Tuesday 1st February 2022
Market gains on RBA hold, Boral delivers big capital return, ELMO upgrades
It was another positive day for the market, with the S&P/ASX200 gaining 0.5% after the Reserve Bank confirmed it would be taking no action on rates once again.
Concerns about a slowdown in global growth have seen a recovery in the more rate-sensitive sectors of the market with technology and utilities leading the way again, gaining 2.6 and 2.4% respectively.
Materials were the only detractor with the sector falling 1.2% on the back of a weaker iron ore price, Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) fell by more than 2%.
Construction material group Boral (ASX: BLD) jumped 5.8% after management made the long-awaited announcement of a $2.92 billion capital return.
The payment will be made at a rate of $2.72 per share, with 7 cents to be paid as an unfranked dividend. The payment will apply to all shareholders on the 3rd of February.
Workplace software provider ELMO jumped 7.5% after upgrading expectations for a 28 to 35% jump in annualised revenue for the financial year.
The group has benefitted from a surge in digitalisation within businesses seeking efficiency.
Retail sales tank, bond-buying finished, rates to stay low
Australian retail sales confirmed the obvious, falling 4.4% in December, despite this typically being the strongest months of the year.
The omicron outbreak clearly hit confidence and pushed foot traffic significantly lower.
The RBA remains conservative on their rate hike view despite a growing chorus of commentators, with the board confirming it was ‘too early’ to conclude last week’s inflation data warranted an immediate hike in rates.
The stated 2 to 3% target is over the medium term, rather than a single year, with the governor flagging clear short-term issues in the form of supply chains, border closures, petrol prices and higher construction costs.
The cash rate was kept on hold at just 0.10% but bond buying is set to conclude on February 10 as expected.
One of the big beneficiaries has been the AUD falling to under 70 cents, aiding investors with holdings overseas.
Shares in Nufarm (ASX: NHF) gained another 2.4% after inking a 10-year deal with oil giant BP on a sustainable biofuel product.
Markets start February positively, Tesla recall, UPS smashes expectations, Exxon sales surge 90 %
After a busy month, the US markets had a positive start to February, with reporting season once again coming into focus.
On Tuesday all three benchmarks were broadly in line with the Nasdaq gaining 0.8, the Dow Jones the same and the S&P500 up 0.7%, with a number of blue-chip reports driving the moves.
The first was telecoms group AT&T (NYSE: T) which confirmed its board approved the spinoff of their WarnerMedia division, owner of HBO and TNT.
The result will see a 49% cut to the dividend, but free up additional funds for the parent company to invest in expanding their 5G network.
United Parcel Service or UPS (NYSE: UPS) gained more than 14% after reporting an 11.5% growth in quarterly revenue as online shopping and parcel deliveries continued to surge.
With costs falling 4.5%, inflation was nowhere to be seen, boosting profit and a 49 per increase in the dividend.
Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) gained over 6% after reporting an 80% rise in revenue for the quarter, benefitting from both a surge in volumes and price.
Drew is editor of The Inside Network's publications and a principal adviser at Wattle Partners.
