Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) shares are trading in the red on Wednesday afternoon.

At the time of writing, the shares are down around 1% and are changing hands for 12.48 a piece.

Despite today’s slump, the shares are up around 12% over the past months and have rebounded an impressive 30% since they fell to a multi-year low of $9.62 in mid-May.

Now the question is, can Flight Centre shares keep flying higher? Or is today’s decline the beginning of the next share price crash?

Here’s what the experts think.

Buy, sell or hold Flight Centre shares? Here’s what brokers tip for the next 12 months.

If broker analysis is anything to go buy, we should see a lot more out of Flight Centre shares over the next year.

Market Index data shows a consensus buy rating for the ASX travel shares over the next 12 months. The average $15.36 target price implies a potential 23% upside ahead, at the time of writing.

TradingView data shows something similar. Out of 17 analysts, 15 have a buy or strong buy rating on Flight Centre shares. Another two rate the shares as a hold, however they all agree an upside ahead.

The average $14.69 target price implies a potential 18% upside, at the time of writing. Although some tip the shares to jump 45% to $18.13 over the next 12 months.

UBS is positive on Flight Centre Travel Group. The broker has retained its buy rating and $14.70 price target on the travel company’s shares.

Morgans also believes the recent share price weakness has created an opportunity for investors. The broker pointed to the company’s financial strength and the potential for a stronger recovery in the second half of FY27. It has a buy recommendation and $14.80 target price on the shares.

Jarden recently upgraded Flight Centre shares to a buy rating with a $15.90 target price.

What could drive the ASX travel stock higher?

Slower-than-expected profit growth, higher travel costs, geopolitical tensions, and inflation concerns pulled the brakes on Travel Centre’s shares earlier this year. 

But improved travel demand and less fuel price volatility has helped investor confidence recently. 

If fuel supply continues to improve and lower interest rates boost consumer spending, we could well see a stronger rebound ahead.

The company is also due to release its FY26 earnings results in late-August. If the result comes in ahead of market expectations we could see another lift in the share price. 

The post Flight Centre shares rebound 30% from multi-year low: Can they keep climbing higher? 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 recommended Flight Centre Travel Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having another difficult session on Wednesday as investors respond to a weaker lead from global markets.

At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down 0.69% to 8,743 points.

The session looked much worse earlier on. The ASX 200 fell as low as 8,676.7 points this morning before trimming some of those losses.

Still, the decline has been enough to push the index back near its lowest levels in weeks.

Here’s what is dragging on the market today.

Oil is back in focus

Crude prices have been pushed higher after renewed tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.

Fresh attacks on commercial vessels, along with another round of US military strikes against Iran, have put supply risk back in the spotlight.

According to Trading Economics, WTI crude is trading at around US$72.32 a barrel, up 2.66%, while Brent crude is near US$76.05 a barrel, up 2.55%.

That has helped support energy shares, even as the broader market loses ground.

Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) shares are up 4.8% to $7.43, while Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares are 2.79% higher to $28.75.

Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) shares are also up 1.63% to $10.315.

Miners and tech drag on the index

The problem for the ASX 200 is that the gains in energy are being offset elsewhere.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares are down 3.3% to $56.925, while Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) shares are 2.35% lower to $164.19.

Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) shares are also weaker, falling 0.93% to $18.21.

The selling has also spread beyond resources.

Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) shares are down 1.63% to $249.22, Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) shares have dropped 2.43% to $29.935, and Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) shares are off 2.47% to $4.945 following the recent outage.

Overall, 128 ASX 200 shares are falling, 62 are rising, and 10 are unchanged.

Banks and defensives soften the fall

The ASX 200 is still lower, but support from the banks and defensives is helping limit the damage.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares are down 0.41% to $166.01, although the rest of the major banks are holding up a little better.

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares are 0.25% lower at $36.04, National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) is flat at $39.22, and ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) has edged 0.31% higher to $35.55.

The supermarkets are also giving the market some support.

Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) shares are up 0.79% to $39.73, while Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) has added 0.43% to $23.42.

QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) is also in positive territory, climbing 0.96% to $25.23 on the back of a leadership update.

The post Why the ASX 200 is sliding towards a 4-week low today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 positions in and has recommended Goodman Group and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, Goodman Group, and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) shares are falling on Wednesday as investors weigh up concerns around the company’s leadership.

The selling is also coming on a weak day for the broader market, with geopolitical tensions and higher oil prices putting pressure on sentiment.

At the time of writing, the WiseTech share price is down 7.06% to $34.73.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) tech stock had been recovering over the past week, but today’s fall shows investors are still nervous.

Here’s the latest.

Leadership concerns return

The latest pressure appears to be linked partly to fresh commentary around WiseTech’s leadership structure.

According to the report, one analyst has cut their fair value estimate on the stock by 6% to $130 per share after White stepped down as Chair.

But White isn’t walking away from the business. He remains on the board as an Executive Director, while Raelene Murphy has taken over as Independent Chair.

The move gives WiseTech a cleaner governance setup after months of scrutiny.

However, it doesn’t remove the question around White’s influence on the business.

The report quoted one analyst describing White’s exit as adding “friction” and creating a risk that “more signal gets lost at every step.”

White has been closely tied to WiseTech’s strategy, product direction, and culture for a long time.

Even with White still on the board, some shareholders may be wondering whether WiseTech can keep the same pace with a different person in the Chair.

Shipping worries add to the pressure

The broader market is also working against WiseTech today.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 0.8% to 8,735 points after US-Iran tensions pushed oil prices higher and rattled global markets.

The benchmark index fell as much as 1.5% earlier in the session, with a large majority of stocks trading in the red.

There is also a more direct sentiment issue here.

WiseTech provides software to the logistics, trade, and supply chain industries. This means that any disruption around major shipping routes can still weigh on how investors think about the stock.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil and shipping routes.

If attacks on commercial vessels continue, freight costs and shipping delays could all become bigger talking points.

A rough ride for shareholders

WiseTech shares are still up around 5% over the past week, but the longer-term damage is pretty hard to miss.

The stock is down close to 50% in 2026 and almost 70% over the past year. It also remains a long way below its 52-week high of $121.31.

Recent trading has also been messy.

The stock jumped 7.31% on Monday and another 5.65% on Tuesday. Earlier, it rose 14.26% on 24 June after falling 18.44% two days before.

The business remains profitable, and brokers are still positive on WiseTech. But today’s fall shows investors are still not ready to move past the recent uncertainty yet.

The post Why the WiseTech share price is sinking 7% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 ASX shares tipped to grow 50% or more in the next 12 months
• These ASX tech shares crashed hard. Could they double from here?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• WiseTech shares surge 10% as Richard White steps back from chair role
• Are WiseTech shares ripe for a rebound?

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