ASX 200 drops 0.8% on Monday 18 January 2021

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) went 0.8% lower today to 6,663 points.

Here are some of the highlights from the ASX:

JB Hi-Fi announced its FY21 half-year update. The retailer said that its sales went up by 23.7% to $4.94 billion, earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) went up 75.9% to $462.7 million and net profit after tax (NPAT) rose by 86.2% to $317.7 million.

Management said that sales momentum was strong throughout the half, with continued elevated customer demand for consumer electronics and home appliances products. This, combined with high growth of online sales and a strong Black Friday sales period, more than offset the impact of the government mandated temporary store closures during the half. Online sales went up…