The Week that Was – September 13-17, 2021

By Staff Writers | More Articles by Staff Writers

We at ShareCafe understand you are busy and may not have been left with enough time to keep up with the quality content we’ve been bringing you throughout the week. To make it easier to do so, here it is in one handy location. Just click on the headline and you’ll be taken straight to the story.

 

Monday 13th September, 2021

Stagflation

In his weekly Bites column, David Bassanese from BetaShares gives us a rundown of what’s happening in markets, both local and global.

 

Tuesday 14th September, 2021

Takeoffs and Bumpy Landings in the Local Airspace

Plenty of action in the travel sector yesterday, as the ACCC put the kibosh on a proposed alliance between QAN and Japan Air, and Sydney Airport finally relented to the ongoing bid for the company.

HomeCo Raising Money to Make Money

At a time when continuing Covid delta infections are worrying shoppers and investors in some listed retailers and their landlords, one new trust is looking to go deeper into the sector.

Hedland Iron Ore Shipments Dip Sharply Again

Iron ore shipments through Port Hedland to China fell in August to their second-lowest monthly total this year; the lowest if the Lunar New Year-impacted February data is excluded.

T. Rowe Price August 2021 Global Equity Recap (video)

T. Rowe Price Equity Specialist Sam Ruiz gives his thoughts on how global equity markets have played out so far across sectors and around the world in the September 2021 quarter.

The Listed Private Equity Revolution

A recent structural innovation now allows retail investors the ability to access global private equity investments via securities traded on major stock exchanges, as Steven Milch from Pengana explains.

The Move to the Cloud: No Turning Back

With almost 60% of Australia currently in lockdown, and working and learning remotely, companies providing cloud computing software have been critical in allowing us some level of normality.

PNG Ruling Leaves Westpac Stranded

Westpac might be stuck with the remainder of its South Pacific banking operations after the most logical buyer was finally ruled out by the PNG competition authorities.

Ill Winds Cause Trouble for Incitec

Incitec Pivot will take another round of losses from its troublesome Waggaman ammonia plant in Louisiana, but this time it’s not the plant itself at fault but nasty Hurricane Ida.

 

Wednesday 15th September, 2021

BHP Playing Board Games Ahead of Revamp

As BHP moves towards a major revamp, it has revealed it is going to lose two directors and has asked a third who planned to retire to hang on for another year to help oversee the changes.

RBA Boss, NAB See Some Darkness Before the Dawn

RBA Governor Philip Lowe has repeated his belief (shared by the NAB in its latest monthly business survey) that the Australian economy will see some gloom before boom.

Brambles Smashed 8% on Flat Forecasts

Was Tuesday’s sharp selloff in Brambles shares an accurate reflection of what looks to have been a weak update or simply an overreaction from a nervy set of investors?

Is Calima Energy the Best Way to Play the Rising Oil Price? (video)

Calima owns a 100% interest in more than 60,000 acres of drilling and production rights in the Montney Formation (in British Columbia, Canada), one of the top ranked resource plays in North America.

Oz Farmers Singing in the Rain

Thanks to another year of good growing weather – especially in much of WA and NSW – as well as adverse conditions in the northern hemisphere, the value of Australian farm production hit a record $73 billion.

Diversify Your Portfolio

An allocation to both Australian and global equities can bring investors a broader choice of investment opportunities, as well as reduce volatility and enhance potential portfolio returns.

Thinking About the Office

Under normal circumstances, a medium sized firm of 20 employees would occupy around 400 sqm of office accommodation located in the CBD. But these are not normal circumstances.

Canada’s Teck the Latest to Forgo Fossil Fuels

Media reports say Canada’s Teck Resources is exploring options for its future ownership of its coking (metallurgical) coal operations, the second largest export operation in the world after BHP.

US Yield Pressures Ease a Tad on CPI Figure

US consumer price inflation slowed a little in August as the prices of used cars slid, partially reversing the surge earlier in the year that helped boost the CPI to its highest level for more than a decade.

 

Thursday 16th September, 2021

Myanmar Metals Looking to Move Out and Move On

Can there be life after Myanmar for Myanmar Metals when it gets rid of its mine in the benighted country, changes its name and departs? Management certainly hopes so but the market remains sceptical.

A Ray of Sunshine on the Horizon

Some rare joy for struggling gold tiddler Horizon Minerals as its shares rose more than 4% after it slipped out an updated mineral resource estimate for one section of its Teal project in WA.

Delta Wreaks Havoc on Chinese Economy

Covid Delta hit Chinese economic activity hard right across the spectrum in August, according to the final data drop for the month from the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.

What Reporting Season Can Tell Us about Life in Australia

In these strange times, with prolonged lockdowns changing the daily human experience as we know it, what can reporting season tell us about how Australians are living their lives in 2021?

Papering over the Cracks

As central banks continue to justify market interventions that are covering up some outrageous valuations, Schroders are positioning their portfolio based on economic rather than market value.

The Fundamentals Keeping Chips Hot

Semiconductors, or microchips, are like the brains that enable electronic devices – from televisions to phones and computers – to function. They are so ubiquitous that we can just forget they are there.

Milton Announces Special Dividend

Shareholders of Milton Corporation will get a fully franked special dividend of 37 cents a share once the investment house’s proposed merger with Washington H. Soul Pattinson is finalised next week.

Wesfarmers Sweetens API Bid

Wesfarmers seems to have won the hearts and minds of the board and major shareholders of Australian Pharmaceutical Industries (API) with a lift in its proposed offer price from $1.38 cash to $1.55 a share.

 

Friday 17th September, 2021

Myer Shares Hit 2-Year High on Strong Result

Myer shares closed at their highest level since September 2019 after riding a 28% surge in online business to report a $51 million profit for FY2021, its best result in the past four years.

The Great Trans-Tasman Economic Divide

While the continued lockdowns in much of Australia took their toll on the labour market in August, it was a different story across the Tasman, with the NZ economy growing strongly in the June quarter.

Telstra Continues to Trim Excess Flab

Telstra is looking to slash another $500 million from its cost base over the next three years with its new T25 strategy, a stepped-up campaign to further drive revenue and earnings.

BHP Fleshes Out Jansen Strategy

For the first time BHP has put some substantive flesh on the sales side of its multi-billion-dollar plunge into potash, reporting non-binding deals for up to 100% of future production from its Jansen project in Canada.

BOA Survey Shows Boom Beneath the Doom and Gloom

Covid Delta continues to drain confidence around the world in the outlook for economic growth and earnings – but it hasn’t killed it stone dead as the original variant did in early 2020.

Macau Crackdown May Prove a Turning-Point for Crown

Xi Jinping’s attack on business and cultural activities such as online gaming and ‘effeminate’ men on TV and film has spilled over into the once vibrant Macau casino business.

A Focus on the Unloved Sectors (video)

DNR Capital Portfolio Manager Scott Kelly takes a look at the recent reporting season and focuses on some sectors that are proving attractive for income equities.

Capturing Contrarian Views through Investment Signals

First Sentier Investors’ Co-Head of Multi-Asset Solutions Kej Somaia explains how his firm uses investment signals to spot opportunities and risks that other investors may miss.

Surprise U-Turn for US Retail Sales

In a major surprise, US retail sales unexpectedly jumped 0.7% last month instead of following July with another big fall as economists had forecast.

Ore Funk Deepens with Fourth Straight Selloff

Global iron ore prices crashed for a 4th session in a row this week on Thursday as the restrictions on steelmaking continued to spread into different regions of China.