Consensus earnings revisions have now been positive for over 9 months - the longest period since the GFC. Earnings have done much of the heavy lifting.

We think Sydney Airport’s (SYD) $8.25 cash takeover proposal, from an IFM Investors-led consortium of infrastructure specialists, has room to move higher. The IFM bid benefits from its industry member super fund members having deep pockets, rich asset level experience, and arguably one of the lowest costs of capital in the market.

Oil prices are up +300% since bottoming in mid-2020, as global markets saw demand fall by over 20% in response to worldwide activity restrictions.

Lithium is one the lightest and most electro-conductive elements of the periodic table, making it ideally suited for Electric Vehicles (EV), which we expect will be one of the most disruptive technologies over the next decade.

Bank reporting season delivered what we were looking for across three key areas: 1) high single-digit (underlying) earnings growth and dividend beats; 2) falling bad debt provisions ahead of the market; and 3) strong capital levels – suggesting capital management is not too far away.

After a tumultuous 2020 for corporate earnings, the Australian equities earning cycle is starting to gather momentum. Consensus earnings upgrades are at all-time highs, providing a platform for the start of a V-shaped recovery for earnings.

Conviction Insights represents our highest conviction calls from across our coverage universe. This month we add Pacific Smiles Group (PSQ) to our Conviction Insights lineup. An independent operator of dental clinics in Australia, its addition is driven by 4 key factors:

Following 7 months of overperformance from Australian banks, the upcoming results season is likely to be well received by the market. In our monthly view on Australian equities we look at 4 areas of focus we believe will shape reporting season: