Read our Quarterly Report for Q4 2018
Posted 14 March 2019The 4th Qtr for 2018 was tumultuous, to say the least with varying results across the road transport, automotive, plant and equipment sectors.
The new truck market finished 2018 up with record truck sales in all categories, which is fantastic news for the sector. The used truck market also performed very strongly all around the country throughout 2018. The most interesting yet concerning trend in the 4th Qtr, however, was these record sales figures plummeted in December and have carried through into the new year in both the new and used market sectors. We will be watching this closely over the current quarter to determine whether there are larger underlying issues.
The earthmoving, plant and equipment market remained strong over the 4th Qtr with limited stock being offered on to the market and any quality equipment selling well. In the auto sector, new car sales saw an overall decline across the board with SUVs and light commercials the only two market segments to buck the trend.
The quarter in short:
- Slattery Asset Advisory saw a significant increase in requests for valuations, particularly in the insolvency space.
- The Road Transport sector has seen a noticeable pullback in market confidence across the road transport sector in both the new and used markets nationally.
- In the Mining and Earthmoving sector, most brands had a strong quarter. Caterpillar 4th Qtr sales and revenues were US$14.3 billion, up 11% from last year
- Quarter four for the automotive market saw sluggish overall sales numbers for new cars in Australia with the overall sales for the year finishing 3% down on 2017.
- Currently, the agri sector is experiencing extreme challenges on the east coast of Australia whilst in the West, there has been a bumper season, which has led to an increase in demand for agri equipment there.