Most of the top 200 ASX-listed companies have now announced their results for the 2017 financial year and the overall report card is good.
According to CommSec, 90 per cent of companies reporting full-year results turned a profit while 91 per cent paid a dividend. Earnings were up a combined 67 per cent on a year ago, dividends were up 10 per cent and cash levels rose 27 per cent to almost $108 billion.
The strongest sectors were mining, which benefited from stronger commodity prices and cost cutting, followed by food companies, REITs and companies dependent on the housing market.
