The Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) share price exploded in 2022, but what could be ahead?

Whitehaven Coal shares soared 261% in 2022 to $9.42. For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has slid 6% in a year.

Let’s take a look at the outlook for Whitehaven Coal in 2023.

What’s ahead for the coal price?

Whitehaven is a coal producer that operates four mines in New South Wales and is developing two assets in Queensland.

Whitehaven exports coal globally to Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The price of coal is likely to weigh on the Whitehaven coal price again in 2023.

A recent report from the Office of the Chief Economist is predicting thermal coal prices to lift from US$245 a tonne in FY22 to US$360 a tonne in FY23 before declining to US$239 a tonne in FY24.

The report said:

Thermal coal earnings in 2022–23 and 2023–24 have been revised up by $13 and $17 billion, respectively. Weather problems in major producing nations have hurt supply and helped keep the price of thermal coal (especially high quality grades) very high.

Meanwhile, the report tips metallurgical coal prices to fall from US$404 a tonne in FY22 to US$262 a tonne in FY23 and US$238 a tonne in FY24. Commenting on the metallurgical coal price, the report said:

Metallurgical coal prices have lifted since early August, but remain well below levels reached in the March-June 2022 period.

Meanwhile, Saxo Capital Markets strategist Jessica Amir is predicting shareholder returns for ASX coal companies to lift in the new year. She said in quotes cited by Bloomberg:

Demand for coal usually peaks in January, so some of these shareholder returns could grow into the new year as the energy crisis continues.

However, she predicted coal prices may “lose heat before the mid year, as Europe and US head into summer and thus demand for coal will cool.”

Whitehaven coal achieved a record average coal price of $581 Australian dollars in the September quarter.

The company recently updated its guidance on coal production for FY23 from 20 to 22 Mt to 19 to 20.4 Mt.

Whitehaven Coal share price snapshot

The chart below shows Whitehaven Coal’s share price performance in 2022.

Whitehaven Coal has a market capitalisation of nearly $8.5 billion based on today’s closing price.

The post The Whitehaven share price skyrocketed 261% this year, what could 2023 look like? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Monica O’Shea 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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Ending the year on a high note, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) rallied on the last trading day of 2022. The benchmark index climbed 0.26% to 7,038.7 points, following in the footsteps of the US stock market last night.

Nearly all sectors of the Australian share market were walking with a spring in their step on Friday. All except for one, the real estate sector — slipping slightly lower with broad weakness among popular property names.

The most significant move inside the top 200 came from Link Administration Holdings Ltd (ASX: LNK), taking a woeful 40% tumble. Although, the move was due to the company’s shares trading ex-distribution of its holding in the online conveyancing platform PEXA Group Ltd (ASX: PXA).

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

It’s been an underwhelming year for the BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) share price, but that didn’t stop the chip developer’s shares from taking off today. Despite the rather sizeable 12% move, there didn’t appear to be any information to explain the move.

Meanwhile, it was a sea of green for ASX lithium shares on Friday. Several lithium names made it into the top 10 following news in the United States that leased electric vehicles will also qualify for the US$7,500 in tax credits.

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN)	$0.745	12.03%
Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU)	$0.145	7.41%
Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE)	$0.80	5.96%
Costa Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: CGC)	$2.75	5.77%
Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA)	$0.19	5.56%
Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)	$1.025	5.13%
Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR)	$1.32	4.35%
Block Inc CDI (ASX: SQ2)	$91.94	4.12%
Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX)	$1.47	3.89%
Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX)	$7.27	3.71%

Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to let you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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 Link Administration and PEXA Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Costa Group. 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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It has been a stinker of a year for the Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ) share price. In the space of 12 months, shares in the $4.5 billion Brisbane-based bank have fallen 17% in value — severely underperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

However, shareholders were lucky enough to land more dividends in 2022 than the previous year. This begs the question: are Bank of Queensland shares worthwhile for passive income purposes?

Let’s delve into the details.

Is the dividend competitive with other banks?

When it comes to investing, we are all looking for the best place to deploy our cash. That’s why it would make sense to assess how the dividends from the Bank of Queensland stack up against the big four.

ASX-listed company	Dividend yield	Income from $5,000 invested
Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ)	6.7%	$335
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)	3.7%	$185
Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)	5.3%	$265
National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB)	5.0%	$250
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ)	6.2%	$310

The table above shows that the Bank of Queensland can lay claim to the highest dividend yield of the bunch for now. Yet, the latest data shows that the Queensland bank holds the thinnest profit margin of those listed above.

At the end of FY22, the 148-year-old recorded a bottom-line margin of 25.5%. Meanwhile, the big four — except for Westpac — achieved a margin above 30% for the financial period. A deeper look into the financial statements would be needed to understand why.

Would I buy Bank of Queensland shares?

At a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10.7 times, this Aussie bank share looks considerably cheaper than CBA (read more here for my verdict on CBA shares).

Furthermore, the dividend yield on Bank of Queensland shares has historically hovered above 5%. That is certainly a respectable passive return. However, my concerns arise when considering total shareholder returns.

In the past five years, shareholders are down 27% even with the inclusion of dividends. Since the Bank of Queensland commenced trading on the ASX in 1999, the share price has climbed approximately 29%. That works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.1%.

Now, the next 20 years could be entirely different. However, being a bank outside of the big four is a tough business. It truly is a David and Goliath story if an outsider can outperform the big dogs of Aussie banking.

For that reason, I’d personally look for my passive income elsewhere.

The post Should I buy Bank of Queensland shares for passive income? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has positions in Commonwealth Bank Of Australia. 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 Westpac Banking. 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 Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) share price is in the green today.

Core Lithium shares are soaring 6.15% to $1.035. For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) is climbing 0.46% today.

Let’s take a look at what could be impacting the Core Lithium share price.

What’s going on?

Core Lithium is not the only ASX lithium share in the green today. Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) shares are soaring nearly 10%, while Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares are jumping 2.85%.

Multiple US lithium giants also jumped higher overnight. The Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM) shares leapt 2.9%, while Livent Corp (NYSE: LTHM) shares climbed 1.43%.

This follows news from the US Treasury Department that electric vehicles leased by consumers will qualify for a $7,500 commercial clean vehicle tax credit. This will also apply to EV’s made outside of North America. Lithium is an essential component of EV batteries.

Meanwhile, multiple big brands including Toyota, Fiat, Subaru and Ford are planning to launch EV’s in Australia for the first time in 2023, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Core Lithium is aiming to produce first spodumene concentrate from its Finniss Lithium Project in the first half of 2023.

A recent Industry Department report is predicting spodumene prices to soar from US$2,700 a tonne in 2022 to US$4,010 a tonne in 2023. The lithium price is then predicted to fall to US$3,130 in 2024. The report stated:

The strong growth in spodumene prices that saw Australia’s export revenue reach a record $4.9 billion in 2021–22 — up from $1.1 billion in 2020–21 — is expected to drive a further tripling in annual export earnings over the outlook period

Core Lithium share price snapshot

The Core Lithium share price has exploded 80% in the last year.

In comparison, the ASX 200 has lost 6% in the last year.

The post Why is the Core Lithium share price soaring 6% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why Appen, Core Lithium, Paradigm, and Sayona Mining shares are racing higher
• Why are ASX 200 lithium shares charging higher today?
• Could the superprofits of ASX lithium shares be in danger next year?
• Could investing in the ASX 200 make me a millionare within a decade?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

Motley Fool contributor Monica O’Shea 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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