The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) dropped 3% to a 10-week low amid a 12% jump in the Brent crude oil price last week.

Oil prices surged as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen moved closer to shutting down Saudi Arabia’s alternative oil export route.

Over the weekend, Iran said it would meet Gulf states in Oman to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked since March.

This led to an easing in the Brent crude oil price, down from nearly US$110 per barrel on Friday to US$104 per barrel on Sunday.

Let’s check out some new ratings on ASX 200 shares for the week (courtesy The Bull).  

NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

The NextDC share price fell 6.22% to $12.06 on Friday.

The ASX 200 tech share is down 29% over 12 months. 

James Bills from Shaw and Partners has a buy rating on NextDC shares.

Bills said: 

The company continues to benefit from strong demand for data centre infrastructure, driven by cloud computing, artificial intelligence and increasing digitalisation across the economy.

NXT is expanding capacity across key Australian markets and maintains a strong development pipeline to support future growth.

While investment spending remains elevated, management continues to secure long term customer contracts that provide earnings visibility.

With structural growth tailwinds expected to persist for many years, NXT remains well positioned to deliver attractive long term shareholder returns.

South32 Ltd (ASX: S32)

The South32 share price declined 3.82% to $5.02 on Friday.

The ASX 200 mining share is up 92% over 12 months. 

Joshua Baker from RaaS Group has a hold rating on South32 shares.

Baker said: 

South32 is a diversified miner with exposure to copper, aluminium, manganese, zinc, silver and lead. It recently announced the sale of its aluminium value chain assets to Alcoa for up to $US5.6 billion.

The company continues to invest in the Hermosa development to grow its future base metals production. A hold recommendation is driven by stronger commodity price outlooks in key metals, including zinc.

Consequently, this can support underlying earnings and operating cash flow growth to offset the expectation of higher investment levels to support a longer term strategic plan. Underlying EBITDA grew by 28 per cent in fiscal year 2026.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)

The CBA share price fell 3.88% to $154.19 on Friday.

The ASX 200 bank share has fallen 9% over 12 months.

Bills has a sell rating on CBA shares.

He explained: 

In our view, the stock trades at a significant premium to domestic peers and on historical valuations.

While the bank maintains a high quality franchise and strong market position, earnings growth is expected to remain modest amid competitive lending conditions and regulatory pressures.

Recent Federal Government initiatives aimed at increasing housing supply and improving affordability is likely to lead to intensifying competition across the mortgage market and place pressure on lending margins.

Current valuations leave limited scope for further earnings driven upside. Investors may wish to take profits and re-deploy capital into opportunities offering stronger risk-adjusted return potential.

The post Buy, hold, sell: NextDC, South32, CBA shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

After what felt like an endless slide, CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares are finally giving investors something to smile about.

The biotech giant has surged almost 85% from its multi-year low of $90 in June. But the rebound hit a speed bump last week, with the CSL share price falling 5% to $167.10. Even so, it remains 21% higher over the past month, although it’s still down 21% over 12 months.

So, after such a dramatic turnaround, where could CSL shares head next?

Why have CSL shares rallied?

To understand the recovery, it helps to remember just how beaten down CSL shares had become.

At $90, its shares were trading at levels not seen in more than a decade. Even during the COVID-19 market crash, investors didn’t push CSL anywhere near that low.

The market appeared to be pricing in a very bleak future. Then came CSL’s FY26 result and a reset that investors seemed willing to embrace.

On the surface, the numbers looked disastrous. CSL reported a US$2.6 billion net loss, dragged down by US$7.1 billion of pre-tax impairments and US$799 million in restructuring costs. Much of this was non-cash, with significant impairments tied to CSL Vifor’s intangibles and under-utilised assets.

But investors looked beyond the headline loss.

Underlying NPATA fell just 2% to US$3.1 billion, while revenue slipped 1% to US$15.8 billion, beating expectations.

More importantly, the result gave the market a cleaner starting point and a clearer path forward.

Why FY27 could make or break the recovery

The bull case now rests heavily on FY27. CSL expects underlying NPAT to grow about 5%, ahead of consensus expectations for roughly 2% growth.

Behring is expected to deliver mid-single-digit growth, with immunoglobulin sales forecast to rise at a mid-to-high single-digit rate.

Vifor remains the major headache, however, with revenue expected to plunge around 25% as iron generics enter the market. Vifor itself was the source of most of the impairments, and it is now shrinking by a quarter a year.

The bulls argue Behring is large enough to absorb that. Consensus forecasts put earnings per CSL share at approximately $9.00 in FY27, $9.50 in FY28 and $10.10 in FY29.

At $167.10, CSL trades at roughly 19 times forecast FY27 earnings. That’s hardly bargain territory, but it could look reasonable if the earnings recovery plays out.

Are CSL shares heading higher?

Several major brokers remain bullish on CSL shares despite the recent rally.

UBS has a buy rating and $181 price target, implying around 8% upside. Morgan Stanley is overweight with a $182 target, while Morgans has a buy rating and $187.71 target, representing roughly 12% potential upside.

So, while CSL shares have bounced sharply, the broker view suggests there may still be some upside, provided the anticipated earnings recovery materialises.

However, the team at Macquarie is considerably more cautious, with a neutral rating and target of just over $133.

For investors, the key question may no longer be whether CSL can recover, but whether its improving outlook can justify the much higher share price.

The post CSL shares just fell 5% after a strong rally. Is the recovery losing steam? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther 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. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

For a long time, property has been Australians’ go-to way to build wealth.

But with house prices getting further out of reach, more people are turning to the stock market.

And new CommSec data gives us a pretty good idea of how Australians are investing across different generations.

The figures cover more than 2 million customers, and there are some pretty big differences depending on age.

I think they’re worth looking at, particularly if you’ve ever wondered whether your own portfolio is ahead or behind.

So, how do you compare?

How much does each generation have invested?

According to CommSec, Gen Z investors have an average portfolio of around $20,000.

That might not sound like much, but many of these investors are only just getting started.

Millennials are quite a bit further ahead, with an average portfolio of around $66,000.

Then we get to Gen X.

The average Gen X investor has around $233,000 in the market, while Baby Boomers are sitting on an average portfolio of roughly $541,000.

But I don’t think investors should look at those numbers and get worried if they’re behind.

Everyone is in a different position.

Some people might have more money tied up in property or superannuation, while others may have only started investing recently.

Still, I think these figures are a pretty good reminder of what can happen when you keep investing for a long time.

Where should you be?

I don’t believe there’s one magic number to look at here.

If you’re in your 20s, I think getting started matters more than worrying about whether you have $10,000 or $30,000 invested.

In your 30s and 40s, regularly adding to your portfolio can really start to make a difference.

And once you reach your 50s and 60s, the amount you have invested can become much bigger after decades of contributions and compounding.

Keep in mind, the average Baby Boomer portfolio of $541,000 wasn’t built overnight.

That balance likely took many, many years to reach.

And that’s probably the biggest lesson here.

What’s the best way to invest?

The share market doesn’t need to be as complicated as many investors make it.

You don’t need to find the next stock that doubles in six months or try to perfectly time every move in the market.

For most investors, building a diversified mix of quality ASX shares, international shares or low-cost ETF’s is a good place to start.

The key is being consistent.

For example, investing $500 each week works out to $26,000 a year.

Do that for 10 years, and you’ve put $260,000 into the market before even including any investment returns or dividends.

Of course, not everyone can invest $500 a week.

But whatever the amount is, I think the important thing is to keep adding to your portfolio and give your investments time to grow.

The post Australians are investing earlier than ever. How does your portfolio stack up? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Buy, hold, sell: NextDC, South32, CBA shares
• CSL shares just fell 5% after a strong rally. Is the recovery losing steam?
• Looking to bank the final Qantas dividend? You’d better hurry!
• Are ASX shares heading for a crash? Here’s how I’m preparing
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week

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