The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has rallied 19% off its March lows despite rising unemployment. This has been assisted by government measures:

• $130 billion JobKeeper payment to eligible businesses and employees
• Record low interest rates set by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and quantitative easing
• Cash flow boosts to eligible businesses
• Increase in payments to eligible welfare recipients
• Early access to superannuation for eligible citizens

The list above is not exhaustive but representative of measures taken by the government and the RBA to try to cushion the economy.

Why has the government stepped in?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on the Australian economy. Unemployment is estimated to rise to 10% from 5.1% according to Treasury figures. Without the stimulus measures, unemployment would have been higher. The Treasurer said the economic shock from coronavirus is set to be far more significant than the Global Financial Crisis.

According to research firm Roy Morgan, a staggering 3.92 million Australians (27.4% of the workforce) were unemployed or under-employed and looking for more work in the second half of March.

Relationship between unemployment and the share market

The market rally is surprising to many, particularly when economic indicators, such as unemployment, are soaring. The share market is more concerned about predicting the future than it is about the present. Furthermore, the recent decline and upswing is explained by the market’s ongoing re-evaluation of risk.

The bounce in the market is also in anticipation of a ‘V-shaped’ recovery.  While it’s yet to be seen whether government stimulus will have the desired effect, it’s reassuring for investors to see economic support.

Prices of shares are influenced by company earnings. While earnings have been hit hard in some sectors, other sectors have thrived on the back of the crisis with more demand.

An example of a sector hit hard by economic shocks are financial institutions such as Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ), and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC). A low interest rate environment squeezes net interest margins which impact earnings significantly.

In contrast, a sector that has performed very well are ASX healthcare shares such as Ansell Limited (ASX: ANN) and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp Ltd (ASX: FPH). This is on the back of increasing demand for their healthcare products.

Foolish takeaway

It appears optimism on the share market has replaced pessimism somewhat. Over the coming months, as more economic data is released, investors will have a clearer picture of any economic recovery.

More reading

• ASX 200 down 0.9%: CBA reveals $1.5bn COVID19 provision & gold miners charge higher
• Dividends are drying up – but not for these ASX shares
• Why CBA, CSR, Fortescue, & Northern Star shares are pushing higher
• Safe dividend stocks to buy today for the COVID-19 world
• 2 quality ASX shares to buy for long-term growth

Motley Fool contributor Matthew Donald owns shares of National Australia Bank Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Ansell Ltd. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. 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 the share market still trading notably lower than its February highs, I believe there are some great opportunities for investors right now.

If you have $3,000 gaining just a modicum of interest in a savings account, I would seriously consider putting it to work in the share market instead.

Here are two top ASX 200 shares I would buy with $3,000:

Bravura Solutions Ltd (ASX: BVS)

Bravura Solutions is a leading provider of software products and services to the wealth management and funds administration industries. It is best known for its Sonata wealth management platform which allows users to connect and engage with their clients anytime, anywhere, through computers, tablets or smartphones. Sonata has been growing very strongly in recent years and looks set to continue for some time due to its quality and sizeable market opportunity.

This should be bolstered by recent acquisitions of Midwinter and Finocomp. Midwinter allows financial advisers to provide comprehensive face to face financial advice and looks well placed to capitalise on the continued change in the Australian financial advice industry. Whereas FinoComp’s software adds functionality to Bravura and cross-sell opportunities. Another positive is that demand for its offering has not been impacted by the pandemic. Management recently reaffirmed its guidance for mid-teens profit growth in FY 2020 (excluding the benefits of the aforementioned acquisitions).

ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

Another share to consider buying with $3,000 is ResMed. It has been growing at a very strong rate over the last decade and has become one of the world’s leading sleep treatment companies. Pleasingly, this strong form has continued in FY 2020. During the first half the company delivered a 22% lift in operating profit to US$368.9 million. It then followed this up with a 47% increase in third quarter profits earlier this month.

Although ResMed’s growth in the coming quarters could be hit by lower sleep apnoea diagnoses because of the pandemic, outside this, I’m confident that it is well-placed to continue its positive trajectory for many years to come. This is due to its world-class product portfolio and the massive number of undiagnosed sleep apnoea sufferers globally. The company estimates that there are upwards of ~1 billion people impacted by sleep apnoea globally. The vast majority of these are currently undiagnosed.

More reading

• Why CSR, Kogan, Premier Investments, & ResMed shares are storming higher
• These were the top 10 ASX 200 shares over the last year
• In a post-COVID world, could Australia be the next superpower?
• 5 top ASX shares to buy and hold for a decade
• Fund manager thinks investors should look beyond the worst economic data since the Great Depression

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Bravura Solutions Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Bravura Solutions Ltd and ResMed Inc. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post Got $3,000 to invest? Here are 2 fantastic ASX 200 shares to buy right now appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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At lunch on Wednesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is off its lows but on course to record another decline. The benchmark index is down 0.9% to 5,352.5 points.

Here’s what has been happening:

Commonwealth Bank third quarter update.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price is trading higher today after the release of its third quarter update. For the three months ending March 31, Commonwealth Bank delivered cash net profit from continuing operations of $1.3 billion. This was down 41% on the average quarterly cash net profit it posted in the first half. The coronavirus pandemic was the main drag on its results. The banking giant revealed an additional credit provision of $1.5 billion for the potential longer term impacts of COVID-19.

Big banks under pressure.

The rest of the big four banks are trading lower on Wednesday after overnight declines by their U.S. counterparts. The worst performer in the group is the Australia and New Zealand Banking Grp Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price with a 1% decline. Its shares were down as much as 2% at stage this morning.

Gold miners charge higher.

One area of the market which is pushing higher today is the gold mining industry. Two of the biggest gold miners, Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST), are up around 2% at lunch. This has helped drive the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold index 1.25% higher today. Investors have been buying the gold miners due to a rise in the gold price and increasing demand for safe haven assets.

Best and worst ASX 200 performers.

The best performer on the ASX 200 today has been the Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price by some distance with a 7% gain. This is despite there being no news out of the lithium miner today. The worst performer has been the Ausnet Services Ltd (ASX: AST) share price with a 6.5% decline. This morning Ord Minnett downgraded its shares to a lighten rating with a $1.75 price target following its FY 2020 result.

Returns as of 7/4/2020

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

More reading

• How can the ASX 200 soar with rising unemployment?
• Revealed: 5 dividend shares for reliable income
• Dividends are drying up – but not for these ASX shares
• Why CBA, CSR, Fortescue, & Northern Star shares are pushing higher
• Safe dividend stocks to buy today for the COVID-19 world

The post ASX 200 down 0.9%: CBA reveals $1.5bn COVID19 provision & gold miners charge higher appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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