ASX falls, weighed down by plunge in CSL and WiseTech shares

The Australian sharemarket has opened lower despite a strong start in New York as the growing prospects of a trade deal between the US and China.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index had fallen 9.3 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 9046.3 as of 10.44am on Tuesday AEDT , with a plunge in the health and tech sectors offsetting gains in the big four banks and retail stocks.
The S&P 500 rose 1.9 per cent overnight to close at 6875.16. President Donald Trump said on Monday (Tuesday AEDT ) that he expected the US and China to "come away" with a trade deal. Trump is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday.
"Wall Street surged to fresh record highs on the euphoria of an imminent and unexpected trade deal between the US and China," said Capital.com market analyst Kyle Rodda.
However, CSL led the ASX lower when it dropped nearly 15 per cent after the blood plasma giant cut its revenue guidance. It also faces a second strike and the deferral of its Seqirus vaccine business in the United States.
WiseTech shares also plunged more than 16 per cent after the Australian Federal Police and the corporate regulator raided its offices in Sydney and requested documents related to alleged trading by its billionaire founder Richard White and three other employees.
Other ASX tech stocks also fell, with Life360 and Codan shedding more than 1 per cent, while NextDC eased 0.6 per cent, and Appen dropped 3.2 per cent.
Meanwhile, investors took profits from gold miners after the price of bullion dropped below $US4000 an ounce as hopes of a US-China trade deal grew. "The move is the inevitable result of an asset that was completely gripped by mania and speculation for the better part of a month," said Rodda.
Greatland Resources sank nearly 10 per cent, while Genesis and Capricorn Metals dropped about 7 per cent. Ramelius, Perseus and Evolution all fell more than 4 per cent.
These losses were offset by gains in consumer discretionary stocks, with Wesfarmers up 2.9 per cent, JB Hi-Fi 1.5 per cent, Eagers 2.9 per cent, and Myer 1.2 per cent.
The big four banks also stemmed the bleeding on the ASX, with Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, and Westpac rising more than 2 per cent, while ANZ gained 1.5 per cent.
Stocks on the move
AUB shares gained 8.5 per cent on news it received an unsolicited, confidential, and non-binding indicative takeover proposal from private equity firm EQT.
Liontown Resources dropped 10.5 per cent after reporting it burnt through $44 million in the three months to September 30, making a dent in the $266 million that it raised in August to help it ride out the lithium downturn.
Flight Centre eased 1.3 per cent despite offloading its Cross Hotels business to a South Korean hotel management company for an undisclosed sum.
Lark Distilling gained 2.1 per cent after reporting that whisky sales jumped 10 per cent in the September quarter on the back of stronger airport sales, exports to China, and e-commerce activity.

Sumber : AFR