ASX travel shares have taken to the skies in the past month.

Since the market open on 7 March, the Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price has lifted nearly 20%. Shares in Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) have climbed 9% in that time frame, while Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) shares have soared nearly 13%.

Meanwhile, the Helloworld Travel Ltd (ASX: HLO) share price is 17% higher, and Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) shares have lifted 16% since this date.

Let’s take a look at why these travel companies had such a great month.

All aboard, restrictions lift

ASX travel shares have ascended amid building travel momentum as restrictions are lifted by governments around the world.

The upward trend began on 9 March amid news India would restart international flights from 27 March. Qantas is reportedly tapping into Australia’s huge Indian community and trade and investment market.

ASX travel shares had another stellar day on 10 March, as oil prices dropped as much as 17%. Oil prices, which impact the price of fuel, are a major cost for airlines.

On 16 March, the travel sector gained another boost when New Zealand announced it would open the border to Australian tourists earlier than expected.

Qantas shares went up 2.23%, Flight Centre shares gained 1.87% and Webjet shares climbed 3.28% on this day alone. Helloworld Travel also jumped 3.45%, while Corporate Travel Management surged 5.26%.

Also on this day, the United Kingdom advised that arrivals would no longer need to present a COVID-19 test to enter the country.

More good news

In another boost for travel, Health Minister Greg Hunt advised on 25 March that Australia’s biosecurity emergency would soon end.

This means a return to cruise travel, with the international cruise ship ban into Australian waters set to end on 17 April. Travellers will also no longer require a COVID-19 test on arrival into the country from this date. Mr Hunt said:

Following medical advice, the Biosecurity Emergency Determination relating to COVID-19 for Australia will not be renewed when it lapses on April 17.

In today’s trade, Qantas shares fell 1.35%, Webjet shares lifted 1.45% and Flight Centre shares climbed 3.55%. Helloworld Travel shares jumped 2.04% while Corporate Travel shares rose 2.22%.

The Webjet share price is Goldman Sachs’s top pick for the travel sector, my Foolish colleague James recently reported. The company has placed a $6.90 price target on the company’s shares, a 17% hike on the current share price.

The post ASX travel shares are flying higher in a month. Here’s why. appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why the Flight Centre share price travelled 12% higher in March
• What happened to the Qantas share price today?
• Why this broker thinks the Webjet share price can fly 26% higher
• Here’s why the Flight Centre share price is taking off today
• How did the Webjet share price travel in March?

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and Webjet Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a fairly successful month in March. The ASX’s flagship index rose a healthy 6.4% over the month just passed, resulting in gains for many ASX shares and ASX-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs). But how did international share markets fare over March? A good ASX proxy for these markets is the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS).   

VGS is an ETF that covers multiple share markets across various advanced economies around the world. Its dominant market is the United States, but VGS also includes shares from countries like the United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore and Canada, as well as many from Europe.

Among VGS’s top holdings, you will mostly find the top US companies by market capitalisation. These include the US tech giants like Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN). But other international shares like Nestle, LVMH and Toyota are also significant presences.

In saying that, VGS has almost 1,500 different holdings, so there is a lot of diversification here as well. 

So how did this Vanguard ETF perform over March? 

How did the Vanguard International Shares ETF go in March?

Well, VGS units started the month priced at $97.05 each. By last Thursday, they had finished up at a price of $99.09. That represents a gain of 2.94% for the month of March. There were no dividend distributions during the month, so that’s the absolute return VGS investors received.

It’s arguably a very solid result. But it still pales in comparison to the returns of the ASX 200, which would extend to any ASX-based index ETF.

It hasn’t been too often that an ASX ETF has outperformed a US-dominated ETF like VGS in recent years. So considering this, it was a truly great month for ASX investors.

Over the past five years, the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF has returned an average of 13.57% per annum. This ASX exchange-traded fund charges an annual management fee of 0.18%. 

The post How did the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF fare in March? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns Amazon and Apple. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Amazon, Apple, and Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon, Apple, and Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) share price had a lacklustre day of trading on Wednesday.

Beach Energy shares closed flat at $1.59, the same as yesterday’s closing price.

That puts Beach Energy shares down 10.7% since this time last month.

By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has gained 6.4% over the same period. And while ASX 200 energy shares have lagged, the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) has managed to finish the month up 0.4%.

Why is the Beach Energy share price trailing the index?

To be fair, all the major energy shares have come under some pressure this month as crude oil prices retraced from multi-year highs.

On 6 March, Brent crude oil was trading for US$123 per barrel. Today that same barrel is worth US$107, down some 13%, according to data from Bloomberg.

That slide helped push the Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) share price down 1.7% while Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) shares have lost 2.0% over the month.

Yet that’s significantly less than the 10.6% drop in the Beach Energy share price.

Why?

Part of the reason looks to be negative investor reaction to news that the ASX 200 energy share is divesting its 15% interest in the Cooper Basin petroleum retention licence 211 to a joint venture. It’s a licence that includes the potentially promising Odin gas field.

Shares dipped 2% on the day.

Taking a step back, the Beach Energy share price was a strong outperformer heading into early March, making it likely there’s some profit-taking going on.

Even with the 11% retrace over the last month, Beach Energy shares remain up 26% from the closing bell on 31 December.

The post Why has the Beach Energy share price tumbled 11% in a month? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• What boosted the Whitehaven Coal (ASX:WHC) share price on Friday?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• What’s dragging on ASX 200 energy shares today?

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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ASX mining shares struggled across the board today. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) has closed Wednesday down 1.68%.

But one ASX mining share was on fire amid an update from the company’s silver project.

The Thomson Resources Ltd (ASX: TMZ) share price surged 18% to 5.4 cents in earlier trade, only to retreat after midday. Still, it was an impressive result for Thomson Resources, posting a 14.29% gain at close of trade. For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fell 0.5% on Wednesday.

So why was this ASX mining share so red hot today?

‘Outstanding’ silver and base metal intersections

Thomson advised that the mineral resource estimate (MRE) for the Webbs silver deposit is now well advanced. This project, located in northern New South Wales, is said to be one of the highest grade undeveloped silver projects in Australia.

The company reported “outstanding” silver and base metal intersections and positive metallurgy at the project.

Thomson provided silver and base metal intersection estimates from a newly validated historic drill hole database.

Highlights at the 30 grams per tonne AgEq (silver equivalent) cut off included:

• 6.33 metres (m) at 735 grams per tonne (g/t) AgEq
• 6.62 m at 793 g/t AgEq
• 7.79 m at 613 g/t AgEq

At the 150 gram per tonne AgEq:

• 1.86 m at 2,152 g/t AgEq
• 2.97 m at 1,326 g/t AgEq
• 1.81 m at 2,078 g/t AgEq

And boy, did investors want to share in this ASX mining company’s good tidings.

Comment from management

Executive chairman David Williams said:

We have not just rubber stamped previous published resources. We have gone through from scratch, gone through all of the available historic information, and added in new data and studies where there have been gaps.

What we will end up with is an MRE that we will have a lot of confidence in. Our better understanding of the geological setting again throws up clear target areas for exploration drilling to expand and extend the resource.

Of particular importance is the very favorable metallurgy that integrates with our own work from the Texas district and will support integration of the Webbs high-grade silver and base metal project into the Company’s central processing strategy.

The company plans to deliver the mineral resource estimate in the second quarter of 2022.

Share price snapshot

The Thomson Resources share price has crashed nearly 56% in the past year, while it has fallen 28% in the year to date.

The company’s shares have slid 12% in a month, but they are up nearly 9% in the past week.

For perspective, the benchmark ASX 200 has returned nearly 9% over the past year.

The ASX mining share has a market capitalisation of $26.96 million based on its current share price.

The post Why did this ASX mining share surge 14% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why has the Beach Energy share price tumbled 11% in a month?
• Why has the AFIC share price leapt 5% in 4 weeks?
• Here’s why the Virtus Health share price outperformed today
• Why is the Lynas share price backtracking 5% today?
• This lagging ASX sector could be next to outperform

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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