S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are up 0.7% to 8,883.7 points on Thursday.

Brokers have indicated continuing confidence in several ASX 200 shares this week.

Let’s check them out.

Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN)

The Mineral Resources share price is $55.06, up 2.7% today.

Mineral Resources was among the 5 best ASX 200 mining shares of FY26 for share price growth.

Morgans reiterated its buy call on the miner with a 12-month price target of $68.

This suggests a potential 24% upside ahead.

Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC)

The Lynas Rare Earths share price is $15.24, down 0.9% today.

UBS reiterated its buy rating on Lynas Rare Earths shares with a price target of $22.75.

This implies potential capital gains of 47% ahead.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

The BHP share price is $60.62, up 1.4% today.

Morgan Stanley reaffirmed its buy rating on the market’s largest ASX 200 mining share.

The broker has a 12-month target of $67.50, which suggests a potential 12% upside ahead.

Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC)

The Charter Hall share price is $22.80, up 1.4% today.

Jefferies reiterated its buy rating on the real estate investment trust (REIT) yesterday.

The broker has a 12-month price target of $33.82.

This implies a potential near-50% upside ahead.

Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG)

The IAG share price is $8.46, up 0.2% today.

UBS renewed its buy rating on IAG shares with an $8.80 target.

This implies potential capital growth of 4% for the ASX 200 financial share.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC)

The WiseTech share price is $32.34, down 4.5% today.

Wisetech shares were among the 5 biggest fallers on the ASX 200 in FY26.

Bell Potter reiterated its buy rating on WiseTech shares today with a $71.75 target.

This implies potential capital gains of more than 120% ahead.

Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX)

The Westgold Resources share price is $4.83, down 0.5% today.

UBS reaffirmed its buy call on the ASX 200 gold share with a 12-month target of $7.75.

This suggests a potential 60% upside ahead.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)

The Zip share price is $2.71, down 2.5% today.

UBS renewed its buy rating on Zip shares this week.

The broker raised its 12-month price target from $3.10 to $4.10.

This suggests more than 50% upside ahead.

Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN)

The Qantas share price is $10.15, down 0.1% today.

Citi reiterated its buy rating on Qantas shares and increased its target price from $10.40 to $11.40.

This implies a potential 12% upside ahead for the ASX 200 airline share.

The post 9 ASX 200 shares with refreshed buy ratings this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• How many BHP shares do I need to buy for $10,000 of passive income?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in BHP Group and Zip Co. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Jefferies Financial Group and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Lynas Rare Earths Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP 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 up 0.7% in afternoon trade on Thursday, with three large-cap ASX 200 stocks trading in new 52-week-plus highs.

Here’s what’s happening.

AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP)

AMP shares are up 0.7% at the time of writing, changing hands for $2.15 apiece.

That marks a multi-year high for the diversified financial services company, with the ASX 200 stock now trading at its highest levels since July 2019.

There’s no fresh news out from AMP today. But the share price has enjoyed a strong run over the last week since the company lifted its first-half (H1 FY 2026) profit expectations last week.

On 16 July, management revealed they expect H1 underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) to come in the range of $170 million to $180 million. That’s a big increase from H1 FY 2025 NPAT of $131 million.

Management attributed the profit increase to a stronger contribution from AMP’s China partnerships, favourable investment income spurred by rising interest rates, and the recognition of $13 million related to the partial sale of AMP’s remaining assets within a legacy fund.

AMP shares closed up 9.8% on the day of the announcement.

Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD)

Also notching new one-year-plus highs today is Aussie fuel supplier Ampol.

Ampol shares are up 0.6% at the time of writing, trading for $39.17 each.

You’d have to go back to April 2024 to find the ASX 200 stock trading at higher levels.

Ampol shares are now up 49% since this time last year, boosted by increased profits and production.

Today’s lift looks to be fuelled by the increasing oil price.

With attacks still ongoing in and around Iran, coupled with new Yemeni Houthi attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea, the Brent crude oil price is up 3.4% overnight to US$94.07 per barrel, according to data from Bloomberg.

The oil price is now up more than 31% since the beginning of July.

Which brings us to…

Vicinity Centres (ASX: VCX)

Joining the list of ASX 200 stocks notching new 52-week highs is shopping centre owner and manager Vicinity Centres.

Vicinity Centres shares are up 0.4% at the time of writing, swapping hands for $2.65 each.

That’s the highest level since November 2019.

There’s also no fresh price-sensitive news out from Vicinity Centres. But after jumping from a one-year closing low of $2.26 a share on 12 March, investors have been reassessing the valuation of this ASX REIT.

The post 3 ASX 200 stocks smashing new 52-week-plus highs today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 8 ASX 200 shares downgraded by experts this week
• 2 ASX shares highly recommended to buy: Experts
• AMP shares have surged 80% since March. What’s next?
• Ampol shares rallied 40% to hit fresh 2-year high. Buy, sell or hold?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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.

Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) shares are racing higher in Thursday lunchtime trade.

At the time of writing, the ASX lithium stock is up around 9% to 26 cents a piece.

Today’s increase means the shares are now up 114% higher than 12 months ago.

But, thanks to a share price crash in March this year, the shares are still trying to claw back losses shed in 2026. For the year to date, the shares are down around 9%, at the time of writing.

Why is the ASX lithium stock climbing higher again today?

There isn’t any price-sensitive news out of the company this week to explain the latest share price rally.

It looks like the shares are rising on the back of an upswing in investor interest in the ASX lithium explorer and developer. Core Lithium shares were also sold off heavily over recent weeks, so a bounce-back is likely, with investors buying back in for cheap.

The lithium sector has been in the spotlight over the past week after news that a wave of mine restarts in China will tip the market back into oversupply next year. Trading Economics data shows that Lithium carbonate prices have fallen below CNY145,000 this month, their lowest in five months.

But it looks like Core Lithium shares are unfazed by the latest update. In fact, the share price is quickly travelling in the other direction.

Fact is, prices are still hugely higher than the CNY90,000 levels seen in January this year, and demand is still booming. EV sales continue to increase globally, and grid-scale battery storage is growing rapidly. Both markets are heavily reliant on lithium supply.

The successful restart of Core Lithium’s flagship Finniss operation in the Northern Territory is also likely to be attracting attention.

Late last month, the company announced that its underground decline development has now started at the BP33 deposit. This is a major step for Finniss, which sits about 88 kilometres by sealed road from Darwin Port.

The company said BP33 is expected to provide a long-life, low-cost underground production base, with a mine life of more than 10 years. It also remains open at depth, which means there could be room to extend the operation over time.

The underground development will run alongside the current open-pit mining at Grants.

Are Core Lithium shares a buy, sell, or hold?

According to the experts, there could be a huge upside ahead over the next 12 months.

TradingView data shows that three out of four analysts have a buy or strong buy rating on the shares.

The average target price of 39.5 cents implies a 53% upside at the time of writing. But some think the lithium shares have the potential to rocket 169% higher to 70 cents each over the next 12 months. 

The post Why is this ASX lithium stock racing 9% higher today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• SpaceX shares continue to slide. What’s the next catalyst for a recovery?
• 9 ASX 200 shares with refreshed buy ratings this week
• 3 ASX 200 stocks smashing new 52-week-plus highs today
• Why Sandfire, Domino’s and Macquarie shares are making waves on Thursday
• 8 ASX 200 shares downgraded by experts this week

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.