End of Day Report – Friday 21 March: ASX 200 up 13, 1.8% for the week | US quadruple witching

The ASX 200 put on another 13 points to 7932 (0.2%) after a tentative start. 2% up for the week. Banks were sold with the Big Bank Basket unchanged at $238.82. CBA flat. MQG saw some profit taking, other financials also flat, GQG down 1.4% and HUB off 1.8%. REITs once again in demand, SGP up 0.8% with VCX up 2.4%. Industrials were firm but unexciting, WOW and COL rallied hard on ACCC news, CPU up 3.7% and retail doing ok again, PMV up 3.9% on an update. JBH bounced back a little too. Tech was a little soft, WTC off 0.5% with the All-Tech Index down 0.7%.

Iron ore stocks were firm despite falls in the iron ore price. BHP up 1.1% and RIO up 0.9%, maybe copper more a factor. Lithium stocks were depressed, PLS fell 5.1% and uranium squeeze continues, BOE up 6.7%. Gold miners slid on some fatigue in bullion. GOR down 3.3% and NST off 0.6%. In corporate news, PDN dropped 4% as the rains came down in Africa. CSC lifted 0.7% after announcing plans to issue $500mn worth of senior unsecured bonds and EMR crashed 3.85% on a production miss.

Nothing locally on the economic front as we head into the Budget next week. Asian markets seeing sellers win, China down 0.9%, HK off 2% and Japan back from another holiday up 0.6%. 10-year yields steady at 4.41%.

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