The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed a strong start to the trading week this Monday. After last week’s optimistic end, investors seemed to have kept in good spirits over the weekend, with the ASX 200 starting strong this morning and staying in green territory all day.

By the time the markets closed, the index had added another 0.76% to finish at 8,7983.2 points.

This encouraging start to the week’s trading for ASX investors today followed a similarly bullish end to the American trading week on Saturday morning (our time).

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form, gaining a healthy 0.83%.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was a little less enthusiastic, but still managed a respectable 0.64% rise.

But let’s return to this week and to our local markets now for a checkup on what the different ASX sectors were up to this session.

Winners and losers

Despite the market’s rise this Monday, there were still quite a few sectors that missed out on the buying.

The most prominent of those red sectors were communications stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) had a shocker today, plunging 1.94%.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also on the nose, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) sinking 1.39%.

Consumer staples shares were no safe haven. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) retreated 0.56% this session.

Its consumer discretionary counterpart fared similarly, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)’s 0.42% dive.

Energy shares were left out of the fun as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) slid 0.41% lower this Monday.

Our last losers were utilities stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) slipping by 0.15%.

Our last losers were industrial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) inched 0.08% lower.

Turning to the green sectors now, it was financial shares that finished in front. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) had soared 1.56% higher by the time trading finished up.

Mining stocks were also in high demand, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)’s 1.52% surge.

Tech shares put on a decent show too. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) roared 0.85% higher this Monday.

Gold stocks were just behind that, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) jumping 0.84%.

Finally, healthcare shares had a great day, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)’s 0.75% leap higher.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Titanium stock IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX) was our best performer on the charts this Monday. IperionX shares rocketed up 5.91% today to close at $2.33.

This came despite no news or announcements from the company.

Here’s the rest of today’s best:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX)	$2.33	5.91%
Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)	$2.28	5.56%
Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)	$19.68	4.79%
4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX)	$4.22	4.20%
Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR)	$22.79	3.54%
BlueScope Steel Ltd (ASX: BSL)	$31.00	3.51%
Block Inc (ASX: XYZ)	$111.52	3.35%
Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB)	$2.06	3.00%
Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO)	$61.49	2.81%
Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)	$25.00	2.50%

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

Like many ASX blue chip shares on the Australian stock exchange, Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) is often selected as an investment thanks to its dividend income potential. Most established, mature and profitable companies on the ASX pay their investors a regular stream of dividend income, and Coles is no different.

In fact, this supermarket operator has one of the better track records of providing dividend income to its investors. Since it spun off from Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) in late 2018, the company has delivered an annual dividend hike every year since.

Saying that, it has not been all smooth sailing for Coles, and its investors over the past 12 months. Since this time last year, the grocery giant has traded as high as $24.59 a share, and as low as $20.10. At the time of writing, Coles is sitting at $23.31, essentially flat for the day.

With that in mind, let’s dive a little deeper into Coles shares and discuss what kind of dividend yield one can expect from this company right now.

So, over the past 12 months, Coles has paid out two dividends to investors, as is its habit. The first of those came in March, with Coles funding an interim dividend worth 41 cents per share. The second was September’s final dividend, which was worth 37 cents per share. Both payments came with full franking credits attached.

Coles shares: What is the current dividend yield?

This annual total of 78 cents per share for 2026 represents a healthy 13% rise over the 69 cents per share in dividend income that Coles investors enjoyed over 2025.

At the current Coles share price of $23.30, the 79 cents per share in dividends that Coles has doled out this year gives the company a trailing dividend yield of 3.35%.

However, as any prudent dividend investor knows, a trailing dividend yield only tells us what a company has paid out in the past, not what it may provide going forward. Of course, there’s no way to know what kind of dividend any company is going to pay until the company itself announces it.

Saying that, my Fool colleague Tristan recently covered analysts’ views on Coles’ 2027 dividend potential. He reported that CommSec is pencilling in a forecasted consensus of 83.5 cents per share in dividends over 2027. If accurate, that would represent a 7.05% rise over 2026’s payouts. It would also give Coels shares a forward yield of 3.58% at current prices. Let’s see if that turns out to be the case.

The post Buying Coles shares? Here’s the dividend yield you’ll get today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) shares are rebounding in Monday afternoon trade.

At the time of writing, the iron ore shares are up around 2% and changing hands at $15.62 a piece.

It’s been headwind after headwind for the shares this year, and they’ve fallen mostly consistently throughout 2026 so far, off the back of iron ore price pressure. For the year to date, the shares are down around 29% and 18% lower than this time last year.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up around 1% today and up around 1% year to date.

Why are the shares climbing higher today?

There isn’t any price-sensitive news out of the iron ore miner today to explain today’s increase.

But ASX mining shares are trending higher today, driven by an overnight bounce in commodity prices.

The prices of major metals, including Chinese iron ore, copper, and gold, are climbing again. 

Iron ore futures dropped toward CNY 680 per ton late last week, which is the lowest level since October 2022, as Chinese markets reopened after a week-long holiday.

Elsewhere, Copper futures in the US have risen close to a record high of US$6.80 per pound, thanks to threats around global supply and continued speculative demand. 

Gold prices have also climbed as falling oil prices helped alleviate some concerns about rising inflation.

Fortescue is a major global iron ore producer and is also actively expanding its portfolio into copper and green energy. So its share price is heavily influenced by changing commodity prices.

Where to next for Fortescue shares?

Sentiment about the outlook for the ASX miner is pretty neutral

Market Index data shows brokers have a hold rating on Fortescue shares. The $17.88 average target price implies around a 14% upside, at the time of writing.

On TradingView, again, the majority of analysts (9 out of 16) have a hold stance on Fortescue shares. Another three rate the shares as a sell/strong sell, and two rate them as a strong buy.

The average $16.88 target price implies an 8% upside, but some think the shares could climb another 41% to $22.01 over the next 12 months, at the time of writing.

The team at Bell Potter have a hold rating on the shares and recently reduced their price target to $15.80. The broker noted that Fortescue’s latest quarterly update showed lower shipments, impacts from port maintenance, and shipment-to-sales gaps.

Late last week, UBS also confirmed its hold rating on the shares, with a $16.40 target price, following the miner’s latest quarterly update.

Fortescue reported its first-quarter FY27 iron ore shipments were 46.8 million tonnes (Mt), 6% lower than FY26 Q1. 

Cash was US$3.2 billion and net debt was US$2.8 billion on the 30th of September 2026, compared with net debt of US$0.9 billion on the 30th of June 2026.

The post Down 29% so far in 2026: What do brokers tip next for Fortescue shares? 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 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.