Investors are urged to pay close attention to company outlook statements this reporting season for clues about how corporate Australia will cope with the growing threats to company profits at home and abroad.
“The market is fixated on the fact that FY22 is behind us, and while there’s been reasonable growth, margins have remained resilient and pricing power is intact, we’re yet to see the full impact of higher costs,” says Jason Steed, head of Australian equity research at JPMorgan. “Forward guidance and trading updates may start to show a decline in sales or higher discounting for the post-FY period,” says David Cassidy, head of investment strategy at Wilsons.
“Wages may not yet be the most-talked-about, FY22 cost this reporting season for the broader market, but it will certainly be a key factor management will be considering in forward guidance,” Cassidy says.