoid securities considered risky "I suspect the market fall today is a follow-on from subprime because that kind of knocks the market and everyone says we'll take some money off the market" Mr Chatterton said "And that kind of goes across the market, not just out of financials So that's what I think we're probably seeing this afternoon" The benchmark ASX200 index was down 105.9 points to 6491.7 at the close, while the All Ordinaries shed 105 points to 6556.1 The ASX200 was down 2.45 per cent on last Friday's close of 6654.7 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract dropped 111 points to 6489 on a volume of 41,386 contracts, according to preliminary figures On Wall Street overnight, the Dow Jones was up 44.06 points to 13,517.96 In the resources sector on the local market, BHP Billiton fell $1.21 to $42.05, and Rio Tinto lost $3.96 to $137.24 In the gold sector, Newmont eased 9c to $5.55, Newcrest fell $1.22 to $33.25, and Lihir retreated 25c to $3.47 The price of gold in Sydney was $US801.75 an ounce, down $US9 on Thursday's close of $US810.75 Preliminary national turnover was 1.68 billion shares worth $6.64 billion, with 883 stocks down, 401 up and 334 unchanged Notes as at 17th December 2007 Brett's Total as at 14th December - $356328 Brett's Total as at 17th December - $342557 A fall of $13771 for the day!! (Friday to Monday) The total has dropped by $28644 over the last four trading days!! An average fall of $7161 per day!! *** At the close of business - "A bad day that only got worse" The Australian sharemarket plunged 3.5 per cent yesterday after a profit downgrade from Centro Properties Group caused the biggest one-day fall in four months and wiped $53 billion from the value of the bourse Centro lost three-quarters of its market value and triggered a wider rout among listed property trusts after higher funding costs triggered by the US subprime mortgage crisis forced it to slash its distribution guidance The day started badly when high inflation figures in the US dimmed hopes of rate cut there, prompting a 1.3 per cent fall on Wall Street on Friday The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index shed 228.2 points, or 3.52 per cent, to 6263.5 It has now fallen 11.4 points this financial year The All Ordinaries shed 224.3 points yesterday to 6331.8, equating to a single-day combined loss for all listed stocks of about $53 billion On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract dropped 211 points to 6290 Yesterday's sharemarket fall was the biggest since August 10, when the S&P/ASX200 index fell 229.6 points, or 3.72 per cent, to 5936 A Nomura Australia equity markets specialist, Eric Betts, said the news from Centro was probably worse than people expected "Property trusts are down 11 per cent, the biggest one-day fall as far I can remember" Mr Betts said "In recent years all the property trusts, to an extent, followed a similar path of expanding overseas and also increasing their gearing They will have various debt-maturity profiles, but when they have to refinance their costs will go up" Centro dropped $4.34, or 76.14 per cent, yesterday to $1.36 and one of its listed funds, Centro Retail Group, lost 57.5c, or 40.35 per cent, to 85c Among the other property trusts, the hardest hit was Goodman Group, which fell $1.43, or 25.72 per cent, to $4.13, and the Macquarie DDR Trust, which fell 16.5 cents, or 16.1 per cent, to 86c Elsewhere, the mining giant BHP Billiton dropped $1.68, or 4 per cent, to $40.37 and Rio Tinto reversed $5.39, or 3.93 per cent, to $131.85 Investment houses with exposure to property fell sharply, with Macquarie Group down $3.98, or 4.97 per cent, to $76.10 and Babcock & Brown down $1.22, or 4.45 per cent, to $26.20 Total market turnover was 2.05 billion shares worth $7.19 billion, with 219 stocks rising, 1209 falling and 285 unchanged Notes as at 18th December 2007 Brett's Total as at 17th December - $342557 Brett's Total as at 18th December - $336794 A fall of $5763 for the day!! The total has dropped by $34407 over the last five trading days!! An average fall of $6881 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Sharemarket claws back early losses" The Australian share market closed lower today but managed to stem the heavy bleeding of early trading that was marked by another massive sell-off of property group Centro Properties The local bourse plunged in early trading after a negative lead from United States markets, lower prices for base metals and the mass exit from Centro ABN Amro Morgans private client adviser Trent Muller said the steep fall in early trading was an over-reaction "The market has recovered probably on the back of a value-hunting rally and also, to a certain extent, a positive lead for US futures'' Mr Muller said "Most of the carnage is in the property trust sector'' Mr Muller said property stocks that provided some reasonably positive commentary since Centro's fall began yesterday had risen Mr Muller said banking stocks were relatively unscathed today, and investors were also seeking "safe'' stocks such as telco Telstra At the 4.15pm close, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was 26.6 points lower at 6236.9, after hitting a low of 6105.6 The All Ordinaries shed 39.2 points to 6292.6, after sinking to 6168.3 On the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December share price index contract was down 50 points to 6240, on a volume of 151,460 contracts, according to preliminary calculations Centro Properties dumped 55.5 cents, or 40.81 per cent, to 80.5 cents, amid concerns about the company's viability The stock went as low as 42 cents Australia's second largest shopping centre owner has become the latest local victim of the global credit squeeze, after it was unable to refinance about $1.3 billion of maturing debt Centro was also the top traded stock by volume today, with 281.06 million shares worth $216.99 million changing hands In the resources sector, global miner BHP Billiton dropped 27 cents to $40.10 Rio Tinto surrendered $2.44 to $129.41 as it said it was set to spend $US300 million ($351 million) to develop the Eagle nickel mine in Michigan in the US On Wall Street overnight, the Dow Jones industrial average slid 172.65 points to 13,167.20 Notes as at 20th December 2007 Brett's Total as at 19th December - $338432 Brett's Total as at 20th December - $334458 A fall of $3974 for the day!! The total has dropped by $36743 over the last seven trading days!! An average fall of $5249 per day!! *** At the close of business - "Some surprises, but colour's still red" The Australian sharemarket closed in the red yesterday for the seventh consecutive session as cautious investors remained sidelined over concerns about the global credit outlook The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished 39.5 points weaker at 6176.9, while the All Ordinaries fell 36 points, to 6244.8 However, on the Sydney Futures Exchange the December share price index contract, which expired yesterday, was up 27 points to 6240 on a volume of 16,532 contracts But the new March contract was down 49 points to 6175 on 28,864 contracts at 4.16pm A CommSec market analyst, Juliette Saly, said the banking sector performed poorly yesterday as the woes of the debt-stretched Centro Properties Group showed the subprime crisis had hit our shores Centro Properties surprisingly closed 11.5c higher, at $1.32, while Centro Retail Group rose 7c, to 82c "The miners were not doing too well despite higher base metal prices from London, and there was also weakness in the insurance sector" Ms Saly said The big miners were weaker BHP Billiton fell 55c, to $39.50, and the takeover target Rio Tinto fell $2.34, to $128.00 The spot price of gold was $US801.05 per fine ounce, down 55 from Wednesday's closing price in Sydney of $US801.55 per fine ounce The gold miners were mixed Newcrest fell $1.56, to $29.00, Newmont's shares rose 1c, to $5.56, and Lihir rose 5c, to $3.21 The top traded stock on the market was Centro Properties, with 114.95 million shares changing hands worth $157.17 million Market turnover was 2.2 billion shares worth $12.04 billion, with 523 stocks higher, 715 lower and 345 unchanged In the US on Wednesday the Dow Jones industrial average settled 25.20 points lower at 13,207.27 and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 1.98 points, to 1453.00 However, the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 4.98 points, to 2601.01 |