The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) is poised to edge slightly lower when the market opens on Wednesday. Here’s what’s making headlines across local and global share markets.
ASX 200 falls late, coal prices boosted by floods
The S&P/ASX 200 fell into the close, ending 0.1% lower on Tuesday with the materials the biggest detractor, falling 1.5%.
The selling pressure came after one of the key Chinese smelting cities announced curbs to steel production as they seek to address environmental concerns, sending the iron ore price lower. BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) fell 0.9% and 1.1%, respectively.
The energy sector was the standout, jumping 2.8% with AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) leading the market up 5.1% after announcing its intention to seek approval for the construction of a 200MW battery at the Loy Yang coal station.
On the flipside, coal prices have reached a near three-year high due to the massive flooding throughout NSW and the Hunter Valley. Despite the strength, the Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) share price fell 1.1% after downgrading its sales expectations to 18.5 million tonnes.
ASX travel shares were also hit heavily on Tuesday, with Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) and Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) down 4.2% and 3.9%, respectively, despite improving news regarding the vaccine rollout.
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New Zealand offers insight into property, Kathmandu surges
The New Zealand Government announced a sweeping range of reforms to cool down an overheating property market. The proposals included tax breaks offered to investors and apply macro-prudential restrictions on interest-only loans. Economists cheered the strategy but noted the significant and immediate impact it will have on property prices.
ASX retailer Kathmandu Holdings Ltd (ASX: KMD) announced its half-year results, revealing a 42% increase in earnings to NZ$95.4 million on the back of a 12.9% increase in first-half sales. The result benefited from NZ$20 million in government and rent subsidies that management confirmed it will not be repaying. The Kathmandu share price finished 9.3% higher.
Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG) shares jumped 4.5% after bouncing back from a loss in 2020 as revenue increased 4.8% to $3.4 billion at its network of pharmacies. Net profit quadrupled to $59.8 million as the company continues to recover.
The latest IPO darling, Airtasker Ltd (ASX: ART), which offers a marketplace for day-to-day tasks, finished 62% higher on debut with investors flocking to the ‘tech’ platform.
US markets provide weak lead, WHO highlights ‘truly worrying trends’
US markets finished broadly lower overnight ahead of further testimony from the Federal Reserve.
The Nasdaq was down 1.1%, the Dow Jones 0.9% and the S&P 500 0.8% after the World Health Organisation called out developed countries for ‘truly worrying trends’ around their domination of vaccine supply.
WHO Director-General Tedros highlighted the fact that case numbers are still increasing in most regions and this increases the threat of further variants emerging.
The case numbers sent the oil price 6% lower on concerns the likes of Europe will take longer to recover amid a slowing vaccine rollout.
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is said to be considering the purchase of Discord, an in-game chat community used by video gamers during the pandemic, adding to its stable of ancillary businesses alongside LinkedIn.
Nintendo (TYO: 7974) was the latest company to upgrade its hardware, confirming a deal with NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) to use its latest chips within the new iteration of the Switch handheld console.
