Australian Stocks: What Happened Today?

Jan 30, 2014 By Henry Jennings, Private Client Advisor, BBY Ltd Feeling any whiplash at all? Bit like the Grand ol’ Duke of York at the moment. When they were up they were up, and when they were down they were down. And today was the down after the rally yesterday. In the end we settled down 41 points at 5188 after touching 5161 and a high of 5230. Sadly, we are just a small dinghy getting tossed around on a sea of International troubles and forces. However we do manage to shoot ourselves in the foot. So many metaphors I am getting lost now! Todays’ disasters were Treasury Wine Estates Limited (A$3.64, -20.0%),Navitas Limited (A$6.57, +2.2%) and MCS. Ltd (A$5.23, -1.3%) also tried to get in on the act as they announced that due to the weather their production guidance would be at the lower end of the forecasts. Good rally off their lows saved the day though and helped sentiment with the other iron ore stocks. The theme of better performing resource stocks whilst banks underwhelm continues. To the sectors Batman, let’s get the positive stocks out of the way. Corporation Limited (A$5.13, +0.6%) ,Westfield Group (A$10.15, +1.2%) and Limited (A$43.87, +1.6%) were the best of the biggies while banks flopped as Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (A$30.05, -1.1%) owned up to a glitch that seems to have cost them $70m.Most were off around 1%.Insurers also predictably fell, Insurance Australia Group Limited (A$5.50, -1.6%), Limited (A$12.40, -1.1%) and QBE Insurance Group Limited (A$11.50, -0.9%) whilst big resource land suffered from Iron Ore prices slipping and weather related issues led by BHP Billiton Limited (A$36.69, -0.5%) and Atlas Iron Limited (A$1.015, -3.3%) although Limited (A$65.80, unch) was relatively unscathed and Limited (A$9.66, +1.0%) even rallied. Other sectors in the dog house were energy Limited (A$37.49, -1.0%), Limited (A$8.08, -2.1%), (A$13.32, -1.3%) and Limited (A$13.94, -0.3%), consumer stocks like Limited (A$2.99, -1.3%), Limited (A$42.00, -0.8%),Woolworths Limited (A$33.95, -0.2%) and Coca-Cola Amatil Limited (A$11.79, -0.9%). The IT sector was mixed .Com Limited (A$9.20, -0.2%),IRESS Limited (A$8.92, -1.3%),Codan Limited (A$0.955, -4.0%)Silex Systems Limited (A$2.05, -2.4%),IntegratedFNArena Research Limited (A$1.17, -0.8%) all down and dirty whilst IT Limited (A$1.375, +3.4%) bucked the trend as they were quoted Ex return of capital.. As usual mining services took things to heart, Leighton Holdings Limited (A$15.99, -1.9%), Limited (A$7.66, -1.2%),Monadelphous Group Limited (A$15.88, -3.6%),Lycopodium Limited (A$4.29, -4.7%),Toll Holdings Limited (A$5.55, -3.0%). More bad news for #QAN Today as it has had to can a few Sydney/Melbourne London flights due to lack of interest. Building stocks were a bright spot with Csr Limited (A$2.97, +0.7%), Limited (A$4.77, -0.4%),DLX# and Adelaide Brighton Limited (A$3.70, unch) also performing better than the overall market. Expect tomorrow to be better with end of month buying and tarting up to benefit the index. For January, we are down around 3%! Not an auspicious start as we head into the all-important reporting season. Challenging times ahead! I cannot remember a period of so many downgrades from corporate Australia. It’s the new black! Big winners today were few and far between but Golds stood out led by Beadell Resources Limited (A$0.74, +5.0%),Oceanagold Corporation (A$2.12, +5.0%), followed by Independence Group NL (A$3.33, +3.7%),#VED#,Western Areas Limited (A$2.62, +1.6%),Ramsay Health Care Limited (A$43.87, +1.6%), Corporation Limited (A$0.305, +1.7%) and Limited (A$0.64, +4.9%) whilst joining Michelle and her team were #MCS#,Treasury Wine Estates Limited (A$3.64, -20.0%),Downer EDI Limited (A$4.83, -5.1%),Mount Gibson Iron Limited (A$1.02, -5.6%), FLN,REA Group Ltd (A$40.21, -4.9%) and Village Roadshow Limited (A$7.07, -4.6%). Volume was reasonable at over $4.4bn with the Aussie dollar 87.30 ,Bitcons $1055 and Gold $1262. In lands far, far away ,Japan slumped as ‘Contagion’ seems to be the watch word at the moment. Nikkei down 380 points, Shanghai down 0.5% and Hong Kong off 1.5% in Chinese New Year shortened trading sessions. Stocks and Stories Treasury Wine Estates Limited (A$3.64, -20.0%) shocker. Sales suffering in their main markets of China ,US and also Australia. Oversupply and weak trading to blame apparently. This has been an ongoing saga for some time now. Think the only salvation is a tap on the shoulder. May happen. At least they can drown their sorrows in the boardroom. Forge Group Limited (A$0.68, -17.1%) need a miracle to arrest the death spiral with more bad news on the doorstep. They couldn’t take one more step! Navitas Limited (A$6.57, +2.2%) announced interim net profit figures of $36.1 million, up 3 per cent on previous year’s first half. That was despite revenue increasing 19 per cent to $421.9 million. The interim dividend is up 1c to 9.4c. MCS today announced that they had been unsuccessful in a tender for Shells’ business. Given their safety record should not be a surprise. Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (A$5.23, -1.3%) had originally promised to export between 127 million and 133 million tonnes in the 2014 financial year, but it today predicted that it would export exactly 127 million tonnes. Limited (A$1.405, -2.1%) revised its production and capital expenditure forecasts. The company said stronger oil production volumes from the Western Flank, in the Cooper Basin, would maintain maximum capacity Production guidance for the 2013-14 financial year was upwardly revised to between 9.2 million and 9.6 million barrels of oilFNArena equivalent (mmboe). Billabong International Limited (A$0.595, -4.0%) looked to have fallen into the hands of the hedge funds following a vote at the EGM. Wotif.com Holdings Limited (A$2.41, -0.4%) Graeme Wood today announced his corporate philanthropy has ceased and he is closing his Global Mail news web site in Mid-February. Seems his wallet isn’t as big as it once was! The Markit /HSBC final manufacturing PMI for January dipped to 49.5 from December’s 50.5, the first deterioration in six months. The figure was in line with the 49.6 reported in the preliminary version of the PMI released a week earlier. New Home sales dipped slightly in December but still recorded their biggest rise since 2008. Tomorrow's News Today More to come from FOMC fallout I suspect. Emerging market turmoil to continue. Russian Rouble at its lowest level. Argentina ouch! Turkey love those interest rates! Ukraine, Thailand, Syria, contagion anyone? A Japanese Bio Tech team has found a way to make adult stem cells. Just add acid! So much quicker. Now for human trials but if successful will open Pandorra’s box.(Great line from Notting Hill on this one!) You thought we had an issue with ageing populations at the moment. Wait til we can regenerate like Dr Who. Cool. Anyone remember Logan’s Run? And here’s a desperate moves as and Virgin rolls out unsolicited debit cards for 16 year olds!! Nice. Course it against the law but look for the Frequent Flyer Card in your letter box. Coming soon. Global interest rates are on the rise. Beware. South Africa’s Reserve Bank surprised observers by boosting its main interest rate to 5.5% from 5%. And in a possible move that makes me think the US isn’t as dumb as it looks, there is a movement to have Justin Bieber’s US visa rescinded for crimes against music.100,000 already signed. There must be more surely! Henry Jennings Private Client Advisor BBY Limited Participant of the Australian Securities Exchange Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority

Level 17, 60 Margaret St Sydney NSW 2000 D +61 2 9226 0067 M +61 414 345 137 E [email protected] W www.bby.com.au Reprinted with permission of the publisher. Content included in this article is not by association the view of FNArena (see our disclaimer). Who is BBY? Australia and New Zealand’s largest non-bank owned stockbroker Ranked Top 10 Dealing Desk at the 2013 Stockbrokers Awards Australia’s largestFNArena range of financial trading products

Visit us for more information bby.com.au | fb.com/BBYLtd | twitter.com/BBYLtd

Disclaimer: If you are not an intended recipient of this communication, please notify the sender. You should not read, act upon, print, disclose, copy, retain or redistribute this communication or any attachment without the authority of BBY Limited (ABN 80 006 707 777/AFSL 238095/FSA Reg No. 146367). Click here for important additional terms relating to this communication, or alternatively click on the Disclaimer link on our website. Find out why FNArena subscribers like the service so much: "Your Feedback (Thank You)" - Warning this story contains unashamedly positive feedback on the service provided.

FNArena