The good news for income investors is that there are a large number of quality ASX dividend shares to choose from on the Australian share market.

Two that have been tipped as best buys by analysts at Morgans are listed below. Here’s what the broker is saying about them:

GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG)

Morgans believes this fund manager’s shares could be great value right now. And with the potential yield on offer with its shares looking very attractive, it appears to see it as a dividend share to buy. It has an add rating and $1.93 price target. The broker commented:

GQG’s strong relative investment outperformance through the current market weakness should solidify the near-term flows outflow. GQG has diversified earnings (by strategy and clients); solid performance track-record; and ongoing growth prospects. In our view, the current ~12x PE (versus a sector med-term average of ~16x) is attractive.

As for dividends, Morgans is expecting dividends per share of 11.3 cents in FY 2023 and then 12.5 cents in FY 2024. Based on the current GQG share price of $1.40, this will mean 8.1% and 8.9% yields, respectively.

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)

The broker is also a fan of this conglomerate and sees it as one of the best ASX dividend shares to buy now. Morgans is positive on the Bunnings owner due to the quality of its retail portfolio and its highly regarded leadership team. Its analysts also believe Wesfarmers is well-placed in the current environment due to its value-offering. In light of this, the broker has put an add rating and $55.50 price target on its shares. It explained:

WES possesses one of the highest quality retail portfolios in Australia with strong brands including Bunnings, Kmart and Officeworks. The company is run by a highly regarded management team and the balance sheet is healthy. We believe WES’s businesses, which have a strong focus on value, remain well-placed for growth despite softening macro-economic conditions.

In respect to dividends, its analysts are forecasting fully franked dividends per share of $1.79 in FY 2023 and $1.91 in FY 2024. Based on the latest Wesfarmers share price of $48.83, this will mean yields of 3.7% and 3.9%, respectively.

The post Morgans names the best ASX dividend shares to buy now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• How much would I need to invest in ASX income shares to earn $500 a month?
• 2 ASX passive income stocks for the next 10 years and beyond
• Is right now the time to buy Wesfarmers shares for passive income?
• How can I hope to retire rich when the share market is falling?
• Experts name 2 ASX 200 dividend shares for a passive income boost

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

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Warren Buffett.

Just drop that name around any group of ASX dividend investors and you’re likely to get their attention.

And for good reason.

As the long-running CEO of multinational conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett has delivered returns that most fund managers can only dream of.

The Oracle of Omaha isn’t shy about revealing the secrets to his investing success, either.

His many decades of success stem from what, at least on the surface, appear to be some very simple investing rules.

Among those, Warren Buffett looks for high-quality companies with great management and brands. Companies that have the ability to control prices and that are fairly valued or, better yet, trading at a bargain.

Importantly, he has a very long-term investment horizon, ignoring the ups and downs along the way.

While some of the outsized gains he’s reaped come from capital appreciation, a large portion stems from dividends.

In fact, it’s reported that Buffett will rake in some US$6 billion (approximately AU$9 billion) in dividend income this year.

If it works for Warren Buffett, should I buy ASX dividend shares right now?

ASX dividend shares offer an excellent path towards garnering a reliable passive income stream. And the Aussie market is rather unique in that it offers franking credits, which can offer some handy tax benefits at the end of the financial year.

Now I don’t reckon you or I will ratchet up $9 billion in annual payouts like Warren Buffett. Though one can dream!

But there are a large number of high-quality ASX dividend shares to choose from to begin building that passive income.

Retail giant Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN), for example, has paid out a total of 30.5 cents in fully franked dividends over the past 12 months.

At the current share price of $3.76, that works out to a trailing yield of 8.1%.

If you’d like to receive the company’s interim dividend of 13 cents per share, you’ll need to own the stock at the close on 31 March, when Harvey Norman trades ex-dividend.

Another ASX dividend share investors may want to run their slide rules over to build a passive income stream like Warren Buffett’s is Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP).

The global pizza chain has struggled lately in the face of higher inflation and a return to dining out over home delivery during the pandemic times.

Still, Domino’s declared a partially franked interim dividend of 67.4 cents per share atop the earlier 68.1 cent per share final dividend. At the current share price, the stock offers a trailing yield of 3%, franked at just over 60%.

The post Warren Buffett rakes in $9 billion in annual dividend income. Should I buy ASX dividend shares right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 3 ASX growth stocks down 40%-65% to buy now and hold
• These 3 ASX shares just halved. I would buy one of them: experts
• Why did the Domino’s share price just hit a multi-year low?
• These 3 ASX 300 shares are dividend dynamos!
• Gerry Harvey just bought $8 million worth of Harvey Norman shares. Should you buy?

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Berkshire Hathaway, Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, and Harvey Norman. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Harvey Norman. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Berkshire Hathaway and Domino’s Pizza Enterprises. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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On Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) tumbled deep into the red. The benchmark index fell 1.45% to 6,965.5 points.

Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Friday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to rebound

The Australian share market looks set to end the week on a positive note. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open 15 points or 0.2% higher this morning. In late trade in the United States, the Dow Jones is up 1%, the S&P 500 is up 1.6%, and the NASDAQ index is up 2.3%.

Oil prices recover

Energy producers Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) could have a decent finish to the week after oil prices snapped their losing streak overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 0.95% to US$68.26 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 1.3% to US$74.61 a barrel. This follows news that Saudi Arabia and Russia met to discuss ways to improve market stability.

Buy Lifestyle Communities shares

The Lifestyle Communities Ltd (ASX: LIC) share price could be great value according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. This morning, the broker reiterated its buy rating with an improved price target of $27.15. It commented: “We believe this is a highly valuable business model” and “the recent sell off offers a compelling entry level.”

Gold price softens

Gold miners Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) and St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) could have a subdued finish to the week after the gold price eased overnight. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is down 0.4% to US$1,923.9 an ounce. Improving investor sentiment put pressure on the safe haven asset.

Dividend payday

A number of ASX 200 shares will be paying their latest dividends on Friday. This includes auto parts retailer Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP), fintech company Iress Ltd (ASX: IRE), investment company Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI), and casino operator SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited (ASX: SKC).

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• What’s with the Qantas share price on Thursday?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• Sayona Mining share price lifts on first saleable lithium production
• ASX 200 trims losses amid employment data and Credit Suisse $80b central bank loan
• ASX 200 oil stocks are tanking. Is now the time to buy?

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

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The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ) has performed admirably in the first few months of 2023. It has gone up by around 16%, whereas the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is almost flat for the year to date.

The movements of the unit price of the exchange-traded fund (ETF) are interesting considering everything that has been going on.

I think it’s important to keep in mind that when the new year began, the share prices of technology businesses had hit a fairly low point by the end of 2022.

So, some of the fund’s increase may simply have been a recovery of investor sentiment from last year’s low.

And here is an interesting thought regarding the current banking problems in the US and Switzerland. The uncertainty could lead to central banks being less draconian with interest rates, therefore, reducing their impact on asset prices.

A number of tech shares within the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF suffered a sell-off amid the rapid surge in interest rates. But, lower-than-expected interest rates could have a positive impact on the share prices of those tech names. That may already be playing out.

Is now a good time to buy the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF?

Investors can invest in units of the ETF whenever they like, so there’s no need to fear missing out on ever owning it.

Of course, if we could choose, we’d go for a unit price that’s below $25 rather than the higher price it is today. The fund closed Thursday trading at $28.72 per unit.

But, the underlying businesses like Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, and Amazon.com have a long-term track record of delivering business growth, which will hopefully translate into unit price growth over time as well.

The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF unit price is down 20% from its December 2021 peak, but it’s still up by around 80% over the past five years, showing the growth of the businesses involved.

Don’t forget, there is a wide array of 100 businesses within this ETF — it’s not just a few of the biggest tech businesses in the world. To that end, it offers pretty good diversification.

At the end of February 2023, the ETF had a forward price/earnings (P/E) ratio of 23x. I wouldn’t describe that as cheap.

A number of the biggest businesses in the ETF’s portfolio have made job cuts recently, which may increase ongoing profitability, but it also shows that the management of those companies thought they were necessary moves to boost profit, save cash, or whatever else was a key factor in the decisions.

There could be a better price to come in 2023 but I think at the current level, investors can do well over the long term by investing in this portfolio of quality names.

The post The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF has soared 15% so far in 2023. Is it too late to buy? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 3 excellent ETFs for ASX investors to buy for the long term
• 3 ETFs for investors to buy and hold for a decade
• How I’d aim to replace an entire salary with passive income from ASX dividend shares
• Top ASX ETFs to buy in March 2023
• 3 excellent ETFs for ASX investors to sink their money into this month

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. 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 positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon.com, Apple, BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon.com, and Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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Most ASX investors would know that the past week has been a brutal one for ASX shares and the Australian share market. But it’s not just our markets that are in a world of pain right now. So today, let’s check out the damage with the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS). 

This exchange-traded fund (ETF) from provider Vanguard is one of the best barometers for global shares around. The Vanguard International Shares ETF is a massive fund in scope and scale. It holds shares from all kinds of advanced economies around the world. Here you’ll find shares from Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Israel, Singapore and Hong Kong.

But most of its major constituents come from the United States. This ETF’s top holdings are names that will probably be familiar to most readers. They include the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla and Exxon Mobil.

As such, this ETF is a popular and effective choice for any investor wishing to diversify their ASX share portfolio using a single, simple index fund.

So let’s look at the damage that the past week or so has done to this ETF. Since 7 March, the Vanguard International Shares ETF has fallen from $98.60 a unit to the $95.60 we see today. That’s a hefty loss of 3%.

Thus, many investors might be wondering if this is a buying opportunity for this popular ETF.

Is it time to buy the Vanguard International Shares ETF?

Well, I would argue that it is. Whenever a quality index fund experiences a significant drop in value, it can be a good chance to pick up additional units. Index funds are not individual companies. They hold an ever-changing basket of shares, weighted by market capitalisation.

In this ETF’s case, these sources are from around the world, but the same principle applies. Because an index fund is periodically rebalanced to ensure it always has the largest companies within it, losers are weeded out over time, while winners are added.

Because of this nature, investing in index funds using a dollar-cost-averaging strategy is usually a popular and effective way of building wealth. That would work well for most investors. But the principles of ‘buy low sell high’ still apply here too.

If you can handle the emotional baggage of buying more of an investment when it falls in price, then you should do so. As the great Warren Buffett once said, “Whether we’re talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down”.

So I think it is indeed a great time to buy the Vanguard International Shares ETF right now. Remember, this index fund has returned an average of 11.09% per annum since its inception in 2014. Past performance is no guarantee of future results, of course. But it still leads me to believe that the cheaper you can get this ETF, the better.

The post Is right now a massive buying opportunity for the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (VGS)? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 3 ETFs for investors to buy and hold for a decade
• 2 excellent ETFs for ASX investors to buy now
• 3 excellent ETFs for ASX investors to buy in March

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Amazon.com, Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Amazon.com, Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, and Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon.com, Apple, and Vanguard Msci Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished 1.46% lower today and Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) was among the fallers.

The Qantas share price dropped 1.87% to close the day at $6.30.

Let’s take a look at what may have weighed on the Qantas share price today.

Broader market falls

Qantas was not the only ASX 200 travel share to slide today. The Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB) share price descended 1.9%, while Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) shares dropped 3.57%.

ASX 200 shares, including travel shares, plunged today following market chaos in the United States and Europe overnight.

Credit Suisse shares dived 24% after its major shareholder declined to increase its stake in the Swiss bank, as my Foolish colleague Bronwyn reported today.

This economic uncertainty weighed on most ASX 200 shares today, with eight sectors finishing in the red and only three in the green.

In other news today, Qantas today announced it will provide customers with a further 12 months to take advantage of COVID travel credits.

Travellers with credit will still need to book travel by 31 December 2023, but they will be able to complete their travel as late as December 2024.

Commenting on the news, Qantas chief customer officer Markus Svensson said:

We literally had millions of bookings that were cancelled during several waves of lockdowns and border closures. No airline had systems that were designed to manage that in a seamless way and we realise there’s been frustration for some customers as a result.

Our main goal is for everyone who has a COVID credit to be able to put it to good use, which is why we’re doing one final extension of the travel expiry date by 12 months. 

Qantas share price snapshot

The Qantas share price has surged 25% in the last year, but it has fallen nearly 3% in the past month.

Qantas has a market capitalisation of about $11.4 billion based on the current share price.

The post What’s with the Qantas share price on Thursday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• Sayona Mining share price lifts on first saleable lithium production
• ASX 200 trims losses amid employment data and Credit Suisse $80b central bank loan
• Is the Coles share price heading back up to $19?
• Is now the time to be bold and snap up cheap ASX 200 dividend shares?

Motley Fool contributor Monica O’Shea 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 recommended Flight Centre Travel Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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As well as providing investors with access to sectors and indices, exchange traded funds (ETFs) can be used by investors seeking a source of income.

For example, the two ETFs listed below provide investors with exposure to large groups of dividend-paying shares through a single investment. Here’s why income investors might want to check them out:

BetaShares S&P 500 Yield Maximiser (ASX: UMAX)

The BetaShares S&P 500 Yield Maximiser is a very interesting ETF. It aims to provide investors with quarterly dividend income that is significantly greater than what you would ordinarily receive by investing in Wall Street’s S&P 500 index.

This is because it uses a clever equity income investment strategy over a portfolio of shares comprising the S&P 500 Index to maximise the yield. Hence its name.

Among its holdings are the largest companies listed on Wall Street. This includes dividend-payers such as Apple, Bank of America, Exxon Mobil, and Walmart.

At present, the BetaShares S&P 500 Yield Maximiser’s units provide investors with a 7.6% distribution yield.

Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF (ASX: VHY)

The Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF is far simpler.

This ETF uses broker research to find the ASX shares that are forecast to provide the biggest dividend yields over the next 12 months. It then buys these shares for investors and brings them together into the ETF.

It is worth noting that it excludes Australian Real Estate Investment Trusts (A-REITS) and maintains a diverse portfolio. This means you’re not just buying an ETF filled with banks or coal miners. It restricts the proportion invested in any one industry to 40% and 10% for any single company.

At present, there are 73 ASX shares included in the portfolio. This includes giants such as BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), and Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS).

The Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF currently trades with an estimated forward dividend yield of 5.4%.

The post Income investors could get very big dividends from these ASX ETFs appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Buy this ASX ETF for big retirement income
• Dividend dessert: Which ASX ETFs are the sweetest for a passive income?
• These ETFs could give ASX investors a passive income
• Buy these ETFs for passive income and growth

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 positions in and has recommended BetaShares S&p 500 Yield Maximiser Fund and Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB) share price has delivered returns for investors in 2023, but is it too late to buy?

Webjet shares have risen 7.77% since market close on the last trading day of 2022 and are now fetching $6.68 apiece at the time of writing.

In today’s trade, Webjet shares are down 2.42% amid a wider market fall. For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) is also 1.51% in the red today.

Let’s check the outlook for Webjet shares.

What’s ahead?

Broker outlook for Webjet is positive with travel booming this year in the wake of COVID-19 border closures and travel restrictions that plagued the industry in 2020 and 2021.

Australia’s borders reopened to international travellers on 21 February 2022.

However, recent research from Southern Cross Travel Insurance reveals 83% of Australians on the move this year plan to cut travel expenses due to the rising cost of living, Global Travel Media reported.

On the positive side, 87% of Australians are planning to travel within Australia or internationally within 12 months.

Webjet is an online travel business operating all over the world. The company also owns the global travel brand WebBeds.

Morgans is positive on the Webjet share price. The broker has placed a buy rating on the company with a $7.20 price target.

This implies an upside of 7.8% at the current share price. Analysts at Morgans believe Webjet is trading at a discount. Commenting on Webjet, Morgans said:

Based on our forecasts, WEB is trading on an FY24 recovery year PE which is at a discount to its five-year average PE (pre-COVID). Its WebBeds (B2B) business is highly leveraged to the northern hemisphere summer holiday season which is forecast to be strong.

Webjet OTA is leveraged to ANZ domestic and international travel. Management also wasted a crisis and cost reduction initiatives will reduce its cost base by 20% across the group once the business returns to scale.

Webjet subsidiary WebBeds last week announced an agreement with Luxembourg tour operator LuxairTours, broadening its customer base. Commenting on this news, WebBed Central Europe regional sales director Pepita Borrajo said:

We are pleased to be working with LuxairTours. The depth and breadth of our accommodation inventory means that whatever holiday a LuxairTours customer wants, it can be supplied through WebBeds.

Share price snapshot

The Webjet share price has jumped 18% in the past year amid the travel recovery. In the last month, the company’s share price has slid 1.33%.

Webjet has a market capitalisation of about $2.5 billion based on the current share price.

The post Up 8% in 2023, is right now the time to buy back into Webjet shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Morgans names the best ASX 200 growth shares to buy in March
• Top ASX growth shares to buy in March 2023

Motley Fool contributor Monica O’Shea 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.

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It’s been yet another day of carnage for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) so far this Thursday. After what has been a highly volatile week, the ASX 200 has fallen again, this time by a nasty 1.58%. That puts the Index back below 6,960 points.

Ouch. But let’s not dwell too long on those depressing figures. It’s time now for a look at the ASX 200 shares that are at the peak of the share market’s trading volume charts at present, according to investing.com. 

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Thursday

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

First up today is the ASX 200 lithium share Pilbara Minerals. So far this session, a notable 28.31 million Pilbara shares have been dug up and sold on the markets. With no news from the company this Thursday, it looks like this volume is the result of the movements of Pilbara shares themselves.

Pilbara has lost another 3.94% so far today and is currently down to $3.535 a share. As my Fool colleague covered this morning, Pilbara investors have now lost 20% of their capital over the past week alone. No wonder so many shares are flying around.

Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS)

Next up is the ASX 200 telco Telstra. This Thursday has seen a hefty 32.33 million Telstra shares rung up for sale thus far. There’s also not been much news out of Telstra, apart from a notice today that non-executive director Ming Long has acquired just over $100,000 worth of shares recently.

So perhaps today’s volumes are a consequence of this notice.

But Telstra has also been bouncing around a fair bit this session. The telco is currently up by a healthy 0.74% at $4.10, defying the broader market. But this morning, Telstra sunk into the red briefly, getting down to $4.04 a share. This volatility is probably driving the high volumes we are seeing.

Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA)

Finally this Thursday, we have another ASX 200 lithium stock in Sayona Mining to consider. So far today, a hefty 34.22 million shares have been bought and sold on the share market. Sayona is another ASX 200 share that is bucking the market.

The lithium stock has gained a decent 1.16% so far, putting the company up at 21.75 cents a share. That was despite Sayona starting out in the red this morning.

This high volume could be the result of the major announcement Sayona made to investors before open today. As my Fool colleague Monica covered earlier, Sayona announced that it has produced its first saleable commercial-grade spodumene lithium concentrate at its North American Lithium project.

This is probably contributing to Sayona’s place at the top of the ASX 200 trading sharts right now.

The post Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Sayona Mining share price lifts on first saleable lithium production
• ASX 200 trims losses amid employment data and Credit Suisse $80b central bank loan
• Is the Coles share price heading back up to $19?
• Is now the time to be bold and snap up cheap ASX 200 dividend shares?
• How much would I need to invest in ASX income shares to earn $500 a month?

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Telstra Group. 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.

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The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price is on a rollercoaster on Thursday.

In afternoon trading, shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank stock are down 0.5%, at $94.96 per share.

That’s significantly better than the 1.6% loss posted by the ASX 200 at this same time. CommBank is also outperforming the other big four banks.

In fact, during the lunch hour, the CBA share price rebounded into the green, briefly up as much as 0.8% at $96.15 per share. That was a large improvement from the earlier $93.35 per share, which saw CommBank trading down 1.3%.

So, why the wild ride today?

Why all the volatility?

The CBA share price has been unusually volatile as investors consider the possibility of a looming global banking crisis.

As you’re likely aware, last week the 18th biggest bank in the United States, SVB Financial Group (NASDAQ: SIVB), went belly up following a liquidity crunch that saw it unable to meet depositors’ withdrawal requests.

Silicon Valley Bank shares plummeted 60% before trading was halted. Depositor funds have been guaranteed by the US government. But the now non-operational bank may well leave its shareholders begging for crumbs.

The news saw the CBA share price and other ASX bank shares take a sharp fall this past Friday.

In an unwelcome development, investors are now learning that the US banking woes have spread to Europe.

In overnight trading, shares in Switzerland-based Credit Suisse Group (SWX: CSGN) tanked by 24% to new all-time lows.

This came after the bank’s largest investor, Saudi National Bank said it could not offer additional financial support.

The CBA share price may have enjoyed its midday bounce on fresh news that Credit Suisse is getting strong funding support from the nation’s central bank.

“Credit Suisse is taking decisive action to pre-emptively strengthen its liquidity by intending to exercise its option to borrow from the Swiss National Bank (SNB) up to CHF 50 billion,” the bank reported.

The AU$81 billion lifeline will be welcomed not just by Credit Suisse shareholders, but by bank investors the world over.

CBA share price snapshot

With today’s intraday losses factored in, the CBA share price is down just over 7% in 2023.

The post The CBA share price is on a rollercoaster today. Is Credit Suisse to blame? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• ASX 200 oil stocks are tanking. Is now the time to buy?
• ASX 200 bank shares are deep in the red on Thursday. Here’s why
• Investing in ASX 200 shares? Here’s what to expect from the US Fed next week
• What are the risks of investing in term deposits instead of ASX shares?
• Down 14% in a month, should I buy the dip on CBA shares?

SVB Financial provides credit and banking services to The Motley Fool. Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended SVB Financial. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended SVB Financial. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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