The Week that Was – March 14-18, 2022

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 14 March, 2022

Ampol Frees Up Cash for Z Energy Purchase

Ampol’s plans to buy the NZ operations of Z Energy has moved closer with the sale of its Gull business for $A532 million in cash and debt.

 

Tuesday 15 March, 2022

Raft of Ratings Downgrades on the Cards

Stand by for an imminent flood of downgrades and other ratings changes linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the big three ratings agencies – S&P Global, Moody’s and Fitch.

IGO Standing Pat on Western Areas Bid

IGO says the surge in nickel prices and subsequent confusion after trading was stopped a week ago will not force his company to lift its offer price of $3.36 for rival miner Western Areas.

Covid Once More Gaining Upper Hand in China

China is moving closer to a massive shutdown as the government tries to control what might be the most widespread outbreak of the disease since the original Wuhan outbreak in early 2020.

Elders Tops Up Guidance after Big Wet

Elders has joined GrainCorp in upgrading its 2022 financial outlook because of good growing conditions that saw many of its customers avoid the impact of the recent floods on the East Coast.

The Amazing Hyperscalers

Montaka believes the long-term winners in the AI sector are already known with a high degree of certainty but that the stock prices of these businesses are failing to adequately reflect this.

Markets and War – An Unlikely Alliance

GAM Investments’ Julian Howard examines the historical relationship between war and markets and the potential implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the global economy.

 

Wednesday 16 March, 2022

Rio to Mop Up Turquoise Hill Ownership

Rio Tinto has revealed plans to buy out the minorities in Turquoise Hill, the company which controls a major stake in the troubled Mongolian copper gold mine, Oyu Tolgoi.

Berkshire Shares Hit $US500k for First Time

For the first time ever, the share price of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway reached $US500,000 on Monday as the stock continued to outperform the wider market.

Chinese Data Mixed as Market Turmoil Persists

Asian equity markets continued to tumble as investors chose to look beyond some OK economic numbers from China and focus on another worrying jump in the country’s Covid cases.

All Eyes on Nickel Ahead of LME Reopening

Enormous pressure on global commodity markets with traders big and small watching what will be a huge test of faith as the LME restarts trading in the nickel contract tomorrow, London time.

Gold Sector Nuggets: WGX, PNR, DEG

Plenty of news from around the gold space today, as Westgold Resources and Pantoro both raise some funds for work at their WA projects and De Grey Mining gets some positive results.

Tuesday Trading Talk: UWL, HLS

Corporate action afoot for a couple of industrial companies, with telco Uniti the subject of a takeover at $4.50 per share and healthcare provider Healius announcing a $A100m buyback.

Interest Rates, Bonds and Listed Real Estate

Just as we seemed to be passing peak inflation, Russia’s recent attack on Ukraine has resulted in another spike in commodity prices. Quay Global looks at this from a real estate perspective.

Palladium and Platinum Rally on Russia

As Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, ETF Securities looks as what might happen in commodities markets such as palladium and platinum, where Russia is a crucial player.

Acquisition Creates Australia’s Largest Independent Financial Advice Group (video)

WT Financial Group Founder and CEO Keith Cullen explains what the recent the acquisition of its industry peer Synchron Business Services means for the company going forward.

 

Thursday 17 March, 2022

Bearishness Abounds in Latest B of A Survey

The latest Bank of America survey shows that major investors around the world are more concerned about the outlook for global growth than at any time since the GFC in 2008.

Reinsurance a Handy Umbrella for Suncorp

Shares in Suncorp did an about-face during trading yesterday after it provided an update on the cost of this summer’s natural disasters, especially the floods along the East Coast.

Kathmandu Consolidates into KMD Brands

Outdoors retailer Kathmandu has completed a rebranding to ‘KMD Brands’, of which it has a few, not to mention a new CEO looking to put his stamp on his new company.

Russian Default Very Much on the Cards

While an 0.25% rate rise by the US Fed is almost a foregone conclusion, there’s a decent chance that by the time you are reading this Russia will officially be in default on its debts.

Readying for a Market Leadership Change (video)

The disruption bubble is unravelling and market leadership is changing. Platinum’s Clay Smolinski looks at where the next big investment opportunities may lie.

T. Rowe Price March 2022 Global Equity Update (video)

Sam Ruiz from T. Rowe Price gives his thoughts on the 3 key themes having an impact on markets at the moment: Inflation, Interest Rates and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Australian Resource Companies Well Positioned in 2022

Geopolitical turmoil and demand from China are tailwinds for Australian resource companies, pushing commodity prices higher. VanEck’s Cameron McCormack with more.

 

Friday 18 March, 2022

Fed Raises Rates, Beijing Raises Hopes

As widely anticipated, the US Fed raised rates by 25 basis points overnight, but market sentiment was helped by conciliatory statements from China on market stability and listing rules.

Hardies Looks to Cement Future with New Plant

Just two years after suspending dividends as it hunkered down to ride out the 2020 Covid storm, James Hardie has bought land in Melbourne as the site for its new cement sheet plant.

Fonterra Unable to Milk Stronger Pricing

A disappointing half-yearly performance for Fonterra, after the dairy co-operative was unable to convert the strong rise in global prices into higher prices for its own products.

Oz Unemployment Hits 14-Year Low

Not unexpectedly Australian unemployment fell to its lowest level on record last month as the economy continued to rebound from the impact of Covid Omicron.

Another Era of Quantitative Tightening Beckons

The first era of quantitative tightening fizzled. Magellan Investment Specialist Michael Collins wonders if asset-selling – aka money destroying – can help fight inflation this time?

What I Wish I’d Known about Investing at 30

Youth, as the old adage goes, is wasted on the young. Fidelity’s Tom Stevenson has some sage advice from his time in the markets for investors starting out on their journey.