EUR/USD 1.15998
-0.051%
Gold 4484.63
0.060%
Oil 102.116
-1.169%
USD/JPY 158.950
-0.069%
GBP/USD 1.33908
-0.025%
GBP/JPY 212.852
-0.089%
Browse More
  • English
  • 简体中文
  • 繁體中文
  • Tiếng Việt
  • ไทย
  • Indonesia
Subscribe
Real-time News
UN Secretary-General António Guterres: The United Nations faces enormous difficulties in curbing the surge in global conflicts.On May 20, President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly met with reporters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.Interest rate futures indicate that the Bank of England will raise interest rates by about 52 basis points by December, compared to about 60 basis points on Tuesday.On May 20, Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, commented on the remarks made by Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te during his "May 20" speech and Q&A session regarding cross-strait relations. He stated that Lais speech was filled with lies and deception, hostility and confrontation, stubbornly adhering to the erroneous "Taiwan independence" stance, promoting the fallacies of so-called "sovereign independence" and "non-subordination," exaggerating the "mainland threat," escalating cross-strait confrontation, and deliberately seeking "independence through force" and "independence through foreign support," thus undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. This once again confirms that he is an out-and-out "disruptor of cross-strait peace" and a "creator of the Taiwan Strait crisis." While continuing to advocate "Taiwan independence" and manipulate "anti-China" sentiments, he hypocritically claims to promote cross-strait dialogue and exchanges, attempting to deceive the Taiwanese people and mislead international public opinion. These habitual tricks have been seen through by an increasing number of Taiwanese people, and his deceptive behavior and provocative actions will inevitably be met with resolute opposition from compatriots on both sides of the strait and the international community, and are doomed to failure.The Nikkei 225 index closed down 746.18 points, or 1.23%, at 59,804.41 on Wednesday, May 20.

According to Australian Retailer Woolworths, Inflation Is Driving Home Dining

Haiden Holmes

Feb 22, 2023 14:10

微信截图_20230222141146.png


Woolworths Group Ltd, a leading Australian retailer, said that an inflation-driven move away from dining out aided in boosting sales, driving its shares higher after its half-year earnings above expectations despite cost challenges.


Since COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 prompted supermarket hoarding, Woolworths and its smaller competitor Coles Group (OTC:CLEGF) Ltd have witnessed significant fluctuations in Australian customer behavior. As lockdowns were lifted in 2021, and again in 2022, sales slowed as rising energy and labor costs pushed up shelf prices.


Woolworths said on Wednesday that cost-of-living constraints, including skyrocketing electricity prices and nine interest rate rises since May, are now beginning to benefit stores as consumers choose for in-home consumption.


Since the beginning of 2023, food sales have increased 6.5%, roughly in step with inflation, compared to just 2.4% in the six months leading up to the end of December, the business reported.


"The shift from eating in restaurants to eating at home has become more evident," said Chief Executive Brad Banducci to reporters.


He stated that a growing number of clients from all demographic groups are now preparing meals at home since eating out is becoming more expensive.


The company's net profit before significant items increased 14% to A$907 million ($622 million), above the Visible Alpha consensus estimate of A$877 million. The majority of the increase was attributable to employee back pay linked to a prior salaries miscalculation.


Similar to Tuesday's announcement of Coles' interim results, Woolworths' profit increase was aided by a dramatic drop in COVID-19-related expenditures.


At midday, Woolworths shares were up 2%, compared to a 0.3% decline in the overall index, as analysts hailed the potential of profit margin expansion at a business vulnerable to rising supplier prices.


Phillip Kimber, a retail analyst at E&P Financial, wrote in a client note, "The momentum in the core Australian Food industry remains strong, with sales growth rates above expectations in early 2H23."


Woolworths declared an interim dividend of 46 Australian cents per share, up from 39 Australian cents per share the previous year.

Suggestion