The ASX 200 (INDEXASX: XJO)(^AXJO) is expected to open higher today, the USA’s S&P 500 Index (.INX) went up by 0.56% on Monday.
Australian Dollar ($A) (AUDUSD): 68.36US cents
Dow Jones (DJI): up 0.47%
Oil (WTI): $US55.81 per barrel
Gold: $US1,493 per ounce
ASX Sharemarket News
In ASX sharemarket news, Coles (ASX: COL) has announced its 2020 first quarter sales result.
Total first quarter sales increased by 1.8% to $8.7 billion with comparable sales growth of 0.2%. This was driven by total supermarket sales growth of 1.6% to $7.7 billion (and 0.1% comparable sales growth).
Coles Express achieved a quarter of growth of fuel volumes for the first time in four years.
Coles CEO Steven Cain said: “The refreshed strategy we set out to Win in Our Second Century has helped us to deliver a positive set of results for our first quarter. The increased sales momentum we are seeing in the second quarter demonstrates are we making to Inspire Customers are already making a difference.”
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Costa (ASX: CGC) finally released its trading update yesterday evening and it wasn’t pretty.
Previous problems in the company’s various segments have continued and prolonged extreme dry and hot conditions are now impacting fruit sizing and yield in avocados, blueberries and the late season citrus crop.
The company is guiding for underlying net profit of $56.6 million in FY20. But it’s raising $176 million to pay down debt.
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Bega Cheese (ASX: BGA) has also given a trading update.
It said that the effects of the continuing drought and further decreases in total Australian milk production has escalated competition for milk in the first quarter of FY20.
The company expects to deliver normalised EBITDA (click here to learn what EBITDA means) of $95 million to $105 million, down from $115 million for FY19.
Bega also said that there had been softening demand in export products.
To tackle these issues Bega is restructuring its manufacturing capacity including the development of toll and third party manufacture relationships
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Disclosure: Jaz owns shares of Costa at the time of writing, but this could change at any time.