Signal or Noise: 7 key themes (and 4 stocks) to watch this ASX reporting season

Investors have arrived at one of the most important and fascinating earnings periods in a long time. Weaker profit growth and cautious guidance statements look likely to dominate the upcoming annual results season.

After all, the list of headwinds is plentiful and many of them remain unresolved. Is the Reserve Bank's July pause actually going to stick this time? Australian inflation sits at around 6% but which businesses will bear the brunt (and benefit) of those increased costs? Can the leading economic indicators break out of their long and sluggish downtrend? And most importantly, which corporates will handle this uncertain environment best?

Most of these questions will be answered over the next four weeks. To get you ahead of the curve and make sure you're prepared for the torrent of results and themes to come, Livewire presents the August reporting season edition of Signal or Noise.

Moderator Hans Lee is joined by three of Australia's top macro minds. Between them, they manage billions in funds under management and advise both institutional and retail clients.

Shane Oliver, Chief Economist and Head of Investment Strategy at AMP
Randal Jenneke, Head of Australian Equities and Portfolio Manager at T. Rowe Price
Jason Kim, Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst at Tyndall Asset Management

Note: This episode was taped on Wednesday 26 July 2023. You can watch the show, listen to the podcast, or read the edited summary at https://www.livewiremarkets.com/wires...

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
0:48 - Opening question: What is one burning question or macro theme that you want more clarity on as earnings ramp up?
4:21 - Is the "quality" trade too crowded?
7:01 - Stocks with 100+ P/E ratios
10:44 - Jason and Randal's low P/E stocks
13:54 - 6%+ Dividend Yields
17:44 - Jason and Randal's reporting season watchlist stocks
20:04 - The Charts to Watch