Has the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) finally put an end to its interest rate hikes? The S&P/ASX 200 (INDEXASX: XJO) is bouncing and Costa Group (ASX: CGC) is a takeover target.
ASX 200 bounces on RBA interest rates
The chart above tracks the performance of the Betashares Australia 200 ETF (ASX: A200), which is a way to track the movements in the top 200 Aussie shares over time.
On Tuesday, news that the Reserve Bank of Australia had decided to pause the most aggressive period of rate hikes in recent memory saw both the All Ordinaries (ASX: XAO) and ASX 200 surge to a 0.5 per cent gain.
This strong start to the new financial year was powered by the financials and property sectors, which gained 1 and 1.1 per cent, respectively.
RBA interest rates: good news for property?
The property sector was led by the likes of Mirvac Group (ASX: MGR) and Dexus Group (ASX: DXS) which added 2.2 and 1.1 per cent on hopes that the hit to valuations may be limited.
Yet all eyes were on vertically integrated agricultural company Costa Group (ASX: CGC), which gained 12.1 per cent, after confirming the receipt of a formal takeover bid from Pain Schwartz Partners to acquire the company for $3.50 per share. The deal is a 34 per cent premium to the prior price and will include the payment of the interim dividend.
Silverlake affirms production & Suncorp premiums increase
News that Russia and Saudi Arabia had decided to cut production nearly beat the RBA’s hold decision in terms of headlines, with the result seeing the energy sector top the market, up 1.2 per cent.
Both countries are seeking to stabilise prices following a period of weakness due to US and global recessionary concerns. Pay rises for workers continue to grow and draw the ire of the central bank as they seek to cut spending, with the largest jump in 11 years in enterprise bargaining agreements, seeing an annual pay rise of 3.7 per cent delivered.
The Silverlake Resources Ltd (ASX: SLR) share price gained 5.8 per cent after the company confirmed prior sales and production guidance and a significant increase in cash on hand.
Finally, Suncorp Group (ASX: SUN) faces the unique challenge of insurance companies, with the group noting that reinsurance premiums, through which they offset their policy claims, will likely be increased by more than $250 million or 12 per cent in 2024, placing more pressure on premium hikes.
Is my 2023 prediction coming true?
On The Australian Investors Podcast each and every Saturday at 7 am, we provide an update on the economy and what’s happened recently. Late last year, we hinted at the possibility of an interest rate cut in 2023, which is/was extremely contrarian. With RBA interest rates rising a few times this year already, our (tongue-in-cheek) prediction may not be correct. And our portfolios are not dependent upon it. However, there’s a chance, if the economy slows down meaningfully, it could happen.
Yesterday, I published this article on the 5 things every investor should be watching in the second half of 2023.
