Australia: Company tax payments down almost 40%

David Uren from The Australian, as quoted by Mark the Graph:

Last week’s national accounts show company tax payments have fallen from an all-time peak of 6.2 per cent of gross domestic product in 2007 as Peter Costello delivered his last budget, to just 3.8 per cent in the June quarter. This is the lowest share since September 1996, when Costello delivered his first budget. It is less than during the global financial crisis and erodes all the gains in corporate taxation tapped by both governments to finance personal tax cuts, increased family benefits, higher pensions, greater education spending and much more during the past 16 years. No wonder the budget is in deficit.

View some great charts from the National Accounts at Mark the Graph: Tax chartacular.

ASX 200: Descending triangle

The hourly chart of the ASX 200 formed a small descending triangle since  Friday, testing support at 4320. Descending peaks indicate selling pressure. Downward breakout would warn of another test of medium-term support at 4260. Upward breakout is unlikely but would indicate an advance to 4400.

ASX 200 Index Hourly

ASX 200: Testing support

The weekly chart shows the ASX 200 finding support at 4260. Recovery of 63-day Twiggs Momentum above zero suggests a primary up-trend. Breakout above 4400 would confirm the signal. Failure of support at 4260, however, would warn of another test of primary support at 4000.

ASX 200 Index Weekly

The hourly chart shows Friday’s jump above resistance at 4320 followed by retracement to test the new support level. A lower high on Monday followed by another test of 4320 shows buyers lack enthusiasm. Failure of support would warn of another test of medium-term support at 4260.

ASX 200 Index Hourly

Forex: Euro, Pound Sterling, Canadian Loonie, Australian Dollar and Japanese Yen

The Euro is headed for $1.275, unaffected so far by the announcement that the ECB will purchase government bonds in the secondary market. Expect strong resistance at $1.275, reversal below the lower trend channel would warn of a correction.

Euro/USD

Pound Sterling is weakening against the euro, with a descending triangle testing support at €1.255. Failure of support would indicate a test of €1.230. 63-Day Twiggs Momentum is falling, but continues to indicate a primary up-trend.

Pound Sterling/Euro

* Target calculation: 1.255 – ( 1.285 – 1.255 ) = 1.225

Canada’s Loonie is testing resistance against the greenback at $1.02.  Breakout would indicate an advance to the 2011 highs at $1.06. Reversal below parity is unlikely, but would test primary support at $0.95/$0.96. Rising 63-day Twiggs Momentum suggests a primary up-trend.

Canadian Loonie/Aussie Dollar

The Aussie Dollar found support at $1.02 against the greenback. Expect a test of $1.04. Breakout would indicate $1.06, while respect would warn of a down-swing to parity. Recovery of 63-day Twiggs Momentum above zero suggests an up-trend.

Aussie Dollar/USD

The Australian Dollar found support against the yen at ¥79.50/¥80.00. Recovery above ¥83.50 would indicate a test of ¥88.00. Rising 63-day Twiggs Momentum suggests a primary up-trend. Reversal below ¥79.50 is unlikely, but would indicate another test of primary support at ¥74.

US Dollar/Japanese Yen

Australia: Housing market weakens

Housing credit growth is at its lowest level in over 30 years: lower than the dip of the early 1980s and the crash of 1987. The current rate of growth is barely sufficient to match already depressed construction rates for new homes*. The decline should see a gradual softening of housing prices, accelerating if there are any further falls in housing credit growth.

RBA Housing Credit Growth

*Housing finance, for both owner-occupied and investor housing, totaled $59.8 billion for the year ended June 2012 according to the RBA, while residential construction — excluding land — was $44.2 billion according to ABS estimates.

ASX 200: Australian miners hurt by falling iron ore prices

The ASX is feeling the effect of slowing manufacturing in China, with falling iron ore prices causing weakness in RIO, FMG and BHP. Rio Tinto is testing support at $50, while steeply falling 13-week Twiggs Money Flow warns of strong selling pressure.

Rio Tinto Weekly

Impact on the ASX 200 index is more diluted but 13-week Twiggs Money Flow below zero again warns of selling pressure. Breakout above 4400 is unlikely in the present climate.

ASX 200 Index Weekly

Forex: Euro, Pound Sterling, Canadian Loonie, Australian Dollar and Japanese Yen

A monthly chart shows the euro testing long-term support at $1.20 against the greenback. Recovery above the steeply descending trendline would indicate another test of the upper triangle border, while failure of support would indicate long-term re-alignment. Indications, from president Mario Draghi, that the ECB will further expand its balance sheet explains euro weakness, but similar moves by the Fed would restore the status quo.

Euro/USD Monthly

On the daily chart, the Euro is headed for resistance at $1.275. The primary trend remains downward, but breach of the descending trendline indicates it is losing momentum. Failure of support at $1.240 and penetration of the rising trendline, however, would indicate another test of primary support at $1.205.

Euro/USD

Pound Sterling formed a descending triangle, testing support at €1.255 against the Euro. Failure of support would indicate a test of €1.225. 63-Day Twiggs Momentum is falling, but continues to indicate a primary up-trend.

Pound Sterling/Euro

* Target calculation: 1.255 – ( 1.285 – 1.255 ) = 1.225

Canada’s Loonie is consolidating in a narrow band below resistance against the greenback at $1.02.  Breakout above resistance at $1.02 would indicate an advance to $1.06, while reversal below parity would test $0.95/$0.96.

Canadian Loonie/Aussie Dollar

The Aussie Dollar is retracing to find support against the greenback, with $1.02 a likely target. Respect would suggest another test of $1.08. Narrow oscillation of 63-day Twiggs Momentum around zero would suggest a ranging market.

Aussie Dollar/USD

Australian Dollar appreciation against the yen is slowing. Reversal below ¥79.50 would indicate another test of primary support at ¥74.

US Dollar/Japanese Yen

Australia: ASX 200 meets resistance

The ASX 200 met resistance at 4400. Short retracement or narrow consolidation would be a bullish sign, suggesting a breakout. Oscillation of 63-day Twiggs Momentum around the zero line, however, would suggest a ranging market, with further tests of primary support at 4000.

ASX 200 Index Weekly

The Daily chart shows the ASX 200 testing the upper border of its trend channel. Bearish divergence on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow warns of medium-term selling pressure; reversal below zero would strengthen the signal. Failure of initial support at 4320 would indicate a swing to the lower trend channel.

ASX 200 Index Daily

Correlation Breakdown as Proxies for Risk Boost Aussie, Kiwi – Bloomberg

The strength of the Aussie is increasingly driven by reasons other than raw materials as growth slows for exports to China, its largest trading partner. Prices for iron ore delivered to the port of Tianjin have dropped to the lowest level since December 2009, according to Steel Index Ltd., and contracts for coal used to make steel may fall 11 percent to the lowest price in two years, according to a Bloomberg survey of seven analysts and industry officials.

via Correlation Breakdown as Proxies for Risk Boost Aussie, Kiwi – Bloomberg.

ASX revenue from high frequency trading soars

A new data center, catering for high-speed trading, is becoming a major revenue-source for the ASX. My concern is that this could change the entire focus of the ASX, outweighing revenue from traditional stock market trading. Tom Steinert-Threlkeld at the Securities Technology Monitor writes:

The Australian Securities Exchange Group said Thursday that its revenue from Technical Services in its 2012 fiscal year topped the amount of revenue it received from stock market trading……

The growth in Technical Services revenue came as the company introduced different order types and execution services, and completed a state-of-the art data center. That data center operates at high speed and handles high volumes of trading orders, from computers belonging to trading firms that are located inside its walls. ASX said it was hosting 59 clients in the new data center as of June 30.

via Stock Trading Revenue Topped by Technology at Australia Exchange.