It was another good week for ASX 200 shares as the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) edged 0.25% higher. 

Last week I was watching Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) and Xero Limited (ASX: XRO).

The CBA share price edged lower but is still hovering around the $60 per share mark. Flight Centre shares fell 7.06% lower last week as investors continued to contemplate whether the minimal easing of coronavirus restrictions will translate positively for the travel sector. Xero shares slumped 8.48% lower, including a 5.58% drop on Friday, after the release of its full-year earnings on Thursday. 

As we commence another COVID-19-hit week on the markets, check out the 3 ASX 200 shares I’ll be keeping an eye on. 

3 ASX 200 shares to watch this week

I think the Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) share price is one to watch this week. Northern Star is one of the leading ASX 200 gold shares and could climb higher if investors continue to be bearish.

Given the uncertainty we’re seeing in the economy, I think gold shares could do well this week. I’m not bullish enough to be buying gold shares for the long-term, but the Northern Star share price could be an indicator of how investors are feeling right now.

Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) is another ASX 200 share to watch this week. Towards the end of last week, there was a lot of oil-driven volatility. The US markets (which the ASX often follows) were up and down as the oil price war continues. Despite low demand and a glut of supply, Woodside shares could be in the buy zone.

No one knows how the Saudi Arabia-Russia oil war will play out this year. However, Woodside shares are down 38.76% this year and could bounce back strongly if we see signs of a return to normality in the weeks ahead.

Finally, Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) is among my ASX 200 shares to watch this week. Wesfarmers is sitting on a big pile of cash right now and it could be ready to deploy it. Whether this is via a strategic acquisition or in a new industry altogether, I think Wesfarmers could soon be going shopping.

This could put the ASX 200 conglomerate’s shares in the buy zone if it picks up a high-quality company for a cheap price.

More reading

• Meet the ASX 200 company that just posted a 90% surge in profit
• These 5 ASX shares were last week’s biggest gainers
• How to invest $5,000 in ASX 200 healthcare shares today
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Gold miners help edge ASX ever higher
• Why I think it’s time to buy this ASX 200 share

Ken Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Xero. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited. 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 3 ASX 200 shares to watch this week appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has followed the lead of U.S. markets and is pushing notably higher. In late morning trade the benchmark index is up 1.1% to 5,463.2 points.

Four shares that have failed to follow the market higher on Monday are listed below. Here’s why they are dropping lower today:

The Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) share price is down over 3% to $101.72. As well as being impacted by general weakness in the banking sector, its shares have come under pressure after going ex-dividend. Eligible shareholders of the investment bank can now look forward to being paid its $1.80 per share partially franked final dividend on July 3. Incidentally, if you’re looking to reinvest these dividends, here’s where I would put the money.

The Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price is down 1% to $3.14. This is despite there being no news out of the telecommunications company today. However, most telco shares are trading lower this morning. This could be down to investors switching out of defensive shares into risk on assets.  

The United Malt Group Ltd (ASX: UMG) share price has continued its slide and is down 2.5% to $4.00. United Malt’s shares have come under pressure recently after completing a $140 million institutional placement. These funds were raised at $3.80 per share, which represented an 11.4% discount to its last traded price. United Malt intends to use the proceeds to strengthen its balance sheet and provide financial and operational flexibility.

The Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price is down 1% to $15.11. Despite the improving investor sentiment, the big four banks are all trading lower today and acting as a drag on proceedings. Westpac is the worst performer in the group with its 1% decline. This could be down to concerns that the cash rate could go into negative territory later this year.

More reading

• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Gold miners help edge ASX ever higher
• I would reinvest my Macquarie dividends in these top ASX shares
• 5 ASX 200 winners and 5 losers of the week
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• How to earn $50,000 of passive income with ASX shares

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns shares of Westpac Banking. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie Group Limited and Telstra Limited. 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 Why Macquarie, Telstra, United Malt, & Westpac are dropping lower appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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ASX 200 healthcare shares have had a broadly strong start to the year. While the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 19.73% this year, the nature of the coronavirus pandemic has meant that some healthcare companies have climbed in value.

If you’ve got some spare cash to invest in 2020, here are 3 of my top ASX 200 healthcare shares to buy right now.

3 ASX 200 healthcare shares to buy in 2020

Let’s start with one of the biggest companies on the ASX: CSL Limited (ASX: CSL). The CSL share price has climbed 9.46% in 2020 and its market capitalisation has swelled to $138 billion.

CSL is a global biotechnology leader that researches, develops, manufactures, and markets products to treat and prevent serious human medical conditions. CSL has been active despite the pandemic and is even working on a potential plasma treatment with the support of the federal government. 

That could make CSL shares a good buy given its size, 0.96% dividend yield and non-cyclical earnings.

Another top ASX 200 healthcare share to buy at the moment is Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC). Ramsay is a private healthcare provider with operations across Australia, the UK, France, Indonesia and Malaysia. The company specialises in surgery, rehabilitation and psychiatric care and its share price was under pressure this year.

In fact, Ramsay shares were trading near their 52-week high of $80.93 in mid-February. However, the COVID-19 pandemic smashed the Ramsay share price to a 52-week low of $46.12 in mid-March, before it recovered 42% to its current $65.51 valuation.

Ramsay shares are yielding 2.35% right now and could be back in the buy zone. With pandemic restrictions being wound back, the potential strain on private healthcare could start to be eased. That means Ramsay’s operations could go back to a steady state with the added bonus of non-cyclical earnings in 2020 and beyond.

Finally, the Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) share price could be a good way to invest $5,000 in 2020. Polynovo’s patented NovoSorb product helps with the treatment of burns and has had widespread success. In fact, the ASX 200 healthcare share has been rebounding strongly in recent weeks after continuing to post record monthly sales.

More reading

• Meet the ASX 200 company that just posted a 90% surge in profit
• These 5 ASX shares were last week’s biggest gainers
• 3 ASX 200 shares to watch this week
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Gold miners help edge ASX ever higher
• 5 ASX 200 winners and 5 losers of the week

Ken Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Ramsay Health Care Limited. 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 How to invest $5,000 in ASX 200 healthcare shares today appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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