Rumours that Russia and Ukraine were being encouraged to come to the table for peace discussions supported the market on Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) gaining 0.7%.
Materials surge on supply uncertainty
Mining, materials and energy remain the biggest contributors as the conflict raises questions around supply chains, with the former adding 3.0% and the latter 1.4%.
BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) were central to the rally, gaining 4.4% and 3.2%, respectively, after the iron ore price reached US$140 per tonne once again.
Both Russia and Ukraine are material producers of iron ore, albeit not to the scale of Australia and Brazil, so it has been more about the buyers of this ore changing their source.
The ASX technology sector was the biggest detractor, falling 0.6%, as family tracking app Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) continued to struggle, falling 8.9% in the session.
Zip buys Sezzle
Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) entered a trading halt to announce a $200 million capital raising that will be used to fund the acquisition of smaller BNPL player Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL). The shares price has fallen close to 70% in recent months, but the deal is set to see the business grow active users by more than 30% and shift transaction volume to over $10 billion.
GrainCorp gains on pricing
Shares in GrainCorp Ltd (ASX: GNC) were among the top-performing for the day, with the company gaining 5% on the expectation that a shutdown in supply of wheat from Ukraine will benefit alternative producers like Australia.
Investment recovery spurs Invocare
Funeral provider InvoCare Limited (ASX: IVC) gained another 4.5% after the company moved from an $11 million loss to an $80 million profit. Revenue rose 11% to $532 million, however, it was the performance of the investments in which prepaid funeral expenses are held that drove performance following a difficult 2020 and 2021. This reiterated that InvoCare is akin to an insurance or investment company.
Sandfire cuts dividend
Copper producer Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) reported a 22% increase in revenue, and a 24% jump in profit, with production in line with expectations. A surging copper price has been central to the recovery, but wasn’t enough to offset a significant cut in the dividend.
Finally, US gambling hopeful PointsBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH) appears to have slowed the bleeding, falling 1.1%, despite last week reporting that accumulated losses in its pursuit of the lucrative online gaming market in the US now exceed $427 million.
ASX 200 today
Looking ahead, the ASX 200 is expected to open higher this morning despite a mixed lead from US markets overnight.
