The ASX 200 came off the boil today with the index now looking set for a more protracted pullback into the ~5750 region or ~4% lower. After a reasonable open considering the weakness overseas, selling towards the banks ticked up and the market grinded down into a lunchtime low. Business... Show More
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There are several areas of analysis that have stirred debate at JCP as we head into 2019, and each appears to carry a bit more bite than in standard years. These include the following topics, which we discuss in full, with stock examples, in our 2019 market outlook attached. Show More
The market rounded out the week the same way it started with a soft day’s trade resigning the index to a poor week, down -1.4%. The banks & resources took a hit on trade fears as another Canadian national was detained in China. It appears the trade truce has only... Show More
The market stumbled into the close today, despite some reasonable overseas news flow and market leads. The ASX200 opened around flat on the day, before climbing its way to a solid 28point / 0.5% gain at its 1PM peak before some nervy investors took some money off the table throughout... Show More
The market opened reasonably well this morning considering the soft leads overseas plus net negative news flow out over the weekend – a drop of 40pts early felt optimistic and that proved correct as stocks were sold down hard throughout the day, led lower by weakness across Asia along with... Show More

The list of problems facing Telstra is well known: falling revenues as the NBN rolls out, and declining market share in mobile. As the payments from the NBN begin to roll-off, some have questioned whether Telstra can even maintain its reduced dividend. But it’s precisely this negativity that caught the... Show More

Confession season was eerily quiet leading into reporting season, unlike the noise from the Royal Commission and the incredible events out of Canberra, where another Prime Minister didn’t reach their full term. The global equity backdrop was in a state of flux with the ongoing Trump-induced trade debate/war raging, mixed... Show More
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It has long been difficult to place rationale around valuations in certain areas of the market. While the supermodels get all the spotlights, it’s the cardigan wearing brigade that seem more like a solid investment, allowing scope for many different futures — both good and not so good — without... Show More
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TPG had been looking at a significant earnings cliff in an NBN world, with consensus EPS falling 30% in the next few years before we even consider large mobile losses. With the proposed merger with Vodafone, they fill the earnings hole by capturing an estimated $250million of synergies, which are... Show More

“Carnage” is a word that comes to mind when thinking about the Australian telecom industry at the moment. Shares of major telecom players are down anywhere between 50% – 70% over the last couple of years, mainly due to: Show More
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Disruption. It's a word that we hear a lot of these days, but how many companies can claim to be truly innovative in their industry? Essentially what we're investing in is structural growth, focussing on innovations that benefit consumers, whether it be through a new, more innovative product, or a... Show More
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Higher returns require higher risk and volatility… Or at least, that’s what finance theory would tell us. Is it possible to ‘have your cake and eat it too’? Callum Burns, Portfolio Manager of the SG Hiscock ICE Fund clearly thinks so, and he’s got the track record to back it... Show More

A 10-bagger is a stock that goes up 10-times in value. It is a concept made famous by Peter Lynch, the well-known fund manager from Fidelity. For most fund managers, picking a 10-bagger is often enough to make a career. I have some good news and some bad news for... Show More
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The telco sector caused widespread pain in 2017 when it lost 23% to finish as the worst performing sector on the ASX. And not even 4 months into 2018, the sector is already down another 14%. You may well be asking: When will this end? In this special thematic episode... Show More
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Performance is as much about avoiding the blow-ups, as it is about picking the winners. So for Livewire’s ‘Easter Eggs’, we outline three sectors to avoid completely, before then spotlighting two stocks we think stock-hunters should take a look at this Easter. Show More
The market sold off early on the back of the Tech led sell off in the States overnight that saw American indices down around ~1.5% thanks to reports of a data leak within Facebook (OMG!!) + there were a few other factors at play that we wrote about this morning,... Show More

The most important piece of information in this report is this: Telstra’s mobile business is under pressure. Postpaid ARPU (including mobile repayment options) decreased 3.6% due to higher data inclusions. This is the 5th consecutive half of postpaid ARPU decline with an acceleration in the rate of decline. Show More
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Weakness in the commodity complex overnight weighed on the ASX today with the index finishing in the red for the 3rd straight day. Copper the main target overnight and that provided the topic for our AM report this morning. Last night’s fall in Copper was blamed mainly on a stronger... Show More

Big established companies are struggling to grow and the ASX20 has delivered miserly 5% annual return since 2012. For investors seeking some growth the challenge is to identify tomorrow’s leaders. In the final episode of Buy Hold Sell for 2017 we ask two fund managers that specialise in finding growth... Show More

Telstra has a strong position, with 50 per cent share of both fixed line and mobile markets. Importantly, it also has an even more dominant position in the very profitable corporate, government and enterprise service areas. The profits from these businesses, together with its strong balance sheet, position the company... Show More