It can be pretty tough seeing the ASX share market go significantly into the red over a short period of time. How are investors meant to make money when things get rough?

Firstly, it could be important to remember that investing is a long-term endeavour. What happens this month or even this year may be long forgotten in a few years from now. For example, the GFC saw huge declines for some share prices. But then there was a recovery for many businesses in the subsequent years.

But, during the time of a bear market, how are investors meant to invest and make returns?

Well, it may not necessarily be with something going up when everything else is going down. It may be finding a share, or shares, that has been hurt heavily but then goes on to recover strongly.

One of the fund management outfits that is typically effective at finding good opportunities during periods of volatility is Forager, which operates the Forager Australian Shares Fund (ASX: FOR).

Forager’s advice

The Forager chief investment officer, Steve Johnson, had some wise words to say about the current investment environment for ASX shares. He said:

You need to identify businesses with characteristics that you like. Those characteristics might be the consensus view at the time that you find it, but you agree with it and you like it. You need to do your research and value the business and then you need to wait for the right environment.

What does that environment look and feel like? Well, you want to see a lot of selling. You want to see market panic and you want to see sector and business disdain. You yourself are probably going to be feeling very nervous and very uncertain. If you’re not feeling that emotion then it’s not a dysfunctional market.

What about the wider market? What sort of factors will we be able to see in the described scenario?

You’re going to be reading bearish headlines in the paper or online and you’re going to be seeing brokers downgrading their estimates for businesses. Really importantly, there’s probably no obvious reasons for things to change in the short term. If it was obvious the share prices wouldn’t be where they are.

That’s what a dysfunctional environment feels like. And that’s what we’re seeing in the small cap end of the market at the moment.

What kind of ASX shares does Forager currently own?

In the latest Forager fund update, the company outlined a couple of quarterly updates from businesses in its portfolio.

Whispir Ltd (ASX: WSP) – Forager described Whispir as a communications technology business. The fund manager noted that the ASX share “burned through” $5.2 million of cash in the three months to 30 June 2022. It ended the quarter with $26.1 million in the bank account.

But, Forager said the cash flow figures don’t give a true representation of the progress that the business has been making. The fund manager noted that commentary in the cash flow summary suggested revenue will exceed prior guidance of 42% growth and that costs are well controlled.

The fund manager thinks that the next financial year should already see free cash flow generation.

Bigtincan Holdings Ltd (ASX: BTH) — this business is described as a sales and training software provider. It finished the quarter with $39 million cash after utilising $4.9 million over the three months to June 2022.

Forager said that growing revenue and a declining cost base “should result in free cash flow” this financial year. The fund manager noted that the annual revenue run-rate rose a “healthy” 25% organically to $120 million. This was slightly above prior guidance and “sets the business up well for future years”.

The post How and where can an ASX investor make money in a dysfunctional share market? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 2 ASX tech shares about to go cash-flow positive
• Loss-making ASX shares: Big investment opportunity or extreme risk?
• Why is the Whispir share price tumbling 10% on Monday?
• ‘Great long-term investment’: Expert names small-cap ASX share to buy for cheap

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 BIGTINCAN FPO and Whispir Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BIGTINCAN FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Whispir 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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The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price is in focus as the ASX travel share sees a return of demand for flying.

It has been a volatile few years for the company with the ongoing impacts on flying and the resulting financials of the business.

It was only a few weeks ago that the business announced a travel update after a “solid rebound” in travel demand globally.

What is the company expecting in FY22?

Based on some preliminary numbers, Flight Centre is expecting to achieve an underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) loss of between $180 million to $190 million for the 12 months to 30 June 2022.

The mid-point of that range would be an 11.9% improvement on the mid-point in the company’s initial FY22 market guidance of an underlying loss of between $195 million and $225 million.

It also represents a “material improvement” on the FY21 underlying EBITDA loss of $337.9 million.

Flight Centre expects to be breakeven, on an underlying EBITDA basis, for the six months to 30 June 2022.

Broker ratings on the Flight Centre share price

The broker UBS is ‘neutral’ on the business, with a price target of $18.65. That implies a small, mid-single-digit rise over the next 12 months. A problem for the sector is that there are still things holding back the industry, such as airlines reducing capacity.

Macquarie is also ‘neutral’ on the ASX travel share, with a price target of $18. It is keeping in mind that problems relating to slowing economic demand (such as inflation) could lead to slower travel demand.

But there are some brokers that are negative on the business.

Credit Suisse has an ‘underperfom’ rating on Flight Centre, with a price target of just $14. It thinks that profit margins could be challenged in the company’s leisure segment. It also predicts the ASX travel share may not be able to increase prices as much as the company needs to make up for the higher costs.

Ord Minnett rates it as a ‘sell’ with a price target of $13.18. Part of the negativity relates to an expectation that corporate travel could suffer as the economic situation becomes more difficult.

Management comments

Flight Centre managing director Graham Turner said with the recent business update:

The scale of our recovery exceeded our initial expectations and meant that we should now exceed our preliminary FY22 result target, with early trading results pointing to a breakeven second half result and a healthy fourth quarter profit (underlying EBITDA).

There will inevitably be ongoing challenges for the industry over the next six to twelve months as new strains of the virus emerge, airline capacity returns and as we rebuild staff numbers to required levels, but we feel that we are well placed to overcome these concerns given our corporate business’ continued rise and our leisure business’ ongoing strength.

Flight Centre share price snapshot

Over the last month, the ASX travel share has seen its share price rise by almost 6%.

The post Do experts think the Flight Centre share price is ready for imminent takeoff? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Better ASX travel buy: Flight Centre or Webjet?
• Are we flying first class with Flight Centre shares?
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• Why did the Flight Centre share price underperform the ASX 200 in July?
• Own Flight Centre shares? Here’s why the boss is predicting more pain for the travel sector

JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. 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 recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and Macquarie 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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This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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

The Polygon (CRYPTO: MATIC) blockchain made a name for itself over the last few years thanks in part to Ethereum‘s (CRYPTO: ETH) rise. Polygon is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum. This means that Polygon helps make Ethereum more efficient, since Ethereum suffers from congestion and high traffic at times. Users flock to Polygon because it offers the security and decentralization of Ethereum, but with faster speeds and lower fees. 

Polygon has a proven track record, but its future is what’s most exciting. Even with a brutal bear market gripping most cryptocurrencies, Polygon’s developers continue to create new solutions to support more and more use cases. 

zk-What?

Arguably the most important development coming from Polygon is known as the zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM). This technological feat allows the Polygon blockchain to support further use cases without sacrificing speeds or costs. 

Without getting too technical, zkEVMs make Polygon more versatile to support not only new smart contracts but even old smart contracts that were originally written on Ethereum. These zkEVMs allow developers to migrate their Ethereum-based smart contracts to Polygon’s blockchain without having to rewrite any code. Developers might want to do this because Polygon offers those lower fees and faster speeds previously mentioned. In addition, a move to Polygon won’t sacrifice any of the highly desired security and decentralization that comes with the Ethereum blockchain.

It is planned that the zkEVMs will be live in early 2023. Timelines in crypto are notoriously unstable — look no further than Ethereum’s merge to proof of stake, which has been delayed multiple times — but zkEVMs could enable Polygon to reach a new level of usefulness, something that might be worth waiting a few more months for. 

Polygon pairs with Meta

As if the last month wasn’t good enough for Polygon, the blockchain garnered attention from one of the most well-known companies in the world. In late July, Disney (NYSE: DIS) announced that its latest round of participants in the Accelerator Program was finalized — and Polygon was one of them.

In those next few months, an increased number of users might start realizing that Polygon offers a world of opportunities. Just a few weeks ago it was announced by Meta (NASDAQ: META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg that Instagram will unveil NFTs to users in over 100 countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. The plan is for NFTs from Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), Flow (CRYPTO: FLOW), Ethereum, and — last but not least — Polygon to be compatible with Instagram.

Rather than being a marketplace to purchase NFTs, users will be able to show off and share their digital assets with followers. The NFTs will have basic information like the creator, name of the piece, and the blockchain on which it was purchased. 

This is likely the most exposure Polygon NFTs have ever received. Now that Polygon has a presence in front of Instagram’s two billion users, hopefully more users will learn of its lower fees and faster transaction speeds compared to Ethereum.

Disney does crypto

The Accelerator Program is a “business development program designed to accelerate the growth of innovative companies from around the world.” As one of six members to be part of this year’s class, Polygon receives investment capital, access to co-working space at Disney’s creative campus, and mentor support. Disney hopes that eventually a collaboration will come out of these ventures.

Imagine what this could do for Polygon’s growth — and its price. Serving as the blockchain of choice for Disney could propel Polygon to heights that we haven’t seen before. When taking into account that zkEVMs are on the horizon, a presence with Instagram is looming, and the possibility of joining forces with Disney — it almost seems too good to be true.

Despite being down nearly 70% from its all-time high, out of all the other beaten-down cryptocurrencies, Polygon might have the most upside in the entire market. Even if Polygon were to only return its previous high of almost $3, that would present investors with a possible 300% return. Nothing is guaranteed in investing, but if Polygon could reach that price before its associations with Instagram or  Disney and the introduction of zkEVMs, imagine where it could head in the future.

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

The post 3 reasons I’m buying this crypto hand over fist appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. RJ Fulton has positions in Ethereum and Solana. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Ethereum, Meta Platforms, Inc., Polygon, Solana, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2024 $145 calls on Walt Disney and short January 2024 $155 calls on Walt Disney. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Meta Platforms, Inc. and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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

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Fund manager Wilson Asset Management (WAM) has recently picked National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) as its preferred S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank share.

WAM operates several listed investment companies (LICs). Two of these LICs are WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM) and WAM Research Limited (ASX: WAX).

There’s also one called WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) that looks at the larger businesses on the ASX, often referred to as ASX blue-chip shares.

WAM says WAM Leaders actively invests in the highest quality Australian companies. But does WAM have a good reputation for picking stocks?

The WAM Leaders portfolio has delivered gross returns (before fees, expenses, and taxes) of 14.7% per annum since its inception in May 2016. This compares to the S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index average return of 8.3%.

The WAM Leaders team has outlined its thoughts on the current economic situation when it comes to rising interest rates and bank shares.

WAM makes a quick return on ASX bank shares

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has been quickly increasing its cash interest rate over the last few months which, according to WAM, has meant there is a “wide range of forecasts” for both house prices and the economy. This sent sentiment in the banking sector to “extremes”.

WAM Leaders noted that ASX bank shares significantly underperformed the broader ASX share market in June. The fund management team attributed this decline to the flipping from the initial positive view that rising interest rates would help banks. It now says there’s a prevailing view that the rapid rises could hurt the Australian housing market and overall economic growth.

The fund managers said:

We viewed this weakness as exaggerated and tactically went overweight in the banking sector, with the banks then outperforming the market in July.

Still positive on the banks

Wilson Asset Management remains “positive” on the outlook for banks. The fund manager noted that the first bank update, from Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ), showed “improved lending growth, strong underlying net interest margin trends and robust cost control.

WAM thinks that other major ASX 200 banks will report similar, or even better, outcomes.

The fund manager doesn’t think that rising bad debts will be a significant issue for banks because household balance sheets and loan-to-debt ratio profiles are “strong” thanks to the house price growth seen in recent years.

However, the team from WAM Leaders did note that credit growth will be “further impacted” and that the market is already forecasting this will reach its lowest level for over 40 years in late 2023.

However, WAM does think that net interest margins (NIMs) across all the banks “should improve” as earlier and larger interest rate rises occur.

NAB shares are the preferred pick

WAM explained which candidate is the favoured big four ASX 200 bank share and why:

Our preference among the banks in this environment remains National Australia Bank. The company continues to deliver above system growth, is overweight business banking which continues to perform strongly and has a capable management team.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia is our next preferred name given its sector leading position, largest deposit base and capital management optionality following the divestment of non-core assets.

The post Why this leading fund manager’s favourite ASX 200 bank share is NAB appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Here are 3 ASX blue-chip shares reporting this week
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Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has 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 Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price will be one to watch on Monday.

This follows the release of the banking giant’s third quarter update this morning.

Westpac share price on watch following Q3 update

All eyes will be on the Westpac share price at the market open after Australia’s oldest bank released an update on its capital, credit quality, and funding.

In respect to its capital, Westpac’s CET1 capital ratio stood at 10.75% at the end of June, which is down from 11.33% at the end of March. This reflects a dividend payment (45 basis points), higher risk-weighted assets (RWA) (42 basis points) and higher capital deductions.

The bank’s RWA were up $18 billion or 3.9% during the third quarter of FY 2022, mostly from higher interest rate risk in its banking book.

Credit quality remains strong

Potentially giving the Westpac share price a lift today is news that its credit quality remained strong during the third quarter.

The bank revealed that its provision cover was little changed, with total provisions to credit RWAs at 1.25%. This was down 5 basis points over the quarter.

Another positive was that Westpac’s stressed assets to total committed exposures (TCE) fell 4 basis points to 1.06%.

The bank’s mortgage 90+ day delinquencies also improved, falling 5 basis points to 0.83% in Australia and 2 basis points to 0.28% in New Zealand.

Strong funding and liquidity

Westpac’s funding and liquidity was strong with a Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) of 130% and a Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) of 123%.

In addition, the bank revealed that its deposit to loan ratio was 83.1%, down from 83.5% at the end of March.

No details were provided in respect to its profits, margins, or cost cutting during the quarter. Investors may have to wait until its full year results later this year for that unfortunately.

The post Westpac share price on watch following Q3 update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Up 12% in 30 days, is the Westpac share price still a buy?
• Top ASX dividend shares to buy in August 2022
• Own Westpac shares? Here’s when the ASX 200 bank will release its FY22 earnings
• Analysts say these ASX dividend shares are top buys

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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With reporting season in full swing, investors are warned not to get too excited about buoyant 2022 financials.

This is because the 2023 and 2024 outlook is more important, with interest rates rising and consumers locking up their wallets.

It’s through this lens that the team at Wilsons continues to advise clients to buy ASX shares that are labelled “quality”.

The advisory’s head of investment strategy David Cassidy revealed that his team just added weightings to two ASX shares:

‘An attractive valuation’ for business with excellent outlook

The Wilsons team this week welcomed Resmed CDI (ASX: RMD) to its “focus list” of shares to buy.

The continuous positive air pressure device (CPAP) maker is a business that can remain resilient through the economic cycle, according to Cassidy.

“Resmed is an inherently defensive business, with the treatment of medically diagnosed breathing conditions being essential and therefore non-discretionary,” he said in a memo to clients.

“CPAP therapy is reimbursed by private and public payers in most major markets, making it affordable for most patients.”

What’s more, the CPAP market around the world is currently largely underserved.

“Industry level penetration of the market is estimated at less than 20% in the US, and less than 5-10% in Europe and other ROW markets, leaving a long runway for growth across the industry.”

Resmed has smartly mitigated a couple of huge risks this year, according to Cassidy.

It managed to find a workaround for the global computer chip shortage by providing customers with a chip-free temporary solution.

And it has passed on rising input costs to its end clients without dampening demand.

The Resmed share price has dropped about 7.5% since the start of the year, presenting a tempting buying opportunity.

“Resmed trades at a 12-month forward PE ratio of ~37x, broadly in line with its trailing 3-year average,” said Cassidy.

“We view this as an attractive valuation considering both the long-term runway for growth in the under-penetrated CPAP market and the medium-term opportunity for RMD to strengthen its market position while [rival] Koninklijke Philips NV (AMS: OHIA) is sidelined.”

The industrial metal that could keep going up

The Wilsons team also recently increased its exposure to lithium producer Allkem Ltd (ASX: AKE).

That’s despite Cassidy’s team having a dim outlook for mining, with economies about to slow down and commodity prices due to deflate.

That’s because lithium could be an exception to the rule.

“We remain favourable towards lithium over the medium-term,” Cassidy said.

“The metal is forecast to be in a structural deficit over the next decade due to the rapid transition towards electric vehicles.”

Wilsons analysts think lithium is far less cyclical than another “popular industrial metal”, copper.

“Realised lithium prices have held up well this year, while other industrial metals, like copper, have recently softened.”

The Allkem share price is up more than 10.5% so far this year.

The post 2 quality ASX shares Wilsons just bought appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Resmed share price dips despite profit and dividend boost
• Why Baby Bunting, PointsBet, ResMed, and Suncorp shares are dropping today
• New records and looming deficits. Why ASX lithium stocks are in the spotlight
• ResMed share price on watch following solid FY22 growth
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo has positions in ResMed Inc. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended ResMed Inc. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended ResMed Inc. 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 you looking for some new dividend shares to buy? Good news, brokers have recently named these shares as buys.

Here’s what they are saying about these ASX dividend shares:

Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT (ASX: HCW)

The first ASX dividend share to consider is Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT. It is a real estate investment trust with a mandate to invest in hospitals, aged care, childcare, life sciences and research, and primary care properties.

It could be a top option due to its exposure to a diversified portfolio underpinned by attractive megatrends and its aim of stable and growing distributions.

Goldman is bullish on the company and has a conviction buy rating and $2.08 price target on its shares. It recently said:

[T]he REIT remains one of our top picks in the sector given 1) its net cash position with over $450mn of liquidity, providing flexibility for near term opportunities, 2) its diversified mix of strong tenant covenants in sub-sectors that are majority government-backed across the care spectrum, mitigating potential tenant credit risks, 3) Healthcare and childcare assets valuations have remained resilient, 4) the expansive forecast future demand for assets across the care spectrum, underpinning development opportunities, and 5) inexpensive valuation.

As for dividends, Goldman is forecasting dividends of 7.5 cents per share in FY 2023 and FY 2024. Based on the current Healthco Healthcare and Wellness REIT unit price of $1.64, this will mean yields of 4.6% for investors.

Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)

Another ASX dividend share that could be worth considering is Macquarie.

It is of course one of the world’s leading investment banks with operations spanning banking, financial, advisory, investment and fund management.

The team at Morgans is very positive on Macquarie. The broker believes it is well-placed for growth over the long term thanks to structural tailwinds. It currently has an add rating and $215.00 price target on the company’s shares.

The broker commented:

We continue to like MQG’s exposure to long-term structural growth areas such as infrastructure and renewables. The company also stands to benefit from recent market volatility through its trading businesses, while the company continues to gain market share in Australian mortgages.

In respect to dividends, Morgans is forecasting partially franked dividends of $7.07 per share in FY 2023 and $7.47 per share in FY 2024. Based on the current Macquarie share price of $178.59, this will mean yields of 4% and 4.2%, respectively.

The post Brokers name 2 ASX dividend shares to buy now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• How to play ASX bank shares for dividends this reporting season: expert
• Macquarie share price slips despite rumours $3.7 billion acquisition imminent
• Why has the Macquarie share price had such a lacklustre start to August?
• 5 reasons to buy this ASX healthcare share: Goldman Sachs
• Morgans names 3 more of the best ASX shares to buy in August

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 recommended Macquarie 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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ASX reporting season will heat up this week as several big-name S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares hand in their full-year FY22 results.

Tomorrow, embattled funds management company Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) and annuities provider Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF) will release their respective FY22 reports.

Meanwhile, Wednesday and Thursday promise to be busy with results expected from the likes of Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG), Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) and Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX: TAH).

Despite the size and stature of the companies mentioned above, stealing the spotlight this week will be the following trio of ASX blue-chip shares. 

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

The ASX’s largest company is set to reveal its FY22 results tomorrow morning. 

BHP made headlines last week after announcing a non-binding indicative proposal to acquire copper miner OZ Minerals Limited (ASX: OZL). OZ Minerals quickly knocked back the $8.4 billion bid, with the board stating it “significantly undervalued” the business. 

BHP offered $25 cash per share, representing a 32% premium to OZ Minerals’ last closing price at the time. This story will likely continue to play out over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, investors will be watching the extent of the Big Australian’s revenue and earnings growth in FY22. Free cash flow will also be in focus as this guides BHP’s all-important dividend. In February, the ASX miner declared a record interim dividend of US$1.50 per share.

CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

The ASX’s healthcare market darling will lift the lid on its FY22 results on Wednesday.

Last week, CSL finalised its $16 billion acquisition of Vifor Pharma. But since the deal was completed after the end of the financial year, this won’t impact CSL’s FY22 results.

Instead, investors will be keeping a close eye on how CSL’s plasma collections are faring in a post-COVID world. After the pandemic put a clamp on plasma donations, industry data is showing that trading conditions for the plasma market are much improved.

CSL delivered 4% revenue growth in the first half of FY22 as the company’s plasma-derived products stalled. This was propped up by CSL’s influenza vaccine business, which posted sales growth of 18%. 

Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)

According to our Foolish reporting season calendar, toll road operator Transurban is expected to report its full-year results on Thursday.

Transurban last delivered an update when it released an investor day presentation in May. Large vehicle traffic continued to show resilience, supported by major construction projects and increased e-commerce activity.

Meanwhile, traffic volumes across airport-related corridors are seeing signs of recovery.

Investors will no doubt pay close attention to the latest traffic volumes and insights when Transurban reports on Thursday. Any commentary around the impact of fuel prices and inflation also won’t go unnoticed. 

Unlike BHP and CSL, Transurban’s dividends won’t be in focus on Thursday. This is because the toll road operator already declared a final FY22 distribution of 26 cents per stapled security back in June.

This took Transurban’s total FY22 distribution to 41 cents per stapled security, up 12% compared to the distributions paid in FY21.

The post Here are 3 ASX blue-chip shares reporting this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

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Motley Fool contributor Cathryn Goh has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Challenger 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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On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week in a disappointing fashion. The benchmark index fell 0.5% to 7,032.5 points.

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

ASX 200 expected to rebound

The Australian share market looks set to rebound on Monday following a very strong night on Wall Street on Friday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 39 points or 0.55% this morning. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones was up 1.3%, the S&P 500 climbed 1.7%, and the NASDAQ jumped 2.1%.

Oil prices fall

Energy producers Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) could start the week in the red after oil prices tumbled on Friday. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price dropped 2.4% to US$92.09 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price fell 1.45% to US$98.15 a barrel. Oil prices came under pressure on speculation that US Gulf supply disruption will ease.

Westpac Q3 update

The Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price will be one to watch on Monday when the banking giant releases its third quarter update. The market is likely to be looking for an update on how Australia’s oldest bank’s cost cutting program is progressing and how its margins have fared since rates started to rise.

Gold price rises

Gold miners Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a decent start to the week after the gold price pushed higher on Friday night. According to CNBC, the spot gold price was up 0.45% to US$1,815.50 an ounce. The precious metal recorded its fourth straight weekly gain after the US dollar softened.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank results

Westpac isn’t the only bank releasing an update today. Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) shares will be on watch when the regional bank releases its full year results. According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, its analysts expect the bank to report a cash profit of $502 million and pay a full year dividend of 123 cents per share.

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

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More reading

• Should investors buy Bendigo Bank shares for dividends?
• Up 12% in 30 days, is the Westpac share price still a buy?
• Can Coles shares deliver 13% growth AND tasty dividends this year?
• Could this ASX 200 share be heading for a short squeeze?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

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 positions in and has recommended Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited. 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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Are you looking for small cap ASX shares to buy? If you are, you may want to check out the two listed below that have been tipped as buys by brokers.

Here’s why brokers are bullish on these small cap shares:

Airtasker Ltd (ASX: ART)

The first small cap ASX share to consider is this online marketplace provider for local services.

Management believes that it has a significant growth opportunity ahead of it. In fact, it estimates that it has a total addressable market (TAM) of $600 billion across Australia, the UK, and the US. This compares to the gross marketplace volume of $189.6 million that it achieved in FY 2022.

Morgans remains a big fan of Airtasker and believes it is well-placed for long term growth thanks to its huge TAM opportunity. It explained:

Whilst acknowledging the current volatile market conditions and broader sector sentiment, we continue to remain attracted to the strong growth opportunity ahead for ART, predicated on the company successfully implementing its strategy of penetrating the prodigious TAM opportunity both domestically and offshore.

Morgans has an add rating and $1.05 price target on the company’s shares.

Nitro Software Ltd (ASX: NTO)

Another small cap ASX share that could be a buy is Nitro Software. It is a growing software company driving digital transformation in businesses around the world across multiple industries with its Nitro Productivity Suite.

Nitro’s shares have been hammered this year due to the tech selloff and a recent guidance downgrade. And while the team at Goldman Sachs was disappointed with the update, it hasn’t changed its view that Nitro has enormous long term growth potential.

Goldman explained:

We see the update as re-basing market expectations on NTO’s growth outlook and highlighting the path to breakeven; however, we acknowledge that NTO will likely enter a “show me” phase where consecutive quarters of strong ARR performance are necessary to allay concerns over execution challenges. That said, we continue to see NTO as an undervalued global growth opportunity and highlight that the company now trades at ~12x FY24E EV/EBITDA on a capitalisation-adjusted basis.

The broker has a buy rating and $2.05 price target on its shares.

The post 2 exciting small cap ASX shares to buy according to brokers appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• ‘The smaller you get, the worse the performance has been’: Should ASX small-cap shares be avoided right now?
• Experts name 2 exciting small cap ASX shares to buy with huge upside potential
• Why I think these ASX tech shares are buys in August
• Goldman Sachs names 2 small cap ASX shares to buy with 80%+ upside
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy 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 recommended Airtasker Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nitro Software 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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