52 BUSINESS SATURDAY JANUARY 11 2020 COURIERMAIL.COM.AU

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ASX 200 ALL ORDINARIES BEST & WORST $A OIL BRENT IRON ORE

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The market has roared to a new all-time high after enjoying its best week in nearly a year.

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BUSINESS PROFILE, P63

EVOLUTION Mining sharesdropped sharply yesterdayafter the company warned offalling gold production from itsMt Carlton mine in Queens-land, cutting output forecastsand lifting projected costs.

Mt Carlton, 150km south ofTownsville, was scheduled to

contribute up to 105,000 oun-ces of gold to Evolution’s out-put in the 2019-20 FY.

But the discovery that goldmineralisation at the open pitand underground is not asthick as expected forced thecompany to pull back pro-duction expectations and raise

potential cost estimates. Evol-ution also warned it may beforced to reconsider the totalgold reserves at Mt Carlton,a decision that could poten-tially affect the mine’s plannedlife.

Shares closed down 6 percent at $3.58.

Gold miner loses lustre with forecast

AUSTRALIAN shares soaredto record highs yesterday, con-tinuing strong positive mo-mentum to round out the weekwith the benchmark’s biggestrise in almost 12 months.

A record-breaking leadfrom Wall Street helped theASX200 to exceed its previousrecords at the open, hitting asmuch as 6933.2 to add $17 bil-lion by the close with a gain ofnearly 55 points or 0.8 per centto 6929.

The jump cements a 2.8 percent rise for the week, the mar-ket’s best weekly performancesince the week ending Febru-ary 8, 2019.

The All Ords too joined therally, surging to as much as7046 before closing with a gainof 0.72 per cent at 7041.9 — thefirst time above 7000.

“It’s been a long time sincewe’ve had a couple of good ses-sions in a row,” CommSecmarket analyst James Tao said.“It certainly has been a goodsession and a good day for themarket.”

Bell Direct market analystJessica Amir credited thepending Phase 1 trade deal be-tween the US and China and atrifecta of better than expectedlocal economic news this weekfor the gains.

Health care was up themost, gaining 2.1 per cent asCSL built on its stunning 2019gains with a 2.8 per cent rise to$299.30. Other stocks that hitrecord highs included Wes-farmers, James Hardie, Magel-lan Financial, JB Hi-Fi,ResMed, Domain and carsa-les.com.

Consumer staples, tech andtelecom stocks also had astrong day, with Vocus gaining8.1 per cent to $3.20 and Free-dom Foods rising 5.5 per centafter reporting it wasn’t dis-rupted by the bushfires.

Another record day as major stocks riseDEREK ROSE

DIVIDENDS from localshares will deliver more thantriple the interest rate paid bybank deposits this year.

However, the stock mar-ket’s outlook for 2020 is not asrosy, with share specialistswarning investors not to ex-pect a repeat of its 20 per cent-

plus performance of 2019.AMP Capital chief econom-

ist Shane Oliver said Aussieshare dividends averaged 4.25per cent, or 5.7 per cent oncetax benefits from frankingcredits were added. In contrast,term deposits were “probablygoing to drop below 1 per cent”.

Many major companies arepaying dividends above 4 percent and some banks are pay-ing 5-7 per cent. Ausbil Invest-ment Management executivechairman Paul Xiradis saidBHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescuecould also surprise with evenhigher dividends this year.

Dividends will trump money in the bank

A ROBOT built by a Queensland companycould be on its way to Mars and the Moon.

Mansfield-based BIA5 have collaborat-ed with Deakin University to develop arobot with the ability to handle not only thetoughest conditions on Earth but outerspace as well.

The robot, called the OzBot Titan, is al-ready used by mining companies and policeto go into environments that are toodangerous for humans.

Powered by a track system similar to atank, the OzBot has been ordered byNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as partof the Mars exploration program.

BIA5 has a small team of four at itsMansfield factory but plans to double thatas more orders for the OzBot come in.

BIA5 managing director Shawn Tansleysaid the robot was recently displayed in theUS, where NASA engineers witnessed itscapabilities against rivals from around theworld.

“This is where the best robots and ro-botic engineers gather to show off how ma-chines can step in and do the work insituations where the risk to human life istoo great,” he said.

“This includes responding to disaster sit-uations, search and rescue operations anddeep outer space. OzBot’s ability to reliablymove through complex and rugged terrainimpressed many attendees.”

Mr Tansley said Queensland police usedthe robot in high-risk situations, while min-ing companies used it to fight fires.

Deakin University’s Mick Fielding saidthe OzBot could end upplaying a part in efforts toestablish an outpost onthe Moon.

Learn more about jobsof the future at QODE,Queensland’s largest in-novation and technologygathering for entrepren-eurs, investors, businessexecutives, start-ups andgovernment, held at theBrisbane Convention and Exhibition Cen-tre on March 24-25.

GLEN NORRIS

Real-life robot warsBrisbane tech bound for Mars and beyond

RIGHT TRACK: BAI5’s Shawn Tansley and Justin Mallory with the OzBot Titan. Picture: Annette Dew