Category: Stock Market

ASX lithium shares and electric vehicle (EV) makers are both enjoying a boom as the decarbonisation trend takes hold.

The global market for EVs is expected to grow from 11 million vehicles in 2020 to 145 million by 2030, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). And with major players like Volkswagen, Ford, and General Motors getting into the game, it’s clear that this trend is here to stay.

But what about lithium shares? ASX-listed lithium companies have been at the forefront of the green boom and many investors are wondering if they make for a better investment case than EV makers.

So far, it’s been difficult to say for sure. However, looking back at what has happened in the past might give us some clues.

EV production to take charge of lithium future

Whether the real winners of the green shift will be EV makers or ASX-listed lithium shares partly depends on the battery composition of the future.

According to the IEA, the total lithium demand for EVs and battery storage is roughly 30% of the entire market. However, the agency’s forecasts anticipate this will expand to 83% of all lithium demand by 2030 under a ‘sustainable development’ scenario.

This creates some risk for ASX-listed lithium investors if battery chemistry were to evolve beyond the need for lithium. However, as noted in the scientific journal Nature, the plummeting price of lithium-ion batteries over the years means they will likely dominate the scene for the foreseeable future.

How has it played out for ASX lithium shares so far?

The last year has seen many ASX lithium shares benefit from record-high prices for the electrifying material. In 2021, the price of lithium carbonate exploded by roughly 500%, according to Trading Economics.

Undoubtedly, a major catalyst for these higher prices was a growing demand for EVs. Last year, nearly 6.5 million new electric cars were delivered, an increase of more than 108% over the prior year.

Importantly, experts have estimated that for every 1% increase in EV market penetration, an additional 70,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate is required.

#Lithium.. they need MORE

Committed mine production and primary demand for lithium, 2020-2030. @IEA https://t.co/mCcAtaOhBZ pic.twitter.com/CIGYmUGtSd

— Gigi Penna (@giginator_) October 7, 2021

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

As a result, investors are responding to the expected supply gap (as shown above) by bidding ASX-listed lithium shares higher. For example, here’s how some of the largest lithium companies on the ASX have performed in the last 12 months:

• Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN), up 34%
• Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS), up 187%
• Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR), up 330%

What about EV shares?

Despite noteworthy increases in electric vehicle sales in 2021, manufacturers of these electricity eaters are not experiencing the same fanfare as ASX-listed lithium shares recently.

In fact, investing in the likes of Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) or Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) a year ago would have led to the underperformance of all three of the lithium shares listed above, as shown below.

An interesting dynamic to consider is: as lithium prices move higher, this will have a direct impact on the margins of EV makers if they cannot pass on the additional cost.

The post ASX lithium shares or EV makers, what’s been the better bet? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts on Wednesday
• Why CSL, Liontown, Nearmap, and Treasury Wine shares are storming higher
• Liontown (ASX:LTR) share price rockets 16% today on Tesla lithium deal
• These 3 charts show why you might want exposure to China’s EV makers
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Tuesday

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns Tesla. 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 Bruce Jackson.

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ASX travel shares gained altitude today amid a global travel recovery.

The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) soared 5.79%, Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) gained 4.83%, and Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) climbed 2.68%.

Let’s take a look at what lifted the travel sector today.

ASX travel shares rise

ASX travel shares took off but they were not the only travel stocks taking flight. In the US, on Tuesday, American Airlines Group surged 8%, United Airlines Holdings jumped 7.56% and Delta Air Lines Inc finished 6% ahead.

And airlines weren’t the only companies in on the party. Cruise operators Royal Caribbean gained 4%, Carnival Corporation Corp jumped 6.65%, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings surged 6.92%.

Speculation that Russian president Vladimir Putin may still be prepared to hold back on war with Ukraine may have helped these shares, as my Foolish colleague in the US reported.

In Australia, the Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) share price also surged 7.65% while Helloworld Travel Ltd (ASX: HLO) finished the day up 7.08%.

Corporate Travel’s gain came on the back of its half-yearly results today which showed its revenue more than doubled in H1 FY22. The company also reported its revenue in North America is higher than it was pre-COVID-19.

Meanwhile, news that WA Premier Mark McGowan may be lifting WA’s border lockdown could also be good news for ASX travel shares.

WA Premier Mark McGowan reportedly said a new reopening date could be on the way, according to 7 News. McGowan said:

We are reviewing (restrictions) as we speak. The reality is, though, that we are getting the third-dose vaccination rate up, the eastern states appear to be coming off their peak, which is a good thing.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government eased its COVID-19 rules for travellers arriving in the country on Tuesday. Fully vaccinated travellers will no longer require a PCR test on arrival in Canada. France also relaxed its travel rules on 12 February.

This is all good news for ASX travel shares.

The post Why are ASX travel shares taking flight today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Border drama: Qantas (ASX:QAN) faces continued challenges on ‘kangaroo route’
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The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Helloworld Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Corporate Travel Management Limited, Flight Centre Travel Group Limited, and Webjet Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Recent global turmoil sent the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) to an 8-month low. This led to many investors panicking and quickly selling off their falling ASX shares.

While the benchmark index has mostly recovered since, it is still down about 3% for the year. This is a stark contrast to the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX), which is down 16% year to date.

Below, we take a look at some key takeaways published in a Livewire article from Holon Global Investments expert, Tim Davies.

Research your ASX shares investment

The first step before making any ASX investment is to sit down and read the company’s financial reports over the past three to five years. This includes both the annual and quarterly results, as well as any third-party information on websites and in newspaper articles.

In addition, it pays dividends to read competitors’ reports, and gain a good grasp of the company’s products and services.

Davies explains that “many investors may buy shares in Amazon based solely on its successful e-commerce business, but through detailed reading they would learn that Amazon also has 100 subsidiaries across a range of industries including data storage, logistics, food retailing, media, digital TV subscription and financial services”.

This is important because revenue from these other businesses could grow and substantially contribute to the parent company’s earnings.

Understand the company and its future direction

In the next step, Davies advises that it is best to build a financial model of the chosen ASX company.

This involves using an excel spreadsheet and collating around five to 10 years’ worth of published annual and quarterly reports. Key information such as profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements should be in there.

By having this information, you can better predict the future direction of the company. Important metrics include price-to-earnings (P/E), price to sales, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA), and discounted cash flow.

However, it is worth noting that making assumptions beyond three to five years is hard to get right.

Davies noted that another similar model is the implied valuation model. This determines whether the targeted ASX company’s shares are cheap. It takes the current share price, then looks at what changes must happen to the company’s financial forecasts for it to be valued at the current price.

This tool is handy during bear markets when share prices do not necessarily reflect the future earnings of a company.

The old adage of ‘buy low and sell high’

While this seems obvious, buying low and selling high is the ultimate goal of all ASX investors. This can be extremely difficult to achieve though, as you are dealing with the psychology of traders and how they react to daily market movements.

Understandably, market volatility can impact a share price in the short term. However, keeping calm and knowing you have picked a sound company can lead to profitable gains over the years.

Davies said price swings are the norm in today’s environment due to a combination of factors. This includes governments exceeding their debt ceilings, intervention from central banks through monetary policy programs, and the fast-paced adoption of technology.

The post Losing sleep over falling ASX share prices? Here’s how one expert says investors can ‘take advantage of sell-offs’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts on Wednesday
• Is now the time to buy the dip in ASX 200 shares?
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: CSL upgrades guidance, Treasury Wine jumps
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today

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 Bruce Jackson.

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Owners of National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) shares will be pleased to learn that the bank’s Project Carbon – now renamed Carbonplace – has attracted attention from more international banking giants.

The founding members of the voluntary carbon market project have been joined by UBS (NYSE: UBS), Standard Chartered (LON: STAN), and BNP Paribas.

As of Wednesday’s close, the NAB share price is $30.60. That’s 0.59% higher than it was at yesterday’s close.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) also moved higher today, gaining 1.04%.

Let’s take a closer look at the latest on the bank’s carbon credits initiative.

More financial giants jump onboard Carbonplace

The NAB share price spent the day in the green amid news Carbonplace’s founding members have been joined by more financial heavyweights.

NAB launched the innovation in mid-2021, alongside CIBC (NYSE: CM), Itaú Unibanco (NYSE: ITUB), and NatWest Group (LON: NWG).

The Carbonplace platform is currently being developed with hopes it can provide infrastructure and systems for the trading of carbon credits. It’s expected to go live before the end of this year.

Carbon credits sold on the platform will be verified using international standards.

According to a release from NAB, the new founders have brought a significant number of potential users with them.

The bank expects that number will keep increasing as more financial entities jump on board.

UBS global markets co-head of distributions, Kevin Arnold, commented on the bank’s involvement in the platform, saying:

[Carbonplace] will help create a streamlined and transparent voluntary carbon market for our clients and the industry, which will be critical to helping us all fulfil our sustainability strategies.

Chris Leeds, head of carbon markets development at Standard Chartered, said Carbonplace will “reduce barriers to entry in the voluntary carbon market”.

NAB share price snapshot

The NAB share price is outperforming the broader market in 2022, having gained 4% year to date.

In comparison, the ASX 200 has slipped 4% since the start of this year.

Additionally, NAB’s stock has gained 19% over the last 12 months while the index has gained 5%.

The post Own NAB (ASX:NAB) shares? Here’s why the bank’s carbon credits scheme is attracting global interest appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why are ASX 200 bank shares getting so much love today?
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• Strap yourself in: Why ASX 200 shares could continue their wild ride in 2022
• Analysts name 2 excellent ASX dividend shares to buy
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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 Bruce Jackson.

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The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price has been a very strong performer on Wednesday.

In afternoon trade, the biotherapeutics giant’s shares are up a sizeable 8% to $262.20.

Why is the CSL share price charging higher?

Investors have been bidding the CSL share price higher today following the release of its half year results.

For the six months ended 31 December, CSL reported a 4% increase in constant currency revenue to US$5,993 million. This comprises a 2% decline in CSL Behring revenue to US$4,216 million and an 18% lift in Seqirus revenue to US$1,592 million.

However, due to margin weakness caused largely by plasma collection headwinds, CSL posted a 5% constant currency decline in net profit after tax to US$1,722 million.

So why are its shares rising?

A couple of items appear to have given the CSL share price a boost today. The first is positive commentary regarding the outlook for plasma collections.

CSL’s CEO, Paul Perreault, commented: “Our core franchise, the immunoglobulin portfolio, has been impacted by the industrywide constraints on collecting plasma in FY21 during the course of the global pandemic. We have responded by implementing multiple initiatives in our plasma collections network, which has given rise to significant improvement in plasma volumes collected. Given the long-term nature of our manufacturing cycle, this will underpin stronger Ig and albumin sales going forward.”

What else?

Also giving the CSL share price a lift was its guidance for FY 2022.

Although the company has reaffirmed its guidance for a net profit after tax in the range of US$2.15 billion to US$2.25 billion at constant currency, this guidance now includes US$90 million to US$110 million in transaction costs related to the Vifor Pharma acquisition. Whereas its prior guidance did not include these costs.

The response

Goldman Sachs has responded to the company’s results.

It commented: “Solid headline beats and effective +4-5% guidance upgrade despite mixed franchise performance.”

Goldman doesn’t currently have a rating on the CSL share price. This is due to it assisting with the aforementioned Vifor Pharma acquisition.

The post CSL (ASX:CSL) share price jumps 8% on guidance upgrade and positive plasma outlook appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why CSL, Liontown, Nearmap, and Treasury Wine shares are storming higher
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: CSL upgrades guidance, Treasury Wine jumps
• CSL (ASX:CSL) delivers US$1.7bn half year profit and tips plasma collection rebound
• Down by a quarter in less than three months, is the CSL (ASX:CSL) share price a buy?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended CSL Ltd. 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 Bruce Jackson.

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The Melbana Energy Ltd (ASX: MAY) share price rocketed as much as 16% higher today after receiving a tick of approval for petroleum exploration at an undeveloped site.

At time of writing, the Melbana share price is settled at 7 cents, up 6% on yesterday’s closing price.

So what does today’s news mean for the miner? Let’s take a deeper look…

Petroleum permit granted

This morning, the energy company announced it had received a petroleum exploration permit from the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator.

The site, located in the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Island off the Western Australian coast, was described by the miner as “an attractive opportunity” and home to an “undeveloped Vesta-1 discovery”.

This permit will allow Melbana to conduct operations at the site for an initial six-year period. The miner is already proposing a three-year working plan for the site.

The company estimates its eventual drill one exploration well, completed by year six, will cost around $30 million.

Comment from management

Executive chair Andrew Purcell said:

Our experience in this sub-basin coupled with the previous discoveries and multiple data sets and play types offered in this permit area affords a good opportunity for a technically strong and motivated junior like Melbana to try and identify its next substantial exploration prospect in Australian waters.

Our track record gives us some insights into what the market is looking for and we believe demand for more such opportunities will likely remain buoyant, especially if the current oil price is maintained.

Melbana share price snapshot

For most of last year, the Melbana share price sat at around 2 cents. It saw a small climb to 3 cents in September, before gaining serious traction in January.

Last week, the miner’s shares saw a 24% jump to 4.6 cents each on the back of a ‘significant’ oil find at its site in Cuba. They jumped to a 52-week-high of 8 cents apiece on Monday.

The miner has a market capitalisation of around $190 million.

The post Melbana (ASX:MAY) share price jumps 6% on exploration approval appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Melbana Energy (ASX:MAY) share price rockets 24% on ‘significant’ oil find

Motley Fool contributor Alice de Bruin 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 Bruce Jackson.

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With global markets experiencing numerous bouts of volatility over the past month or two, and inflation rearing its ugly head across many advanced economies, it’s fairly safe to say many investors have spent 2022 so far reassessing their share portfolios. As inflation rises and the prospect of higher interest rates grows ever closer, tech and growth shares on the ASX, as well as on the US markets, have been suffering. Uncertainty is rarely a comfort for companies with long and uncertain growth runways. And that mostly includes growth shares, especially in the tech space. So what are investors looking to counter this weakness in growth shares with? ASX value shares have proved to be strong candidates.

Growth and value

According to the index provider S&P Global, which runs the S&P/ASX 200 Value Index, ‘value shares’ are selected using three criteria: the ratios of book value, earnings, and sales to price. Unfortunately, S&P Global only gives us the top 10 shares in its index. But let’s look at some ASX shares that could be described as value shares using the metrics listed above, that have been quietly but significantly gaining over the last 10 years.

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL) is one. Soul Patts, as it’s more easily known, is an industrial conglomerate that owns large chunks of other ASX shares for the benefit of its investors. These include Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW), TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG) and New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC). Soul Patts has indeed been growing quietly but significantly for the past decade. Not only has it jacked up its dividend every single year, but its share price has gone from just over $13.60 ten years ago to today’s $26.21 at the time of writing. That’s a 10-year return of close to 100%. Throw in the dividends, and we have a consistent grower here.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) is another value share, and is actually a top 10 constituent of the S&P/ASX 200 Value Index. Although a little more volatile than Soul Patts, CBA shares have also been a pretty good share to own over the past decade. Its share price has risen from just under $50 a decade ago to today’s pricing of $98.57. That’s also a gain of around 100%. And of course, CBA has been forking out generous dividends for most of that time too.

One more ASX value share for the road

Our final value share to check out is none other than Brickworks, the company Soul Patts owns a large stake of. Brickworks is a building materials supplier but also owns some valuable real estate. It has also been able to quietly but consistently grow over the past 10 years. Back in February 2012, Brickworks was worth around $10.70 a share. Today, it’s asking $22.27. That’s growth worth around 110% over those 10 years. Brickworks has also been an incredibly consistent dividend payer. It hasn’t cut its dividend for decades. Add that to those returns, and you would have some very happy long-term shareholders.

So there you have it, some quiet but consistent ASX value shares that would have enjoyed a very happy place in most investors’ portfolios. Value shares might not have the flashy gain that growth shares can offer. But you can’t fault too many of them for slow, consistent growth (not to mention income).

The post While everyone was focused on growth shares, these ASX value shares have been quietly but significantly gaining over the last 10 years appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• 2 ASX 200 dividend shares that these analysts love
• Own CBA (ASX:CBA) shares? Here’s the bank’s hawkish outlook for RBA rate rises
• Why are ASX 200 bank shares getting so much love today?
• These are some of the top performing ASX 200 value shares of the past year

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Brickworks and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Brickworks and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended TPG Telecom Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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This year is proving to be a volatile time for many ASX growth shares and indeed plenty of ASX dividend shares as well.

There are well-known businesses with large dividend payouts like BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA).

But there could also be some that are being underrated by investors. They may be able to surprise with both earnings and dividends in FY23:

Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

Accent Group is a leading Australian shoe business that sells through a wide number of brands. Everyone needs shoes after all. Some of them are ones that it owns, whereas others are brands that Accent has exclusive distribution agreements.

Readers may recognise some of these names: CAT, Dr Martens, Glue Store, Hype, Merrell, Nude Lucy, Platypus, Skechers, Stylerunner, The Athlete’s Foot, Trybe, Timberland and VANS. Reebok is a recent addition.

The ASX dividend share is proud of its omnichannel business model – that means where it can sell to customers through its growing store network as well as online. Accent has a number of growth strategies including digital, new stores, vertically-owned brands, new businesses and exclusive distribution agreements.

Whilst lockdowns impacted sales in the first half of FY22, FY23 is expected to return to stronger profitability.

According to Commsec, the Accent share price is valued at 15x FY23’s estimated earnings with a projected grossed-up dividend yield of 7.7%.

Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH)

Adairs is another business in the retail sector that struggled in the first half of FY22 with many of its stores impacted by the COVID lockdowns in NSW and Victoria. However, those lockdowns now appear to be over.

Despite those lockdowns, sales remained strong. Total sales in the first 26 weeks of FY22 were 34.1% higher than FY20, with Adairs online sales 98.3% higher and Mocka sales 77.2% higher.

The ASX dividend share recently acquired the furniture retailer Focus which has been “trading well”.

Adairs management said that it has made strides in progressing its strategic priorities by commissioning its new national distribution centre, upsizing selected stores, continuing to expand its range and adding to its omnichannel capabilities. These may all help with growth and profitability.

Looking at FY23, Commsec estimates that the Adairs share price is at 8x FY23’s projected earnings. In FY23 it’s forecast to pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 12.3% and then 13.9% in FY24.

The post 2 underrated ASX dividend shares expected to unleash big payouts in FY23 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended ADAIRS FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended ADAIRS FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Accent Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Crypto investors got off to a pretty rocky start in 2022.

Save for some stablecoins, which by definition aren’t intended to have much price volatility, most every digital token sold off in January.

You need look no further than the top two cryptocurrencies to see what we’re talking about.

The Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price kicked off the New Year at US$47,178. By 31 January it had fallen to US$36,918, down 22% for the month.

Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), the world’s number 2 token by market cap, suffered even more. The Ethereum price stood at US$3,799 on 1 January before dropping to US$2,515 by month’s end, a loss of 34%.

Both tokens have recovered some from their end of January lows. The Bitcoin price is currently US$44,020 while the Ethereum price stands at US$3,144.

And eToro’s market analyst and crypto expert Simon Peters believes they could be in for another big leg up, thanks to US tech giant Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL).

Why crypto could be set for a fresh liftoff

If you use Apple Pay you may shortly be able to make payments across merchants using crypto.

According to Peters:

The soon to launch Tap to Pay feature says it will contain integration for contactless payments from ‘Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards and other digital wallets’. This directly opens the door to potential crypto asset wallet payments, assuming Apple doesn’t deliberately prevent such an option.

Explaining why this could see Bitcoin, Ethereum and other leading digital tokens lift off, Peters said:

The integration has enormous potential implications for crypto. When PayPal added crypto integrations into its infrastructure it sent the market soaring. Apple’s infrastructure is no less influential and could put booster rockets under crypto asset prices.

All-time highs

The Bitcoin price and the Ethereum price both notched fresh record highs in November last year.

On 10 November Bitcoin hit US$68,790.

Six days later, on 16 November, Ethereum peaked out at US$4,892.

If Peters is right about Apple, the world’s number 1 and number 2 crypto assets could be set for some fresh tailwinds.

The post How this tech giant could ‘put booster rockets’ under crypto: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and recommends Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool Australia owns and recommends Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a strong gain. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.85% to 7,267.6 points.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are falling:

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

The BHP share price is down 2.5% to $47.05. This morning Morgans downgraded the mining giant’s shares to a hold rating with a $48.70 price target. Although the Big Australian delivered a half year result ahead of its expectations, the broker believes its shares are fully valued now.

Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG)

The Fortescue share price is down 2% to $21.14. This follows the release of the mining giant’s half year result. For the six months ended 31 December, Fortescue posted a 13% decline in revenue to US$8.1 billion and a 32% decline in underlying net profit after tax to US$2.8 billion. This led to the company cutting its interim dividend materially.

Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL)

The Netwealth share price is down 11% to $13.29. Investors appear disappointed by the investment platform provider’s half year results. Although it delivered a 46% jump in funds under administration and a 17% increase in revenue, its net profit was down 1.8% over the prior corresponding period to $27.1 million.

Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)

The Santos share price is down 3% to $7.19. This follows the release of the energy producer’s full year results. Although Santos delivered a result that was largely in line with expectations, its guidance for FY 2022 appears to have fallen short of estimates. Santos is forecasting production of 100 mmboe to 110 mmboe and sales volumes in the range of 110 mmboe to 120 mmboe

The post Why BHP, Fortescue, Netwealth, and Santos shares are falling appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why has the Fortescue (ASX:FMG) dividend tumbled 40%?
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Netwealth (ASX:NWL) share price craters 14% on mixed half-year results
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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Netwealth. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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