It has been a surprisingly good day for the Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price.

Earlier today, the cryptocurrency broke out of its narrow trading range and rose above the US$20,000 level after an almighty rebound. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is up 4.9% to US$20,121.

At one stage, it was up 6% to its highest level in over a week. And that was despite US stocks just slumping to their lowest levels of 2022.

Though, it is worth noting that the world’s largest cryptocurrency is still trading in the range of US$18,000 and US$25,000 that it’s been stuck in since June.

What’s happening with the Bitcoin price?

One expert believes that traders have been scrambling to buy Bitcoin on the belief that it could have reached a bottom.

Vijay Ayyar, the vice president of corporate development and international at crypto exchange Luno, notes that Bitcoin and the US dollar have a tendency to move inversely. This means a strong greenback is negative for Bitcoin.

However, Ayyar told CNBC that he suspects the rampaging US dollar could be close to peaking, which “would mark a potential bottom for bitcoin.”

“Traders hence might also be positioning themselves accordingly,” Ayyar said.

This could make for some interesting trading sessions for the Bitcoin price in the coming days.

The post Bitcoin price rallies 6% to leap back over US$20,000 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. has positions in and has recommended Bitcoin. 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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With a new month approaching, what better time to look at making some new additions to your portfolio.

Two ASX shares that could be worth considering in October are listed below. Here’s what analysts are saying about them:

Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)

The first ASX share to consider in October is Aristocrat Leisure.

Analysts at Morgans are recommending this gaming technology company and have an add rating and $43.00 price target on the company’s shares.

This compares favourably to the latest Aristocrat share price of $33.39.

Morgans likes Aristocrat due to its attractive valuation and strong long term growth outlook. The latter could be boosted by a planned expansion into real money gaming in the near future.

It commented:

The underperformance [of its shares] means, however, that ALL’s 1-year forward P/E has derated to less than 20x from a high of 30x last September. With $3.3bn of currently available liquidity, ALL has significant funding capacity for growth, even after the buyback. It has a stated ambition to build a meaningful presence in the rapidly growing online real money gaming segment, which we believe may be achieved both through organic investment and inorganic acquisitions.

Objective Corporation Limited (ASX: OCL)

Another ASX share that could be worth considering in October is Objective Corp.

It is a software company that provides content, collaboration, and process management solutions for the public sector in Asia Pacific, the USA and Europe.

After delivering a 15% increase in annualised recurring revenue (ARR) in FY 2022, the team at Goldman Sachs is expecting the strong form to continue. In fact, it expects Objective Corp’s ARR growth to accelerate to 18% in both FY 2023 and FY 2024.

Goldman has a buy rating and $18.40 price target on its shares. This compares to the current Objective Corp share price of $13.21.

The broker commented:

We are attracted to management’s track record of growth and margin expansion and see upside being driven from 1) new products including Build and RegWorks; and 2) expansion in the US over time. When adjusting for OCL’s conservative accounting (100% of R&D expensed), robust growth outlook, defensive end markets and high franchise quality, we see valuation appeal compared to SaaS peers and believe the shares can outperform in a more challenging macro environment.

The post Here’s why experts are tipping these ASX shares as buys for October appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week
• 2 ASX growth shares that Morgans rates as buys
• Here are 3 top ASX growth shares that analysts rate as buys
• ‘Bullish sign’: Expert names 2 rising ASX shares to buy right now
• Aristocrat share price defies the selloff thanks to bullish brokers

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 Objective Corporation Limited. 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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The Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) share price fell into negative territory again today.

At one point, shares in Australia’s fifth largest bank were trailing as much as 1.71% to an intraday low of $160.72.

However, a slight recovery towards the backend of the day has the share finish 0.92% lower to $162.01 on Tuesday.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Financials (ASX: XFJ) also headed south by 0.3% to 5,933.6 points.

Evidently, this dragged down shares in Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC).

They retreated by 0.19%, 0.34%, and 0.57%, respectively.

On the other hand, it is the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price that closed in the green, up 0.48%.

Let’s take a look at why Macquarie shares lagged behind the other ASX 200 banks today.

Why did Macquarie shares fare worse than the other ASX 200 banks?

A catalyst for Macquarie shares performing worse than its peers today appeared to be the company’s asset management arm shutting down its listed Asian equities business.

According to The Australian, the investment bank has closed down the unit due to the gloomy economic outlook.

Last week, Macquarie Asia New Stars No. 1 Fund stopped accepting applications and redemptions with management fees no longer charged.

The capital that was accumulated before this time is set to be distributed to investors over several instalments.

Ratings investment house, Zenith, felt let down by the outcome, saying:

Despite the longevity of the Macquarie Asia New Stars No. 1 Fund being a key concern, we remain disappointed with the termination of the product, as we held a high opinion of the experienced investment team.

This comes after the Macquarie Asia New Stars No. 1 Fund recorded a poor performance amid a challenging economic environment. Returns came at a loss of 20.4% for the year ended August 31.

While the closure is in response to prevailing market conditions, it is believed that this won’t have any effect on Macquarie’s broader equities business.

Macquarie share price snapshot

Adding to Tuesday’s losses, it’s worth noting that Macquarie shares are now down more than 6% in a week.

On top of the already tough month, the Macquarie share price is down 21% in 2022.

Based on today’s price, the company commands a market capitalisation of roughly $63.2 billion.

The post Why did the Macquarie share price trail the other ASX 200 banks today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Brokers name 2 blue chip ASX 200 shares to buy now
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• Does ANZ really have the best profit margins of the big four bank shares?
• Why has the Macquarie share price been thrashed 10% in a fortnight?

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 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 Scott Phillips.

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If you’re looking for exchange traded funds (ETFs) to buy, then you may want to check out the two listed below.

These ETFs are rated highly by analysts right now and for good reason. Here’s what you need to know:

ETFS Battery Tech & Lithium ETF (ASX: ACDC)

One of the hottest areas of the market this year has been the lithium industry. Despite the market’s wobbles, a number of lithium shares have recorded mouth-watering returns for investors.

So, if you’re interested in gaining exposure to this booming side of the market, then you could do it with the ETFS Battery Tech & Lithium ETF.

This ETF provides investors with exposure to a range of companies involved in battery technology and lithium mining. This includes AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group, Lockheed Martin, Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN), and Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS).

Jessica Amir from Saxo Markets is a fan of the ETF and suggested that it could be a good way for investors to gain exposure to the decarbonisation megatrend. She said:

[I]f stock picking is not for you, and if you believe, like we do, that the electric vehicle industry and the critical minerals/ commodities will continue to see rising demand, and policy support, and also benefit from the world striving to be carbon neutral by 2050, then you could invest or trade in Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (LIT) or ETFS Battery Tech & Lithium ETF ( (ACDC) that invests in about 30 of the biggest EV and battery technology companies in the world.

VanEck Vectors MSCI World ex Australia Quality ETF (ASX: QUAL)

Another ETF that has been tipped as one to buy is the VanEck Vectors MSCI World ex Australia Quality ETF.

As its name implies, this ETF gives investors access to a group of high quality shares from across the world (but excluding Australia).

To be included in the fund, a company needs to have low leverage, high earnings growth rates, and high returns on equity. A few examples of companies that tick these boxes and are included in the ETF are Apple, Microsoft, Nike, and Nvidia.

Shaw and Partners’ Felicity Thomas is positive on this ETF in the current environment. She recently told Livewire:

[F]or me, it’s actually a buy. With rising interest rates and the war that’s going on in Europe, I actually think it’s important to invest in quality companies with high revenue growth and a solid balance sheet, which QUAL provides.

The post These exciting ETFs have been tipped as buys by experts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• How do investors decide which ASX 200 mining shares to buy?
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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 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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