The local share market followed Wall Street lower on open this morning and by midday it was down 1.4 per cent. The looming referendum in Greece has added uncertainty with a selloff ahead of the weekend.
The miners weighed as iron ore prices resumed their downward trajectory and the banks were also lower after a run of gains.
And the Aussie dollar dropped below the $US0.76 mark this morning.
The S&P/ASX 200 index is 80 points down at 5,520. On the futures market the SPI is 79 points lower.
Economic news
The ABS has reported a 0.3 per cent lift in retails sales for May seasonally adjusted.
Company news
New Zealand based Orion Health Group Limited
(ASX:OHE) has secured two new strategic deals in Vietnam to build its market presence in Asia. The health care IT company will provide enterprise solutions to the Vinmec International Hospital in Hanoi. The company has also signed a strategic partnership with VIT corporation to improve hospital efficiency and enhance hospital quality across several Vietnamese provinces. Shares in Orion last traded at $3.80
Anatara Lifesciences Limited
(ASX:ANR) has successfully raised around $4.4 million in a placement to institutional investors. The company says demand was high and a second tranche placement is planned to raise a further $2.6 million pending shareholder approval. Funds will be focussed on further foreign trials, progress Detach trials and advancing the pre-clinical program. Shares in Anatara are trading down 14 per cent at $0.86.
Best and worst performers All major sector were lower today, the sector with the least losses was consumer staples, losing 0.8 per cent to 8,570. Shares in Bega Cheese Limited
(ASX:BGA) have risen 0.9 per cent and trading at $4.51. Shares in Woolworths Limited
(ASX:WOW) and Wesfarmers Limited
(ASX:WES) are lower.
The worst performing sector is energy, falling 2.6 per cent to 11,023. Shares in Whitehaven Coal
(ASX:WHC) have fallen 5.86 per cent, trading at $1.20. Shares in Karoon Gas Australia Limited
(ASX:KAR) and Liquefied Natural Gas Limited
(ASX:LNG) are also lower.
IPO Argo Global Listed Infrastructure Limited
(ASX:ALI) started trading today. The investment company floated with an issue price of $2.00, opened at $1.99 and is currently trading at $1.97
Gold and the dollar
Gold is trading at $US1,167 an ounce.
The Australian dollar is buying $US0.7599
