The S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) finished the week and the month on a negative note, falling 1.4% after an unexpected spike in bond yields hit sentiment on Friday afternoon.
The biggest pain naturally came from the real estate and financial sectors, both down 2% or more, after a number of ‘experts’ suggested potential rate increases could send property as much as 20%.
ResMed delights
The healthcare sector, down just 0.1%, outperformed on Friday after ResMed (ASX: RMD) rallied 4.2% on a stronger than expected quarterly report.
The group reported a 20% increase in revenue as competitor products continued to be recalled and consumers turned to ResMed’s high-quality products.
Vulcan share price crunched
On the negative side was Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd (ASX: VUL), which fell 16% after emerging from its trading halt.
The company is the latest short-seller target, with management releasing its response to JCapital’s recent short report. You can learn more by reading this article or watching the snippet below.
Macquarie’s profit doubles
It was all about Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) though with the company delivering a 107% increase in profit for the half, reaching over $2 billion, and announcing a $1.5 billion capital raising.
The company is seeking to cash up amid an abundance of green energy and other opportunities that are becoming available.
Macquarie Capital was the key contributor having dominated corporate activity, whilst assets under management in its funds division gained 31%. The company doubled its dividend to $2.72 per share.
ASX 200 weekly movers
Across the week, smaller companies were hardest hit with Codan Limited (ASX: CDA) and PointsBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH) down over 20% each, the latter on a disappointing quarterly report.
As for the winners, plumbing groups Reece Ltd (ASX: REH) and Reliance Worldwide Corporation Ltd (ASX: RWC) were both 10% higher.
The ASX 200 was down 1.2% for the week but down just 0.1% for the month of October.
ASX 200 today
Looking ahead, the ASX 200 is expected to open higher on Monday after all three US benchmarks climbed on Friday. For all the latest, check out my US stock market report.