Category: Stock Market

The Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) share price is under heavy pressure in mid-afternoon trade on Friday.

At the time of writing, shares in the ASX gold miner are down 7.39% to $27.19.

The decline comes despite a very strong run over the past year. Northern Star shares are still up more than 50% over the last 12 months, reflecting a powerful rally in the gold sector.

So, what is pushing the stock lower today?

Gold price pullback weighs on ASX miners

The main driver behind today’s fall appears to be a pullback in gold prices.

Gold is currently trading at around US$5,090 per ounce, after easing in recent sessions following a strong rally earlier this year.

The precious metal has surged sharply over the past 12 months and remains more than 70% higher year-on-year, supported by strong investor demand and geopolitical tensions.

However, gold prices can be volatile in the short-term.

Recent media reports suggest the metal has come under pressure from a stronger US dollar and rising bond yields.

There have also been signs that some investors are taking profits after the metal recently traded near record levels.

This appears to be weighing on Northern Star and other ASX-listed gold stocks today.

Northern Star remains a major gold producer

Northern Star is one of Australia’s largest gold miners.

The company operates a portfolio of major mining operations across Western Australia and Alaska, including the well-known Kalgoorlie Super Pit.

Northern Star reported strong production and earnings growth in its most recent results. This was supported by higher gold prices and steady output from its operations.

The company delivered first-half revenue of $4.31 billion, up 19% year-on-year, while underlying EBITDAincreased 34% to $1.88 billion.

Net profit after tax (NPAT) also rose strongly, reaching $1.11 billion for the half-year.

Northern Star declared an interim dividend of 25 cents per share, reflecting the strong cash generation from its operations.

What could happen next?

While the Northern Star share price is falling today, the broader outlook for the gold sector remains closely tied to movements in the gold price.

Gold often attracts demand during periods of economic uncertainty and geopolitical tension.

Central bank buying has also remained strong in recent years, providing additional support for the market.

If gold prices remain elevated or move higher again, miners such as Northern Star could continue to benefit.

For now, the latest pullback in the gold price is clearly putting pressure on the Northern Star share price.

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

More reading

• Why BHP, Northern Star, Resimac, and Tivan shares are falling today
• If gold is a safe haven, why are ASX 200 gold stocks like Northern Star and Evolution Mining getting smashed this week?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Can these red hot ASX 200 stocks keep rising?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday

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 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.

The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price is having a tough finish to the week.

In afternoon trade, the mining giant’s shares are down 6% to $51.85.

This means the Big Australian’s shares are down almost 13% from the record-high of $59.39 they reached on Monday.

What’s going on with the BHP share price?

While there has been some weakness in certain commodity prices since the war began in the Middle East, it hasn’t been severe enough to explain the pullback in the BHP share price.

It seems that there are other reasons for the selling from investors.

One could be profit-taking. When BHP’s shares reached their record high, it meant they were up approximately 50% over a 12-month period.

That incredible return doesn’t even include the dividends that BHP has paid during the period.

Clearly, BHP shares have been a great investment over the past 12 months. But with analysts now suggesting that they are fully valued, some investors may have decided to take profit.

For example, Morgans recently put a hold rating and $49.00 price target on its shares. It said:

A strong copper-driven 1H26 result, but the highlight was a savvy deal monetising Antamina’s silver stream for value equal to consensus valuation of the entire asset. Earnings quality continues to step forward, maintaining robust operational and cost performances across the portfolio. Injecting >US$6bn cash in H2 more than offsets Jansen. Maintain HOLD rating.

What else?

In addition, over the past 12 months, the mining sector has benefited from a sector rotation which saw large investors sell out of technology and into miners.

The opposite appears to be happening on Friday, with the mining sector a sea of red but the technology sector roaring higher.

The S&P/ASX 200 Resources index is down 3.7% at the time of writing, while the S&P/ASX All Technology Index is up 3.6%.

It is possible that investors are buying beaten up ASX shares like Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME), which is up 10% today, and WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC), which is up 6%, and selling high-performing ASX shares like BHP, Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO), and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST).

Time will tell if this is a true rotation, but given the dirt cheap valuations in the tech sector and full valuations in the mining sector, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the shift continues in the coming weeks.

The post Why is the BHP share price crashing 6%? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why BHP, Northern Star, Resimac, and Tivan shares are falling today
• 1 beaten-down ASX share to consider buying today, and 5 I’m shunning for now
• Why BHP, EQ Resources, Lottery Corp, and Woodside shares are falling today
• Why is BHP share price sinking today?
• 5 Australian stocks to buy and hold for the next 5 years

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Pro Medicus and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group and Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The Centuria Industrial REIT (ASX: CIP) share price is in focus after the ASX-listed property trust announced a quarterly distribution of 4.2 cents per unit, unfranked, payable on 30 April 2026.

What did Centuria Industrial REIT report?

• Declared quarterly distribution of 4.2 cents per ordinary unit
• Distribution is unfranked
• Ex-date: 30 March 2026
• Record date: 31 March 2026
• Payment date: 30 April 2026
• Distribution relates to the quarter ending 31 March 2026

What else do investors need to know?

Centuria Industrial REIT’s latest dividend will be paid in Australian dollars and is not franked. Investors holding units as of the record date will be eligible for the payment. The trust has confirmed it offers a distribution reinvestment plan (DRP), though it has not specified if the DRP applies to this particular distribution.

The announcement did not include profit figures or other operational updates, as this release specifically covers distribution details for the quarter.

What’s next for Centuria Industrial REIT?

Looking ahead, Centuria Industrial REIT is expected to continue providing regular distributions to investors, supported by its industrial property portfolio. The consistent timing of its quarterly payments may appeal to income-focused shareholders seeking predictable cash flow.

Further updates on the trust’s property acquisitions, leasing activity, or portfolio performance may be released with future financial results or semi-annual updates.

Centuria Industrial REIT share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Centuria Industrial REIT shares have risen 5%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) which has risen 9% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post Centuria Industrial REIT declares quarterly distribution for March 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Is the ASX 200 ok?
• Superannuation check up: Here’s how much you should have saved by age 40, 50 and 60
• Passive income: How much would I need to invest in ASX shares to earn $1,000 every month?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart 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. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

Some companies get a lot of attention from investors. Others quietly keep delivering strong growth without generating the same level of excitement.

To me, one S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) growth share that sometimes feels overlooked is Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB).

The wealth platform provider has been one of the fastest-growing businesses in Australia’s financial services industry for years. Yet it often doesn’t get the same spotlight as some of the bigger tech names on the ASX.

And when you look closely at how the business is performing, I think there’s a case to be made that it could be one of the more underrated growth shares on the market right now.

A structural growth story

One reason I continue to like Hub24 is the structural shift happening in the wealth management industry.

Financial advisers increasingly rely on modern investment platforms to manage client portfolios, reporting, and administration. As advisers move away from older legacy systems, newer platforms have been steadily gaining market share.

Hub24 has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this shift.

The company has built a reputation for providing advisers with flexible portfolio tools, strong reporting capabilities, and a wide range of investment options. That has helped it steadily attract advisers and client assets onto its platform.

As more funds move onto the platform, Hub24 benefits from a scalable business model where revenue grows alongside the assets managed through the system.

Strong momentum continues

The company’s latest half-year results highlighted just how strong that momentum remains.

The ASX 200 growth share reported underlying EBITDA of $104.9 million for the first half of FY26, which was up 35% year on year, while underlying net profit after tax increased 60% to $68.3 million.

Platform inflows were also very strong. The company delivered record half-year platform net inflows of $10.7 billion and continued to rank first for platform net inflows in the industry.

Funds under administration across the platform climbed to more than $150 billion, highlighting how quickly the business has been scaling.

Importantly, this growth isn’t just coming from market movements. Hub24 continues to win new advisers and licensee agreements, which helps support long-term growth in funds on the platform.

A long runway ahead

What excites me most about Hub24 is that the opportunity still looks far from saturated.

Australia’s wealth management industry is enormous, and advisers continue to migrate away from legacy platforms. That gives newer and more innovative platforms room to keep taking share.

Hub24 is also continuing to invest in new technology and product capabilities to strengthen its offering. This includes new retirement solutions, enhancements to adviser tools, and the development of its broader technology ecosystem.

Over time, these investments could further strengthen its position with advisers and make the platform even more valuable to clients.

Foolish Takeaway

Hub24 has already delivered impressive growth over the past decade, but the structural tailwinds behind the business remain firmly in place.

With strong inflows, growing funds under administration, and a platform that continues to win market share, I think Hub24 still has plenty of growth ahead of it.

That’s why I believe this ASX 200 company could be one of the more underrated growth shares on the market right now.

The post Is this the most underrated ASX 200 growth share right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 3 ASX growth shares I think could double by 2030
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• If I had to build an ASX share portfolio from scratch today, here’s how I’d do it

Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino has positions in Hub24. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Hub24. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24. 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 a tough finish to the week. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is down 1.15% to 8,838 points.

Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back today are listed below. Here’s why they are rising:

Catapult Sports Ltd (ASX: CAT)

The Catapult Sports share price is up over 7% to $3.91. This morning, this sports technology company was the subject of a bullish broker note out of Bell Potter. The broker has retained its buy rating on Catapult’s shares with a trimmed price target of $4.85. It said: “Catapult remains one of our preferred tech stocks amongst the mid caps (along with Gentrack). We note Catapult is likely to come out of the S&P/ASX 200 at the next rebalance later this month but remain in the S&P/ASX 300. This could be viewed as a negative catalyst but in our view is already largely expected so should not come as a surprise.”

DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO)

The DroneShield share price is up 6% to $3.93. This appears to have been driven by optimism that demand for this counter-drone technology company’s products could increase strongly. The war in the Middle East this week has emphasised just how important counter-drone technology has become. Following today’s gain, DroneShield shares are now up over 360% since this time last year.

Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR)

The Karoon Energy share price is up 1.5% to $1.84. Investors have been buying this energy producer’s shares following another strong rise in oil prices. Traders have been bidding oil prices up above US$80 per barrel this week in response to the war in the Middle East. There are concerns over supply disruption due to Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz. Approximately 20% of global oil supplies pass through the narrow shipping lane.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC)

The WiseTech share price is up 6% to $50.44. This is despite there being no news out of the logistics software company. However, it is worth noting that tech stocks are rising strongly today despite the market weakness. It seems that some investors are rotating out of high-performing areas into beaten down parts of the share market. This has seen the S&P/ASX All Technology Index rise 3.3% on Friday afternoon.

The post Why Catapult, DroneShield, Karoon Energy, and WiseTech shares are charging higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why investors are piling back into these ASX tech shares today
• 5 ASX shares I’d buy and hold for the next decade
• Bell Potter says this ASX 200 tech stock is a top buy
• These 2 ASX shares have the booster power to rocket higher in 2026
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Catapult Sports, DroneShield, and WiseTech Global and is short shares of DroneShield. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Catapult Sports and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) shares have enjoyed a strong rebound this week, while CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares continue to struggle.

In early afternoon trade on Friday, Xero shares are up 5.7% at $88.68 each. This sees shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) business and accounting software provider up 6.7% since last Friday’s close, compared to the 4.1% one-week loss posted by the benchmark index.

CSL shares aren’t faring quite as well, though they’re still outperforming the benchmark. Down 0.9% at time of writing at $145.19 apiece, shares in the ASX 200 biotech giant are down 1.1% this week.

Looking ahead, however, Fairmont Equities’ Michael Gable expects both ASX 200 stocks will underperform (courtesy of The Bull).

Time to sell Xero shares?

Despite this week’s outperformance, Xero shares remain down more than 48% over 12 months.

Commenting on the ASX 200 tech stock late last week, before the United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran, Gable noted:

Xero is a global accounting software provider. XRO is a great business, but it’s caught up in a major sector rotation, where investor funds have been moving out of technology stocks with high price/earnings ratios and into hard assets.

Indeed, Xero trades on P/E ratio of around 53 times.

Explaining his sell recommendation on Xero stock, Gable said:

The downtrend in the share price indicates sellers were recently still in control and any price bounces are struggling to gain traction. We believe the shares will remain under pressure until the market stops trying to pick the bottom. The shares have fallen from $194.21 on June 24, 2025 to trade at $81.525 on February 26, 2026.

CSL shares still plagued by uncertainty

The CSL share price is down more than 44% in 12 months.

Gable also issued a sell recommendation on CSL.

“This biotechnology giant was a market darling for a long time,” he said.

He added:

But it’s now failing to command a premium as uncertainty surrounding the company’s US vaccine business is making it more difficult for investors to forecast future earnings. The recent departure of its chief executive also adds to the uncertainty.

CSL reported on the unexpected exit of CEO Paul McKenzie after market close on 10 February. McKenzie held the top spot for three rather tumultuous years. CSL shares close down 4.6% the following day on the news.

And Gable believes the share price may have further to fall.

He concluded:

From a technical perspective, the stock has topped out and is trending lower. In my view, this leaves further downside risk in the share price until investors feel more confident that CSL can lift earnings. The shares have fallen from $271.32 on August 18, 2025 to trade at $145.68 on February 26, 2026.

The post Sell alert! Why this top analyst is calling time on Xero and CSL shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why investors are piling back into these ASX tech shares today
• 32 ASX shares about to go ex-dividend
• Why CSL shares are rebounding today after falling to an 8-year low
• 3 reasons why the CSL share price could leap 87% to $274!
• Beaten down: Are Cochlear, Pro Medicus or CSL shares a better buy right now?

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

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) copper stock Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) is giving back some of its recent outsized gains this week.

Following on the United States and Israel’s strikes on Iran, and Iran’s ensuing retaliation in the Middle East, global copper prices have fallen 3.4% this week. The red metal is currently trading for US$12,902 per tonne.

Sandfire shares have fared even worse. Down a sharp 7.1% during the Friday lunch hour, trading for $17.56, the Sandfire share price has dropped 13.1% since last Friday’s close.

Still, with the copper price remaining up 48% since 9 April, and Sandfire achieving plenty of success on and under the ground, shares in the ASX 200 copper stock are 115.8% since market close on 9 April.

Which brings us back to our headline question.

Should you buy the ASX 200 copper stock today?

Fairmont Equities’ Michael Gable ran his slide rule over Sandfire shares late last week, before the onset of the Middle East conflict.

“SFR is Australia’s largest listed pure play copper producer,” Gable said (quoted by The Bull). “I expect copper prices to climb in calendar year 2026 in response to increasing global demand.”

And Gable was impressed with the ASX 200 copper stock’s H1 FY 2026 earnings results. He noted:

The company’s recent half year result for fiscal year 2026 delivered underlying earnings of US$107 million, which was above consensus. Analysts have been lifting their price targets, painting a brighter outlook.

But, citing the meteoric share price rise since, April Gable placed a hold recommendation on Sandfire shares.

“The share price has risen from $8.15 on April 9, 2025 to trade at $20.475 on February 26, 2026. At these levels, a hold recommendation is appropriate,” he said.

Following on this week’s selling pressure, the Sandfire share price is now down 14.2% since the 26 February level that Gable notes.

What’s the latest from Sandfire Resources?

Sandfire reported its half year results on 19 February.

Atop the earnings beat Gable mentioned above, the ASX 200 copper stock achieved a 17% year on year increase in sales revenue to US$672.1 million.

And on the bottom line, Sandfire’s net profit after tax (NPAT) of US$96.3 million was up 94% from H1 FY 2025.

As for what’s ahead, Sandfire CEO Brendan Harris said:

Our business is increasingly well positioned with two high-margin operations in Spain and Botswana, producing the commodities the world needs, and the recent addition of another copper and gold development opportunity in South Australia that has the potential to underpin a large scale, long life and low-cost operation in a preferred jurisdiction.

The post Up 116% in 11 months, is this ASX 200 copper stock a good buy today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why this ASX copper stock is sinking 7% today
• ASX 200 materials sector leads as earnings season ends with a record high
• Brokers review 12-month price targets for 3 ASX 200 mining shares post-results
• Sandfire Resources posts 94% profit jump and record revenue in H1 FY26
• Copper price forecast for 2026: Goldman Sachs

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.

The smaller end of the market can be a happy hunting ground for stocks that can show some serious upside, and Shaw and Partners thinks it’s on to a winner with Bubs Australia Ltd (ASX: BUB).

Bubs recently reported its half-year results, and Shaw and Partners says there’s a lot to like, and has assigned a price target to the company, which is 50% above where the shares are now.

More on that later – let’s look at what the company reported.

Solid underlying result

Looking at the underlying results, Bubs reported EBITDA of $4.4 million, up from just $0.5 million in the previous corresponding period.

On a net profit basis, the result was 50% lower than the previous corresponding period at $1.8 million.

Revenue came in at $55.5 million, up from $48.5 million, and the company maintained its full-year revenue guidance of $120 to $125 million, with EBITDA of $4 to $6 million, up from $1 to $2 million.

Bubs Chief Executive Officer Joe Coote said regarding the result:

We’re pleased with the strong first half momentum and are on track to exceed our FY26 commitments. Our revenue and gross profit growth highlight the strength of our brands and the diversity of our business model, with the US our main growth engine as major retailers expand store counts and instore ranging. We have continued to invest in rightsizing our inventory in market to meet demand and respond quickly to market opportunities, particularly in the US and China, where momentum continues to build. Our Australia and Rest of World (ROW) markets are stabilising. Concurrently, we have strengthened our leadership capability with further key appointments and undertaken a rationalisation of our product portfolio.

Shares looking cheap

Shaw and Partners said there were some bright lights in the report.

The USA remains Bub’s largest and most profitable market, driven by strong revenue growth, recording $34.2m in total group revenue, up 47.6% on the previous corresponding period. Momentum continues to build through category expansion in Goat infant formula, supported by ranging expansion across major retailers (e.g. Walmart, Target). Increasing store counts and broader instore distribution are driving sustained sales growth into the second half.

In China there was also strong underlying demand, while a drop in revenue in that market “reflected temporary in‑market inventory effects and short‑term supply shortages”.

Ageing stock has now been fully cleared, and in‑market inventory levels are healthy, positioning the business for normalised sales in the second half.

Shaw and Partners have run the ruler over the results and integrated the upgraded earnings guidance into their model, and subsequently upgraded their price target on Bubs shares from 17 cents to 18 cents.

This compares with a current price of 12 cents per share for the small-cap stock. Bubs is currently valued at $107.3 million.

The post This penny stock could deliver 50% upside, Shaw and Partners says appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Buy, hold, sell: Bubs, Origin Energy, 4D Medical shares

Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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.

Is the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ok? It certainly doesn’t look ok, if the past few trading days are anything to go by. It’s hard to believe right now, but it was only on Monday of this week that the ASX’s flagship index was literally at an all-time high.

Yep, Monday saw the ASX 200 clock 9,200.9 points, the first time in its long history that it had reached over 9,200 points. What a difference four trading days and a new war can make.

Over the rest of this trading week, the ASX 200 has endured two (soon to be three, if today’s mood holds) of its worst days in months. Tuesday saw the index tank 1.3%, followed by a 1.9% drubbing on Wednesday. Yesterday’s session saw the markets rebound slightly with a 0.44% recovery. But that has all gone out the window this Friday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has retreated by another 1.36%, leaving the index at just under 8,330 points. That’s down by about 4.15% from where the markets finished up on Monday afternoon.

If today’s drop holds, the ASX is heading for its worst week in years.

So not really ok, right?

Well, it can certainly be tough for ASX investors to digest a one-week fall that wipes off around half of the average annual return of the ASX 200.

The bad news is that this kind of fall will result in the vast majority of ASX investors taking a big haircut on the value of their portfolios.

The good news is that we’ve been here before, and so we know how the playbook goes.

Is the ASX 200 ok after one of its worst weeks in years?

Every year, our Chief Investment Officer, Scott Phillips, looks at the Vanguard Chart. This chart, which Scott calls “the single most powerful image in investing”, is released annually in September and plots the performance of all of the major asset classes available in Australia over the past 30 years. Our coverage of last year’s report is worth a read here.

The headline is that the ASX 200 compounded at an inflation-crushing rate of 9.3% per annum over the 30 years to 30 June 2025. That would have turned a $10,000 investment into $143,786 over that period. Shares beat the pants off ‘safe’ assets like cash and government bonds.

But what investors should really take away is that these gains occurred despite a litany of catastrophic black swan events. The 30 years to 30 June 2025 spanned the dot-com crash, the Asian financial crisis, 9/11, the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, the global financial crisis, the Eurozone crisis, and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the ASX 200 was at an all-time high on Monday.

The Australian markets have seen a lot of calamity in their time. Yet our best companions adapt and continue to prosper. I do not doubt that this will happen again, despite the tragedy and destruction of war. So while it doesn’t look like the ASX 200 is remotely ok this week, I think that it will be, and investors should act accordingly.

The post Is the ASX 200 ok? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Superannuation check up: Here’s how much you should have saved by age 40, 50 and 60
• Passive income: How much would I need to invest in ASX shares to earn $1,000 every month?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Deep Yellow share price paused ahead of pending announcement

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.

Shares in several ASX tech companies are pushing higher on Friday as investors return to the sector after weeks of heavy selling.

Among the strongest performers are WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC), Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO), and Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1), which are all posting solid gains.

At the time of writing, the WiseTech share price is up 7.42% to $51.10, the Xero share price has climbed 5.78% to $88.74, and the Megaport share price is rising 5.04% to $8.33.

The rally comes after a difficult period for ASX tech stocks, many of which were recently trading near their 52-week lows.

Let’s take a closer look at what could be driving today’s move.

Bargain hunters return to beaten-down tech stocks

One key reason behind the rebound appears to be investors stepping back into the sector after a sharp sell-off earlier this year.

Over the past several months, technology shares on the ASX have been under heavy pressure as global markets turned more cautious. Rising geopolitical tensions and market volatility pushed many investors toward defensive sectors such as energy and commodities.

However, that heavy selling left many technology companies looking oversold.

WiseTech Global, Xero, and Megaport had all fallen heavily from their previous highs and were trading at 52-week lows in February.

For bargain hunters, this created an opportunity to buy high-quality growth companies at much lower prices.

Technical indicators indicate a potential bottom

Technical indicators also suggest the recent selling pressure may be easing.

Several ASX tech stocks recently tested the lower Bollinger Band, which can signal a stock may be oversold and nearing a short-term bounce.

In addition, the relative strength index (RSI) for many tech names fell toward oversold levels during the recent market decline.

Recent price action in WiseTech Global and Xero suggests investors believe the worst of the selling pressure has now passed.

Strong growth outlook still supports the sector

Beyond short term trading moves, the long-term outlook for many ASX technology companies remains strong.

WiseTech Global continues to benefit from rising demand for logistics and supply chain software globally. Xero remains a major player in cloud accounting for small businesses, while Megaport is expanding its global network connectivity platform.

These companies are still exposed to long-term structural trends such as digital transformation, cloud computing, and data infrastructure growth.

If global technology sentiment continues to improve, today’s rally could mark the beginning of a broader recovery for the sector, particularly if investors continue rotating back into growth stocks after the recent market sell-off.

The post Why investors are piling back into these ASX tech shares 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 Megaport, WiseTech Global, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global and Xero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.