Category: Stock Market

  • This ASX consumer staples ETF could be a great buy for 2022 and beyond

    Concept image of a finger hovering in front of a buy and sell button in front og a stockmarket graphic.

    Although this is something of a cliche, it’s arguably safe to say the dawn of 2022 brings us one of the most uncertain investing climates in a very long time. With debates about wind-ups of ultra-loose monetary policy, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (complete with new variants like Omicron), and plenty of elections scheduled, 2022 is certainly living up to be an interesting year, to say the least. So how does one prepare for such uncertainty? Looking to the consumer staples sector could be one path worth exploring.

    Think about the products that remain unequivocally in demand during these uncertain times. Food, drinks, household essentials, vices, and hygiene supplies all spring to mind. Well, that’s exactly what the iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF (ASX: IXI) focuses on.

    This exchange-traded fund (ETF) exclusively invests in consumer staples companies. They are the kinds of businesses that specialise in the products just listed. According to the provider iShares, this ETF is exclusively focused on providing “exposure to companies that produce essential products, including food, tobacco, and household items”.

    What’s in a consumer staples ETF?

    You can see this in action by looking at IXI’s top holdings. As they stand today, its top five companies are as follows:

    1. Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE: PG)
    2. Nestle SA
    3. Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO)
    4. Walmart Inc (NYSE: WMT)
    5. PepsiCo Inc (NASDAQ: PEP)

    It also holds companies as diverse as L’Oreal SA, British American Tobacco plc, Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL), and even our own Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW).

    Overall, almost 54% of IXI’s holdings hail from the United States. But the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan, Canada, and Australia are also represented in this ETF.

    IXI’s natural resilience that comes from these consumer staples companies can arguably be seen in its performance metrics too. The iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF has returned 20.24% over the past 12 months. That’s in addition to an average of 13.2% over the past 3 years. Over the past 10, it has given investors an average return of 13.14% per annum. It also pays out a dividend distribution, which comes to a trailing yield of 1.91% over the past 12 months.

    So all in all, the iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF could be a worthwhile investment to hold in these uncertain times. Who knows what 2022 will bring us… But we can say with relative certainty that food, drinks, and household essentials will remain a cornerstone of consumer spending around the world.

    The iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF charges a management fee of 0.46% per annum.

    The post This ASX consumer staples ETF could be a great buy for 2022 and beyond appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF right now?

    Before you consider iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF. 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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  • Experts tip the ASX sectors that are set to outperform in 2022

    Bluescope share price Man jumping from 2021 cliff to 2022 cliff

    Most experts have a bullish outlook for ASX shares in 2022 even as headwinds mount, although some sectors are tipped to perform better than others.

    The risk of rising interest rates, inflation, the withdrawal of stimulus and the Omicron outbreak isn’t expected to be enough to push equities into a bear market.

    That’s the view of several fund managers who were canvassed by The Australian. They believe that profit growth and the rebound from COVID-19 lockdowns will be enough to keep ASX shares in investors’ good books.

    ASX sectors to buy for 2022

    But some sectors are better placed to deliver returns this year than others. The top ASX share picks by these fund managers include mining, energy and healthcare shares.

    Saxo Capital Markets Australian market strategist, Jessica Amir, thinks that the CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price is a buy for 2022. The blood products biotech should enjoy an earnings recovery as its operations were hit by the pandemic.

    She isn’t alone in tipping the CSL share price as a potential strong performer this year. Marcus Today senior market analyst, Chris Conway, is also backing its shares as he calls CSL the “biggest and best at what it does”.

    ASX mining shares to watch this year

    Another ASX share to add to your buy list is the BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price. Conway noted that commodity prices tend to rise more than inflation.

    Given growing price pressures across the global economy, the BHP share price could do better than the overall market.

    Amir is also a fan of BHP and said that its shares were one of the most bought by Saxo’s clients in recent months. She called the BHP share price Australia’s “sleeping beauty mining giant“.

    No doubt the rebounding iron ore price will give supporters another reason to buy BHP.

    Other ASX shares to bank on

    Meanwhile, ASX bank shares are also looking well placed for 2022, added Amir. This is thanks to rising interest rates, which will give banks a reason to lift interest rates. That will only help bolster the sector’s net interest margins.

    Baker Young’s managed portfolio analyst, Toby Grimm, echoed a similar view and his top bank pick is the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price.

    There are also opportunities at the smaller end of the market. Forager Funds Management senior analyst, Gaston Amoros, is keen on underperforming small cap growth shares.

    Buying opportunities among ASX small caps

    These shares have been hit particularly harder by interest rate worries and some have underperformed their larger peers.

    These include the Bigtincan Holdings Ltd (ASX: BTH) share price and Whispir Ltd (ASX: WSP) share price.

    The post Experts tip the ASX sectors that are set to outperform in 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns BHP Billiton Limited, CSL Ltd., and Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended BIGTINCAN FPO, CSL Ltd., and Whispir Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BIGTINCAN FPO and Whispir 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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  • Here’s why the Ionic Rare Earths (ASX:IXR) share price is having such a stellar week

    The Ionic Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: IXR) share price is on fire this week.

    Shares in the rare earths explorer are up nearly 13% since the start of the week, currently swapping hands at 5.2 cents. In afternoon trade, shares are up 6% on yesterday’s closing price. In early trading, they were as high as 5.6 cents.

    Let’s take a look at what might be helping this company’s shares this week.

    Exploring for rare earths

    The Ionic Rare Earths share price is soaring on the back of a drilling update released to the market on 6 January. Ionic is exploring rare earths at the Makuutu rare earths project in Uganda.

    Also impacting the share price could be increasing global demand for clean energy products. Rare earths are an integral component of the magnets found in wind turbines and electric vehicles.

    The Ionic share price has jumped more than 10% between market close on 5 January and the current price.

    The company said drilling results from the phase four drill program affirmed Makuutu is an ionic adsorption clay-hosted rare earth element project.

    All of the 75 drill holes showed “clay and saprolite mineralisation intersections above the cut-off grade of 200 ppm Total Rare Earth Oxide less CeO2”.

    Ionic Rare Earths said the project is one of only a few confirmed ionic adsorption clay deposits in the world outside of China.

    Management commentary

    Commenting on the results driving the Ionic Rare Earths share price, managing director Tim Harrison said:

    Thickness of mineralised clay and minimal cover is crucial to minimising the opex [operating expenses] cost, and Makuutu continues to deliver with results from this batch reporting approximately 25% of the intercepts within the Makuutu Central Zone exceeding 20m thick, and over 85% greater than 10 metres thick.

    The 100% strike rate in these results bodes well for what we think will be a very positive year ahead for Makuutu as we advance towards a considerable increase in resource confidence over the next few months and drive Makuutu towards a completion of the feasibility study and a mining licence application by October 2022.

    Ionic Rare Earths share price snapshot

    The Ionic Rare Earths share price has soared 136% in the past 12 months.

    In comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned more than 11% to investors over the same time frame.

    The company commands a market capitalisation of roughly $181 million based on the current share price.

    The post Here’s why the Ionic Rare Earths (ASX:IXR) share price is having such a stellar week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Ionic Rare Earths right now?

    Before you consider Ionic Rare Earths, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Ionic Rare Earths wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    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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  • Why API, James Hardie, Magellan, and St Barbara shares are dropping

    share price plummeting down

    In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is back on form and charging higher. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 1.25% to 7,449.7 points.

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

    Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ASX: API)

    The API share price is down almost 13% to $1.51. Investors have been selling the pharmacy chain operator’s shares after Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) withdrew its takeover proposal. Woolworths was offering $1.75 per share but advised that its due diligence revealed that the financial returns from the proposal were not sufficient. Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) is now in pole position with its lower offer of $1.55 per share.

    James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX)

    The James Hardie share price is down 5% to $51.17. This morning the building products company announced the exit of its chief executive officer (CEO), Jack Truong, with immediate effect. According to the release, Mr Truong has had his employment terminated after employees raised concerns about his work-related interactions.

    Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG)

    The Magellan share price is down 3% to $19.76 following the release of its funds under management update. According to the release, Magellan’s total FUM was $95,491 million at the end of December. This was down 18% (or $21,000 million) from $116,413 million at the end of November. The fund manager also revealed that it is entitled to performance fees of only $11 million for the first half of FY 2022.

    St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM)

    The St Barbara share price is down 2.5% to $1.32. This appears to have been driven by a pullback in the gold price overnight. Traders were selling the precious metal amid the release of hawkish minutes out of the US Federal Reserve.

    The post Why API, James Hardie, Magellan, and St Barbara shares are dropping appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    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. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Wesfarmers 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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  • Why has the Critical Resources (ASX:CRR) share price surged 39% this week?

    Five people in an office high five each other.

    This week is proving to be a good one for the Critical Resources Ltd (ASX: CRR) share price. The company has released more news to the market this morning, boosting its stock once more.

    At the time of writing, Critical Resources’ stock is trading at 5.3 cents, 10.4% higher than its previous close. That brings the company’s gains this week to 39%.

    Let’s take a look at the news that’s been driving the miner’s stock on the ASX lately.

    Critical Resources share price rockets higher on Friday

    The Critical Resources share price is in the green again today after the company announced a drilling program at its Halls Peak base metal project in New South Wales has restarted.

    The company is back to work at the project’s Gibson prospect, where it plans to drill around 2,500 metres. Of that, around 650 metres have already been completed.

    Previously, visual massive sulphide intervals and disseminated sulphide mineralisation have been intersected at the prospect.

    Critical Resources managing director Alex Biggs commented on the restart, saying:

    The drill campaign has so far provided excellent results and we continue to gain an increased understanding of the deposit. We look forward to completing the outstanding drill holes and updating the market with further results in due course.

    Today’s news appears to have rounded off a strong week’s performance.

    The Critical Resources share price was boosted 19.5% on Wednesday after the company completed the acquisition of a Canadian lithium project.

    The Mavis Lake lithium project cost the company $3 million, which it bought with 50% cash and 50% scrip. The purchase also involves up to $3 million of milestone considerations.

    Additionally, Critical Resources welcomed Alex Cheeseman to its board this week. Cheeseman has worked in leadership and management roles for more than 20 years and spent the last 10 years in the lithium and iron ore sector.

    Today’s gains included, the Critical Resources share price is 116% higher than it was this time last year.

    The post Why has the Critical Resources (ASX:CRR) share price surged 39% this week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Critical Resources right now?

    Before you consider Critical Resources , you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Critical Resources wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    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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  • Here’s why CBA (ASX:CBA) shares have the lowest big four bank dividend right now

    Young woman using computer laptop with hand on chin thinking about question, pensive expression.

    As most ASX investors would know, ASX bank shares have a very pervasive reputation for providing rivers of dividend income. For decades, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) have been some of the most consistent and highest-paying ASX blue-chip shares.

    Of all the ASX banks, CBA is arguably the most popular. Not only is Commonwealth Bank the largest ASX share on the share market by market capitalisation, but it’s also arguably the most revered. That’s going off the significant price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio premium that CBA commands compared to the other big banks.

    But if we check out how the CBA share price looks today, something might stand out.

    At the current CBA share price (at the time of writing) of $102.54 a share, Commbank shares are offering a trailing dividend yield of 3.41%. That’s objectively not a bad yield. But it’s not quite as high as some ASX banking investors might expect.

    And it certainly doesn’t look too good against CBA’s banking peers.

    For example, NAB shares currently offer investors a trailing yield of 4.32% on current pricing. ANZ goes even higher, breaking the 5% mark with the current yield of 5.02%. And Westpac comes out on top with its yield of 5.5% as it stands today.

    Why do CBA shares have the lowest big four bank dividends?

    So why is CBA the laggard when it comes to ASX banking dividends? Surely, as the largest bank and the market leader, it should be first out the gate when it comes to yield?

    Well, it doesn’t quite work that way. Ironically perhaps, CBA’s success is its own worst enemy when it comes to the yield it can offer. If investors regarded all of the ASX banks as worthy of the same P/E ratio, then CBA’s dividend would be far higher. But as it stands today, CBA shares trade on a P/E ratio of 21.8. Westpac, in stark contrast, only commands a P/E ratio of 15.72.

    If CBA were to descend to a P/E ratio of 15.72, it would have a share price of approximately $74 (by this writer’s rough calculations). At that share price, and keeping the same 2021 dividends that CBA paid out, it would instead have a trailing dividend yield of 4.73%.

    But in the real world, investors, for any number of possible reasons, have decided that CBA deserves to trade at a premium share price to its banking brethren. And as such, investors have to put up with a lower dividend yield from their shares. Sometimes, you can’t have it all!

    At the current CBA share price, this ASX bank has a market capitalisation of $170.6 billion.

    The post Here’s why CBA (ASX:CBA) shares have the lowest big four bank dividend right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Commonwealth Bank right now?

    Before you consider Commonwealth Bank, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Commonwealth Bank wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns National Australia Bank Limited. 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 Westpac Banking Corporation. 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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  • Can you guess the best and worst All Ordinaries performers of 2021?

    best and worse asx shares represented by green best button and red worst button

    The All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) gained 13% in 2021. A banner year for ASX shares, by historical standards.

    Of course, not all shares are created equal. Some gained far more than the benchmark and some finished 2021 deep in the red.

    Below we look at the 2 best and 2 worst performers on the All Ordinaries in the year just past.

    2021’s worst 2 performing All Ordinaries shares

    The unwelcome prize for the worst performing All Ordinaries share in 2021 goes to buy now, pay later (BNPL) company Laybuy Holdings Ltd (ASX: LBY).

    Investors broadly sold off BNPL shares in the latter half of the year, and the selling for Laybuy began in earnest back in February. Laybuy commenced trading in 2021 at $1.30 per share. By the closing bell on 31 December it was trading at 24 cents, down 82%. At the current share price, Laybuy has a market cap of $57 million.

    Coming in a close second in the unwanted worst performing All Ordinaries category is fellow BNPL player, Splitit Ltd (ASX: SPT).

    Splitit also fell prey to the shifting sentiments hitting the pay by instalment sector. The company kicked off the year just past trading at $1.30 and finished at 25 cents, down a painful 81%.

    Investors likely also had an eye on the company’s bottom line, which revealed FY21 losses of US$35.2 million, up from US$26.6 million in losses posted in FY20. At the current share price, Splitit has a market cap of $127 million.

    Moving on to the biggest gainers on the All Ordinaries…

    2021’s top 2 performing ASX shares

    Turning to the positive, the second best All Ordinaries share you could have held in 2021 was Cettire Ltd (ASX: CTT).

    Which brings us to the best performing All Ordinaries share of 2021, Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX).

    Involved in graphite exploration and mining, battery technology, and battery materials, the company was a clear winner in the booming growth witnessed in the lithium-ion battery industry.

    Novonix kicked off 2021 trading for $1.21 per share and finished the year at $9.19 per share for an eye-popping gain of 660%. At the current share price, the best All Ordinaries performer of 2021 has a market cap of $4.8 billion.

    The post Can you guess the best and worst All Ordinaries performers of 2021? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Novonix right now?

    Before you consider Novonix, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Novonix wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Cettire Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cettire 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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  • ASX says Block listing is ‘most important since BHP’. Here’s why

    a man in a business suite throws his arms open wide above his head and raises his face with his mouth open in celebration in front of a background of an illuminated board tracking stock market movements.

    The upcoming listing of Block Inc (NYSE: SQ), previously called Square, could be one of the most important ever listings for the ASX. The Australian Stock Exchange is run by ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX).

    Why is Block listing onto the ASX?

    The reason why Block is listing onto the ASX is the proposed takeover of the buy now, pay later (BNPL) business Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT).

    Block is on track to take over Afterpay. The offer is 0.375 new Block/Square shares for each Afterpay share. When the New York Stock Exchange closed on 29 October 2021, the implied offer was A$126.39 per Afterpay share, which was a 30.8% premium to the undisturbed Afterpay share price on 30 July 2021 before the proposed takeover was announced.

    Block shares are going to trade in Australia as a secondary listing, to allow Afterpay shareholders to trade Square shares via CHESS Depositary Interests (CDIs) on the ASX.

    The takeover is legally effective and Afterpay anticipates that the implementation will occur in the first quarter of the 2022 calendar year.

    What makes it so important for the ASX?

    As reported by the Australian Financial Review, the ASX’s group executive for listings, Max Cunningham, said:

    It could be the most important listing on the ASX since BHP in 1885 and I don’t say that lightly.

    We’ve been talking for years about attracting a combination of local and foreign tech listings. They could have found other ways to fund this, so for them to consciously list here is really, really significant.

    The Block share price has fallen around 40% since the end of October 2021. Despite that, Block’s current market capitalisation is still US$66.7 billion. It will be one of the biggest businesses on the ASX.

    But the ASX believes it could be an opportunity to encourage other large businesses to have a dual listing on the ASX as well.

    The AFR quoted Mr Cunningham about this:

    Hopefully it will demonstrate to other Australian multinationals either already listed overseas or hoping to list overseas, you can be dual-listed on the ASX as well.

    For all the great tech we’ve had, we don’t have anything like a Spotify listed here. Certainly, having a company like Atlassian or Canva list here would be great and help offset some of those carbon-intensive stocks. I think it’s really, potentially, an important pivot point.

    Will more businesses list here?

    There is a hope that more tech and non-tech businesses will list. As mentioned, Atlassian and Canva are two of the biggest targets.

    There is apparently a pipeline of potential opportunities according to the comments made by Mr Cunningham.

    In terms of more potential listings, the AFR reported he said:

    We’re definitely hoping there may be some $1 billion-plus tech companies in the pipeline. We’re still getting good quality, larger tech companies coming and the pipeline for tech companies is better than it’s ever been. There’s some good prospects out there.

    BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) will soon unify its structure onto the ASX, so the Australian Stock Exchange is hoping balance that out with other non-resource companies..

    Once international travel resumes as normal, the ASX is confident that as face to face meetings return, it will be able to win more international businesses as well.

    The post ASX says Block listing is ‘most important since BHP’. Here’s why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in ASX right now?

    Before you consider ASX, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and ASX wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    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 Afterpay Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Afterpay 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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  • Why has the Andromeda (ASX:ADN) share price rocketed 26% in a month?

    Two cheerful miners shake hands while wearing hi-vis and hard hats.

    The Andromeda Metals Ltd (ASX: ADN) share price has been enjoying a stellar run over recent weeks.

    Shares in the mining company have soared from 15.5 cents to 19.5 cents in the past four weeks, up 26%. By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up around 3% over the past month.

    Let’s take a look at what may be weighing on the minds of investors.

    New mining lease

    Andromeda is a South Australian explorer aiming to supply high-quality industrial minerals to the global market. The company’s flagship project is the Great White kaolin project on the state’s Eyre Peninsula.

    Two significant factors weighed on the Andromeda Metals share price in the past month. The first is the pending merger with Minotaur Exploration Ltd (ASX: MEP). If approved, it would provide Andromeda with 100% ownership of the Great White kaolin project.

    Andromeda is offering 1.15 new Andromeda shares for each Minotaur share. This offer opened on 8 December and will close on 31 January. Minotaur Directors unanimously recommended shareholders accept the Andromeda offer in a statement released to the market on 8 December. Shares in Andromeda increased 13% between the close on 7 December and 10 December.

    The second major event to help the Andromeda share price was the South Australia Minister for Energy and Mining Dan van Holst Pellekaan granting a mining lease and two supporting licences for the Great White kaolin project. Andromeda released a statement to the market on 17 December describing this approval as a “significant positive step forward” for the project. Shares in the company soared nearly 6% between market close on 16 December and 17 December.

    Commenting on this approval, managing director James Marsh said:

    This really is a fantastic success for all Andromeda stakeholders and a crucial milestone in the evolution of the company. It will allow us to progress with full confidence into a very exciting 2022 and become a sustainable, world-class producer of kaolin minerals.

    Once in production a whole range of new and significant halloysite-kaolin opportunities will open up for us, and I would like to thank the whole Andromeda team for their dedication and professionalism.

    Andromeda share price snapshot

    The Andromeda share price has fallen 34% over the past year but is up more than 5% this week.

    For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned nearly 11% to investors in the past year.

    This ASX share commands a market capitalisation of around $484 million based on its current share price.

    The post Why has the Andromeda (ASX:ADN) share price rocketed 26% in a month? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    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 200 (ASX:XJO): Woolworths withdraws API proposal, tech shares rebound

    A male sharemarket analyst sits at his desk looking intently at his laptop with two other monitors next to him showing stock price movements

    At lunch on Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is rebounding from yesterday’s selloff. The benchmark index is currently up 1.6% to 7,473.7 points.

    Here’s what is happening on the ASX 200 today:

    Woolworths withdraws API takeover offer

    The Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ASX: API) share price is crashing lower today after Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) pulled out of the race to acquire the pharmacy chain operator. This means that rival Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) is now in pole position to acquire API. However, its offer of $1.55 per share is notably lower than the $1.75 per share that Woolworths was offering. Woolworths advised that its due diligence revealed that the financial returns from the proposal were not sufficient.

    Tech shares bounce back

    The Australian tech sector is bouncing back on Friday after yesterday’s meltdown. At the time of writing, the S&P ASX All Technology index is up 1.3%. Among the best performers in the sector are Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) shares.

    James Hardie kicks out its CEO

    The James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) share price has tumbled today after it announced the exit of its chief executive officer (CEO), Jack Truong, with immediate effect. According to the release, Mr Truong has had his employment terminated with immediate effect after employees raised concerns about his work-related interactions.

    Best and worst ASX 200 performers

    The best performer on the ASX 200 on Friday has been the Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL) share price with a gain of almost 6% on no news. Going the other way, the worst performer has been the James Hardie share price with a 3.5% decline. This follows the surprise exit of the building products company’s CEO this morning.

    The post ASX 200 (ASX:XJO): Woolworths withdraws API proposal, tech shares rebound appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 Afterpay Limited and MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Afterpay Limited and Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO. 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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