The Wrap:ASX goes into correction with $80b rout
The Wrap:ASX goes into correction with $80b rout

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The Wrap:ASX goes into correction with $80b rout

ByColin Kruger

Welcome to your five-minute recap of the trading day and how the experts saw it.

The numbers: The ASX 200 plunged as much as 5.3 per cent on Tuesday,before closing 3.5 per cent lower at 6,686 ensuring the sharemarket officially entered correction territory.

Wall Street futures rescued the local sharemarket from a worse outcome with S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures indicating a jump of more than 1 per cent US Treasuries snapped a sell-off.

All sectors still managed to finish the session lower with the energy sector down more than 5 per cent. Materials and tech dropped more than 4 per cent. All of the big banks and miners took a drubbing with BHP and Fortescue closing down 4.2 per cent and 8.5 per cent,respectively. The Commonwealth Bank dropped 2.8 per cent and Macquarie closed more than 5 per cent lower.

The lifters: Polynovo 7.8%,Domino’s Pizza 2%,Computershare 1.6%

The laggards: Zip Co -15.9%,Block Inc -15.1%,Chalice Mining -14.2%

The lowdown:The size of the drop on Tuesday was partly explained by the fact that the ASX 200 was playing catch up on two days worth of Wall Street mayhem after taking a holiday on Monday. But the biggest factor was that the US markets were telling us that inflation is worse than expected,which means US interest rates will go higher than expected,and the odds of a recession are rising.

Even Australia’s mining stocks were not spared after COVID numbers out of China triggered lockdown worries,yet again.

To give an idea of the impact it had on financial markets,long and short-term interest rates in the US jumped more than 0.5 per cent over two sessions.

CommSec’s Tom Piotrowski said the market had not seen a move of that magnitude since the early 1980s.

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But Saxo Markets strategist Jessica Amir said its negative sharemarket outlook is centred on local inflation and its impact on consumers,who account for 70 per cent of the economy,and will bear the brunt of higher prices.

“All of these key inflationary components are expected to worsen,which is why we are maintaining our very bearish view on markets,” she said.

It wasn’t all bad news on Tuesday. You wouldn’t know from the drop in its share price,but Lynas Rare Earths scored a big win with its announcement that the US Department of Defence will provide $US120 million worth of funding for the rare earth separation plant it plans to build in Texas.

And the day ended with some hope with indicators showing Wall Street is expected to rise this evening after taking a battering over the last three trading sessions.

Tweet of the day:

Quote of the day:”What we are seeing is high cancellation and deferment rates as a result of COVID infection and exposure at levels that we haven’t seen before,” said Monash IVF chief executive Michael Knaap.

You may have missed:Amid all the sharemarket bloodletting,The Star Entertainment Group pleaded with the NSW inquiry on Tuesday that its own recent bloodletting was sufficient to ensure it is now suitable to retain its casino licence in Sydney. Right on cue,reports are already emerging of an inquiry into whether it should retain its casino licences in Queensland.

The Market Recap newsletter is a wrap of the day’s trading.Get it each weekday afternoon.

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