The COB from ausbiz

Details within the Commonwealth Bank’s full year results were clearly enough to bolster confidence in the broader banking sector, resulting in big gains for the majors and regional players. ANZ jumped 3.5%, Westpac 1.8% and NAB 1.6%, boosting the financial sector to a 0.5% gain. Performances elsewhere were less convincing. IT was walloped 3.8% following profit warnings from US chip manufacturers, weak earnings reports after the bell on Wall Street and news Elon Musk has been selling down his Tesla stake. Losses across healthcare, consumer discretionary and materials exceeded 1%. Telecommunications and REITs fell by 0.9% and 0.8% respectively. At the individual level, Megaport and Computershare were hammered, falling 5% apiece as analysts reacted to their earnings reports. Gold miner St Barbara delivered an update resembling a lead balloon, falling 11% to take out the title of biggest laggard. City Chic fell 7.5% on broker activity, while A2 Milk soured after failing to gain access to the lucrative US baby formula market, sliding 6.7%. Graincorp bucked the trend, lifting 5% on another profit guidance upgrade. Dare we call it a cereal offender? Imugene took out top spot, rising 6.4% as it announced new drug trials were underway. The S&P/ASX 200 eased 0.5% to close at 6993.Our top three VODs:Hoping for the best but preparing for the worstThree steady small stocksDo your homework and the opportunities will be fantastic

The banks and the big miners weighed on overall performance, though it was a decent day with the local market finishing up 0.13% at 7,029. The S&P/ASX200has been trading in a tight range, still, it was good to watch it touch a two-month high aheadof Wednesday's US inflation report and after a 'mixed and moody' session on Wall Street. Domain topped the list of leaders, despite a downgrade to neutral from buy by Citi. Perhaps it was something inREA Group's reportwhich sent its share price 7% higher. Megaport, Charter Hall Long Wale REIT and Reckon also reported today, with Megaport climbing 9.5% and helping to lift the technology sector. Commonwealth Bank had a terrible session ahead of its full year result due tomorrow, while NAB's quarterly update raised red flags with rising costs. Catch all our reporting season coverage here.Our top three VODs:The dogs and darlings of reporting seasonTwo exploration stocks to get your hands onOne stock to buy as inflation bites

It's a day that will be remembered for BHP’s move to acquire Oz Minerals rather than corporate earnings. The local marketinched up 0.07% to 7021, boosted by strong gains across the materials and energy sectors. M&A activity, along with a lessening of global recession concerns following Friday’s big US employment beat, clearly benefitting the mining space. Oz Minerals was the standout performer, soaring 35% after swatting away BHP’s initial approach. Curiously, Sandfire Resources was also in demand, climbing 7%. Lithium plays Lake Resources and Liontown rose 16% and 7% respectively, while Fortescue Metals jumped 4.6% following a large bounce in Chinese iron ore futures. The gains across resources helped to offset a weaker performance from other sectors, most notably consumer discretionary and REITs; the former reacting to similar moves in US retailers on Friday while the latter was undermined by another big increase in global bond yields. At the individual level, Suncorp and Aurizon were both marked down following the release of their full-year results, falling 4.3% and 3.5% respectively to sit near the foot of the scoreboard. Newscorp slid 3.1% ahead of its results tomorrow. Results from REA Group, Megaport and Coronado Global Resources headline the domestic reporting season calendar tomorrow. The NAB will also release a quarterly trading update.Our top three VODs:BHP must up its offer for Oz Minerals: Jennings'Buying' trending small cap sectors: uranium, gaming and EsportsFood price inflation a plus for supermarkets

A quiet session characterised by weak volumes and limited news flow. There’ll be plenty of the latter next week when reporting season gets into full swing. Materials, consumer and healthcare led the way, a motley crew that fit nicely with the overall tone of the session. Gains were kept in check by steep falls across the energy sector, mirroring similar moves in the energy complex overnight. Tech was also softer, in part due to weakness in Block following a disappointing earnings report. On the upside, Novonix and Life360 led the charge, soaring 13.8% and 6.7% respectively on zero news. The more speculative end of market continues to run hot. Underling the point, Pointsbet added another cool 4%. Seems plenty think it’s worth the punt. Gold and lithium miners were also prominent atop the leader board. The S&P/ASX 200 added 0.58% to 7015.6, logging the highest close since early June. Over the week, it climbed 1%.Our top three VODs: Making sense of the latest meme maniaGold glistening; potash promisingIntroducing industrial property to your portfolio

Life back above 7000 was short-lived, with an initial rally for the ASX200 faded throughout the day. The local bourse closed flat at 6974. IT stocks had a good day - especially stocks of a more speculative nature. Telecommunications, REITs and utilities also pushed higher. The drag on the market primarily came from the iron ore miners and energy stocks - the latter falling after a larger than expected build in US Crude Inventories drove oil prices back into the low $90 range. Consumer staples also lagged. As far as the high flyers go - Tyro Payments jumped 17%, PointsBet rose 12%, and Imugene rallied 8.7%. Punter favourite ZipCo. gave up a big early gain to close 3% lower. Orica shares flopped following the announcement of its raise to fund the acquisition of Axis Mining Technology. Grain Corp extended its decline by 6.6%. Looking ahead, the Bank of England meets tonight and is expected to raise its key bank rate by 50bp to 1.75%. In US earnings, Block, Alibaba and Warner Bros will report quarterly results.Our top three VODs:Investing for when the pandemic is overThe case for copperTo list, or not to list? That is the question

The ASX 200 couldn’t quite crack the 7,000 mark, we did finish off the day's lows but ended up with a 0.3% fall to finish at 6,975. Nine of eleven sectors finished lower, with consumer stocks the big laggards. IT was the leading light, jumping 2.4%. Pinnacle Investment Management was the star performer, rallying 12% after the company reported full-year earnings which beat market expectations (check out ourinterview with CEO Ian Macoun). Novonix also rallied 8.4% and Tyro Payments added 9.62%. As far as the losers go, ASX shares dropped 3.6% after pushing back the date of its updated CHESS rollout (again) to late 2024. Centuria Industrial REIT also dipped after its update. Star Entertainment Group fell by 3.7%. Turning to the night ahead, ISM Services PMI will be the latest business activity read to give a pulse check on the US economy.Our top three VODs:The highs are in for earnings and marginsHitting the brakes on the oil market rallyProperty? Nope, we're not buying it