Daily FNArena News - Australia

Westpac’s FY17 results disappointed brokers at the headline level, with weak trading profits, but its capital position is better than expected.

Telstra is planning to extend its network and devices business via services delivery and apps to create more value. The extent to which this can plug the earnings hole created by the NBN is debated among brokers.

Boral has upgraded its FY18 Australian guidance and brokers suggest there could be further upside to come.

National Australia Bank will increase its investment in the business, targeting over $1bn in cost savings by FY20. Brokers welcome the strong FY17 result but remain more circumspect about the outlook.

Oil Search is heading north to Alaska to acquire a stake in a prospective oil field. What does this imply for a business that has been centred on PNG LNG?

Operating earnings at Mineral Resources are expected to show a large skew to the second half for both lithium and iron ore.

The main surprise in the Woolworths sales update, in a positive way, was Big W, where like-for-like sales rose for the first time in four years.

Low quality items helped Macquarie Group beat forecasts in the first half but brokers suggest favourable winds continue to blow.

Brokers suggest growth will accelerate at Star Entertainment as new projects are completed.

Vocus Communications has expanded its transformation program and flagged the potential sale of NZ assets and Australian data centres.