Day: 12 May 2022

  • Here’s why the Incannex share price is rocketing 18% today

    Rising marijuana share price.Rising marijuana share price.

    The Incannex Healthcare Ltd (ASX: IHL) share price is on the move today following a company’s latest acquisition.

    At the time of writing, the healthcare company’s shares are trading at 43 cents, up 17.81%.

    Incannex progresses on APIRx takeover

    According to its release, Incannex announced it has entered into a share sale and purchase agreement to acquire APIRx Pharmaceuticals.

    Based in the United States, APIRx is a leading pharmaceutical company specialising in cannabinoid active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products.

    The acquisition will be made by an all-scrip transaction of 218 million Incannex shares at a value of $0.573 per share.

    This requires Incannex’s shareholders to approve the issue of the new shares to the sellers under ASX Listing Rule 7.1.

    A shareholder vote will be held at the extraordinary general meeting in June 2022.

    If green-lit, the shares will be issued at the completion of the acquisition and thus APIRx will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company.

    Incannex noted that the acquisition of APIRx delivers a strong portfolio of patented drug candidates. This includes 22 development programs covering a total addressable market of US$400 billion per annum.

    Together, Incannex and APIRx will form the world’s largest portfolio of patented medicinal cannabinoid drug formulations and psychedelic treatment protocols.

    The takeover is expected to be seamless, as APIRx’s assets are similar to Incannex’s operational capabilities and pharmaceutical development strategy.

    Incannex CEO and managing director, Joel Latham commented:

    The acquisition of APIRx presents us with clear long and short-term opportunities for significant value growth. Several drug candidates have shortened regulatory pathways to break into areas of patient need representing very large global markets. These candidates are our initial development priority.

    Incannex’s strong cash position allows us to pursue these near-term product opportunities at the same time as moving at pace to develop the Incannex combination drug candidates. Once the acquisition of APIRx has been finalised, Incannex will have many diverse projects under development, the progress over which we will update the stock exchanges with ongoingly.

    Incannex share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months, the Incannex share price has surged close to 60%.

    While investor optimism took hold late last year, this hasn’t been the case in 2022 with losses sitting around 31%.

    The company’s shares reached a multi-year high of 75.5 cents in early March, before giving up their astonishing gains.

    On valuation grounds, Incannex presides a market capitalisation of around $549.97 million.

    The post Here’s why the Incannex share price is rocketing 18% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Incannex right now?

    Before you consider Incannex, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Incannex wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

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    Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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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  • Analysts name 2 ASX dividend shares to buy to beat inflation

    Listed below are a couple of dividend shares that brokers believe are in the buy zone right now and offer yields that could help combat inflation.

    Here’s what income investors need to know about these dividend shares:

    Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW)

    The first ASX dividend share to look at is the Charter Hall Long Wale REIT.

    The Charter Hall Long Wale REIT is a property company that invests in high quality ANZ real estate assets that are predominantly leased to corporate and government tenants on long term leases.

    At the last count, the company’s portfolio weighted average lease expiry (WALE) stood at 12.2 years. Management believes this provides long-term income security.

    The team at Citi is very positive on the Charter Hall Long Wale REIT. Its analysts currently have a buy rating and $5.71 price target on its shares.

    In respect to dividends, the broker is forecasting dividends per share of 30.8 cents in FY 2022 and 30.9 cents in FY 2023. Based on the current Charter Hall Long Wale REIT share price of $4.84, this will mean yields of ~6.3%.

    Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)

    Another ASX dividend share that could be in the buy zone is Wesfarmers.

    It is the conglomerate behind businesses including Bunnings, Catch, Covalent Lithium, Kmart, Officeworks, and Priceline.

    Analysts at Morgans are very positive on Wesfarmers. They recently put an add rating and $58.50 price target on its shares.

    The broker likes Wesfarmers due to it having “one of the highest quality retail portfolios in Australia” and “a highly regarded management team.”

    As for dividends, the broker is forecasting fully franked dividends per share of $1.62 in FY 2022 and $1.81 in FY 2023. Based on the current Wesfarmers share price of $49.21, this will mean yields of 3.3% and 3.7%, respectively.

    The post Analysts name 2 ASX dividend shares to buy to beat inflation appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

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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. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Blockdown! Why is the Block share price crashing by 16% today?

    a man with a moustache sits at his computer with his hands over his eyes making a gap between his fingers so he can peek through to his computer screen.a man with a moustache sits at his computer with his hands over his eyes making a gap between his fingers so he can peek through to his computer screen.

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is once again falling over this Thursday’s trading session thus far. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is down by a depressing 1.02% to just under 7,000 points. But things are faring far worse today with the Block Inc (ASX: SQ2) share price.

    Block shares are getting a hammering today. The US-based fintech company and new owner of Afterpay is down by a nasty 15.63% at $102.30 a share as it currently stands. That puts Block very close to its 52-week low of $102 a share. It also means the company has fallen close to 30% over just the past five trading days. Not to mention more than 37% over the past month.

    So what’s going on with Block today that has elicited such a sharp selloff?

    Why are Block shares getting smashed today?

    Well, it’s not entirely clear. There hasn’t actually been any news or developments out of Block itself that might explain this tanking share price. However, there are still several factors that we can look to. The first is the Block Inc (NYSE: SQ) stock price, the original US listing of Block.

    SQ2 shares are simply an ASX-listed version of Block’s American SQ shares. They are more or less the same investment, just priced on a different stock exchange. But last night (our time), Block’s US shares were also smashed. The company dropped 15.61% in last night’s trading down to US$71.22 a share.

    This seems to have been sparked by both the ongoing sell-off in the US tech shares sector and a sharp plunge in the price of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC). Block famously has a large stockpile of Bitcoin. But unfortunately for the company, this would have dropped a hefty 7.5% or so over the past 24 hours thanks to the price of Bitcoin itself dropping by that number.

    But Block wasn’t the only US tech company copping a pounding last night, although it was one of the larger fallers. We had Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) drop more than 8%, and Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) fall by more than 5%.

    Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) is also taking a beating, down 5.41% at the time of writing.

    It sure is a tough time to be a tech share.

    At the current Block share price, this ASX 200 fintech share has a market capitalisation of US$41.34 billion.

    The post Blockdown! Why is the Block share price crashing by 16% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Block right now?

    Before you consider Block, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Block wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Apple, Bitcoin, Block, Inc., and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Apple, Bitcoin, Block, Inc., and Tesla. 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 positions in and has recommended Block, Inc. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Thursday thrashing: ASX tech shares tumble

    A man with his back to the camera holds his hands to his head as he looks to a jagged red line trending sharply downward representing the ASX tech share sell-off todayA man with his back to the camera holds his hands to his head as he looks to a jagged red line trending sharply downward representing the ASX tech share sell-off today

    ASX tech shares are having a tough day today. The S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) is currently down by more than 5%.

    Some of the biggest names in the technology sector are seeing the worst falls. For example:

    • The Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) share price is down 12%
    • The Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) share price is down 9.5%
    • The Block Inc (ASX: SQ2) share price is down 15%
    • The Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) share price is down 11%
    • The WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) share price is down 4.5%
    • The REA Group Limited (ASX: REA) share price is down 3.5%
    • The SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK) share price is down 3.7%

    Not every business in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is seeing a decline, though the index is currently down 1%.

    The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price is up 1% after the big four bank reported its quarterly update. The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price is up 0.3% as well.

    Why are ASX tech shares hurting so much?

    Sometimes, the ASX tech sector is influenced by what happens to international tech shares during the US trading session.

    Overnight, the Nasdaq 100 Index (NASDAQ: NDX), which is made up of many of the world’s largest tech names, dropped by 3%. The Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) share price fell 5.2% and the Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) share price dropped 3.3%. The Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: FB) share price declined 4.5% and the Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) share price dipped by 3.2%. The Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) share price sank 8.25%.

    But there’s another question – why did those shares fall so much?

    There has been a lot of market focus on how strong inflation is at the moment. The latest US inflation data was just released and the 12-month percentage change for the consumer price index was 8.3%.

    This wasn’t quite as strong as the 40-year high of 8.5% registered in March but it remains elevated. Seasonally adjusted, there was a month-on-month increase of 0.3%.

    According to Bloomberg, the core CPI was higher than all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The news outlet reported that investors are expecting ongoing strong moves by the US Federal Reserve to try to control inflation. There are more expectations for four straight 50-basis-point increases.

    Bloomberg reported that Robert Frick, corporate economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said: “The peak of inflation may be behind us, but today’s CPI report points to a long, slow descent or maybe even a plateau around 8%.”

    Why interest rates are important for asset valuations

    Interest rates are seen as an important influencer on asset prices, including ASX tech shares.

    Warren Buffett once said:

    The value of every business, the value of a farm, the value of an apartment house, the value of any economic asset, is 100% sensitive to interest rates because all you are doing in investing is transferring some money to somebody now in exchange for what you expect the stream of money to be, to come in over a period of time, and the higher interest rates are the less that present value is going to be. So every business by its nature … its intrinsic valuation is 100% sensitive to interest rates.

    The post Thursday thrashing: ASX tech shares tumble appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

    More reading

    John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has positions in Altium. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Altium, Amazon, Apple, Block, Inc., Life360, Inc., Meta Platforms, Inc., Microsoft, Tesla, WiseTech Global, and Xero. 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 positions in and has recommended Block, Inc., WiseTech Global, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Inc., REA Group Limited, and SEEK Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Why is the WiseTech share price slipping 5% lower today?

    A disappointed female investor sits in front of her laptop and puts her hand to her forehead and closes her eyes in disappointment over share price fallsA disappointed female investor sits in front of her laptop and puts her hand to her forehead and closes her eyes in disappointment over share price falls

    The WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) share price is tracking lower today and is now down 4.67% at $39.15.

    While there’s been no market-sensitive information released by the company today, in wider market moves, the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) is 5.19% in the red at the time of writing.

    What’s up with WiseTech?

    Tech and growth-type shares have each taken a beating in 2022 and the downward momentum appears to have carried into the third quarter of this financial year.

    WiseTech shareholders have seen their positions oscillate over the past three months with shares collapsing from a high of $53.21 in early April.

    In the last month of trade, WiseTech shares have sunk almost 20% into the red. They are down 33% this year to date and are now resting at six-month lows.

    Both upward momentum and sentiment appears to be lowly in the WiseTech share price.

    In fact, analysts are even calling for the company to create a catalyst to drive its shares higher – perhaps through an acquisition, according to the team at Macquarie.

    “A transformative acquisition could provide a positive share-price catalyst for WiseTech,” Macquarie analysts wrote in a recent note.

    However, the broker also thinks WiseTech won’t spend more than US$400 million, even though it could probably search for a transaction in the realm of US$1 billion.

    Macquarie is neutral on WiseTech and values the company at $45 per share, holding the same view as six other brokers – 50% of coverage, according to Bloomberg data.

    Meanwhile, the consensus price target from all analysts is $48.57 per share, implying around $10 of further upside if the crowd has it valued correctly.

    WiseTech share price snapshot

    In the last 12 months, the WiseTech share price has held onto a 46% gain, However, it is trading deep in the red for 2022.

    It is also down 7% over the past week.

    The post Why is the WiseTech share price slipping 5% lower today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in WiseTech Global right now?

    Before you consider WiseTech Global, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and WiseTech Global wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Why Dogecoin and Shiba Inu are tumbling today

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    Shiba Inu dog lying on the floor.

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    What happened

    Cryptocurrencies continued to struggle today as the market continues to navigate a worrisome macro outlook that is leading to a sell-off of riskier assets.

    Over the last 24 hours, the price of the world’s largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), was trading roughly flat at 10:56 a.m. ET today. However, Bitcoin briefly dropped below $30,000 today for the second time this week and is down more than 12% over the last five days.

    The price of Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) had fallen roughly 16% over the last day at the same time, and the price of Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) had fallen roughly 17.5%.

    So what

    Cryptocurrencies haven’t fared much better than tech stocks in recent months, as the Federal Reserve first tightened and then raised its benchmark overnight lending rate, the federal funds rate. It has raised that rate roughly 0.75% over its last two meetings, including with a half-point hike at its meeting earlier this month. When the Fed hikes rates, it makes safer assets like U.S. Treasury bills, which are guaranteed by the U.S. government, yield more. That makes investors demand higher returns from other riskier assets, which can put pressure on them.

    “This further supports the case that bitcoin investors were seeking to de-risk, sell or add collateral to margin in response to market volatility,” analysts from the blockchain company Glassnode wrote in a report earlier this week.

    Additionally, inflation has remained high. New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the Consumer Price Index, which tracks the prices of common everyday goods and services, was up 8.3% year over year in April. That’s down slightly from the increase in the CPI in March but more than the 8.1% increase that experts and analysts had been predicting. 

    “We’re starting to see energy [costs] pull back a little bit, but it’s not enough,” said Kathy Jones, the chief fixed-income strategist at Charles Schwab, according to CNBC. “The markets were hoping for a better number and it’s not good enough to rule out more Fed tightening.”

    Many have long seen Bitcoin as a good hedge against inflation due to its finite supply of 21 million tokens. But so far there’s been no real proof of that, as the price of Bitcoin is now down more than 50% over the last six months.

    Now what

    I don’t see much news on the meme tokens Dogecoin and Shiba Inu, but I think they are struggling along with the broader altcoin market.

    While they definitely trade with some correlation to Bitcoin, altcoins like this are arguably even riskier because they are not being driven by any kind of fundamentals in the first place, but really by their ability to build a community and investor excitement around themselves.

    Additionally, there is likely no chance that either Dogecoin or Shiba Inu could ever hedge inflation due to their huge supplies. Dogecoin has no supply limit, while Shiba Inu’s is 1 quadrillion tokens, although there are currently 549 trillion tokens still in circulation.

    Ultimately, I am pretty bearish on Dogecoin and Shiba Inu but still believe in Bitcoin as a long-term buy and hold. Every day, more of the traditional financial system seems to adopt Bitcoin and use blockchain technology.

    I also believe there is the potential for cryptocurrencies to gain more adoption among consumers for daily transactions and payment purposes, which would also likely be good for crypto prices. 

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

    The post Why Dogecoin and Shiba Inu are tumbling today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

    More reading

    Charles Schwab is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Bram Berkowitz has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Bitcoin. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Charles Schwab. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. 

    This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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  • Why did the Galileo Mining share price tumble 18% in early trading on Thursday?

    A man has a surprised and relieved expression on his face. as he raises his hands up to his face in response to the high fluctuations in the Galileo share price todayA man has a surprised and relieved expression on his face. as he raises his hands up to his face in response to the high fluctuations in the Galileo share price today

    The Galileo Mining Ltd (ASX: GAL) share price fell heavily in early morning trade, reaching an intraday low of 52 cents — down 18.75% on yesterday’s close — shortly after the open.

    The ASX mining share has since recovered and is now up 2.36% to 65 cents at lunchtime.

    There’s been no price-sensitive news out of Galileo’s camp today. However, its share price is coming off a near-220% gain in yesterday’s session.

    What’s up with the Galileo Mining share price?

    ASX investors rallied behind Galileo yesterday following the release of a company announcement.

    The company announced it had intersected significant palladium, platinum, copper, gold, and nickel mineralisations at its 100%-owned Norseman project in WA.

    The project contains “278km2 of prospective ground at the southern end of the prolific Norseman-Wiluna greenstone belt”. The tenements are reportedly prospective for several minerals such as nickel sulphide, gold, lithium, and nickel-cobalt.

    As we reported yesterday: “The 33 metre intersection is within a broader 55 metre disseminated sulphide zone. Galileo said this shows the potential for a large mineralised system.”

    Meanwhile, the company mentioned that it remains fully funded with $8.2 million available for this quarter in order to “continue aggressive exploration programs at all [its] projects”.

    The Galileo Mining share price exploded on the news, hitting an all-time high of 66 cents. It closed the session at 63.5 cents.

    Trading volume was extremely high yesterday and that momentum has continued today. At the time of writing, the number of Galileo shares already swapped today is 196% of Galileo’s four-week average.

    The company followed up today with an investor presentation and webinar. They outline the value proposition and investment opportunity of the discovery, in addition to news on other joint ventures and assets.

    Specifically, Galileo Mining mentioned it is a “[w]ell funded and supported junior exploration company …[with] highly prospective Norseman & Fraser Range projects … “.

    Galileo Mining share price snapshot

    In the past 12 months, the Galileo Mining share price has soared by more than 150%. It is up 185% for the year to date.

    The post Why did the Galileo Mining share price tumble 18% in early trading on Thursday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow 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 Scott Phillips.

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  • ASX 200 midday update: CBA’s Q3 update impresses, Xero and Block crash

    A male sharemarket analyst sits at his desk looking intently at his laptop with two other monitors next to him showing stock price movements

    A male sharemarket analyst sits at his desk looking intently at his laptop with two other monitors next to him showing stock price movementsAt lunch on Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has followed Wall Street’s lead and tumbled lower. The benchmark index is currently down 0.75% to 7,010.7 points.

    Here’s what is happening on the ASX 200 today:

    CBA Q3 update impresses

    The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price is pushing higher today. This follows the release of a third-quarter update that came in ahead of expectations. For the three months ended 31 March, compared to the quarterly average during the first half, CBA reported a 1% decline in operating income to $6,103 million and flat cash earnings of $2,400 million. The latter was 6% ahead of the Citi’s expectations and 9% ahead of the analyst consensus estimate.

    Xero full-year results disappoint

    The Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) share price has crashed to a new 52-week low on Thursday after the cloud accounting platform provider’s full-year results disappointed. Xero reported a 29% increase in revenue to NZ$1.1 billion and an 11% lift in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to NZ$212.7 million. This was underpinned by a 19% increase in total subscribers to 3.3 million. However, according to Goldman Sachs, Xero’s missed on revenue, EBITDA, and subs growth.

    Tech shares pummelled

    The main drag on the ASX 200 on Thursday has been the tech sector. A selloff on the tech-focused Nasdaq index on Wednesday night has led to the S&P/ASX All Technology Index falling 5.2% today. Among the worst performers are Xero and Block Inc (ASX: SQ2). The latter is down 15% following a similar sharp decline by its NYSE listed shares on Wall Street overnight.

    Best and worst ASX 200 performers

    The best performer on the ASX 200 on Thursday has been the Orica Ltd (ASX: ORI) share price with a 7% gain. This follows the release of the commercial explosives company’s half-year results. Going the other way, the Block share price is the worst performer with a 15% decline.

    The post ASX 200 midday update: CBA’s Q3 update impresses, Xero and Block crash appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

    More reading

    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. has positions in and has recommended Block, Inc. and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Block, Inc. and Xero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Rhythm Biosciences share price lifts 5% on TGA news

    Two happy scientists analysing test results.Two happy scientists analysing test results.

    The Rhythm Biosciences Ltd (ASX: RHY) share price is on a rollercoaster ride today following the company’s latest release.

    It surged 11.57% at market open today before falling to $1.18 — 2.5% lower than its previous close. However, the medical device company’s shares have since bounced back and are now swapping hands for $1.27 — a 4.96% gain on the day.

    For context, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is currently down 0.84%.

    What did Rhythm announce?

    The Rhythm Biosciences share price is bouncing around today after the company advised it has filed with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the listing of ColoSTAT on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).

    An experimental test kit, ColoSTAT is being developed as a low-cost, easy-to-use blood test to detect colorectal cancer.

    The regulatory milestone would pave the way for the company to market and sell ColoSTAT within Australia.

    Rhythm noted that the lifesaving cancer detection technology can potentially make a meaningful difference to millions of people around the world. 

    With filing now completed, the TGA will assess Rhythm’s ARTG listing submission and hopefully provide final approval to begin commercial activities.

    The company anticipates the review process will be finalised within the next three to six months.

    In the interim, Rhythm is focusing on executing across a number of key technical, administrative, and logistical activities for ColoSTAT. This includes supporting the pathway to market entry, both domestically and internationally, later this year.

    Commenting on the news that appears to be driving the Rhythm Biosciences share price today, CEO and managing director Glenn Gilbert said:

    This is an exciting time for all Rhythm stakeholders and indeed global cancer diagnostics markets. The team continues to diligently execute on our plans as we target ColoSTAT revenues in late CY22.

    We are very close to being in a unique position to transform and revolutionise the colorectal diagnostics market with our lifesaving cancer detection technology.

    Rhythm Biosciences share price snapshot

    The Rhythm Biosciences share price has accelerated by 46% in the past 12 months, reflecting positive investor sentiment. The company’s shares reached an all-time high of $2.08 in November, before treading lower.

    At today’s prices, Rhythm presides a market capitalisation of roughly $256.89 million, with approximately 214.08 million shares on issue.

    The post Rhythm Biosciences share price lifts 5% on TGA news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Rhythm Biosciences right now?

    Before you consider Rhythm Biosciences, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Rhythm Biosciences wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

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    Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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 Scott Phillips.

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  • CBA share price pushes higher on consensus-beating quarterly update

    A young male ASX investor raises his clenched fists in excitement because of rising ASX share prices today

    A young male ASX investor raises his clenched fists in excitement because of rising ASX share prices today

    The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price is rising on Thursday.

    In morning trade, the banking giant’s shares are up 0.7% to $102.19.

    This compares favourably to a decline of 0.8% by the ASX 200 index.

    Why is the CBA share price rising?

    Investors have been bidding the CBA share price higher today after responding positively to the bank’s third-quarter update.

    For the three months ended 31 March, compared to the quarterly average during the first half, Australia’s largest bank reported a 1% decline in operating income to $6,103 million and flat cash earnings of $2,400 million.

    This reflects 3% volume growth and higher non-interest income, which helped offset continued margin pressure from elevated swap rates, mix effects, and competition.

    How does this compare to expectations?

    As you might have guessed with the CBA share price outperformance today, this result was better than the market was expecting.

    For example, the team at Goldman Sachs note that the bank’s quarterly cash earnings are run rating 10% ahead of its second half forecasts. It said:

    Cash profit from continuing operations in 3Q22 of c.A$2.4 bn was flat on the 1H22 quarterly average but run-rating c.10% ahead of what is implied by our 2H22E forecasts.

    And while the broker acknowledges that a bad and doubtful debts (BDDs) benefit helped drive the stronger than expected result, it highlights that its pre-provisioning operating profit (PPOP) was still ahead of expectations. Goldman said:

    The better-than-expected cash earnings result was largely due to lower-than-expected BDDs (benefit of A$48 mn), but PPOP was also run-rating c.4% above our implied 2H22E forecasts on better performance on costs (NIMs and revenues largely in line with GSe).

    CBA smashes consensus estimates

    CBA also outperformed Citi’s estimates, which were already sitting 3% ahead of consensus forecasts. The bank’s cash profit was 6% ahead of the broker’s expectations and 9% ahead of the analyst consensus estimate.

    Another positive was CBA’s net interest margin (NIM). While the bank didn’t reveal what its NIM was, Goldman Sachs estimates that it was 1.87%. Although this is down from 1.92% during the first half, it is ahead of Goldman’s second half estimate of 1.86%.

    All in all, CBA has been given the tick of approval for its third quarter. However, at this stage, both Citi and Goldman don’t see enough value in the CBA share price to recommend it as a buy.

    They continue with their sell ratings. Though, that could change once they have updated their financial models.

    The post CBA share price pushes higher on consensus-beating quarterly update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in CBA right now?

    Before you consider CBA, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and CBA wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

    More reading

    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. 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 Scott Phillips.

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