The Australian share market fell back into the red today, weighed down by a weak offshore lead and an indecisive trading update from Macquarie Group (MQG). The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) fell 18.1pts or 0.4pct to 4520.7 while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) eased by 16.3pts or 0.4pct to 4505.1.
Read more about ASX Share Market Wrap Up – Feb 9th 2010WOW – Woolworths’ Earnings- First-half revenue surges 4.2% – Australia’s largest supermarket operator, Woolworths, has today announced half year sales of $27.2 billion – a 4.2% increase on last year, or 6% when stripping out petrol sales. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Michael Luscombe, said that volume growth had been pleasing, although lower inflation impacted on sales growth.
Read more about Woolworths’ ASX (WOW). First-half revenue surges 4.2%In Asia, equity markets are all lower following Friday’s poor leads. However, nervousness over the reappointment of Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke has been largely laid to rest, helping markets outperform US peers on a relative basis. The Hang Seng and Kospi are the biggest fallers, both down 0.9% while the Nikkei is weaker by 0.5%. The Shanghai Composite is 0.4% lower.
Read more about ASX Share Market Update Jan 25thMineral sands miner Iluka Resources Ltd recorded a 37.5% fall in sales revenue in calendar 2009, but says revenue increased appreciably in the second half as world prices firmed off the back of the turnaround in China.
Read more about Iluka Resources Shares, Earnings Report -Time To Buy?