Consumer Discretionary

Wall Street halted its switch back into defensive mode last night as investors squared up ahead of more earnings results. Dow up 4. (Locked for subsrcibers until 10:00 AEST)

Westpac investigates the effects of government stimulus on retail sales.

Positive news begets more positive news and this feeds into increased confidence. It worked for Australian consumers in June.

The combination of falling margins and a strong Aussie dollar mean earnings at Foster’s will likely remain under pressure.

WilsonHTM has intiated coverage on Premier Investments with a Buy rating, taking the view the stock is mis-priced at present as it is being valued as an investor and not an operator of businesses.

Silicon Valley Bank’s annual survey of the US wine market shows the industry is doing it tough, with any recovery likely to be as drawn out as that of the US economy as a whole.

There were no real surprises in last night’s budget and no cause for stock market alarm. However specific sectors are winners and losers.

Wall Street took profits last night ahead of the stress test results which came out after the bell. Dow down 100.

Woolies has done it again, shocking analysts with outstanding sales numbers. But can it last?

Australian retail sales for February were weaker than expected and soft non-residential construction numbers add to the case for not only more rate cuts but additional fiscal stimulus.