The S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) appears set to fall this morning after Wall Street took a late turn. Equity markets in the United States spent much of the session in the black but fell after Donald Trump escalated the war of words with North Korea, according to The Australian Financial Review.
Here's a quick recap:
- FTSE 100 (UK): up 0.14%
- DAX (Germany): down 0.28%
- CAC 40 (France): up 0.21%
- Dow Jones (USA): down 0.15%
- NASDAQ (USA): down 0.21%
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price will receive some attention today. The bank reported its full-year earnings results this morning, announcing a 4.6% increase in cash net profit after tax (NPAT) to $9.88 billion, together with a final dividend of $2.30 per share, fully franked. In total, the bank has declared dividends of $4.29 per share this year, up from $4.20 last year.
The fact that the bank has increased its dividend to shareholders could well have an impact on the shares of Commonwealth Bank's major rivals, as well. That includes Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) and National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB).
SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited-Ord (ASX: SKC) also reported its full-year results this morning. The group's normalised revenue from ordinary activities declined 5% year-over-year while its normalised net profit grew 1.3%.
Carsales.Com Ltd (ASX: CAR) is due to report its earnings results today, as well.
Other companies that could receive some attention today include Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) and Mayne Pharma Group Ltd (ASX: MYX), both of which endured sharp falls in their share prices on Tuesday.
