Wesfarmers Limited

On Wednesday, Australian stocks fell again following a weak Wall Street lead, losing almost all of the gains from previous day. It was hurt by a fall in resources stocks on global recession fears and by disappointing US company earnings that stoked worries about the outlook for profit growth.

Yesterday Australian shares rallied to their biggest one-day gain since October 1997. Confidence in Australian banks was buoyed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's announcement that all deposits in Australian financial institutions would be guaranteed for three years. Analysts said last week the market probably hit the bottom when investors were in the depths of fear and panic, but recovery may cost a long time. Despite the short-term buoyancy, the Australian market remains fearful of deeper plunges, especially if the powerful US market continues to falter.

US political leaders have struck an agreement in principle on a $US700 billion bailout plan to revive the troubled financial system. It is hoped both houses of US congress will vote on the plan within days. Wall Street and European markets have reacted positively to the news, with major indices recording gains of around two per cent.

Wesfarmers Limited (ASX: WES) - 2007 Full Year Results - Mr Richard Goyder, MD and CEO; Wesfarmers Limited (ASX: WES) present the following audio webcast regarding "2007 Full Year Results". You may also download this audio webcast to your computer or portable audio player.