Between the Bells

Bell Direct

Tune in to the Bell Direct 'Between the Bells' podcast, where we'll cover the latest economic news and updates, market movements and analysis. With daily updates, you can get the information you need to find your investing edge.Find Bell Direct here:Website: https://www.belldirect.com.au/smarter/Twitter: https://twitter.com/belldirectFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BellDirectAustraliaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bell-direct/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bell.direct/

  1. 13 HR AGO

    Morning Bell 5 March

    Overnight, Wall St saw a rebound from yesterday’s sell off, as investors fears about surging oil prices and an extended conflict in the Middle East were allayed somewhat. The Dow Jones added 0.5%, the S&P500 gained 0.8%, while the Nasdaq was the biggest winner adding 1.3%, spurred by chip stocks such as Micron and AMD gaining 6%. What to watch today: Back home, the ASX is set for a similar rebound, after yesterday’s session saw $60 billion erased from its market cap in a 1.9% drop the second worst day since last April’s Liberation Day. The SPI futures indicate the ASX will open 1.1% higher. Moving to some trading ideas for today, Bell Potter have maintained their buy rating on Endeavor Group (ASX:EDV), with a 12 month price target of $4.15, as they believe that market expectations are low for the company’s strategic refresh, leaving room for greater upside potential.They also maintain their buy rating on Genusplus Group (ASX:GNP) with a 12 month price target of $9.50, after the company announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of Railtrain Holdings Pty Ltd for a total consideration of $55 million, solidifying its track record of strong M&A strategy. Finally ending on some commodities news, which have somewhat stabilised after a few days of heightened volatility. The surging Crude Oil has flattened, trading just 1.8% up at around $75 per barrel, largely due to President Trump’s pledge to deploy the US navy to provide risk insurance for all tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Precious metals have seen similar trends, with Gold up 0.9% to US$5133 per ounce, and silver up 1.5% to US$82 per ounce. Gold especially has seen a conflict of both headwinds and tailwinds of late, as geopolitical uncertainty creates safe haven demand, however a strong US dollar and inflation fears from higher energy costs put downward pressure on the price.

    2 min
  2. 1 DAY AGO

    Morning Bell 4 March

    Wall St plunged overnight as the US-Iran conflict showed no signs of slowing down, with all 3 indexes down more than 2 and half percent at their lowest points of the day. However, shares did somewhat recover in the afternoon, with the major indexes ending up closing around 1% down – the Dow Jones lost 0.8%, the S&P500 0.9% and the Nasdaq shed 1%.  What to watch today: Looking ahead to today, the ASX is poised to see a similar result, with the SPI futures pointing to a 1.4% drop at the open of trade today. Global markets are reacting to growing threat that this conflict will last longer than initially expected, passing beyond a brief exchange of missiles. The RBA is also due to release Australia’s 4th quarter GDP data at 11:30am, with economists forecasting a 0.6% lift quarter to quarter, which will take annual growth to 2.2%. Results that fall significantly short of this could cause the markets to react accordingly. Following their record results yesterday, Bell Potter have maintained their Buy rating on Life360 (ASX:360), with a 12-month price target of $40 per share, based on their updated revenue and EBITDA forecasts for 2026 and 2027. Bell Potter have also maintained their Buy recommendation on ALS (ASX:ALQ), with a target price of 12 month price target of $28 per share, based on strengthening industry tailwinds and higher exploration spend. Finally, ending on commodities news, which have remained volatile overnight. Crude Oil peaked at over US$80 yesterday, but has since come down to US$75 per barrel as supply chain fears around the Strait of Hormuz persist. President Trump has suggested that the US navy could be deployed to escort ships through the Strait if necessary, providing the market some relief. Precious metals also saw significant pullbacks – Gold is down 4.3% to just under US$5100 per ounce, while silver is down 8% to US$82 per ounce.

    3 min
  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    Morning Bell 3 March

    It was a volatile trading day on Wall St yesterday as the US market reacted to the weekend’s geopolitical developments in the Middle East. All 3 major indexes saw a major sell off in the morning, dropping over 1.5% at intraday lows. However, the afternoon saw a recovery as investors jumped on the buy opportunities. At the end, the S&P500 closed up 0.04%, the Nasdaq closed up 0.4% and the Dow Jones edged down slightly 0.2%.  What to watch today: Looking ahead to today, the SPI futures are indicating that the ASX will waver, with a 0.2% drop at the open of trade. Although the bulk of reporting season is behind us, keep an eye on popular tech name Life360 (ASX:360), which is due to release its quarterly results this morning. The biggest story of the day remains in commodities, which are still volatile following the weekend’s news. Crude Oil prices remain heavily inflated due to fears of supply chain disruption. As of this morning, it is trading up 6.4% at just over US$71 per barrel. The major risk factor sending the price higher is threats to the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway bordered by Iran to the north through which about 20% of the world’s seaborne oil trade flows.  If this is blockaded further, it would cause a significant undersupply, causing crude oil prices to skyrocket. Gold is also trading higher, trading up another 1% to US$5330 per ounce. This spike comes as gold remains a traditional safe haven for investors during periods of volatility. In contrast, silver, which usually follows a similar trend to gold, is trading down 4.7% at US$89 per ounce. The reason for the disparity is that unlike Gold, around 50% of silver’s value remains tethered to industrial usage and demand, which has wavered in the face of possible supply chain risks. This industrial demand is what pushed silver so high so quickly in comparison to gold over the last few months, but it is also the reason why it sees more volatility than gold. During this period of geopolitical uncertainty, the Gold price will continue to have significant tailwinds behind it, which creates a buying opportunity in the gold industry. One such stock that Bell Potter recommends with a speculative Buy rating is Santana Minerals (ASX:SMI), which they give a target price of $1.70 per share. The company completed the first tranche of a $130m institutional share placement, providing it with the funds raised to develop its flagship gold project in New Zealand.

    3 min
  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    Morning Bell 2 March

    We’re set for a rocky start to the week following the extreme developments out of the Middle East we saw over the weekend, with US airstrikes on Iran and Iran’s responsive strikes on Israel and the US Middle East bases.  We’re expected to see a lot of market movement and activity when markets open today. Looking at Friday’s close in the US, the Dow Jones closed 1.1%, the S&P500 down 0.4%, and the Nasdaq closed 0.4% lower.  The 10-year yield fell below 4% for the first time since November and the US 10- year and 2-year Treasury yields each dropped 6 points to 3.95% and 3.38% respectively. What to watch today: Looking at the day ahead, the SPI futures are suggesting that the Australian market will drop 0.2% at the open this morning.  We’ll be closely watching the market’s reactions to the US-Iran conflict, however there may be some commodities and sectors that could benefit, including gold, oil and defense stocks. Looking at commodities, Crude oil has jumped 2.8% to US$67.00 per barrel. Gold is up 1.8% to US$5,278.00. Gold has been rallying in the last few weeks and is expected to advance when trading resumes. Before the weekend, Gold prices rose to a one-month high and a seventh straight month of gains, due to geopolitical tensions ahead of the weekend strikes While iron ore is trading flat. Copper futures reached a four-week high on Friday which was also the seventh consecutive month of gains. The price is up 0.97% to US$6.00 per pound. As for foreign exchange, the Australian dollar is down 12c to US$71.13 and we may see some pressure on currencies today. And as our local reporting season draws to a close, February marked a third straight monthly gain and finished 3.7% higher. We saw 335 companies release their financial results, with 119 beating expectations, 109 in line with expectations and 107 missing market expectations. With much stock specific news driving market movements, two of Bell Potter’s most relent recommendations include gold producer Catalyst Metals (ASX:CYL) and developer Summerset Group (ASX:SUM).  Bell Potter have maintained their Buy rating on Catalyst Metals (ASX:CYL) and their 12-month price target at $14.60. At the current price of $8.51, implying 72% share price growth in a year. And they have lowered their 12-month target on Summerset Group (ASX:SNZ) to  NZ$14.40, while their Buy rating remains unchanged. The current share price if NZ$10.66, implying 35% share price growth in a year.

    3 min
  5. 25 FEB

    Morning Bell 26 February

    Starting off overseas, Wall St saw a second consecutive day of solid growth, built again on growing momentum in tech stocks. Nvidia saw a 1% rise ahead of its earnings report, which is scheduled for later this morning Sydney time and will have massive implications for the volatile tech sector. The S&P500 added 0.8%, the Dow Jones increased 0.6%, and the Nasdaq was the biggest winner, adding 1.3% on the day.  What to watch today: Looking ahead to today, the ASX is expected to join Wall St with back-to-back advances, building on yesterday’s momentum with a 0.7% jump at the open today. The bulk of reporting season is already behind us, however there are still some big names to come. Keep an eye on Qantas (ASX:QAN) and Ramsey Healthcare (ASX:RHC) results, which are scheduled for this morning. Check out Bell Direct’s reporting season landing page to access all the key info in one spot, including the interactive calendar where you can view the results from all the big companies, as well as see which ones are still upcoming. After their blockbuster results yesterday, Bell Potter’s research team have maintained their Buy rating on Woolworths (ASX:WOW), and updated their 12-month price target to $38.25 per share, citing the pickup in top line growth in the Australian food business. And the team have maintained their buy rating on Amplitude Energy (ASX:AEL), with a 12 month price target of $3.40 per share, after their reported underlying EBITDA and underlying NPAT met expectations. Ending on commodities news this morning: Crude Oil has dropped slightly to US$65.50 per barrel. In precious metals, gold has edged up 0.5% to $5170 per ounce, while silver is up 2.3% at $89 per ounce.

    2 min
  6. 24 FEB

    Morning Bell 25 February

    Overnight in the US, Wall St rebounded from yesterday’s sell off, spurred by software stocks as investors fears of AI disruption were eased. The tech heavy Nasdaq lead the way jumping 1%, while the S&P500 and Dow Jones both advanced 0.8%. What to watch today: Back home the ASX is expected to follow suit, with the SPI futures pointing to a 0.75% jump at the open of trade.In reporting season, gaming machine supplier Light and Wonder (ASX:LNW) has reported a 4% rise in revenue to US$3.3 billion, an adjusted net profit before amortisation increase of 18% to US$567 million, which puts them firmly in line with guidance.Other major companies are due to release their results this morning, including Fortescue Metals (ASX:FMG), Woolworths (ASX:WOW) and WiseTech Global (ASX:WTC).So far this reporting season, 206 companies have reported their results, with 38% beating expectations, 32% in line, and 30% missing expectations.Following on from their results, Bell Potter have upgraded end-to-end mining technology solutions provided Imdex (ASX:IMD) from a hold to a buy, and increased their 12-month price target from $3.60 to $4.60 per share. This comes after they announced an underlying EBITDA increase of 22% YoY, which beat forecast by 9%.Similarly, they have maintained their Buy rating on electrical equipment distributor IPD group (ASX:IPG), with a 12-month price target of $5.30, after thei announced an 8% underlying EBITDA increase YoY, which represented a 2% beat on forecast.Additionally today, keep an eye on the January CPI data which is due at 11:30am Sydney today – NAB analysts have predicted that both headline and trimmed-mean inflation will remain unchanged for the month, so any unexpected changes could impact the markets.Finally ending with commodities news,Crude oil has once again remained flat for the 3rd consecutive day, trading at slightly over US$66 per barrel.For precious metals, both gold and silver have pulled back slightly from yesterday’s highs, with the former down 1.3% to US$5161 per ounce, and the latter down 1% to US$87.30 per ounce.

    3 min
  7. 23 FEB

    Morning Bell 24 February

    Starting abroad this morning, it was a tough start to the week in Wall St which saw all 3 major indexes tumble as investors weigh fears of AI disruption across various industries, as well as the announcement of further tariffs. The Dow Jones dropped 1.7%, the Nasdaq declined 1.1%, while the S&P fell 1%. What to watch today: Back home, despite the rout in New York the ASX is expected to open in the green this morning, with the SPI futures indicating a 0.3% jump at the open of trade today.Turning to reporting season, we’ve seen some big announcements this morning already. Starting with Regal Partners (ASX:RPL), which announced substantial beats on its targets, with a 47% increase in income and a 65% jump in profit from last year.Monadelphous (ASX:MND) saw similarly positive results, announcing a record half year revenue which was 46% up from last year, while net profit climbed 53%.Keep an eye also on Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS), and Nine Entertainment (ASX:NEC), which will also be reporting today.So far, we’ve seen 173 companies report their results this reporting season. Of them, 69 companies or 40% have beaten expectations, 56 companies or 32% are in line, and 48 companies have missed expectations, making up the remaining 28%.Following their results yesterday, Bell Potter have maintained their buy rating on counter drone technology supplier Electro Optic Systems (ASX:EOS), however reduced their 12-month price target from $12 to $9.70, off the back of a combination of lower projected revenue and higher costs.The team have also upgraded employee benefits provider McMillan Shakespeare (ASX:MMS) from a Hold to a Buy with a 12 month target price of $18.50, following their results and FY26 guidance.And to end with commodities news:very little change in the Crude Oil price, which is trading just about flat at US$66 per barrel.However, it was a different story for precious metals, which have seen their rebound from the sell-off earlier this month continue as tariff uncertainty is back in the news. Gold is trading up 2.4% at around US$5230 per ounce, while Silver is up 4.7% to US$88.50 per ounce.

    3 min

About

Tune in to the Bell Direct 'Between the Bells' podcast, where we'll cover the latest economic news and updates, market movements and analysis. With daily updates, you can get the information you need to find your investing edge.Find Bell Direct here:Website: https://www.belldirect.com.au/smarter/Twitter: https://twitter.com/belldirectFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BellDirectAustraliaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bell-direct/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bell.direct/

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