Rudi's View | Apr 04 2024
On March 20 and 21 FNArena Editor Rudi Filapek-Vandyck presented respectively to the CPA’s SMSF discussion group, online, and members and guests of the Australian Shareholders Association (ASA) in Sydney, in person on stage.
The video recording of the first presentation is available via the FNArena website and through Youtube: https://fnarena.com/index.php/fnarena-talks/2024/03/22/to-august-beyond/
To make the content of this presentation available to a wider audience, FNArena has decided to also publish a shortened, curated transcript, with limited illustrations from the slides used.
A full copy of the Powerpoint presentation slides is available for paying subscribers via the SPECIAL REPORTS section on the website.
Presentation: To August & Beyond, March 2024.
Welcome. With today's presentation I have tried to combine the short term with the long term.
This idea is also embedded in the title I have chosen. As investors in the share market, we always tell ourselves we are in this for the long term; we know investing is a marathon, rather than a short-term sprint.
In practice, we are constantly being influenced by the short term, also because of the sector and the media telling us all about the short term, what is happening, and what is not happening in the here and now.
Short Term: February Results
Let's start with the short term.
In Australia, we have two major corporate results seasons; in August and February, and a gaggle of companies reporting in between.
Last year, both February and August seasons proved quite disappointing. Twice the market rallied hard leading into each season, and twice results were simply not good enough and all those gains disappeared in full.
The situation at the start of February was not dissimilar. Again, we saw a big rally beforehand, but this time the gains have not disappeared.
Because expectations were low, the stats look ‘ok’. I think it’s probably correct to conclude the reporting season was ‘good enough’, I am not sure whether this also means it was ‘good’.
The macro-outlook has by now changed too.
As investors, we are now looking forward towards, hopefully, a trough in economic momentum, and we are in particular looking forward to central bankers cutting interest rates.
Consumer spending is hopefully holding up, that's the hope, and it is supporting the market broadly.
The big winner from the February reporting season is technology, and that was very much noticeable. We saw big spikes in share prices for some of the technology stocks. Some of those results proved absolutely mind blowing.
It didn't get that much coverage in the general media for the simple reason that technology is supposedly a US phenomenon.
But also, there are many more retailers and consumer-oriented companies listed on the ASX, that were equally meeting or beating expectations, so much more attention went to discretionary retailers.
Another factor is technology trading on above average PE multiples, and everybody, including the media, has a psychological problem with that.
Another sector that performed really well is building materials.
In general terms, the season was being saved by smaller cap companies, not so much the large caps.
The losers in February were the international cyclicals; mining and energy companies.
Those results generally were quite disappointing, and that translated into share prices going backwards. Both the energy and mining sector were at the bottom of performance tables over January and February.
Another sector that simply never seems to get it right is telecommunication, with exception, maybe, of a few small caps.
Plus the one sector that used to be a shoe-in for solid performances is healthcare and again, February did not deliver for healthcare.
Investors will have to be more patient when it comes to healthcare stocks.
The irony here is that what happens in February doesn't necessarily give us any guidance for what lays ahead.
For example, healthcare is seen as one the best performing sectors in terms of profit growth for the years ahead.
In terms of profits generally, the current forecast sees the average earnings per share (EPS) retreat by -5.5% in FY24. For FY25 consensus sees a positive gain of 4%.
The long-term average for Australia is positive growth of 5.5%, thus the general expectation is for below-average growth this year and in the next.
Needless to say, in a polarised market the outlook between sectors is very much diverse.
On the positive side, we find insurance, healthcare, and technology. On the negative side, we find commodities and the banks, for example.
All in all, it’s ‘good enough’ to retain an undercurrent of cautious optimism supporting the market.
The Broader Picture
Another observation is the index gained some 2% in total since the start of the year, some 0.80% all-in throughout February, but in the US gains are generally much higher.
And that difference in performance is not something that only happened this year.
The full story is for FNArena subscribers only. To read the full story plus enjoy a free two-week trial to our service SIGN UP HERE
If you already had your free trial, why not join as a paying subscriber? CLICK HERE