WA winners circle

THE Australian stock market is still sliding at a sedate pace compared with bourses across the water. Some of our home-grown companies are consummate outperformers. AlintaGas at $3.28 is a country mile over the $2.40 issue price.

In the building materials sector, of all places, you find Bristile, which has soared from $1.10 to $1.60, and still pays an 8 per cent fully franked dividend. BankWest has at least held its ground.

However, in-from-the-cold Wesfarmers is the cat’s pyjamas. If the share price can hold anywhere near the current $19.60 record, Wesfarmers chief Michael Chaney is in danger of being carried shoulder high into the Burswood Theatre on April 6, where shareholders will be waiting to approve the FIF merger proposal. Assuming it goes through, the number of Wesfarmers shareholders will climb from 41,000 to around 65,000.