Stock Pick

  • Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

    Fancy font saying top ten surrounded by gold leaf set against a dark background of glittering stars.

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) endured a rough day of trading this Wednesday, resulting in the value of many ASX shares sliding. After yesterday’s tentative session, investors were far more decisive today, with the ASX 200 starting deep in red territory and staying there all day.

    By the time trading wrapped up, the index had fallen 0.64% and finished at 8,727.9 points.

    This unhappy hump day for the local markets followed a similarly downbeat session over on Wall Street.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) couldn’t quite hold on to an early lead, losing 0.35%.

    The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was a little better, but still lost 0.15%.

    But let’s return to ASX shares now and check out how the different ASX sectors handled today’s tough trading conditions.

    Winners and losers

    There were only a handful of sectors that managed to make hay today.

    But first, let’s get through the red corners of the market.

    Leading the losers were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a shocker, crashing 1.93% lower.

    Financial stocks weren’t much chop either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) plunging 1.41%.

    Mining shares also had a day to forget. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) took a 0.88% dive this session.

    Industrial stocks couldn’t escape the storm, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)’s 0.71% slump.

    Nor could consumer staples shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) drifted 0.31% lower today.

    Utilities stocks couldn’t hold their ground, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) sliding 0.06% lower.

    Our last losers this Wednesday were consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) slipped by 0.04%.

    Let’s turn to the winners now. Leading the charge were real estate investment trusts (REITs), illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)’s 1% jump.

    Communications stocks were also spared. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) had lifted 0.85% by the closing bell.

    Energy shares were another bulwark against the broader market, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) climbing 0.8%.

    Tech stocks fared decently as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) enjoyed a 0.35% bump this hump day.

    Finally, healthcare shares managed to finish over the line, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)’s 0.02% uptick.

    Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

    Our winner this Wednesday was shipbuilding stock Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB). Austal shares rocketed up 10.13% to close at $4.13 each today.

    This big gain came after the company revealed another development in its long-running takeover saga.

    Here’s how the other winners pulled up at the kerb:

    ASX-listed company Share price Price change
    Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB) $4.13 10.13%
    Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) $1.64 6.15%
    Superloop Ltd (ASX: SLC) $2.52 5.44%
    Silex Systems Ltd (ASX: SLX) $3.89 5.14%
    Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) $2.21 4.25%
    Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) $27.44 3.55%
    IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) $5.70 3.45%
    Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT) $2.71 3.44%
    Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG) $2.81 3.31%
    Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL) $6.12 3.03%

    Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that shows which companies made 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 Sebastian Bowen 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 Goodman Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Goodman Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Brokers tip these 2 ASX shares to jump 46% and 62%

    Smiling couple looking at a phone at a bargain opportunity.

    ASX shares have slumped lower in Wednesday lunchtime trade thanks to a sell-off across the banks and mining sectors, driven by lower commodity prices, a rebound in oil prices, and ongoing inflation headwinds.

    When share markets look uncertain, I like to hunt around for ASX shares which could drive growth going forward. Here are two which stand out today.

    Integral Diagnostics Ltd (ASX: IDX)

    The Integral Diagnostics share price has fallen around 0.5% on Wednesday afternoon, to $2.11 a piece. The ASX small-cap healthcare shares are now down 8% over the past month alone, and 16% lower for the year to date.

    The healthcare business provides diagnostic imaging to general practitioners, medical specialists, and allied health professionals and their patients. It operates over 90 radiology clinics across Australia and New Zealand.

    There hasn’t been any price-sensitive news out of the company since it posted its FY26 results in August. Integral Diagnostics reported a 25.6% increase in revenue, a 30.3% increase in operating EBITDA, and a 50.1% increase in operating NPAT.

    Despite the strong result, the shares have tumbled downwards. It looks like investors may still be taking gains off the table after a strong rally through July and August.

    At the same time, ASX healthcare stocks have generally trended downwards over the past month as a result of pressure from the latest Reserve Bank hike, higher inflation, and a sector wide rotation away from healthcare shares into more stable and defensive assets.

    And Integral Diagnostics wasn’t immune.

    Market Index data shows all brokers have a strong buy rating on the shares. And the $3.07 average target price implies an upside of 46%, at the time of writing.

    Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL)

    Netwealth Group shares are also down around 1% at the time of writing on Wednesday. They’ve now reached a 12-year low of $16.82 a piece. The shares have crashed around 33% over the past two months, and they’re now down 35% for the year to date.

    Netwealth is a financial services and technology company which provides a wide range of products and services to the Australian financial investment industry, including cloud-based investment administration software as a service (SaaS), a retail superannuation fund, and an administration business.

    The company posted an impressive FY26 result in August, including a 20.6% increase in total income and a 18% increase in EBITDA. 

    Despite the good result, the ASX financial shares were caught up in a board-based sell-off across the financial sector over the past two months, driven by inflation concerns and higher interest rates.

    Then, last month, the company announced that two of its subsidiaries have been served a class action over its failed First Guardian Master Fund.

    Class action was lodged against Netwealth Investments Limited and Netwealth Superannuation Services Pty Ltd concerning First Guardian investment options. 

    Netwealth previously paid around $101 million in compensation to affected members and had already addressed the issue with ASIC. The compensation program was completed in January 2026.

    Netwealth has confirmed it intends to defend the class action.

    Investors might be wary about the stock, but the experts are still bullish.

    Market Index data shows the majority of brokers have a strong buy rating on the shares. And the $27.24 average target price implies an upside of around 62%, at the time of writing.

    The post Brokers tip these 2 ASX shares to jump 46% and 62% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies 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 Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Down 16% in 2 weeks: The saga of the ASX’s wildest ETF continues

    A boy is wowed at a surge of water from a blowhole.

    About two months ago, I wrote about what I then called the “ASX’s craziest ETF”. This exchange-traded fund (ETF) had, at least at the time, just come off the boil after a 200% gain in a mere 12 months. ‘Off the boil’ is a little generous. This ETF had, in fact, lost more than a third of its value since peaking in late June.

    The ASX ETF we are referring to is none other than the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (ASX: IKO). For many years, this index fund largely flew under the Australian share market radar, generating the kind of consistent single-digit returns that one would expect for a product like this.

    However, 2025, and more notably, 2026 have seen that turn on its head. The extreme volatility has continued since we last spoke about IKO, too. Yesterday, we saw IKO units close at $231.11 each. That’s down 16.06% since just 5 October, when those same units finished that day at $275.32 each.

    Today, we seem to have turned a corner. At present, the iShares South Korea ETF has jumped by a healthy 3.3% or so and is back up to $238.70 a unit.

    On paper, the iShares South Korea ETF is an index fund, representing the entire Korean stock market. However, in reality, this fund has become a holding vehicle for just two stocks, with another 78 companies or so tacked on the end for a bit of diversity.

    The ASX’s craziest ETF is hostage to just two stocks

    As we’ve documented before, the unbridled success of chipmakers SK Hynix Inc and Samsung Electronics Ltd has had the unusual consequence of elbowing out most of Korea’s other storied names to dominate any index fund that covers the Korean markets. So while you may think a Korean-themed index fund would at least be heavily influenced by companies like Hyundai, Kia, and LG, these companies are now just window dressing for the main attractions.

    Yes, on current numbers, SK Hynix makes up a whopping 24.54% of the entire IKO portfolio. Samsung contributes another 23.17%. The next-largest stock, SK Square, comes in at just 2.93%.

    So, when we see that the iShares South Korea ETF has made a dramatic move, like losing 16% in just over a week, we know where to look for a culprit, or culprits.

    Thus, it won’t shock you to discover that Samsung shares lost 15.94% of their value on the Korean stock exchange between 5 October and yesterday afternoon. SK Hynix stock has fared even worse, shedding 21.6% of its value over that same span.

    It seems fears that Chinese companies are catching up to these two leaders in the chip space were enough for a correction of this magnitude.

    Let’s see what the next chapter in this wildest of ASX ETFs’ story will be.

    The post Down 16% in 2 weeks: The saga of the ASX’s wildest ETF continues appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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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