The big four banks have all tumbled lower today after they followed the lead of their U.S. counterparts.

The worst performer in the group has been the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price.

The shares of Australia’s oldest bank were down as much as 6% at one stage. They have since recovered somewhat, but are still down almost 4% to $17.80 at the time of writing.

Why is the Westpac share price sinking lower?

As well as getting caught up in a selloff which has been triggered by concerns over a potential second wave of COVID-19 in the United States, an update by Westpac could be adding to the selling pressure.

Earlier today, Westpac provided an update on its dealings with AUSTRAC. This is in relation to the civil proceedings the agency launched against the bank in November. This was for the alleged contraventions of its obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.

According to the release, Westpac has continued to review its processes and as part of that has disclosed to AUSTRAC issues regarding its obligation to file threshold transaction reports.

In addition to this, a month after the civil proceedings were launched, as part of Westpac’s lookback announced in its response to AUSTRAC’s claim, Westpac reported additional suspicious matter reports (SMRs) in relation to potential child exploitation.

This morning the bank revealed that AUSTRAC is further investigating these matters and has advised that it may amend its statement of claim to include allegations arising from these investigations.

AUSTRAC has requested further information from the bank on these matters. This includes the details of 272 of its customers, many of whom were subject to SMRs previously.

A further case management hearing is scheduled for next week. Management intends to provide further updates on the matter when appropriate.

More reading

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• ASX 200 drops 3%, Webjet share price sinks
• What today’s ASX 200 selloff tells me

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns shares of Westpac Banking. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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 Mach7 Technologies Ltd (ASX: M7T) share price is one of the few shining lights on the market today as investors react to an acquisition.

Mach7 is a global provider of enterprise image management systems for the healthcare sector. The company’s solutions are designed to accelerate diagnosis and care delivery, reduce costs, and significantly improve patient outcomes.

Mach7 shares have been stuck in a trading halt since Wednesday while the company completed a capital raising to fund a new acquisition.

And it appears investors are viewing these moves favourably seeing as though Mach7 is one of the only ASX growth shares not being heavily punished today. In fact, at the time of writing, Mach7 shares are actually charging 7.60% higher.

Why has the Mach7 share price avoided today’s sell-off?

This morning, Mach7 announced it has completed the institutional component of its capital raising. This comprised a $3.7 million placement and $19.7 million entitlement offer, raising a total of $23.4 million. These funds were raised at an offer price of 68 cents per share, which was a 13.9% discount to Mach7’s last trading price of 79 cents.

Funds raised from the capital raising, together with the company’s existing cash reserves, will be used to fund the acquisition of Client Outlook.

Client Outlook is a leading provider of an enterprise image viewing technology called eUnity. It has around 100 customers across North America and Asia and generated $8.8 million of revenue in FY20.

Following the completion of the acquisition, Mach7 will be a complete front and back-end enterprise imaging solution provider. The acquisition also provides the company with a departmental clinical diagnostics PACS (picture archive communication system) solution offering – expanding Mach7’s addressable market from US$0.75 billion to US$2.75 billion.

Highlighting further benefits, Mach7 stated that the acquisition will increase the company’s sales pipeline by around 50%, with $40 million of contracted revenue opportunities in the near term. 

What’s more, Mach7’s customer install base will increase by around 200% from 51 to approximately 150 customers. Contracted annual recurring revenue also stands to benefit, increasing by 70% to $14.75 million.

Mach7 believes this is a low-risk acquisition since the two companies have an established partnership, reselling each other’s product. As such, Client Outlook is a well-known entity, team and product to Mach7 and deep technology integration has already been completed.

The purchase price has been set at CA$38.5 million (~A$40.8 million). Mach7 will have approximately $15 million cash reserves post acquisition, which is expected to be completed by 10 July 2020.

“This deal is truly transformational for Mach7 and its shareholders,” said Mike Lampron, CEO of Mach7. 

“This offering is extremely compelling, but the enterprise-first philosophy of Mach7 and Client Outlook is truly what I believe is going to set us apart as we move forward together,” Mr Lampron added.

More reading

• Why Mach7, Meridian, Spark, & TPG Telecom are pushing higher

Cathryn Goh has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of MACH7 FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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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Shouldn’t we all just buy ASX tech shares from now on?

Tech shares of all stripes have done remarkably well since the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) market bottom – but it’s easy to forget just how well.

Since 23 March, the ASX 200 has risen approximately 28% (even after today’s falls). But since the same date, the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) is up nearly 70%.

Just look at shares like Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT). Its shares have been truly phenomenal to watch over the past 2 months. After bottoming out at $8.90 on 23 March, Afterpay shares were at an all-time high this week, hitting $54.85 at one point. That’s a return of more than 500% – sensational stuff!

It’s a similar story over in the United States for tech shares. Since 23 March (also the US market bottom), the Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen roughly 35%. But if you look at US tech shares like Apple (up nearly 50% since 23 March), Mastercard (up 43%), and Facebook (up nearly 52%), we can see a similar story playing out.

So should we just give up on the blue chips of the world in favour of ASX tech shares? By blue chips, I’m referring to the likes of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) and Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS). 

A bull case for ASX tech shares

Well, I think to ignore tech shares is to do so at our own peril. These are the companies that are shaping the future of business in my view. Thus, I think it’s imperative to at least consider some tech shares like Afterpay, or maybe Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) or NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) for one’s portfolio. If you’re aiming to build your wealth through ASX shares, you’ll want to find at least some companies that are growing quickly – and there’s nowhere better to find such companies than in the tech space, in my view.

If you’re not confident investing in individual ASX tech shares, you can always look at exchange-traded funds (ETFs) instead. The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ) is a great place to start. You can also have a look at the aptly tickered ETFS Morningstar Global Technology ETF (ASX: TECH).

In saying this, I also think it’s a mistake to tar all ASX tech shares with the same brush. Like any other sector, there will be winners and losers. For every Afterpay, there’s another tech company with a ‘brilliant idea’ that won’t make it off the starter’s block.

Furthermore, investors shouldn’t forget that having a diversified portfolio is always important. And only investing in tech isn’t diversified at all. The tech sector isn’t immune from the vicissitudes of life and faces some unique risks that merit the same level of balanced diversification as any other sector in your portfolio.

More reading

• Keep a watch on these 3 ASX trends next week
• ASX 200 down 2.2%: Westpac tumbles, TPG reveals special dividend plans
• Estia Health share price tumbles after being cut from the ASX 200
• ASX 200: improved consumer sentiment to near pre COVID-19 levels
• 3 ASX 200 shares to buy and hold for decades

Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Facebook, Mastercard, and Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Facebook and Mastercard. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO, Altium, and ETFS Morningstar Global Technology ETF. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS and Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Woolworths Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Facebook and Mastercard. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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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