As well as providing investors with access to different sectors, indices, and regions, you can use exchange traded funds (ETFs) to achieve different investment goals.

For example, if you want to build a passive income, you could buy the ASX-listed ETFs named below that have been designed to provide investors with generous dividend yields. Here’s what you need to know about them:

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

The first ETF for investors to look at for a passive income is the BetaShares S&P 500 Yield Maximiser.

This ETF has been designed to provide income investors with attractive quarterly income with low volatility.

BetaShares aims to achieve this by implementing an equity income investment strategy over a portfolio of shares comprising the famous S&P 500 Index on Wall Street.

This index is home to 500 of the largest companies listed on Wall Street and includes dividend-paying giants such as Apple, Bank of America, Exxon Mobil, Home Depot, and Walmart.

At the last count, the BetaShares S&P 500 Yield Maximiser’s units were offering investors an 8.7% distribution yield.

Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF (ASX: VHY)

Another ETF for investors to look at is the Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF.

As its name implies, this ETF provides investors with exposure to a group of ASX shares that have higher forecast dividends relative to the rest of the market.

The good news is that this is done with diversification in mind. The Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF restricts the proportion invested in any one industry to 40% and 10% for any one company.

At present there are 70 ASX shares included in the portfolio. These include giants such as BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES).

The Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF currently trades with an estimated forward dividend yield of 6%.

The post The ASX-listed ETFs to buy for a passive income in 2023 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• How I’d build passive income with just $20 a week
• Buy these ETFs for an income in retirement
• 2 popular ETFs for ASX investors to buy next week

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&P500 Yield Maximiser, Telstra Corporation Limited, and Wesfarmers Limited. 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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On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form again and charged higher. The benchmark index rose 0.7% to 7,251.3 points.

Will the market be able to build on this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to fall

The Australian share market looks set to fall on Thursday following a poor night of trade on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 44 points or 0.6% lower this morning. In late trade in the United States, the Dow Jones is down 1%, the S&P 500 has fallen 1.15% and the NASDAQ has tumbled 1.45%. This follows the US Federal Reserve’s decision to raise interest rates by 0.5% overnight. The central bank sees rates peaking at 5.1%.

Oil prices rise again

Energy shares Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have another positive day after oil prices rose again on Wednesday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 2.5% to US$77.24 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 2.4% to US$82.64 a barrel. Oil prices climbed following forecasts for a lift in demand in 2023.

Pilbara Minerals rated as a hold

The Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price may have peaked for the time being according to analysts at Morgans. This morning, the broker has initiated coverage on the lithium miner’s shares with a hold rating and $4.70 price target. Morgans commented: “Our view is that lithium prices can remain strong into CY23 as the company pursues volume growth but the risk of a commodity pullback will grow in FY24.”

MinRes appoints former cricketer

The Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) share price will be one to watch on Wednesday. This follows the bizarre appointment of former Australian cricketer and coach Justin Langer as a non-executive director. MinRes’ Chairman, James McClements, said: “Our Board places a high premium on diversity of experience. As MinRes expands and develops, we believe that bringing in a breadth of expertise and knowledge is key to our success.”

Gold price falls

Gold miners Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL) could have a difficult day after the gold price fell overnight. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is down 0.7% to US$1,812.4 an ounce. Gold fell after the US Federal Reserve lifted rates.

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

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More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Why Thursday could be huge for ASX 200 shares
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Wednesday
• Why are ASX 200 investors so obsessed with Core Lithium shares right now?
• Inflation nation: Why is the ASX 200 marching higher today?

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.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a very pleasing day during trade today. As of market close, the ASX 200 gained a healthy 0.67%, putting the index at around 7,251.3 points. But that’s nothing compared to what the Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX) sales price got up to this Wednesday.

Novonix shares were on fire today. The ASX battery technology company’s shares ended up soaring 6.04% to $1.93 a share today.

So what might have lifted Novonix’s boat so dramatically this session?

Why did the Novonix share price rise today?

Well, it’s nothing to do with anything out of Novonix itself. This company hasn’t made any ASX announcements in December at all, as of yet.

But what we do know today is that most ASX tech shares outperformed the broader market. The ASX 200 tech sector was one of the best-performing sectors on the ASX today, with many other tech shares enjoying stellar gains.

These included Xero Limited (ASX: XRO), up 2.97%, and Block Inc (ASX: SQ2), which rocketed 8.15%.

Lithium share Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) has also lifted by close to 2.64%.

So it’s possible that Novonix shares are getting a boost from what happened on the US markets overnight. Last night (our time), the US markets rocketed after a lower-than-expected inflation number. Lower inflation could mean lower interest rates.

And rising interest rates have been one of the prominent drivers in the rather awful year most tech shares, both here and over in the US, have endured in 2022.

The tech-heavy NASDAQ-100 (NASDAQ: NDX) was up a solid 1.1% last night, so it’s possible that these gains flowed into some ASX tech shares today, including Novonix.

The post Why did the Novonix share price have such a stellar run today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• The Novonix share price has crashed another 14% already this week. What’s going on?
• Why did the Novonix share price crash 16% in November?
• These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares in November
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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 Block and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Block and Xero. 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 leading investors from Wilson Asset Management (WAM) have shared two compelling S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) shares on their radar.

WAM operates several listed investment companies (LICs). Some, like WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE), focus on larger companies.

Meanwhile, WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM) targets “the most compelling undervalued growth opportunities in the Australian market”.

But does WAM have a claim of stock-picking pedigree? The WAM Capital portfolio has delivered an investment return of 15% per annum since its inception in August 1999. That’s before fees, expenses, and taxes. This gross return outperformed the All Ordinaries Total Accumulation Index (ASX: XAOA) return of 8.4% per annum over the same timeframe.

With that in mind, here are the two ASX 300 shares WAM Capital has outlined in its recent monthly update.

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp Ltd (ASX: FPH)

Fisher & Paykel is described as a “leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of products and systems for use in acute and chronic respiratory care, surgery and the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea”.

At the end of November 2022, the ASX healthcare share was one of the largest ASX shares in the WAM Capital portfolio.

Last month, the ASX 300 share announced its FY23 half-year result. For the six months to 30 September 2022, it saw total operating revenue of $690.6 million. While net profit after tax (NPAT) of $95.9 million beat market expectations.

The investment team said it was pleasing that the business stated that it expects FY23 second-half revenue to be higher than the first half.

There was also a suggestion that the backlog of consumables that were purchased by hospital customers during the COVID-19 pandemic “is beginning to clear”.

Over the last month, the Fisher & Paykel share price has gone up almost 20%.

Perenti Ltd (ASX: PRN)

WAM describes Perenti as a 35-year-old business that is one of Australia’s largest mining services companies. It provides surface and underground mining and drilling services.

After “favourable” movements in the Australian dollar and improving conditions for operations and commercially, the ASX 300 share announced an upgrade to its FY23 earnings guidance last month.

Perenti is now thinking that FY23 revenue will be between $2.6 billion to $2.7 billion. While earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (EBITA) could be between $215 million to $230 million – this is ahead of market expectations.

The fund manager concluded:

We continue to remain bullish on the outlook for Perenti as the business embarks on its 2025 strategy to focus on its core capabilities.

The post 2 undervalued ASX 300 shares to be ‘bullish’ about: fund manager appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Which ASX mining shares have had their dividend yields slashed the most in 2022?
• 3 best-performing ASX 200 healthcare shares in November
• Here are 3 ASX 200 shares going ex-dividend next week
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

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 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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) spent a second consecutive day in the green on Wednesday. At the end of today’s session, the index was 0.7% higher at 7,251.3 points.

So, what was its top performing sector? It was none other than the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ), lifting 2.1%. It follows on from the 4.3% plunge recorded by the sector on Monday.

The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) also put out a decent gain, rising 1.3% today on the back of a good night for oil prices.

The Brent crude oil price gained 3.4% to trade at US$80.68 a barrel overnight while the US Nymex crude oil price lifted 3% to US$75.39 a barrel.

Finally, the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) brought up the rear today, lifting just 0.1%.

But which ASX 200 share outperformed all its peers to post Wednesday’s biggest gain? Keep reading to find out.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

The index’s best-performing stock today was St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM). And it might be one of the last times the gold miner is included on this list – it’s set to be dumped from the ASX 200 next week.

The St Barbara share price soared 14% today amid news of its plan to merge with Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD).

Today’s biggest gains were made by these shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM)	$0.74	13.85%
Block Inc (ASX: SQ2)	$104.31	8.15%
Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN)	$6.31	6.41%
Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX)	$1.93	6.04%
Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI)	$9.24	5.72%
West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF)	$1.155	5.48%
Nickel Industries Ltd (ASX: NIC)	$1.03	4.57%
A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)	$6.93	4.21%
Silver Lake Resources Limited (ASX: SLR)	$1.27	4.1%
Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL)	$2.05	3.8%

Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to let you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Wednesday
• Why Arafura, Block, Leo Lithium, and St Barbara shares are storming higher
• ASX 200 gold share St Barbara returns with a bang, up 25%
• Why Chalice Mining, Fortescue, Mincor, and Zip shares are dropping today
• Why Bendigo Bank, Block, Megaport, and Starpharma shares are rising today

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Block and Pinnacle Investment Management Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Block and Pinnacle Investment Management Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk. 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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Thursday is shaping up to be a potentially huge day for S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares.

ASX 200 shares are already enjoying a strong run today, with the benchmark index up 0.66% in late afternoon trade.

The market rally comes on the back of lower-than-expected inflation data out of the United States overnight.

The US Labor Department reported that with November’s 0.1% increase, the consumer price index (CPI) is up 7.1% year on year. Consensus expectations had forecast that figure would come in at 7.3%.

That lower-than-expected inflation print saw the S&P 500 Index finish up 0.7%.

Tomorrow could see another strong run in US equities and ASX 200 shares, with that performance hinging on the next rate hike decision from the Federal Reserve.

How ASX 200 shares could surge tomorrow

Before the latest CPI print, a number of economists forecast that Fed chair Jerome Powell might keep his foot on the gas and announce another 0.75% rate hike tomorrow.

With inflation showing some signs of slowing down in the world’s top economy, consensus expectations are now for a 0.50% increase.

That would bring the federal funds rate (which is like the RBA’s cash rate) to a range of 4.25% to 4.50%. That’s up from a range of 0% to 0.25% at the start of the year and would mark the highest interest rates in the US since 2008.

With a 0.50% increase largely baked into the market, this would be unlikely to drive any outsized gains on the ASX 200 tomorrow.

And indeed, there are some reasons to believe the Fed won’t raise by less than that, or even better, pause its tightening cycle.

Chief amongst those reasons is the continuing strength of the US labour market along with an unexpected uptick in services inflation.

US investment analyst at eToro Callie Cox said that was a “discouraging detail”.

“Services inflation accelerated again last month, and that’s got to give the Fed some pause in declaring this report a victory,” Cox said. “The Fed has more control over services prices, so fiery hot services inflation could hint that Powell needs the economy to cool down more.“

Deputy chief economist at Bank of Montreal Michael Gregory is among those expecting a 0.50% increase. According to Gregory (courtesy of The Australian Financial Review):

Reflecting a higher policy rate profile, we’re expecting to see slower growth and higher joblessness. But we’re also expecting to see more stubborn inflation indicating that the net risks for policy rates rest decidedly on the upside.

Chief US economist at RBC Capital Markets Tom Porcelli (quoted by The Australian) added that with CPI data slowing, “There is no need at this point to continue hiking rates but, of course, they will. So we’ll get the much anticipated 50 basis point hike tomorrow.”

We’ll find out soon enough what Powell and the Federal Open Market Committee members decide.

But if they opt for some patience and raise rates by an unexpectedly low 0.25%, ASX 200 shares could be in for a huge day tomorrow.

The post Why Thursday could be huge for ASX 200 shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Wednesday
• Why are ASX 200 investors so obsessed with Core Lithium shares right now?
• Inflation nation: Why is the ASX 200 marching higher today?
• Why is the Westpac share price wilting on Wednesday?
• Looking to buy Flight Centre shares? Here’s why this insider tips 2023 to be a big year for business

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.

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1) So much for the extreme volatility some market watchers expected following the United States inflation figures, which came in slightly lower than expected.

The S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) rose a modest 0.73% whilst the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQ: .IXIC) index gained just over 1%. The ASX 200 is making headway in afternoon trade on Wednesday, with Block (ASX: SQ2) shares the biggest gainer, up 8.3%, but still down 41% over the past 12 months. 

The softer-than-expected US inflation print gives the green light to US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell to raise interest rates by 50 basis points overnight Wednesday.

The main game in town now for stock market watchers is predicting the terminal interest rate and when the Fed will start cutting interest rates.

Quoted on Bloomberg, Jason Katz, managing director and private wealth adviser at UBS, expects interest rates will stay higher for longer.

If they cut rates in the latter part of next year, that’s going to be because they broke things along the way and things are ugly. So it’s our view that the terminal rate lands anywhere between 5%-5.25% and remains there for the full calendar year.

Such an outcome would likely continue to put pressure on global stock markets, certainly for the first half of next year. Although the ASX 200 has had a good year, certainly when compared to the double-digit losses widely seen on Wall Street, you’d imagine there would be some comeuppance should US markets continue to fall.

2) Of course, not everyone shares the same views as Jason Katz – the divergence of opinion and thoughts is what makes a market.

“The coming year for investing may turn out to be better than many expect for stocks even though a recession appears likely,” pros at Natixis Investment Management said Wednesday on MarketWatch.

“I’m bullish because everybody is bearish,” said Jack Janasiewicz, portfolio manager and lead portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Management Solutions. “The downside is already reflected in the market.”

Simple is often best, especially given how hard it is to predict what might happen to the economy, to the consumer, to interest rates, to unemployment, to inflation, and more.

3) Writing in their November monthly update, the Surrey Australian Equities Fund said they “are positive on the outlook for Australian equities over the medium term”.

Our view remains that inflation has been materially impacted by supply chain issues and as these normalise and higher interest rates take effect, inflation could ease and with it the recent sharpness of interest rate increases… Should rates increases start to slow and the US 10-year bond yield settles, we are positive on equity valuations.

The fund also notes, when it comes to small-cap stocks, positive recoveries often follow down years. 

In 2022, huge gains in resources stocks have helped offset massive losses in growth stocks, such that the S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index (ASX: XSO) is down “only” 19% so far this year. Adopting the simple technique of being bullish because everyone else is bearish, I’d guess a basket of beaten-down small-cap growth stocks will outperform in 2023.

I own more than my fair share of small-cap “dogs of 2022”, although thankfully I haven’t owned them all year, somewhat limiting my losses. 

Moving into 2023, I’m holding out recovery hopes for these dogs, with their one-year share price performance noted. In alphabetical order…

BlueBet Holdings Ltd (ASX: BBT) – down 73%

Field Solutions Holdings Ltd (ASX: FSG) – down 51%

Marley Spoon (ASX: MMM) – down 81%

Plenti Group Ltd (ASX: PLT) – down 64% 

RPM Automotive Group Ltd (ASX: RPM) – down 44%

Swoop Holdings Ltd (ASX: SWP) – down 77%

Hydration Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd (ASX: HPC) – down 72%

Touch Ventures Ltd (ASX: TVL) – down 64%

It’s a motley group of companies, with little in common, apart from the devastating falls experienced by shareholders over the past 12 months.

That said, apart from Touch Ventures, which is an investment vehicle trading at a significant discount to its net asset value, they are all growing quickly, mostly have cash or little to no debt, and are either profitable or trade around break-even.

Here’s hoping for a happier 2023 and beyond for these dogs, and to the micro-cap (and fun but risky, so please don’t try this at home) portion of my portfolio. I look forward to reporting back on progress come this time next year. 

The post “Bullish because everybody is bearish” – here are 8 dogs of 2022 I’m backing for the win in 2023  appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• It took me years to realise I’m no investing genius like Warren Buffett

Motley Fool contributor Bruce Jackson has positions in Block, BlueBet, Field Solutions, Hydration Pharmaceuticals, Marley Spoon Ag, Plenti Group, Rpm Automotive Group, Swoop, and Touch Ventures. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Block and Marley Spoon Ag. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Block. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BlueBet and Marley Spoon Ag. 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) is backing up the gains that we saw yesterday with another positive day for the share market so far this Wednesday.

At the time of writing, the ASX 200 Index has added another 0.56%, which lifts the index up to just over 7,240 points.

But let’s now delve deeper into these pleasing gains this Wednesday by taking a look at the ASX 200 shares currently at the top of the share market’s trading volume charts, according to investing.com.

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Wednesday

Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV)

First up today is an ASX 200 share we don’t see too often on this list. Drinks company Endeavour Group has seen a notable 13.66 million of its shares change hands at this point of the session.

Sadly for investors, this seems to be a consequence of the large share price falls this company has endured today. Endeavour shares are presently down by a nasty 4.93% to $6.37 each.

As we covered this morning, this seems to be in response to news that Endeavour’s old owner Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) has offloaded a significant chunk of the shares it had retained.

Woolworths has sold a 5.5% stake in Endeavour for an average price of $6.46 per share. Even though Woollies still retains a 9.1% ownership stake, this has still clearly rattled investors.

Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)

Next up this Wednesday, we have ASX 200 lithium share Core Lithium. Today’s session has seen a meaty 14.02 million Core shares called in thus far. We haven’t had any news out of Core itself today. But that hasn’t stopped the shares from going on a bit of a run.

The Core Lithium share price has lifted a healthy 1.94% at this point of the day to $1.16 a share. It’s probably this buying pressure that has resulted in so many shares flying around.

St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM)

Our third and final ASX 200 share for this Wednesday’s trading day is the gold miner St Barbara. We’ve had a whopping 39.82 million St Barbara shares bought and sold so far today. And it’s not hard to see why.

St Barbara shares have returned to trading today after going through a trading halt for the last few days. The company has revealed its plans to merge with fellow gold miner Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD).

Investors are over the moon at this news, judging by the fact that the St Barbara share price has rocketed a massive 14.84% so far today to 74 cents a share. This is almost certainly why St Barbara is topping today’s most-traded ASX 200 shares.

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

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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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Are S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) investors obsessed with Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) shares? The evidence appears to suggest they are.

Trading of the lithium stock has increased significantly over the last 12 months. In fact, it’s been crowned trading platform Superhero’s most popular ASX share of 2022.

No doubt, the company’s rising popularity has helped send its stock rocketing higher this year.

At one point, the Core Lithium share price was up nearly 200% year to date, reaching an all-time high of $1.875. It has since fallen to trade at $1.157 today – 83% higher than it was at the start of 2022.

For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) – which Core Lithium was only admitted to in June – has fallen 5% so far this year.

So, why are Aussie investors seemingly obsessed with the ASX 200 lithium share? Let’s take a look.

Why are Core Lithium shares so popular with ASX 200 investors?

An obvious factor likely behind Core Lithium’s recent popularity is its work in the lithium space.

Superhero founder and CEO John Winters told The Motley Fool Australia:

Lithium stocks on Superhero were consistently popular throughout the year. I think it’s a trend we started seeing towards the end of 2021, but it really came into full force this year.

With Australia one of the world’s biggest lithium producers as well as an increased focus on renewable energy and electric vehicles, it’s no surprise that [many of the] most traded Australian companies on Superhero this year mine lithium.

And soaring lithium prices likely didn’t hurt the stock’s popularity.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)’s most recent lithium auction heralded a bid which, on a pro-rata basis for lithia content and including freight costs, equated to around US$8,575 per dry metric tonne.

Finally, with the Australian government tipping lithium prices to continue growing in 2023 – driven by demand for electric vehicles – it’s no surprise many market participants are excited by the company’s future earnings.

On the cusp of production

Speaking of earnings, Core Lithium hasn’t got any. But that hasn’t discouraged investors.

In fact, another factor potentially driving ASX 200 fans to Core Lithium shares may well be the company’s position as a developer on the cusp of production.

It’s one of few companies that found themselves within a hair of their maiden production when the latest lithium boom hit the market.

The company’s Finniss Lithium mine was officially opened in October, with first production expected to be shipped in early 2023.

Thus, market watchers might have seen the potential for major growth in the lithium stock.

And let’s not forget its short-lived non-binding offtake agreement with Tesla.

The New York-listed electric vehicle giant also garnered plenty of attention in 2022, coming in as Superhero’s most traded US stock.

The post Why are ASX 200 investors so obsessed with Core Lithium shares right now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Lithium, miners, and tech shares, oh my! Here’s where Aussies put their ASX money in 2022
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Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 0.4% in afternoon trade, having earlier posted gains of 0.6%.

Technology stocks are faring particularly well, with the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) up 1.2% at this same time.

This follows a similar trend in United States’ markets, with the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) gaining 0.7% overnight and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQ: .IXIC) closing up 1%.

Today’s lift in the ASX 200 comes on the back of the latest inflation report out of the United States.

Why is the US inflation reading helping boost the ASX 200 today?

The US is a long way from our shores geographically.

But the influence of the world’s top economy on the performance of ASX 200 shares is significant. And one of the biggest factors investors are watching from the US is the inflation readings.

Lower inflation levels will flag a more dovish policy response from the Federal Reserve, while sticky inflation will likely mean rates will remain higher for longer.

And the CPI figures released by the Labor Delopartment overnight came in a touch lower than consensus expectations.

Economists had predicted headline inflation would increase by 0.3% from October to 7.3%. But the number surprised to the downside, with CPI increasing 0.1% to 7.1% from a year earlier.

“This is not an outlier. In fact, today’s report showed a fairly broad-based slowdown,” Omair Sharif, founder of Inflation Insights, said.

Highlighting why ASX 200 and international stock market investors keep a close eye on US inflation figures, Bloomberg notes that US inflation reports have seen the S&P 500 gain or lose an average of 3% over the past six CPI releases. The average daily move is approximately 1.2%.

What the experts are saying

With the ASX 200 joining in the US market rally, Callie Cox, US investment analyst at eToro, said the CPI numbers were good news, but cautioned investors not to get overexuberant:

What we’re in now is the definition of a soft landing. Slowing price growth could show the Fed that it may be time to take the foot off the brake…

This report could be the good news the market has needed to build a foundation just above the lows. But investors need to be careful. Inflation still isn’t fully handled, and it’s easy for markets to get carried away. We may not see new highs until inflation is fully under control.

Bloomberg economists Anna Wong and Eliza Winger said the CPI data could see a pause in rate hikes early next year.

“The surprisingly soft November CPI print adds to the case that disinflation is building,” they said. “By the late-January FOMC meeting, some Fed officials may conclude there’s enough ‘compelling’ evidence to start talking about pausing rate hikes.”

Commenting before the release of the CPI data, David Bassanese, chief economist at BetaShares said (courtesy of the Australian Financial Review):

We’re going to see a pretty big market reaction regardless of the result because it’s one of those numbers where the market is hugely sensitive. That’s because ultimately, everything boils down to the question of how quickly can inflation in the US fall and does it take a recession to do it?

If inflation in the US continues to ease in 2023 without the Fed ushering in a recession via aggressive tightening, the ASX 200 should receive some further welcome tailwinds.

The post Inflation nation: Why is the ASX 200 marching higher today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why is the Westpac share price wilting on Wednesday?
• Looking to buy Flight Centre shares? Here’s why this insider tips 2023 to be a big year for business
• Bought $1,000 of Telstra shares 10 years ago? Here’s how much dividend income you’ve received
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
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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.

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