The S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) delivered another positive week, adding 0.3% over the five days. As per usual, here are my three key investor takeaways from the week.
ASX banking sector in rude health
Last week saw three of the big four banks report half-year profit numbers, with a strong recovery across the board.
Doomsday predictions from 2020 which resulted in massive impairments on their loan books are being unwound and in most cases, the banks have retained this capital to secure their balance sheets.
At the same time, they are hoarding capital by not returning dividends to previous levels.
Whilst the headlines are positive, not much has changed in my eyes. The big ASX banks remain squarely deposit and lending institutions, lacking any true innovation and facing the same competition as before.
China ramping up the pressure
As media attention turns away from the pandemic it returns to Australia’s evolving relationship with China, which took another backward step last week.
Politics by media never seems to improve relations and whilst the expectation is that China will always be reliant on Australian iron ore, investors should be wary of betting too heavily on the status quo outcome.
This is particularly relevant as Western pressure increases on the security of Taiwan and its leading semi-conductor technology amid a global shortage.
Much needed reality check for tech shares
Australian smaller companies have been among the best performing asset classes in the world, in many cases trading at valuations far exceeding even those of Nasdaq-listed companies in the US.
Australian investors, starved of growth opportunities and with a home bias, have flooded to the sector, but last week offered a stark reminder of the cost of disappointment.
There is a long list of widely-owned ‘tech’ companies that fell more than 10% last week for many reasons, whether due to an increase in competition, weaker than expected revenue or slowing earnings growth.
