Category: Stock Market

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a small decline on Tuesday. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is down a fraction to 8,521.9 points.

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

Gentrack Group Ltd (ASX: GTK)

The Gentrack share price is up a further 6% to $8.48. Investors have been buying the airport and utilities software provider’s shares since the release of the FY 2025 results on Monday. Gentrack reported an 8% increase in revenue to NZ$230.2 million and an 18% jump in EBITDA to NZ$27.8 million. And while management gave no firm guidance, it has spoken positively about the future. It has reiterated its mid-term target of more than 15% compound annual revenue growth and an EBITDA margin of 15%–20%. In response to the update, this morning Bell Potter retained its buy rating on Gentrack’s shares with an improved price target of $11.00.

IPD Group Ltd (ASX: IPG)

The IPD share price is up 10% to $3.76. This follows the release of the electrical solutions provider’s guidance for the first half of FY 2026. Management advised that it expects EBITDA growth of approximately 6.1% for that half. It said: “There are encouraging signs of recovery and resilience across our end markets, with sustained positive momentum observed across all business units. Earlier investments made into CMI’s longer-term growth-oriented strategies are starting to generate tangible benefits, underpinned by strong order book growth. The Group’s current opportunity pipeline is positioned well for continued growth through FY26.”

SRG Global Ltd (ASX: SRG)

The SRG Global share price is up 4% to $2.78. This morning, this infrastructure services company revealed that it has won a number of lucrative contracts. It advised that it has secured $650 million of contracts with blue-chip clients across Australia and New Zealand. These contracts are across the water, defence, transport, energy, industrial, resources, health and education sectors. SRG Global’s CEO, David Macgeorge, commented: “We continue to secure a diverse range of contracts across Australia and New Zealand in a broad range of sectors with both key repeat and new clients. These contract awards are a further demonstration of our market-leading capabilities as a truly diversified infrastructure services company.”

Web Travel Group Ltd (ASX: WEB)

The Web Travel share price is up 10% to $4.40. Investors have been buying this travel technology company’s shares following the release of its half year results. Web Travel reported an 18% increase in bookings to 5.1 million, a 22% lift in total transaction value (TTV) to a record of $3.17 billion, and a 17% jump in underlying EBITDA to a record of $81.7 million. Web Travel’s managing director, John Guscic, was pleased with the half. He said: WebBeds continues to deliver world class TTV growth. We reported $3.2 billion TTV for the first 6 months of the financial year, 22% more than the same period last year, driven by the significant above-market growth coming through in our top 3 regions, particularly the Americas.

The post Why Gentrack, IPD, SRG, and Web Travel shares are racing higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Up 107% this year! Another boost for this ASX 300 high-flyer with $650m in new contract wins
• Guess which ASX 200 stock is jumping 14% on record results
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• Why Gentrack, Monash IVF, Pro Medicus, and Qube shares are racing higher today
• Why is this ASX 300 tech stock rocketing 21% today?

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

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

Billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates have been close friends for decades. Unsurprisingly, the Gates Foundation Trust owns more than 21 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) — a stake worth around $11 billion. The Gates Foundation Trust sold many stocks last quarter, including part of its Berkshire Hathaway stake.

Why did Gates sell 2.4 million more shares of Berkshire last quarter? There are two obvious reasons

1. Berkshire Hathaway is holding a lot of cash

It’s no secret that the stock market in general is getting pretty expensive. The S&P 500 currently trades at roughly 30 times earnings, nearly twice its long-term historical valuation. With that in mind, it would make sense that skilled investors are having a tough time finding market values. Just take a look at Buffett’s holding company, Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett has long warned against market timing, yet Berkshire now has more than $380 billion in cash — more than one-third of its entire market cap!

This oddly makes Berkshire a wonderful investment for those who are worried about the market. It’s like buying a mutual fund that has 30% of its investments in cash. If the stock market declines by 10%, you could expect this fund to fall by only 7% if all else were equal. But Berkshire holds a bigger advantage than simply buffering the effect of a market decline. If markets were to experience a correction, Berkshire now has a ton of cash it can deploy at lower valuations. Few investors have this advantage: the ability to put a ton of cash to work while markets are crashing.

In essence, Berkshire is a fantastic choice for nervous investors. By buying shares, you keep your money invested, but have the ability to both shoulder marketwide declines and take advantage of potentially lower valuations if a correction does occur. The portfolio managers at the Gates Foundation Trust are likely aware of these advantages, which may explain why Berkshire is the trust’s biggest position. But like Buffett, these portfolio managers may be getting nervous about the market’s high valuation. Of the trust’s 25 holdings, 12 experienced net selling last quarter. A total of zero positions were increased. So while Berkshire may be a relatively safe stock during market downturns, it appears as if the Gates Foundation Trust is so nervous that even Berkshire isn’t a candidate for buying at current levels. 

2. Selling Berkshire stock balances the Gates Foundation Trust’s other bets

Selling Berkshire stock has one other benefit for the Gates Foundation Trust’s portfolio: more balanced diversification.

Even after the selling, Berkshire remains the trust’s largest position, with a 25% portfolio weight. That’s right: Roughly one-quarter of the trust’s entire portfolio is invested in one stock. Granted, Berkshire itself is fairly diversified, with interests across dozens of industries and geographies. But it’s still a single business, leaving the trust’s portfolio relatively undiversified versus broader market indexes.

The latest sales brought down Berkshire’s portfolio weighting from 30% to 25%. The selling also occurred near Berkshire’s all-time highs — both in terms of trading price and relative valuation. Last quarter, for instance, Berkshire stock had a price-to-book ratio of around 1.6. Over the past decade, however, shares have usually traded between 1.2 and 1.5 times books value. So while the net selling of Berkshire stock by the Gates Foundation Trust may relate to market valuations and diversification needs, it may also be an indication that it simply thinks that Berkshire stock is overvalued. The fact that Buffett himself declined to execute any share repurchases last quarter backs up this belief.

Both Gates and Buffett have preached long holding periods. Buffett is clearly nervous about today’s market valuations, leaving him so unable to find deals that he needs to sell down top positions simply to hold cash. The selling by the Gates Foundation Trust seems to mirror this nervousness. But remember that this isn’t Gates’ personal portfolio — it is the portfolio of a charitable trust whose primary mission is to distribute profits to other causes. Selling, therefore, could simply be the trust delivering on its mission statement, and not a signal of its skittishness over current market valuations.

Still, the foundation has been a net buyer of stock is previous quarters. So while the selling isn’t a smoking gun, it’s another potentially bearish sign for investors.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

The post Bill Gates just sold 2.4 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway — Should investors panic? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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Ryan Vanzo 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 Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Knowing which ASX shares to avoid is just as important as knowing which ones to buy.

After all, owning the wrong shares could hold back your portfolio returns and limit your wealth creation.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at three ASX shares analysts rate as sells, courtesy of The Bull. Here’s what they are saying:

Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC)

The team at Ord Minnett thinks that this rare earths producer’s shares are overvalued despite a recent pullback. They said:

Lynas is the only significant producer of separated rare earths materials outside of China. Gross sales revenue of $200.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 was up on the prior quarter and the prior corresponding period, but missed consensus. The shares have fallen from $21.64 on October 15 to trade at $15.51 on November 19. In our view, the shares remain overvalued, so investors may want to consider cashing in some gains.

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)

Another ASX share that has been named as a sell by analysts this week is Paladin Energy.

Ord Minnett is also bearish on this one and thinks that its valuation has outpaced its fundamentals. It said:

This uranium producer owns 75 per cent of the Langer Heinrich mine in Namibia. It also owns uranium exploration and development assets in Australia and Canada. The company delivered record production in the September quarter, but sales volumes fell on the previous quarter and prior corresponding period.  Despite a decent result, PDN’s share price recently doubled in the past six months and has outpaced its fundamentals.

Starpharma Holdings Ltd (ASX: SPL)

A third ASX share that is being rated as a sell is biotechnology company Starpharma.

Analysts at Securities Vault think investors should be selling its shares after a “rapid” rise this year, which as seem them rise over 200% in 2025. They said:

Starpharma is a biotechnology company. The company has developed a drug delivery platform to enhance the effectiveness of pharmaceutical drugs. It recently received an upfront payment of $A8.5 million from Genentech in line with a recently announced licence agreement. The shares have performed strongly, rising from 13 cents on September 19 to trade at 39.5 cents on November 19. The company’s valuation sits at a steep premium relative to peers, indicating lofty expectations are already priced in. The company reported a loss of $10 million in full year 2025. In our view, trimming or exiting positions is prudent given the rapid share price rise.

The post Analysts name 3 ASX shares to sell now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Should you buy Mesoblast, Paladin Energy, and Xero shares?
• How this new development could drive the next big boost for ASX rare earths stocks like Lynas
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• Why are ASX uranium stocks like Paladin Energy going gangbusters on Thursday?

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 recommended Lynas Rare Earths 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 Scott Phillips.

Investors holding iShares Core S&P 500 AUD ETF (ASX: IVV) units are benefiting from strong momentum in the US stock market in 2025.

The IVV exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index (SP: INX) before fees.

It’s an easy way of gaining exposure to the roaring US share market without having to trade on an overseas exchange.

Geographical diversification is valuable in any investor’s portfolio to help us capture the best returns and reduce our overall risk.

While the ASX follows the US closely in terms of whether it goes up or down each day, the pace of that movement often varies.

For example, in the year to date, the S&P 500 is up 14% while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 4.2%.

Another benefit of the IVV ETF is that it provides exposure to some of the world’s largest and most profitable companies.

The exchange-traded fund’s top 10 holdings are Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA), Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO),  Alphabet Inc Class C (NASDAQ: GOOG),  Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), and Berkshire Hathaway Inc Class B
(NYSE: BRK.B).

Today, the IVV ETF is trading on the ASX for $69.14 per unit, up 1.04%.

Let’s find out what $10,000 invested a year ago is worth today.

What is a $10,000 investment in IVV ETF now worth?

On 25 November 2024, the IVV ETF closed at $61.25 apiece.

If you had invested $10,000 in IVV then, it would have bought you 163 units (for $9,983.75).

There’s been a capital gain of $7.89 per unit since then, which equates to $1,286.07 of capital growth.

Therefore, your portfolio is now worth $11,269.82.

What about dividends?

IVV pays four distributions (dividends) per year.

The ETF paid investors $2.134185 per unit in December 2024, $1.764574 per unit in March this year, $1.866967 per unit in June, and $1.994748 in September.

This means you would have received just over $7.76 per unit of income over the past 12 months, or $1,264.88 in total.

Total returns…

Your capital gain of $1,286.07 plus your income of $1,264.88 gives you a total return of $2,550.95.

Now remember, you invested $9,983.75 buying your 163 units on 25 November 2024.

This means you have received a total return, in percentage terms, of 25.55%. Wow!

And that happened during a year of turmoil, too. Remember the April rout caused by new US tariffs?

A distant memory now.

The IVV ETF has more than $705 billion in funds under management and charges a 0.03% annual fee.

The post $10,000 invested in IVV ETF a year ago is now worth… appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Broadcom and has recommended the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and iShares S&P 500 ETF. 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) healthcare share Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC) is off to the races today.

Shares in Australia’s biggest private hospital operator closed yesterday trading for $31.90. In morning trade on Tuesday, shares leapt to $36.38 apiece, up 14%. After some likely profit-taking, in later morning trade, shares are swapping hands for $35.48 each, up 11.2%.

This sees the ASX 200 healthcare stock commanding a market cap of $7.4 billion.

Here’s what’s grabbing investor interest today.

ASX 200 healthcare share lifts off on AGM

Ramsay Health Care shares are surging today on the heels of the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Sydney.

Ramsay Health Care chair, David Thodey, opened the meeting by acknowledging the headwinds that have faced the ASX 200 healthcare share over the past year.

“This year, Ramsay has continued to navigate the industry wide shifts impacting the provision of healthcare services across all our regions,” he said.

Thodey noted:

The operating environment remains challenging, with ongoing cost pressures and the reluctance of some payors to recognise and pay their fair share of these inflationary cost increases. Elysium and Ramsay Santé in particular, face a number of industry headwinds.

But judging by today’s strong share price gains, ASX investors appear to share Thodey and the board’s confidence that the ASX 200 healthcare share’s “refreshed strategy, strengthened group executive team, and a sharpened focus on our core Australian business positions us strongly to navigate the evolving private healthcare landscape and improve earnings in our core Australian business”.

Thodey added:

While there is still much work ahead and cost pressures remain, the Board is encouraged by the progress we are making towards improving the performance of our Australian and UK hospital businesses.

A word from Ramsay Health Care’s CEO

Ramsay Health Care CEO and managing director Natalie Davis, who stepped into the leadership role on 2 December last year, took the podium next.

Davis said:

Over the past year, we’ve maintained our leading patient NPS scores across our regions. We’re growing our clinical trials network in Australia to expand access to new treatments, to strengthen our doctor value proposition and to build partnerships that support clinical innovation.

When the ASX 200 healthcare share released its full-year FY 2025 results on 28 August, the company reported a 1.7% increase in underlying net profit after tax (NPAT) from continuing operations to $305.3 million.

At the AGM today, Davis noted ongoing improvement on the balance sheet.

“Since reporting our full year results, we have successfully refinanced $2.05 billion of Funding Group facilities, extending the duration of our facilities and reducing the margin,” she said.

And she concluded that the ASX 200 healthcare shares is on track with its three key performance priorities, “transforming our market leading Australian hospital business; strengthening our capital discipline and improving capital returns across the portfolio; and evolving our culture of ‘People caring for People’ to innovate and drive performance”.

The post Guess which $7 billion ASX 200 healthcare share is leaping 14% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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.

Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) shares are in the spotlight on Tuesday.

In morning trade, the allogeneic cellular medicines developer’s shares are up over 1% to $2.36.

This follows the release of the company’s annual general meeting update and quarterly sales guidance.

What did the company announce?

Let’s start with its sales performance in the current quarter.

According to the release, Mesoblast’s sales are expected to be up strongly quarter on quarter thanks to increasing demand for its Ryoncil (remestemcel-L-rknd) product.

For the quarter ended 31 December, management revealed that it expects gross revenue of more than US$30 million from sales of Ryoncil (remestemcel-L-rknd). This represents an increase of 37% on the US$21.9 million in gross revenue that was record from Ryoncil in the prior quarter ended 30 September 30.

What else?

At its annual general meeting, management spoke very positively about Ryoncil and how its approval by the US FDA has transformed the company forever. The company’s chair, Jane Bell, said:

The FDA approval of Ryoncil is not simply a regulatory milestone: it is a turning point in our transition from development to commercialization, and a powerful validation of Mesoblast’s scientific platform, manufacturing rigor, and clinical strategy.

The commercial launch of Ryoncil has been executed flawlessly with strong uptake to date and growing sales, which have exceeded our expectations. We are very pleased with the commercial and government reimbursement that is now in place, as we ensure that all children with this devastating disease have access to our life-saving treatment with payor coverage now extending to over 260 million lives in the U.S. as well as successful onboarding and physician adoption.

Bell also highlights that the first approval could be just the start of many more in the future. She highlights that Mesoblast has its eyes on the cardiovascular and back pain markets, adding:

Achieving a first FDA approval and demonstrating successful product commercialization provides important validation for our whole strategy and value chain of our technology platforms. The learnings from Ryoncil are being adapted to the rest of the company’s pipeline and will hold us in good stead as we work towards further FDA approvals for our cardiovascular and back pain indications for our second-generation stromal cell technology platform.

Mesoblast shares have been strong performers over the past 12 months. During this time, they are up almost 40%. This compares to a gain of just 1.3% from the ASX 200 index over the same period.

The post Mesoblast shares push higher on strong sales update 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. 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.

For Australians edging toward life after work, few questions loom larger than “Do I have enough super?”

With the Age Pension age now 67 and having gradually increased from 65 over the past decade, it’s an important milestone for anyone planning their retirement income.

While everyone’s path looks different, current data offers a helpful snapshot of what the average Australian has saved by pension age today.

What the average Australian has in super at 65–74

According to the Australian Retirement Trust, the average superannuation balance for Australians aged 65 to 74 is $435,900 for men and $381,700 for women. These figures reflect long-term contribution patterns, career breaks, wage differences, and the simple reality of compounding over several decades.

But averages don’t always tell the whole story. 

How much super is considered “comfortable”?

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) provides useful benchmarks for what a “comfortable” retirement might look like.

Based on the data in your attached screenshot, ASFA’s recommended super balance at age 65 is currently $571,000 for a comfortable standard of living. This figure is designed to support:

• private health insurance, clothing, and reliable transport
• local holidays, outings, and everyday lifestyle activities
• home maintenance, entertainment and streaming services
• general financial flexibility as costs rise over time

These targets also increase each year to stay in line with inflation, which is important to remember when comparing your personal balance with age-based estimates. Today’s 40-year-old benchmark will not be the same by the time that person reaches 65.

How the Age Pension fits in

Australia’s retirement system is built on three pillars: compulsory super, voluntary savings, and the Age Pension.

The Age Pension itself is means-tested — both income and assets — which means your super balance will influence how much pension support you may receive.

A few general principles apply:

• Lower super balances may qualify for a higher Age Pension entitlement, helping close the income gap.
• Higher super balances reduce or eliminate pension payments, but provide greater financial independence and spending flexibility.
• Many Australians end up with a mix of both — part-pension supplemented by super withdrawals.

This is why knowing the averages can be useful, but understanding your own total retirement income picture matters more.

Is the average super balance enough?

A combined figure of around $400,000 may support a modest or part-pension lifestyle for many retirees. However, whether it’s “enough” depends on:

• your spending needs
• whether you own your home
• your health requirements
• your desired lifestyle (local travel vs international travel, etc.)
• whether you expect the full, part, or no Age Pension

The key message ASFA emphasises — and which comes through clearly in your attached data — is that consistent contributions compound meaningfully over time, and the benchmarks climb gradually to reflect rising living costs.

Building super is a decades-long process, and even small, steady contributions can lift retirement outcomes significantly.

Why investing consistently still matters

The jump in “comfortable” recommended balances from age 25 ($26,000) to age 65 ($571,000) isn’t an accident. It reflects:

• inflation
• rising living standards
• longer lifespans
• the power of compounding for anyone who invests consistently

Rather than being discouraged by large end-targets, Australians are better served by focusing on the controllables: regular contributions, long investment time frames, and avoiding panic during market downturns.

As the numbers show, wealth in super builds slowly — and then suddenly — over the final decade of full-time work.

The post Here’s the average Australian superannuation balance at pension age appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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Motley Fool contributor Leigh Gant 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) dropped 2.5% over the course of last week. At the time of writing on early Tuesday morning, however, the index is trading 0.37% higher. Over the month, the index is still down 5.51%.

Here’s what investors have been buying. 

Most-traded share on the ASX last week

Droneshield Ltd (ASX: DRO) shares continued their downward tumble last week, but the company continues to be in favour with investors. New data from CommSec shows that between the 17th and 21st of November, the most commonly traded Australian share by clients, based on contract note volumes either bought or sold weekly, is still the AI-drone operator. Around 60% of trading activity was buying, and the remaining 40% was selling activity.

Droneshield’s shares closed just over 2% higher at $1.74 each on Monday afternoon. But the stock has plummeted 73.6% since peaking in early October. 

The company has come under enormous pressure recently following a number of announcements and media speculation that its sales could be affected by the rise of drones using fibre optic technology. On Wednesday last week, the company said Matt McCrann, who joined the company in 2019 and who had been the US CEO since 2022, “has resigned from the business, effective immediately”. There was no explanation for his departure.

The company also responded to an ASX Aware Letter this week. Droneshield was asked to explain recent share sales and the accidental release, and retraction, of a $7.6 million contract mistakenly announced as new.  

The share price also crashed earlier this month following news that CEO Oleg Vornik had sold $49.47 million worth of shares in the company, with several other directors also offloading sizable shareholdings.

Analysts are still optimistic about an upside ahead for the ASX company and its shares. Just yesterday, investment advisory and portfolio management company, MPC Markets, named DroneShield shares as a buy, and said that the stock is now trading at a “reasonable price”.

What other Australian shares were investors interested in?

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) was the second most-traded ASX share last week, although 60% of activity was selling. The miner’s shares fell 1.52% throughout the week. Blackwattle portfolio managers, Tim Riordan and Michael Teran, said that Pilbara Minerals is the lithium star of the ASX right now. In their latest bulletin, Riordan and Teran said the market’s largest pure-play lithium share has “material upside” ahead.

Third on CommSec’s list are Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares. Around 72% of their activity throughout the week was from buyers. These investors were likely taking advantage of the banking giant’s share price plunge earlier this month. CBA’s share price plummeted over 15.3% between 6th November and Wednesday last week. Analysts and investors are unimpressed with the bank’s latest quarterly update. 

There was also a flurry of buying activity from CommSec clients in Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO), WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC), Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR), and BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP). 

Investors were also interested in buying CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL), Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG), and Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) shares throughout the week.

The post Top 10 most-traded ASX shares last week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL, DroneShield, Macquarie Group, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group and CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) shares are taking a fall today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank stock closed yesterday trading for $11. In morning trade on Tuesday, shares are changing hands for $10.33 apiece, down 6.1%.

For some context, the ASX 200 is up 0.2% at this same time.

Taking a step back, Bendigo Bank shares have underperformed over the past year, sliding 22.7%. Those losses will have been modestly eased by the 66 cents in fully-franked dividends the Aussie bank paid out over the full year. Bendigo Bank currently trades on a 6.3% fully franked trailing dividend yield.

Now, here’s what the bank just reported on its decidedly lacking historic risk management issues.

Bendigo Bank shares tank on money laundering deficiencies

Before market open this morning, the bank reported on the results of the independent Deloitte investigation into suspicious activities at one of its branches. The review focused on activity at the branch in the period between 1 August 2019 and 1 August 2025.

Bendigo Bank engaged Deloitte in August this year to conduct the investigation after it identified and reported the matter to AUSTRAC and law enforcement. The bank noted that it ensured the Deloitte review was sufficiently broad to identify both the nature and scope of the issues at the branch. That includes any related systemic Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing issues.

Today, Bendigo Bank shares are under pressure after the Deloitte review concluded that deficiencies in the bank’s approach to identifying, mitigating, and managing money laundering and terrorism financing risk existed throughout the six-year period.

And Deloitte discovered that these deficiencies weren’t limited to the single branch. Rather, the report identified weaknesses and deficiencies across many key aspects of Bendigo Bank’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing risk management approaches.

What did management say?

Commenting on risk management shortcomings that are pressuring Bendigo Bank shares today, the board said it “is very disappointed with the findings”.

The board added that it “is fully committed to ensuring that the bank undertakes the necessary enhancements to its systems, processes and frameworks to ensure it is fully compliant with its obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006”.

Additionally, the board said it is committed to fully funding the “uplift program” to address all of the deficiencies identified in the Deloitte review.

As for the potential impact on Bendigo Bank shares in the months ahead, the board concluded:

While the final outcomes (including costs) are unknown at this stage, the bank will keep the market informed in line with its continuous disclosure obligations. The Bank will continue to engage constructively with AUSTRAC, APRA and ASIC in relation to this matter.

The post Bendigo Bank shares are crashing today on ‘very disappointing’ deficiencies appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) shares are rising on Tuesday morning.

At the time of writing, the rare earths producer’s shares are up 1% to $15.17.

Why are Lynas Rare Earths shares rising?

Investors have been buying the company’s shares today after a rally in rare earths stocks offset some bad news.

With respect to the latter, Lynas has revealed that significant power supply disruptions are affecting the Kalgoorlie Rare Earths Processing Facility.

The company notes that its Kalgoorlie Rare Earths Processing Facility is supplied with power through Western Power’s Eastern Goldfields Load Permissive Scheme (ELPS).

It points out that it signed on to ELPS in 2021 on the basis that, as stated in Western Power’s public announcement:

ELPS customers are ensured access to cleaner power in lieu of costly, emissions-intensive diesel generators.

Indicative reliability levels were consistent with the requirements to run the Kalgoorlie facility safely and efficiently. However, during 2025, the company advised that there has been a significant increase in power supply disruptions at the Kalgoorlie Rare Earths Processing Facility.

So much so, that in November its outage frequency and duration have been at a level that has led to significant lost production of Mixed Rare Earth Carbonate (MREC).

What’s the impact?

Lynas revealed that the production of finished goods at its Malaysian facility will be affected by these outages.

It advised that while the Kalgoorlie team is working hard to recover the lost production, it cannot reach the Malaysian facility in time to be processed to finished goods within the quarter.

Furthermore, the shortfall in MREC feedstock cannot be mitigated by increased production in Malaysia as the Malaysian kilns are shut down for scheduled major maintenance.

Lynas is working constructively with the Western Australian Government and Western Power to identify causes of recent outages and options to improve power availability to the Lynas plant.

However, while these are being progressed on an urgent basis, even on a best-case scenario, management concedes that there will not be enough time to improve this quarter’s forecast production.

In addition, given that its power supply remains unpredictable, Lynas stated that is not possible to quantify the exact production shortfall. Though, at present, it estimates there may be a shortfall equivalent to one month’s production during this quarter.

One positive, though, is that Lynas will still produce sufficient finished product to meet key customer needs.

Lynas is now urgently assessing off-grid power solutions in the hope that lost production can be recovered within the financial year.

The post What’s going on with Lynas Rare Earths shares today? 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. has recommended Lynas Rare Earths 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 Scott Phillips.