December 2023

China’s central bank left its last two key indicator rates steady at all-time lows on Wednesday, despite November’s economic data dump—especially housing and inflation figures—continuing to suggest that the economy remains moribund. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) kept its one and five-year lending rates steady at the December fixing. The one-year loan prime rate […]

Among renewables, lithium remains a significant driver for ASX investors and companies, with Rio Tinto exploring this space, unlike BHP. In 2023, lithium pricing and prospects returned to reality, dropping from $US80,000 a tonne to $US20,000-$US30,000 a year later for carbonate and hydroxide. 2024 is expected to be a year of consolidation, exemplified by the

Stocks tumbled on Wednesday as investors cashed in some profits following the market’s recent hot streak, and FedEx dragged the S&P 500 lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 475.92 points, or 1.27 per cent, to 37,082.00. The Nasdaq Composite was lower by 1.50 per cent to 14,777.94. Both indexes ended a nine-day advance, and

On Wednesday, the Australian stock market made gradual progress towards a potential all-time high, mirroring the upward momentum seen on Wall Street. This movement was driven by investors adjusting their positions in anticipation of the US Federal Reserve initiating interest rate cuts in the coming year. At the end of the trading day, the S&P/ASX

The following companies have been discussed this week: Ridley Corp (ASX:RIC)LendLease Group (ASX:LLC)The following transcript was AI-generated. Hello. My name’s Chris Pedersen, and this is Stock Watch for Wednesday, the 20th of December 2023. This is the last day of the year that I’ll be doing stock watch. I’ll see you in January. Advice is

Australian mining giant BHP (ASX:BHP) has decided to pull out of a deal with Havilah Resources (ASX:HAV), dealing a significant blow to the development of the Kalkaroo copper and gold project in northeastern South Australia. The decision has sent Havilah Resources’ shares spiraling down by more than 20%, marking a challenging day for the exploration

The $14.3 billion merger between Allkem (ASX:AKE) and Livent has been successfully concluded. Livent shareholders voted in favor of the deal on Tuesday in the US. This decision followed Allkem’s announcement that 72% of its shareholders voted (89% in favor) to merge with Livent on the same day. Livent reported an overwhelming majority of its

Manny Anton: We’re talking today with BluGlass, one of Australia’s only vertically integrated semiconductor manufacturers. BluGlass is a global supplier of cutting-edge visible lasers for the industrial, defense, quantum, robotics, and scientific markets. It has facilities in both Australia and the US. The company has had some significant news flow recently. It has secured its largest

The European Central Bank (ECB) has joined the US Federal Reserve in preparing for a rate cut in 2024, as euro area inflation slumped to just 2.4% in November, barely above the 2% target. This result was significantly better than the market’s forecast of a fall to 2.7%. The Fed has witnessed American consumer prices

Explosives manufacturer Orica (ASX:ORI) concluded its 2023 on a high note with the acquisition of a Canadian company for more than half a billion dollars. On Wednesday morning, Orica announced its purchase of Terra Insights, a Canadian sensors and data delivery company, for $C505 million ($A559.9 million), as reported to the ASX. Shareholders can rejoice