Category: Stock Market

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are down 0.4% to 8,929.7 points on Thursday. 

The materials sector, including ASX lithium shares, is underperforming the broader market today, down 0.7%.

Lithium is among the best-performing commodities of 2026.

Lithium is well into a substantial recovery powered by the green energy transition and demand for batteries and electric vehicles (EVs).

The oversupply that smashed lithium prices for two years between mid-2023 and mid-2025 is over.

Producers that put their mines into care and maintenance, such as Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO), are restarting as demand begins to outstrip supply worldwide.

Exemplying the trend, the lithium carbonate price is now up 43% in the calendar year to date (YTD), following a 58% increase in 2025.

With all this in mind, let’s check out 3 ASX lithium shares with new ratings from Bell Potter this week.

PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS)

The PLS Group share price is $6.27, down 1.5% today and up 45% YTD. 

Formerly Pilbara Minerals, PLS Group’s flagship mine is the Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project in the Pilbara area of Western Australia.

Bell Potter reiterated a hold rating on the market’s largest ASX lithium share this week.

The broker said: 

At current lithium market prices, PLS will generate substantial earnings and cash flow with the restart of the 200ktpa Ngungaju processing plant.

P2000 and Colina development studies are being progressed, providing substantial organic growth optionality in markets with strong underlying EV and BESS-led long term demand fundamentals.

The broker lifted its 12-month share price target on PLS Group shares from $5.50 to $6.15.

Liontown Ltd (ASX: LTR)

The Liontown share price is $2.07, down 3.1% today and up 27% YTD. 

Liontown owns the Kathleen Valley project in Western Australia.

Bell Potter analyst Stuart Howe maintained a buy rating on this ASX lithium share this week.

Howe increased his expectations for growth in the lithium spodumene concentrate (6% Li2O) price by 11% for the rest of 2026, 7% in 2027, and 17% in 2028.

He also lifted Bell Potter’s long-term spodumene concentrate price to US$1,500 per tonne, up from US$1,400 per tonne.

Howe said: 

LTR is now in a net cash position. Over FY26-27, LTR will continue to ramp up and de-risk Kathleen Valley.

With current lithium price strength, LTR can rapidly generate cash to support incremental production expansions and shareholder returns.

Kathleen Valley is highly strategic in terms of scale, long project life and location in a tier-one mining jurisdiction.

LTR has offtake contracts with top-tier EV and battery OEMs.

Howe increased the 12-month target from $2.65 to $2.90 for Liontown shares.

Wildcat Resources Ltd (ASX: WC8)

The Wildcat Resources share price is 57 cents, up 3.1% today and up 51% YTD. 

WC8 is progressing its hard rock lithium development, Tabba Tabba, in the Pilbara.

Analyst James Williamson commenced coverage on this ASX lithium share with a speculative buy rating this week.

Williamson said: 

Tabba Tabba is the only large scale near-term Australian lithium development positioned to commence production during the current lithium price cycle.

The project is strategically located 80km from Port Hedland and WC8 enters financing discussions with 100% of offtake uncommitted.

The company trades on undemanding EV/Resource multiples compared with Western Australian spodumene producers.

We expect its share price will re-rate as Tabba Tabba reaches key feasibility and permitting milestones and transitions into development.

However, Williamson warns:

WC8 is an asset development company with forecast cash flows only; our Speculative risk rating recognises this higher level of investment risk and share price volatility.

Willamson gives this ASX lithium share a $1 valuation.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Liontown, Wildcat Resources, PLS Group shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in Core Lithium. 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.

Despite all of the volatility this year, the Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price has delivered positive returns for shareholders in the last five years, as the chart below shows.

According to CMC Invest, it has delivered an average total shareholder return (TSR) of 10.8%.

A sizeable portion of those returns has been the dividend payments, but the ASX telco share has also delivered adequate capital gains for investors.

How many Telstra shares we could buy in 2021

Five years ago, Australia’s economy was still dealing with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Telstra share price is now far above where it was trading during the COVID-19 period as investors price in the progress the company has made in recent years.

Five years ago, an Australian investor with $10,000 would have been able to buy 2,801 Telstra shares.

What about now?

Since June 2021, the Telstra share price has risen by just over 40% to $5.08, at the time of writing.

There has been a bit of volatility in the last few weeks, leading to the ASX telco share dropping 8% since 19 May 2026. Its returns would look even more impressive if it had maintained that valuation.

If someone were to invest $10,000 today into the ASX telco share, they’d be able to buy 1,968 Telstra shares.

What caused the Telstra share price to rise?

I think the company’s underlying growth has been a key factor in the company’s success over the long-term.

The most recent update from the ASX telco share was the FY26 half-year result which showed the ongoing performance of the mobile business – there has been steady progression of this segment over the long-term.

In HY26, average revenue per user (ARPU) grew by 5.1% year-over-year, while mobile handheld users increased by 135,000 compared to the second half of FY25 (this includes postpaid, prepaid and wholesale subscribers).

This helped the business report an 11.2% increase in earnings per share (EPS), while cash EPS jumped 19.7%.

Telstra’s strong 5G network has enabled it to enact regular price increases and boost revenue and operating leverage.

Its regular dividend growth has also been a useful contributor to stronger returns for investors. Rising payouts are welcome in this era of higher inflation, with the current environment giving the company more justification for increasing prices because of its own higher costs.

The ongoing digitalisation of the Australian economy makes me believe that Telstra can continue to be a solid performer, particularly if its revenue can continue rising.

For me, it’s one of the most appealing ASX blue-chip shares to buy.

The post 5 years ago, $10,000 bought 2,801 Telstra shares. But how many would it buy now? 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. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

ASX mining shares are lower on Thursday, with the S&P/ASX 300 Metal & Mining Index (ASX: XMM) down 0.7%.

The ASX 300 mining Index is 22% higher in the calendar year to date (YTD). This follows last year’s spectacular 38% growth.

A new commodities super cycle is underway, with lithium and copper among the best performers in 2026.

By comparison, the S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 2% this year and rose 7% last calendar year.

Major diversified miners, including Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO), have reset their historical highs this year amid rising commodity prices.

The Rio Tinto share price hit a new record of $195.84 on 3 June.

Copper miner Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) hit a record $21.75 on 30 January.

The ASX copper mining share then retreated for a period before returning to near-record highs this month.

Yesterday, Sandfire Resources shares traded at an intraday high of $21.64.

Despite the new mining boom now underway, experts don’t have buy ratings on ASX mining shares across the board.

On The Bull this week, Warwick Grigor from Far East Capital names two mining stocks to sell.

But in both cases, the sell recommendation is for the best reason possible: to take enormous profits.

Southern Cross Gold Consolidated (ASX: SX2)

The Southern Cross Gold share price is $4.51, down 2.6% today but up a whopping 82% YTD. 

Grigor has a sell rating on this ASX gold mining share.

He explains:

The gold company operates three exploration projects. Two projects are in Victoria and one is in Queensland.

The company has reported high grade assays, most recently from the Sunday Creek Gold-Antimony project in Victoria where it drilled seven holes.

Any JORC mineral resource estimate in the future needs to meet investor expectations, or the share price may be punished.

The shares rose from $5.37 on August 1, 2025 to $12.04 on March 2, 2026. The shares were trading at $8.75 on June 11.

Investors may want to consider taking a profit.

Almonty Industries CDI (ASX: AII)

The Almonty Industries share price is $26.42, up 1.1% today and doubling in value YTD. 

Grigor recommends selling this ASX tungsten mining share.

Almonty supplies conflict free tungsten, a strategic metal critical to the defence and advanced technology sectors.

The company is continuing to ramp up its tungsten mining operations in South Korea.

The company has ridden the tungsten boom and benefited from soaring tungsten prices.

However, the share price rise is losing momentum. It now has to deliver on some aggressive earnings estimates to justify its rating.

The shares have fallen from $32.51 on April 21 to trade at $22.18 on June 11. It may be time to cash in some gains.

The post 2 ASX mining stocks to sell after strong runs: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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.

Beacon Minerals Ltd (ASX: BCN) has just announced a major return of cash and equity to its shareholders, and it’s not too late to grab a piece of the pie.

Dividends and shares to flow

The gold miner has announced that it will return about $30.4 million to its shareholders in the form of a 10-cent-per-share, fully-franked special dividend, along with a distribution of shares in fellow gold company Forrestania Resources Ltd (ASX: FRS).

To give you an idea of the scope of the capital return relative to the company’s size, Beacon itself was worth $257.5 million at the close of trade on Wednesday.

Beacon Minerals Managing Director Graham McGarry said regarding the return to shareholders:

Beacon has consistently focused on generating strong cash flow, maintaining a robust balance sheet and delivering value to shareholders. The Board is pleased to reward shareholders through a significant fully franked cash dividend together with the distribution of our Forrestania Resources shareholding. This dividend package reflects the strength of Beacon’s operations, the benefits of our disciplined capital management strategy and our confidence in the Company’s future. The in-specie distribution dividend also provides shareholders with direct exposure to Forrestania Resources while allowing Beacon to continue focusing on its core objective of growing gold production and shareholder returns.

The company has delayed the ex-dividend date for the shareholder return until Monday, 13 July, to allow option holders to exercise their options and take part. This also allows new shareholders to buy in.

Beacon was granted 36 million shares in Forrestania following a deal struck in February under which it sold a package of tenements in the Coolgardie region of Western Australia to the latter company.

Beacon was also paid $5 million as part of that deal.

ASX gold sector consolidating

Forrestania, for its part, just last week launched a takeover bid for Zenith Minerals Ltd (ASX: ZNC).

The Zenith board is recommending the bid, under which Zenith shareholders would receive one Forrestania share for every 4.3 Zenith shares held.

Zenith said the Forrestania offer followed a strategic review process it started on May 7, and the Zenith board, which owns about 4.5% of the company, was unanimously recommending the offer.

The company said:

The Zenith Board believes the Transaction represents an attractive strategic and financial outcome for Zenith shareholders, providing a premium to recent trading prices while enabling shareholders to retain exposure to the future value potential of Zenith’s assets through ownership in Forrestania.

The post This ASX gold stock is rewarding shareholders with cash and shares, and it’s not too late to buy in appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

In afternoon trade on Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a decline. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down 0.45% to 8,925.1 points.

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

Actinogen Medical Ltd (ASX: ACW)

The Actinogen Medical share price is up 9% to 3.5 cents. Investors have been bidding the biotechnology company’s shares higher after it received its third positive Data Monitoring Committee recommendation for the XanaMIA Alzheimer’s disease pivotal trial. Actinogen’s CEO, Dr Steven Gourlay, said: “With the third positive independent safety review complete we are confident of the suitability of Xanamem for longer-term treatment. Xanamem has the potential to be a game-changer for Alzheimer’s disease given its potential product profile as a safe and effective oral medication with the ability to slow disease course progression significantly more than any approved therapy.”

Devex Resources Ltd (ASX: DEV)

The Devex Resources share price is up over 10% to 28.2 cents. This appears to have been driven by a bullish broker note out of Bell Potter this morning. Its analysts have initiated coverage on the uranium developer’s shares with a speculative buy rating and 41 cents price target. It said: “The key value catalysts for DEV include uranium market fundamentals, exploration results and M&A-led growth. We have a positive medium- to long-term outlook for the uranium market, supported by barriers to new supply and demand growth linked to electrification, energy security and AI-related power requirements.”

Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS)

The EOS share price was up 5% to $9.34 before being placed in a trading halt. Commenting on the trading halt request, the defence and space company said: “EOS requests the trading halt pending an announcement by EOS in relation to entry into a material contract for the sale of Remote Weapon Systems and a material contract to establish a joint venture, the disclosure of both of which is presently being finalised.”

Web Travel Group Ltd (ASX: WEB)

The Web Travel share price is up 2.5% to $3.09. This is despite there being no news out of the travel technology company. But with the US and Iran confirming that a peace deal has been signed, investors may believe that trading conditions will improve markedly in FY 2027 and are buying shares while they are down in the dumps.

The post Why Actinogen, Devex, EOS, and Web Travel shares are charging higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 Electro Optic Systems. 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.

Peter Warren Automotive Holdings Ltd (ASX: PWR) shares are charging higher on Thursday after several company insiders increased their holdings.

At the time of writing, the Peter Warren share price is up 5.75% to an intraday high of 92 cents.

The rebound comes after the automotive dealership group released several director interest notices following Wednesday’s market close.

However, shareholders have still endured a painful year. The stock remains down around 50% since the beginning of 2026 and more than 35% over 12 months.

So, what has investors buying today?

Incoming chairman spends $4.4 million

The largest purchase came from incoming chairman Paul Warren, whose family founded the company.

According to the announcement, Warren bought 107,583 shares for around $97,431 on 11 June. He then purchased another 4.2 million shares for approximately $4.32 million on 15 June.

That takes the total value of the two purchases to roughly $4.41 million.

Following the transactions, Warren’s direct and indirect interests total just over 69.3 million securities, including a small number of performance rights.

The buying also comes ahead of a leadership change at the end of June. Long-serving chairman John Ingram is retiring, with Warren set to take over the role.

Ingram has also increased his holding, buying 44,844 shares across two transactions for around $41,794.

Non-Executive Director John Eastham joined the buying as well, spending approximately $140,766 on 153,489 shares.

Warren family lifts its stake

A separate substantial holder notice showed that the Warren family’s voting interest has increased from 37.72% to 40.22%.

Its holding rose from around 65 million shares to 69.3 million shares following the purchases.

It’s worth noting that insider buying can attract attention because directors are using their own money to increase their exposure. However, it doesn’t guarantee that a falling share price has reached the bottom.

The purchases also came as fund manager Regal Partners Ltd (ASX: RPL) reduced its position.

Regal sold around 3.6 million shares, cutting its voting interest from 10.36% to 8.29%.

Why has the stock struggled?

Peter Warren sells new and used vehicles and provides servicing, parts, finance, and insurance products.

Earlier this month, the company warned that trading conditions had weakened as customers changed their spending habits.

Higher interest rates and cost-of-living pressure have pushed more buyers towards smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles. Customers are also buying fewer higher-margin vehicles and optional accessories.

Growing competition between car brands has added further pressure to new vehicle margins.

Without doubt, the director purchases have helped lift the share price, but investors will still want to see trading conditions improve.

The post This beaten-down ASX stock is jumping 6% after a $4.4 million insider buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has 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 ASX healthcare sector has been under immense pressure throughout the first half of 2026, as macroeconomic pressures, rising inflation, higher cost of living, and regulatory uncertainty have driven a sector-wide share price downturn.

The S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) is the worst-performing sector by far in 2026 and has significantly underperformed the broader index.

At the time of writing, the ASX 200 Health Care Index is down around 28% year to date and 42% from 12 months ago.

For context, the wider S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is around 2.5% higher year to date and around 5% higher than this time last year.

The good news is that analysts widely forecast many of these beaten-down ASX healthcare shares to rebound over the next 12 months, with some carrying potential upside of up to 202%.

Here are three of them.

ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD)

ResMed shares have fallen around another 4% at the time of writing on Thursday morning. For the year to date, the shares are down around 27%, and they’re roughly 32% lower than a year ago. 

The global leader in sleep health has been swept up in the general sector-wide ASX healthcare sell-off. Its latest third-quarter earnings update didn’t help. The result came in softer than expected, forcing investor sentiment to keep tumbling. 

But it looks like the ASX healthcare stock is now oversold and trading far below fair value. 

Sleep disorders need long-term management, and as a global leader, ResMed has a powerful position in the large and growing market. 

According to Market Index data, the majority of brokers have a strong buy rating on ResMed shares and tip a huge 202% upside to an average target price of $80.09 at the time of writing.

Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME)

Pro Medicus shares have climbed higher in Thursday morning trade, up around 1% and changing hands at $170.72 a piece. For the year to date, however, the ASX healthcare shares are still down around 23% and around 38% lower than 12 months ago.

The company’s share price turned a corner in early June when it announced three new contract wins. These include a new seven-year $16 million contract with TidalHealth, a five-year $28 million contract renewal with Allegheny Health Network (AHN), and a five-year $16 million contract renewal with OSU.

The Pro Medicus share price has rebounded by over 29% since the 1st of June.

The company’s US subsidiary also won two $40 million five-year contract renewals back in early March. 

It looks like we’ll see more out of the company over the next 12 months, too. Market Index data shows that the majority of brokers rate the ASX healthcare shares as a strong buy and tip around a 13% upside to an average target price of $192.92 at the time of writing.

Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH)

Cochlear shares are climbing higher on Thursday. At the time of writing, the ASX healthcare company’s shares are up around 1% and changing hands at $112.30 a piece. But it’s been a difficult year for the medical hearing implant device company. Its shares are still down around 57% year to date and 60% lower than this time last year.

Cochlear has also endured a sector-wide rotation away from ASX healthcare shares this year.

Its share price has also crashed on two separate occasions in 2026. Once in February, off the back of a softer-than-expected half-year result. And again in April, when the company downgraded its FY26 earnings guidance. Cochlear cited weaker conditions across developed markets and softer overall demand. The update was one of the worst earnings downgrades in the company’s listed history. 

But Cochlear is still a strong, globally dominant business, and its long-term outlook is intact. I think the sell-off has been overdone. Market Index data suggests brokers are reserved about the stock. The majority rate Cochlear shares as a hold. But the $143.14 average target price still implies a potential 27% upside at the time of writing.

The post 3 beaten-down ASX healthcare shares tipped to rise up to 202% 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 Cochlear and ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear and Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having an underwhelming session on Thursday. In late morning trade, the benchmark index is down 0.35% to 8,935.4 points.

Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are dropping:

Air New Zealand Ltd (ASX: AIZ)

The Air New Zealand share price is down almost 2% to 36.5 cents. This follows the release of a market update from the airline operator this morning. Air New Zealand advised that group capacity decreased 0.1% in May compared with the prior year. In addition, international long-haul available seat kilometres (ASKs) decreased by 1.3%, while domestic capacity increased 2.9%. The latter was supported by two additional A321 aircraft in operation compared with May last year. However, it notes that this was partly offset by targeted capacity reductions following the sharp rise in jet fuel prices after the conflict in the Middle East.

Emeco Holdings Ltd (ASX: EHL)

The Emeco Holdings share price is down 7.5% to 93 cents. Investors have been selling the mining equipment rental provider’s shares following the release of a trading update. Management advised that it expects to report operating EBITDA of $290 million to $295 million in FY 2026. It then expects “stable earnings” in FY 2027, with a weighting to the second half. The company’s CEO, Ian Testrow, commented: “Emeco has built a robust business model able to withstand challenging market conditions and still deliver resilient earnings, growth in margins, a strong balance sheet and cash flow generation. The recent trading conditions have moderately impacted our near-term earnings, however, with the hard work of the team, we have been able to proactively manage costs and capital expenditure and successfully secured fleet redeployment opportunities for FY27.”

ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD)

The ResMed share price is down 3.5% to $26.56. This appears to have been driven by a broker note out of Morgan Stanley overnight. According to the note, the broker has downgraded the sleep disorder treatment company’s shares to an equal-weight rating (from overweight) with a reduced price target of US$230.00 (from US$286.00). For ResMed’s ASX-listed shares, that is the equivalent of a price target of A$32.70. Morgan Stanley made the move on concerns over ResMed’s near-term earnings outlook.

Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX)

The Westgold Resources share price is down over 3% to $5.25. This follows another pullback in the gold price overnight, which is weighing heavily on most ASX gold stocks today. In fact, the S&P/ASX All Ords Gold Index is down 1.8% at the time of writing.

The post Why Air New Zealand, Emeco, ResMed, and Westgold shares are tumbling today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) shares are flying higher today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) airline stock closed yesterday trading for $9.98. In late morning trade on Thursday, shares are swapping hands for $10.08 apiece, up 1%.

For some context, the ASX 200 is down 0.3% at this same time.

This comes as Qantas announces the pending launch of its “history making” flights to London.

Here’s what’s happening.

Qantas shares rise ahead of historic flights

In an update released after market close on Wednesday, Qantas announced it will launch its non-stop ‘Project Sunrise’ flights between Sydney and London, commencing in October 2027.

Potentially offering longer-term support for Qantas shares, this will be the first-ever non-stop commercial flight service connecting Australia’s east coast to the United Kingdom.

Qantas noted that it first began flying between Sydney and London way back in 1947. Back then, the ‘Kangaroo Route’ took four days, with seven refuelling stops on the way to the UK.

But with the new Airbus A350-1000ULR – part of the airline’s $15 billion fleet renewal program – that travel time will be cut to less than 22 hours.

The non-stop cross-global service has faced some delays, with Airbus pushing back the delivery of the planes from December to April. Qantas will take delivery of 12 aircraft in total, each configured with 238 seats across four cabins.

The first Sydney to London flights should then go into service within six months.

If you’re eager to head to the UK without stopovers, saving up to four hours of travel time, Qantas will begin selling Project Sunrise tickets in February.

What did management say?

“Qantas was built on the belief that Australia’s distance from the rest of the world should never stand in the way,” CEO Vanessa Hudson said on the pending launch of the service that could help boost Qantas shares.

“The pioneering spirit of generations of our people has forged that path ever since, and today is the most significant step in that mission in our 105-year history,” she noted.

Hudson added:

We made a commitment in 2017 that Qantas would conquer the final frontier of long-haul aviation and connect Australia’s east coast directly to London, something that has never before been possible. From October 2027, that promise becomes reality…

This aircraft has been designed from the ground up for ultra long-haul travel, with a cabin built around science and combatting jetlag, with an onboard experience purpose-built for the length of the journey.

The ASX 200 airline confirmed that non-stop Sydney-New York flights will be the next service to follow the Sydney-London launch. Management said the timing for these services will be announced next year.

With today’s intraday gains factored in, Qantas shares have soared 19% over the past month, buoyed in part by fast falling oil prices.

The post Qantas shares lifting off today on ‘history making’ news 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.

A strong performance from international shares has contributed to a “tremendous” 2.1% jump in the median superannuation fund’s balance in May, according to financial research and insights company Chant West.

The organisation said that, taking into consideration market movements in June so far and with less than two weeks of the financial year to go, they are estimating that the median growth fund, with 61% to 80% of investments in growth assets, will return 9% for the year.

Offshore boost to portfolios

Head of Super Investment Research, Mano Mohankumar, said the strong performance to date had been largely driven by international listed shares.

He explained further:

It also helped that all asset classes have delivered positive returns over the period with the exception of Australian REITs, to which super funds have very little exposure. The FY26 experience is another timely reminder of the importance of maintaining a long-term perspective and not getting distracted by short-term market noise. In late March, a return in the vicinity of 9% for growth funds would have appeared unlikely following the significant share market pullback, sparked by the US-Iran conflict and concerns around interest rates amid rising inflation. However, since then we’ve seen international share markets rebound strongly, albeit with some volatility, supported by robust corporate earnings, optimism around easing tensions in the Middle East and continued enthusiasm for AI investment.

Mr Mohankumar said a return of 9% would mark four consecutive years of strong returns with returns of 9.2% in FY23, 9.1% in FY24, and 10.4% in FY25.

He added:

It would also represent the 15th positive year out of the last 17. Most importantly, super funds continue to meet their long-term return and risk objectives.

How to top up your super before the end of the financial year

If you’re looking to maximise your superannuation contributions for the year, and potentially reduce your tax bill, it’s worth having a look at the amount of concessional contributions you have made, and whether you can top that up.

Concessional contributions are contributions made to superannuation from your before-tax salary, and include the super guarantee contributions made by your employer, which are 12% of your salary.

Each year, you are allowed to make concessional contributions of up to $30,000. Extra contributions made beyond what your employer contributes can serve to reduce your tax load, as contributions are taxed at 15%.

In terms of figuring out how much extra you can put into your super in this way, it is possible to keep track of your concessional contributions by using the Australian Taxation Office’s online services.

Your superannuation fund might also be able to show you where you stand with regard to concessional contributions.

If you do put extra into your super and want it to be a concessional contribution, you also need to lodge a notice of intent to claim, which alerts your super fund that it is a concessional contribution, and they will take the 15% tax out as necessary.

This is necessary as it is also possible to make non-concessional contributions of up to $130,000 per year.

The post Super funds had a “tremendous” May. Just how much did they jump? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.