The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price is recovering from its recent sell-off along with its peers. But a warning of an oversupply of the commodity could keep shareholders on edge.

This wasn’t the news investors wanted to hear as the BHP share price bounced 0.7% to $39.22 on Friday.

BHP share price holding up a little better than peers

The Big Australian is leading the recovery as the Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price and Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price gained 0.3% and 0.6% respectively.

The three largest ASX iron ore miners finished the day off their intraday highs.

That could indicate a lack of confidence that the worst is over for the sector, with the BHP share price shedding 15% of its value over the past month. At least that’s a bit better than the 19% drop in the Fortescue share price and 17% decline in the Rio Tinto share price over the period.

Supply of iron ore will exceed demand in 2H 2022

What could also be dampening sentiment is a prediction by Morgan Stanley.

The broker looked at how the market behaved in the past two years, where a surplus of iron ore emerges in the second half of the year.

It believes history will repeat this year and said:

We see this dynamic playing out for the third year in a row, at a comparable if not larger scale as in 2021.

Similar to last year, we expect China’s already in excess steel production to decline, while iron ore supply appears once again on track for a much stronger 2H vs 1H.

Warning signs for iron ore market

There are early warning signs that the broker’s prediction will come through.

Inventory of the steel-making ingredient was building at China’s ports last week. This is the first time since mid-February that inventory is increasing.

It’s also worth noting that Chinese steel demand slows during the summer months, which makes the iron ore price particularly vulnerable.

Morgan Stanley noted that the risks to iron ore missing its second half base case target of US$130 a tonne is increasing.

Silver lining for the BHP share price

But it isn’t all bad news. While near-term risks remain, the broker believes that most of this bad news is already factored into the market. That’s the silver lining from the correction in the BHP share price and other ASX mining shares.

What’s more, we could see support for the iron ore price come as early as autumn. That’s when Morgan Stanley expects to see the profit margins of Chinese steel companies recover.

Ironically, the high inflationary pressure that’s driving up production costs may actually be good news for the BHP share price and that of the other big ASX miners.

This is because commodities often find a floor around the marginal cost of production. Higher costs hurt smaller miners more as the big boys have economies of scale.

Let’s hope these positives are enough to calm frayed nerves in this volatile market.

The post Own BHP shares? Top broker warns of looming oversupply of iron ore in 2H 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Rio Tinto shares avoid a rocky Friday amid US$220 billion commodity stimulus rumours
• Why BHP and other ASX mining shares are making strides on Friday
• Own Rio Tinto shares? Here’s the outlook for July
• What’s the outlook for ASX 200 dividend shares in FY23?
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today

Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau has positions in BHP Billiton Limited, Fortescue Metals Group Limited, and Rio Tinto Ltd. 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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Shares in FBR Ltd (ASX: FBR) went 14% higher on Friday following the robotic technology company’s announcement of a major investment from a fellow ASX-listed business.

In a statement to the ASX, FBR said it has received “a firm commitment from a wholly owned subsidiary of existing strategic investor Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)” to buy $1.9 million in shares via a placement.

FBR said the placement would raise $1,929,628.40 via 107,201,578 shares at a price of 1.8 cents per share.

The FBR share price closed the session on Friday at 2.3 cents, up 9.52% for the day. In earlier trading, it reached an intraday high of 2.4 cents, representing a 14.3% bounce on its previous closing price.

Why is this micro-cap ASX share raising funds?

On 17 June, FBR announced to the ASX the completion of a $4 million capital raise via a placement of 222,222,222 shares.

FBR offered the placement at the same price to existing and new institutional and sophisticated investors.

FBR said the placement was oversubscribed. Those shares began trading on the ASX on 24 June.

At the time, the placement price represented a 10% discount to the last closing price of FBR shares.

Brickworks arguably got a better deal because by the time they bought, even though it was at the same price, they got a 14% discount on the last closing FBR share price.

The new shares in both placements will rank equally with existing fully paid ordinary shares of FBR on the ASX.

In its statement to the ASX, FBR said:

The [Brickworks] placement was managed by FBR … using FBR’s full remaining placement capacity as at 24 June 2022, without Shareholder approval.

The funds will be used for working capital and commissioning of the next-generation Hadrian X®, as outlined in the latest corporate presentation.

The new shares purchased by Brickworks will commence trading on the ASX on 13 July.

Why is Brickworks buying FBR shares?

The placement will give Brickworks a 4.93% stake in FBR — just under the ‘substantial shareholder’ level of 5%.  

With no statement out of Brickworks today, we can only guess as to the reasons for the purchase.

But the products that FBR makes give us a clue as to why Brickworks wants to be a stakeholder.

Brickworks is Australia’s largest brick producer. One of FBR’s products is a bricklaying robot. It’s called Hadrian X and is powered by FBR’s core Dynamic Stabilisation Technology (DST).

According to FBR, Hadrian X “builds structural walls faster, safer, more accurately and with less wastage than traditional manual methods”.

Brickworks isn’t just a brick company either. It’s got investment savvy and owns some other assets that contribute to its profits.

This includes a 21% stake in diversified investment group Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL) which is worth $2.576 billion as at 31 January 2022, according to Brickworks’s FY22 half-year report.

FBR has a market capitalisation of $56.1 million.

The post This tiny ASX share flew 14% on Friday following investment by Brickworks appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 5 worst ASX energy shares of FY22
• Here’s why Brickworks might be one of the ASX’s best dividend shares
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Is the Brickworks dividend yield of almost 5% too good to ignore?
• Building up income: 2 ASX dividend shares I believe are buys

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 positions in and has recommended Brickworks and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Brickworks and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. 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 Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SHL) share price had a turbulent time in FY22. After surging to 52-week highs of $46.71 on 30 December, the company’s shares then cratered to $32.22 by 8 March.

After a relief rally, Sonic was trading sideways until June, but has since walked back towards its yearly lows, as seen below.

The forward-looking climate demands more from companies in terms of cash (liquidity and working capital) management.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at Sonic’s balance sheet to gain some insight into how it might weather any potential economic storm.

Sonic balance sheet breakdown

The most recent snapshot of Sonic’s financial health was supplied within its set of half-yearly accounts back in February.

At that time, the company had cash and marketable securities of $735.3 million, down 18% from the previous year.

Shareholder equity totalled $7.26 billion, made up of $12.5 billion in total assets and $5.24 billion in total liabilities.

Let’s take a deeper dive into how Sonic is managing cash and working capital.

Sonic should meet its short-term obligations when they fall due. Short-term liabilities are covered 1.1x by short-term assets (current ratio). That’s one check for the Sonic Healthcare share price.

Meanwhile, the ratio of debt to assets is 26%, meaning debt holders have financed Sonic’s asset base by that amount.

The long-term debt to total capital ratio is 28% suggesting the company has low leverage. It also has around $1 billion in long-term lease obligations.

Further insights to consider for the Sonic share price

Linking the balance sheet with some figures on the income statement gives further insights.

Sonic turned over its inventory 6.3 times in H1 FY22 and generated 75 cents for every dollar invested into its asset base.

It also generated a 12% return on assets and return on invested capital of 16% for the half as well. This is well above the company’s cost of capital of 7%.

From this data, we can make a few inferences. First, Sonic can cover its short-term obligations when they come due.

It also is lowly-leveraged, with debt making up less than 30% of its capital structure. That’s important in a world of rising interest rates.

It is also generating a decent return on its assets and invested capital that is above what it costs to acquire that capital.

These could be defensible characteristics in the event of an economic downturn. Remember, the balance sheet illustrates the financial health of the company, and these ratios give further insights.

In the last 12 months, the Sonic share price has slipped 12% into the red.

Sonic’s asset and liability growth since 2018 is plotted on the chart below.

The post Own Sonic Healthcare shares? Here’s a look at the state of its balance sheet appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• What was the Sonic Healthcare share price when it first listed on the ASX?
• 3 dividend-paying and ethical ASX shares to buy now: fund manager
• Why this top broker tips 20% upside for the Sonic Healthcare share price
• Buy these 2 quality ASX 200 shares: broker

Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow 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 Sonic Healthcare Limited. 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) ended the week on a strong note, boosted higher by energy shares. The index was 0.45% higher at 6,678 points when the market closed on Friday.

The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) gained more than 2% today after oil prices rose overnight.

The price of Brent crude oil lifted 3.9% to US$104.65 a barrel in Thursday’s session overseas. Meanwhile, the US Nymex crude price increased 4.3% to US$102.73 a barrel.

ASX 200 materials shares also outperformed on Friday, with many lithium shares among the market’s best performers after a rough couple of weeks.

The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) ended the day more than 1% higher amid reports by Bloomberg claiming China’s government is considering a US$220 billion infrastructure stimulus program.

At the end of Friday’s trade, eight of the ASX 200’s 11 sectors were in the green. But which ASX shares outperformed all others? Keep reading to find out.

Top 10 ASX shares countdown

And the best performer among the ASX’s biggest shares by market capitalisation is… Latitude Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: LFS).

The payment provider’s shares topped the lot, gaining almost 13% after a late spike. Find out more about Latitude Group here.

ASX 200 lithium explorer and developer Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR) came in second best, gaining 7.11%. Read up on what Liontown’s been up to here.

Today’s top 10 biggest gains were made by these ASX shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Latitude Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: LFS)	$1.50	12.78%
Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR)	$1.02	7.37%
Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)	$2.35	6.82%
Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)	$5.03	6.34%
Allkem Ltd (ASX: AKE)	$10.46	5.23%
Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC)	$1.525	5.17%
Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME)	$47.52	5.16%
Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)	$0.62	5.08%
Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA)	$5.04	4.78%
New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC)	$3.60	4.65%

Data as at 4.30pm AEST.

Our top 10 ASX shares today countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays to see which stocks make the countdown.

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

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More reading

• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• Why Pro Medicus, St Barbara, Vulcan, and Whitehaven Coal are pushing higher
• These 3 ASX 200 lithium stocks are exploding on Friday
• Pilbara Minerals share price blasts 8% higher as lithium regains attention

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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If you’re looking for dividend shares with big yields, then you may want to look at the two listed below.

Here’s why analysts rate these ASX dividend shares as buys:

Dexus Industria REIT (ASX: DXI)

The first ASX dividend share that has been rated as a buy is Dexus Industria.

It is an industrial and office focused property company, formerly known as APN Industria, that owns interests in office and industrial properties.

Morgans is bullish on Dexus Industria and has an add rating with a $3.65 price target on its shares. Its analysts like company due to its solid underlying portfolio metrics and positive medium term growth outlook thanks to its development pipeline.

As for dividends, Morgans is forecasting dividends per share of 17.3 cents in FY 2022 and 17.6 cents in FY 2023. Based on the latest Dexus Industria share price of $2.74, this will mean yields of 6.3% and 6.4%, respectively.

Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL)

Another ASX dividend share that has been tipped to provide investors with a big dividend yield is Super Retail. It is the retail conglomerate behind the BCF, Macpac, Rebel, and Supercheap Auto businesses.

The team at Citi remain positive on Super Retail and believe concerns over its inventory position have been “significantly overplayed.” In light of this, the broker continues to “view Super Retail as oversold” and has retained its buy rating.

In respect to dividends, Citi is expecting fully franked dividends of 66 cents per share in FY 2022 and 64 cents per share in FY 2023. Based on the current Super Retail share price of $9.28, this will mean yields of 7.1% and 6.9%, respectively.

Citi has a buy rating and $14.00 price target on its shares.

The post Experts name 2 ASX dividend shares to buy with big yields appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• How did ASX 200 retail shares perform in June?
• Embattled ASX 200 retail shares primed for a comeback: experts
• Brokers rate these ASX dividend shares as buys
• What impacted ASX 200 retail shares this week?
• 2 quality ASX dividend shares with 6%+ yields experts rate as buys

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 Super Retail Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Super Retail Group Limited. 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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If you’d like to make some investments but aren’t sure which shares to buy, you could look at exchange traded funds (ETFs) instead.

But which ETFs could be buys? Three that are very popular are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

BetaShares Global Energy Companies ETF (ASX: FUEL)

The first ETF to look at is the BetaShares Global Energy Companies ETF. This ETF allows investors to gain exposure to the global energy market at a time when oil prices are at high levels due to supply constraints.

BetaShares notes that the ETF includes energy producers that are larger, more geographically diversified, and more vertically integrated than Australian-listed energy companies.

Among its holdings are well-known energy giants including BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell.

BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

Another ETF to look at is the BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF. This ETF provides investors with access to 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the famous exchange.

BetaShares thinks this ETF is a good option for Australian investors. It notes that the ETF’s strong focus on technology provides investors with diversified exposure to a high-growth potential sector that is under-represented in the Australian sharemarket.

Among the 100 shares included in the ETF are giants such as Amazon, Apple, Meta (Facebook), Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, Tesla, and Google parent, Alphabet.

VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

A final ETF for investors to look at is the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF. It could be a good option for investors that want to replicate Warren Buffett’s investment style.

That’s because this ETF aims to invest in a group of fairly valued companies that have sustainable competitive advantages. The latter is something that Mr Buffett calls moats.

At present there are in the region of ~50 shares included in the ETF. This includes companies from a range of sectors such as Adobe, Alphabet, Amazon, Boeing, Campbell Soup, Constellation Brands, Microsoft, and Walt Disney.

The post Here are 3 fantastic ETFs for ASX investors to buy now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS and BetaShares Global Energy Companies ETF – Currency Hedged. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat 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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Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares have just ended the week in the red.

The banking giant’s shares dropped 0.5% to $92.59 on Friday.

Why did CBA shares have a subdued day?

Today’s subdued showing by the CBA share price could have been driven by a broker note out of Morgan Stanley yesterday.

That note reveals that the broker believes investors shouldn’t be getting their hopes up for another share buyback anytime soon.

According to the note, the broker believes that CBA and the rest of the big four banks have fewer capital management options than they did a year ago now that average capital ratios are only a touch above pre-pandemic levels.

Furthermore, with rates rising fast to combat inflation and potentially causing a recession, its analysts feel the current environment may be too uncertain to risk further buybacks.

The broker commented:

The major banks have announced $18 billion of buybacks since the middle of last year. However, given a more uncertain operating outlook, we don’t expect any further buybacks to be announced this year.

Shares remain a sell

It is partly for this reason that the broker doesn’t see value in CBA shares at the current level. The note reveals that its analysts have an underweight rating and $79.00 price target on its shares.

Based on the current CBA share price, this implies potential downside of 14.7% for investors over the next 12 months.

The only big four bank the broker is recommending as a buy is Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC).

Its analysts currently have an overweight rating and $22.30 price target on its shares. This suggests potential upside of 12% for investors from current levels.

The post Own CBA shares? Here’s why this analyst doesn’t foresee further buybacks appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why are ASX 200 bank shares responding positively to higher interest rates?
• What happened with the CBA share price in the 2022 financial year? 
• What’s going on with ASX 200 bank shares on Tuesday?

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

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It has been another busy week for Australia’s top brokers. This has led to the release of a large number of broker notes.

Three broker buy ratings that you might want to know more about are summarised below. Here’s why brokers think these ASX shares are in the buy zone:

Allkem Ltd (ASX: AKE)

According to a note out of UBS, its analysts have retained their buy rating and lifted their price target on this lithium miner’s shares to $15.55. UBS has become less positive on base metals and more positive on lithium. The broker expects lithium prices to remain strong and underpin strong free cashflow for Allkem. The Allkem share price is trading at $10.55 on Friday afternoon.

Baby Bunting Group Ltd (ASX: BBN)

A note out of Citi reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating and $6.22 price target on this baby products retailer’s shares. Baby Bunting remains Citi’s top pick in the small cap retail space. Particularly given how the company is making early progress with its expansion into less penetrated categories such as toys and babywear. Combined with its store rollout, supply chain initiatives, and its private label offering, Citi believes Baby Bunting is well-placed for growth. The Baby Bunting share price is fetching $4.40 today.

Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD)

Analysts at Morgans have retained their add rating but cut their price target on this corporate travel specialist’s shares to $25.85. Although the broker acknowledges that the travel sector recovery may take longer than first expected, it sees recent weakness as a buying opportunity. But you may have to act fast. Morgans suspects that reporting season in August could be a catalyst for a rerating. The Corporate Travel Management share price is trading at $19.54 this afternoon.

The post Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• These 3 ASX 200 lithium stocks are exploding on Friday
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• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
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• Can ASX lithium shares recharge in FY23?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Allkem Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Baby Bunting and Corporate Travel Management Limited. 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 enjoying a robust end to the trading week so far this Friday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is up by a decent 0.58% at just over 6,680 points.

So let’s delve deeper into these gains today, and check out the ASX 200 shares that are currently topping the market’s share trading volume charts today, according to investing.com. See if you can spot a theme today.

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Friday

Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)

First up today is Core Lithium. This ASX 200 lithium stock has had a hefty 14.67 million of its shares bounce around the share market so far this Friday. There have been no developments out of Core Lithium itself today, however, the company’s shares have had a very bumpy trading session.

Core Lithium initially opened up more than 4% this morning. But investors seem to have gotten cold feet and have sent the shares lower over today’s session. At present, Core Lithium has now seen its lead whittled back to a 0.53% gain. It’s probably these big moves that have elicited the high trading volumes we see.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Our next ASX 200 share is a fellow lithium producer in PIlbara Minerals. In Pilbara’s case, we’ve seen a notable 18.21 million shares bought and sold at the present time.

There’s no news to speak of out of Pilbara either. So this volume can probably be explained by the monster 7.5% this company has gained over today so far. Yes, Pilbara shares are now trading at $2.36 after closing at $2.20 yesterday.

Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE)

Our third and final ASX 200 share for today is yet another ASX lithium stock. Lake Resources has had a whopping 20.1 million shares change hands as it currently stands. Like Core Lithium, Lake Resources shares initially lit up this morning and rose by 8.21% at one point.

But sentiment has also cooled slightly, and the company is now up by 4.57% at 73 cents a share. Again, it is probably these gyrations that have elicited such a huge trading volume metric this Friday.

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

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More reading

• These 3 ASX 200 lithium stocks are exploding on Friday
• Pilbara Minerals share price blasts 8% higher as lithium regains attention
• Why is the Life360 share price soaring 12% today?
• Lake Resources shares are the most traded today. What’s going on?
• Down 40% in 2022: Is the Xero share price a buy 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 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 on form again and poised to record another solid gain. In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is up 0.55% to 6,685 points.

Four ASX shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are pushing higher:

Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME)

The Pro Medicus share price is up 5% to $47.45. This morning the team at Goldman Sachs upgraded this health imaging technology company’s shares to a neutral rating from sell. And while the broker’s price target of $42.60 is lower than where its shares trade today, Goldman spoke very positively about the company’s future.

St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM)

The St Barbara share price is up 7.5% to 89.2 cents. Investors have been buying this gold miner’s shares after its strong fourth quarter performance allowed it to achieve its revised guidance for FY 2022. Total gold production came in at 86.4k ounces during the quarter, up 40% from the previous quarter. This took its full year production to 281k ounces.

Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd (ASX: VUL)

The Vulcan share price is up 6% to $5.78. As well as getting a boost from a rebound in the lithium industry, a positive announcement has given Vulcan’s shares a lift. Vulcan revealed that it has signed an agreement with Italian renewable energy giant Enel Green Power to explore the development of a geothermal well housing lithium in Italy.

Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)

The Whitehaven Coal share price is up 7% to $5.07. Whitehaven Coal and the rest of the resources sector have been performing strongly today amid news that China is planning a huge infrastructure-focused stimulus program to boost its economy. The S&P/ASX 200 Resources index is up 1.8% this afternoon.

The post Why Pro Medicus, St Barbara, Vulcan, and Whitehaven Coal are pushing higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• St Barbara shares sparkle 7% brighter amid strong production update
• Vulcan Energy share price leaps 8% on Italian energy producer agreement
• Why Goldman Sachs just upgraded Pro Medicus shares
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Becoming Australia’s biggest export failed to ignite ASX coal shares 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 positions in and has recommended Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Pro Medicus Ltd. 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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