If you’re looking for an easy way to diversify your portfolio, then exchange traded funds (ETFs) could be the answer.

But which ETFs should you look at? Listed below are three excellent ETFs that could be worth considering this month. Here’s what you need to know about them:

BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF (ASX: CRYP)

The first ETF to look at is the BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF. BetaShares highlights that this high risk ETF provides investors with “picks and shovels” exposure to the companies that are building the crypto economy. These are mining equipment providers, crypto trading venues, and other key service providers. At present, the ETF is invested in almost 40 crypto leaders such as Coinbase, Riot Blockchain, and Microstrategy. It also owns shares with indirect exposure such as Block/Square, PayPal, and Robinhood.

VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

Another ETF for investors to look at is the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF. This ETF provides investors with an easy way to invest in the type of companies that Warren Buffett buys. The ETF currently contains ~50 attractively priced companies with sustainable competitive advantages or moats. These include the likes of Alphabet (Google), Altria, Boeing, Coca Cola, Meta (Facebook), Kellogg Co, and Walt Disney.

VanEck Vectors Video Gaming and eSports ETF (ASX: ESPO)

A final ETF for ASX investors to look at is the VanEck Vectors Video Gaming and eSports ETF. This ETF gives investors easy access to a global video game market estimated to comprise 2.7 billion active gamers. Among the companies included in the fund are AMD, Electronic Arts, Nintendo, Nvidia, Roblox, and Take-Two. VanEck notes that these companies are well-placed to benefit from the increasing popularity of video games and eSports.

The post 3 of the best ETFs for ASX investors to buy this month appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Betashares Crypto Innovators ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended VanEck Vectors ETF Trust – VanEck Vectors Video Gaming and eSports ETF and VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat 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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Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) notched up its third consecutive green day in a fine start to the week. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 0.56% higher at 7,565.2 points.

While a few sectors took a backseat today, energy and materials bolstered the Aussie equity market. On the back of higher oil prices overnight, the big oil and gas names of the ASX injected optimism into the local market. Disappointingly, healthcare and tech shares were the furthest behind the pack today.

However, the question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the top ten stocks that came through for investors:

Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the lithium developer surged 13.93% in absence of any announcements from the company. However, optimism among lithium shares appeared to be rife today amid ARK Invest’s latest bullish take on electric vehicle maker, Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA). Find out more about Lake Resources here.

Another lithium producer experiencing heightened excitement today was Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO). The company’s shares climbed 9.09% also without the accompaniment of an ASX announcement. Uncover the latest Core Lithium details here.

Today’s top 10 biggest gains were made in these ASX shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE)	$2.29	13.93%
Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)	$1.50	9.09%
Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd (ASX: CWY)	$3.24	5.88%
APM Human Services International Ltd (ASX: APM)	$3.40	4.29%
Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT)	$1.665	4.06%
Incitec Pivot Ltd (ASX: IPL)	$4.15	3.75%
Oz Minerals Ltd (ASX: OZL)	$27.73	3.32%
QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE)	$12.26	3.11%
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN)	$10.54	2.83%
Computershare Ltd (ASX: CPU)	$25.75	2.75%

Our top 10 ASX shares today countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check-in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Lake Resources share price spikes 14% as lithium prices begin to ease
• Analysts name 3 top ASX lithium stocks to buy now
• ASX 200 midday update: AMP asset sale talks, Syrah rockets
• Why is the Core Lithium share price powering up 7% today?
• Keen to bag the Washington H Soul Pattinson dividend? Read this

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited. 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 Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) share price finished in the red on Tuesday despite the company’s silence.

However, the price of uranium – the commodity the company produces – has seemingly levelled out over the last few days after spiking last week.

Additionally, notable global funds invested in the energy commodity struggled overnight.

As of Tuesday’s close, the Paladin share price is 94 cents, 2.59% lower than its previous close.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gained 0.55% on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Paladin share price dragged on the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ). Though, the sector still managed a 1.29% gain.

Let’s take a closer look at what happened to the uranium producer’s shares today.

What’s been weighing on the Paladin share price?

The Paladin share price lost ground today despite the broader market’s upwards momentum.

It was likely dragged down by the price of uranium. The commodity’s value slumped slightly yesterday after appearing to stall for much of last week, according to Trading Economics.

Those movements (or lack thereof) followed its rally last Wednesday, which saw the commodity’s value reach an 11-year high.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Paladin share price launched 9.64% on Wednesday and another 6.59% on Thursday. Thus, today’s dip could be simple price-taking.

Interestingly, while the price of uranium hasn’t gone far in recent days, the Global X Uranium EFT (exchange-traded fund) plunged 3.14% in Monday’s session in New York.

Meanwhile, the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust – the world’s largest physical uranium fund, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange – also slumped 2.12% yesterday.  

Additionally, many of Paladin’s uranium-producing peers were also in the red on Tuesday.

Deep Yellow Limited (ASX: DYL) released its quarterly activities and cash flow reports for the three months ended March 31 today. Its share price also ended in the red on Tuesday, slumping 1.32%.

That of Bannerman Energy Ltd (ASX: BMN) recorded a deeper loss, falling 3.17%.

The Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) share price was the outlier of the pack, gaining 3.36% on Tuesday.

The post What happened to the Paladin Energy share price on Tuesday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week
• Why are ASX uranium shares getting so much attention right now?
• These 3 shares are topping the ASX 200 volume charts on Thursday
• The Paladin Energy share price has surged 19% in a week. Here’s why these brokers are tipping more gains
• New ASX uranium share to hit boards next month and investors are already pouncing

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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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The Vanguard Australian Shares ETF (ASX: VAS) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that’s invested in ASX shares. Could it be a good time to invest in the VAS ETF at the current price?

It tracks the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO), which represents a list of 300 of the biggest businesses on the ASX.

Some of the biggest names in the portfolio are ones like BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and CSL Limited (ASX: CSL).

But could it be time to buy the ETF?

Expert thoughts on the VAS ETF

In a recent episode of ‘buy hold sell’ on Livewire, Felicity Thomas from Shaw and Partners and Ben Nash from Pivot Wealth gave their opinion on the VAS ETF.

For Ben Nash, he thought that the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF is a buy because it is “rock solid” and “nice and cheap”.

According to Mr Nash, the VAS ETF offers a good yield and it can provide inflation protection with the “growth element” of the ETF. He concluded that it’s “definitely a buy”.

While the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF may not be far off its all-time high, the “cheap” comment may refer to the fact that the VAS ETF has an annual management fee of 0.10%. This is a fraction of the fee that active fund managers typically charge.

However, Felicity Thomas was less enthusiastic about the ASX-based ETF. She called the VAS ETF a “hold”. Ms Thomas noted that the ASX 300 is trading at 14 times its earnings. However, the VAS ETF share price is “quite high” according to the expert. In her opinion, the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF could be more attractive in a dip like the market saw during January and February 2022.

How is an ETF price affected?

The Vanguard Australian Shares ETF return is dictated by the movement of share prices of the underlying holdings.

So, the bigger holdings like BHP, CBA, CSL, National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ), Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG), Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) and Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) have a larger influence on the returns of the ETF.

The smaller positions are part of the overall picture, but they have a much smaller impact on the price change of the VAS ETF. Names like Estia Health Ltd (ASX: EHE), Mystate Ltd (ASX: MYS), Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG), Service Stream Limited (ASX: SSM) and Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB) are some of the smallest positions in the portfolio.

According to Vanguard, at the end of February 2022, the ETF had a dividend yield of 4.2% and a price/earnings ratio (P/E ratio) of 14.

The post Is the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF a good buy at current prices? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Austal Limited and CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Telstra Corporation Limited and Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group Limited and Westpac Banking Corporation. 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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