• Bank of Queensland shares in focus amid strong first half profit growth

    A woman is excited as she reads the latest rumour on her phone.

    A woman is excited as she reads the latest rumour on her phone.

    The Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) share price will be one to watch this morning.

    This follows the release of the regional bank’s half year results.

    Bank of Queensland share price on watch after earnings beat

    • Total income up 1% to $831 million
    • Housing loan growth up 9% to $2.6 billion
    • Business loan growth up 8% to $600 million
    • Statutory net profit up 38% to $212 million
    • Cash earnings after tax up 14% to $268 million
    • Fully franked interim dividend per share of 22 cents
    • CET1 ratio of 9.68%

    What happened during the first half?

    For the six months ended February 28, Bank of Queensland delivered a 14% increase in cash earnings to $268 million. This appears to have beaten the market’s expectations, which could bode well for the Bank of Queensland share price today. Goldman Sachs, for example, was forecasting cash earnings of $222 million for the period.

    Management advised that this was driven by lending momentum, higher non-interest income, carefully managed costs, and a loan impairment expense credit in the half.

    One thing that weighed on its performance was its net interest income. It decreased 2% to $741 million due to a 12 basis points decline in its net interest margin (NIM) to 1.74% and the impact of an ME Bank decline in average interest earning asset balances prior to ownership.

    Management advised that its NIM weakness reflects industry dynamics including ongoing competition, higher fixed rate lending volumes, and volatile swap rates.

    Management commentary

    Bank of Queensland’s Managing Director and CEO, George Frazis, was pleased with the half. He said:

    “Today’s result demonstrates our disciplined execution of the ME integration and digital transformation program and represents our fifth consecutive half of improved underlying performance.

    This has been achieved during a period of ongoing economic uncertainty from COVID, and at a time of notable change as we bed down the integration of ME and upgrade our digital capability for customers and our people.”

    Pleasingly, Mr Frazis is positive on the bank’s outlook. The CEO commented:

    “We are a step closer to realising our bold strategy of building a truly multi-brand, cloud-based, digital retail bank with the launch of myBOQ joining VMA on the common core banking platform which enhances the customer experience.

    We remain firmly focussed on executing on our strategy to transform BOQ into a digital bank with a personal touch to create a compelling proposition for our shareholders, customers, people and the community.”

    The bank also suggested that margin pressures could be easing.

    The release states that management expects “to see NIM headwinds reducing and the continued benefits from our integration and productivity programs driving a cost reduction of at least 1%.”

    The post Bank of Queensland shares in focus amid strong first half profit growth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Bank of Queensland right now?

    Before you consider Bank of Queensland, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Bank of Queensland wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

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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 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 Bruce Jackson.

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  • 2 ASX dividend shares to buy this month: expert

    ASX dividend shares can offer attractive opportunities, according to experts.

    They reckon it’s possible for a business to grow its profit and/or underlying value over the long term while also paying attractive dividends to investors.

    Experts have made projections on two businesses expected to pay large dividend yields in the coming years. Let’s check them out.

    Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK)

    Nick Scali is one of the larger furniture retailing businesses on the ASX. It operates through two different brands – Nick Scali and Plush-Think Sofas.

    Broker Citi currently rates Nick Scali as a buy with a price target of $17.60. That implies a possible rise of around 60%.

    Citi thinks that Nick Scali will pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 9.9% in FY22 and 10% in FY23.

    One reason for Citi’s positivity is the ASX retail share’s healthy-looking order book.

    Since the start of the year, the Nick Scali share price has fallen by around 30%, which increases the prospective dividend yield.

    Nick Scali is working on its online sales, which come with an elevated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin. In the first six months of FY22, Nick Scali generated $13.7 million of online revenue, with an incremental earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) contribution of $8 million.

    The company also wants to grow its store network over the long term, from 108 in December 2021 to between 176 and 186 stores.

    Management also sees opportunities in the Plush acquisition with supply chain synergies and the store rollout.

    Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW)

    This is real estate investment trust (REIT) owns a diversified portfolio across a number of real estate sectors. The thing that links them all together is that the properties have long-term rental contracts, which helps the weighted average lease expiry (WALE).

    Those properties are spread across sectors like office, industrial, retail, agri-logistics and telecommunication exchanges. Charter Hall says that the focus is on key defensive tenant industries that are resilient to economic shocks.

    The ASX dividend share has several major tenants, including Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV), federal and state government agencies, Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), BP, Inghams Group Ltd (ASX: ING), Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL), David Jones, Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS) and Arnott’s Group.

    In the FY22 half-year result, it finished with a WALE of 12.2 years, providing “long-term income security”.

    For FY22, it’s expecting to achieve operating earnings per share (EPS) of no less than 30.5 cents, reflecting growth of at least 4.5%. This would be a distribution of at least 5.75%.

    Charter Hall REIT is currently rated as a buy by the broker Citi, with a price target of $5.71. The broker thinks that the REIT could pay a distribution of 5.8% in FY23.

    The post 2 ASX dividend shares to buy this month: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

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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 owns and has recommended COLESGROUP DEF SET and Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • How Bitcoin will hit $100,000 by the end of the year: expert

    person dancing in bitcoin spectacles wearing a gold outfit with hands up.person dancing in bitcoin spectacles wearing a gold outfit with hands up.

    Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is experiencing yet another correction, only a couple of weeks after the market thought it might have headed upwards.

    It’s the latest twist in a frustrating year for cryptocurrency owners.

    DeVere Group chief Nigel Green noted that after an 11% loss last week, the total crypto market is down to US$1.89 trillion.

    “Bitcoin briefly dipped below US$40,000, tracking losses in global equities,” he said.

    “The correlation with stock markets is currently especially pronounced with the tech-heavy NASDAQ-100 (NASDAQ: NDX) index, which is in tandem more than ever.”

    Green’s analysis is that inflation and slowing economic growth from higher interest rates are weighing heavily on minds and wallets.

    “It seems investors are reducing their exposure to risk-on assets, including stocks and crypto,” he said.

    “There’s a growing sense that central banks – including the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and European Central Bank — will be unable to achieve a ‘soft landing’… curbing inflation without precipitating a recession.”

    Bitcoin is not a risk asset, and the world will wake up to this

    Although the market seems to be classifying Bitcoin as a risk asset, Green reckons this will change as its underlying characteristics haven’t actually changed.

    “Bitcoin is regarded as a credible hedge against inflation for three key reasons,” he said.

    “First, its scarcity – a limited supply of 21 million — means that higher demand will push prices up. Second, its accessibility – as an asset it has value and is accepted by the market. And third, its durability – Bitcoin will continue to attract more demand over time.”

    This has Green licking his lips about what Bitcoin might be worth by the end of the year.

    “We expect Bitcoin will recover from the current crypto crash to hit a fresh all-time high of US$75,000 ($100,620) by the end of 2022,” he said.

    “If anything, the case for Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies is becoming stronger.”

    Bitcoin is currently hovering around the $53,000 mark, meaning Green is thinking it will double in less than eight months.

    Whales get fatter

    According to Green, all that the current sell-off is doing is allowing large crypto investors — called ‘whales’ — to buy up more to become even richer later.

    “Panic-sellers are feeding the whales who are viewing the current Bitcoin price dips as discounts.”

    Green again emphasised how the war in Ukraine has fast-tracked a real-life demonstration of the “decentralised, tamper-proof, unconfiscatable” utility of cryptos such as Bitcoin.

    “As inflation continues to run hot in the coming months, the price of Bitcoin will be supported as investors look to protect their purchasing power by moving out of cash and into store of value investments.”

    The post How Bitcoin will hit $100,000 by the end of the year: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Bitcoin right now?

    Before you consider Bitcoin, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Bitcoin wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo owns Bitcoin. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Bitcoin. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

    Young woman wearing glasses and red top looks at laptop happily as Starpharma price rises

    Young woman wearing glasses and red top looks at laptop happily as Starpharma price rises

    On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) returned to form and pushed higher. The benchmark index rose 0.35% to 7,479 points.

    Will the market be able to build on this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

    ASX 200 expected to rise

    The Australian share market looks set end the shortened week in a positive fashion after Wall Street rebounded overnight. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 18 points or 0.25% higher this morning. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones rose 1%, the S&P 500 climbed 1.1%, and the Nasdaq jumped 2%.

    Bank of Queensland results

    All eyes will be on the Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) share price this morning when it releases its half year results. According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, for the six months ended February 28, its analysts are expecting Bank of Queensland to report cash earnings of $222 million. This will be a 16.5% decline from the $266 million reported for the prior corresponding period.

    Oil prices jump again

    It could be another positive day for energy shares including Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) after oil prices jumped again overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 3.7% to US$104.32 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 4% to US$108.79 a barrel. Oil prices climbed despite the US revealing a large increase in crude inventories.

    New Hope goes ex-dividend

    The New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC) share price is going ex-dividend this morning for its monster dividend and is likely to trade sharply lower. Eligible shareholders can look forward to receiving the coal miner’s fully franked 30 cents per share interim dividend at the beginning of next month on 4 May. This dividend equates to a yield of 8% based on New Hope’s current share price.

    Gold price edges higher

    Gold miners Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL) will be on watch after the gold price edged higher overnight. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.2% to US$1,980.5 an ounce. Inflation concerns took the precious metal to a one-month high.

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

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

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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. owns and has recommended Block, Inc. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Block, Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • 3 ASX lithium shares that rocketed between 10% and 24% today

    Three rockets heading to spaceThree rockets heading to space

    The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) might have lifted 0.64%, but three ASX lithium shares practically shot into orbit today, easily outperforming the index.

    So which three ASX lithium shares are they, and why did they have such a stellar trading day?

    Scorpion Minerals Ltd (ASX: SCN)

    The Scorpion Minerals share price soared nearly 24% today. Scorpion raised $3.18 million to explore lithium and other metals at the Pharos Project in Western Australia. The company has already identified multiple lithium targets and plans to start drilling in the June quarter. Scorpion will take advice from renowned WA lithium expert Michael Fotios.

    Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)

    Core Lithium surged 12% despite no fresh news from the company today. The Core Lithium share price has exploded a massive 435% in a year. The company is exploring the Finniss Lithium Project in the Northern Territory. Lithium is a critical component of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). Demand for lithium is surpassing new supplies. On Monday, Core Lithium entered an agreement to acquire a new lithium project.

    Lake Resources (ASX: LKE)

    Lake Resources shares surged nearly 10% today. The company’s shares have risen 541% in a year. The strong lithium market could also be helping Lake. In news today, CBS reported Honda would invest 5 trillion yen in electric vehicle technology. Honda aims to produce more than 2 million EVs per year by 2030. Also, Bell Potter has recently lifted the price target on the Lake share price by 55% to $2.83. Lake is exploring lithium at the Kachi project in Argentina.

    The post 3 ASX lithium shares that rocketed between 10% and 24% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in right now?

    Before you consider , you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Monica O’Shea 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 Bruce Jackson.

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  • 3 top ASX growth shares that experts say are buys

    Man pointing an upward line on a bar graph symbolising a rising share price.

    Man pointing an upward line on a bar graph symbolising a rising share price.

    If you’re a growth investor with room for some new portfolio additions, then it could be worth considering the three ASX growth shares listed below.

    Here’s what you need to know about these buy-rated ASX shares:

    Dicker Data Ltd (ASX: DDR)

    The first growth share to look at is Dicker Data. It is a leading technology hardware, software, and cloud distributor, which distributes a growing portfolio of products from the world’s leading technology vendors from its new state of the art distribution centre.

    It has been growing at a consistently solid rate for years and the team at Morgan Stanley appear confident this trend can continue thanks to ongoing industry tailwinds. The broker has an overweight rating and $16.00 price target on its shares.

    Nitro Software Ltd (ASX: NTO)

    Another ASX growth share to look at is document productivity software company Nitro Software. It is the company behind the popular Nitro Productivity Suite, which provides businesses of all sizes with an integrated PDF productivity and electronic signature tools. At the end of FY 2021, the company had over 1 million active subscriptions and reported over 22 million eSignature requests across its platforms.

    Goldman Sachs is bullish on Nitro and has a buy rating and $2.60 price target on its shares. It recently commented: “We estimate Nitro can increase its TAM penetration from 0.15% to 1.4% by FY40 implying 9x uplift to Nitro’s current revenue base.”

    Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

    A final ASX growth share to consider buying is Xero. Over the last few years, the Xero platform has evolved from a simple cloud-based accounting solution into a full service small business solution. This has led to millions of small to medium sized businesses globally subscribing and running their businesses through its platform.

    The good news is the company still has a very long growth runway, which Goldman Sachs believes has the potential to underpin multi-decade strong top line growth. Goldman has a buy rating and $135.00 price target on the company’s shares.

    The post 3 top ASX growth shares that experts say are buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

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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. owns and has recommended Dicker Data Limited and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Dicker Data Limited and Xero. 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 Bruce Jackson.

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  • Why did the Appen share price rise by a strong 5% today?

    A young woman holds her hand to her mouth in surprise as she reads about the Appen share price rising by almost 5% todayA young woman holds her hand to her mouth in surprise as she reads about the Appen share price rising by almost 5% today

    The S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) ended up having a solid, if not spectacular, day of trading this Wednesday. By market close, the All Ordinaries had gained a robust 0.47% to 7,772 points. But the Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) share price managed a far better performance.

    Appen shares ended the day at the rather unlucky number of $6.66 each, up a healthy 4.88%. Symbology aside, this would no doubt come as a welcome development for investors, who, before today, had watched Appen lose more than 7% over the first two weeks of April alone.

    That’s unfortunately not where this dataset provider company’s woes end either. From its glory WAAAX days of times gone by, Appen shares are now down more than 40% in 2022 thus far, and by more than 60% over the past 12 months. That’s including today’s gains, too.

    So why did Appen enjoy such a strong day of trading on the ASX today?

    Why did the Appen share price shoot 5% higher?

    Well, it’s unclear. The company made no announcements today, nor were there any other developments to speak of. Some ASX tech shares performed well today, though. Block Inc (ASX: SQ2) was up 0.73% at $165 a share. But many other ASX tech shares, including Xero Limited (ASX: XRO), Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) and WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) fell. So it doesn’t seem to be a sector-wide move.

    So perhaps investors have just decided Appen shares are cheap enough to be in the buy zone. After all, Appen touched a low of $6.35 just yesterday, which isn’t too far from this company’s 52-week low of $6.08.

    At least one ASX broker is bullish on Appen right now. As my Fool colleague Tristan covered earlier this month, broker Citi has a buy rating on Appen with a 12-month share price target of $9.15. If that came to pass, it would mean a rise of almost 40% from today’s pricing.

    Whatever the reason for today’s strong price rise for Appen shares, no doubt it came as a welcome development for shareholders.

    Appen has a market capitalisation of $783.49 million with a dividend yield of 1.5%.

    The post Why did the Appen share price rise by a strong 5% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Appen right now?

    Before you consider Appen, you’ll want to hear this.

    Motley Fool Investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Appen wasn’t one of them.

    The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.* And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

    *Returns as of January 13th 2022

    More reading

    Citigroup is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. 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. owns and has recommended Appen Ltd. 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 Bruce Jackson.

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  • Magellan share price lifts as company tells investors, ‘We need your help!’

    a businessman wearing tousers, a shirt and a tie sits cross legged on the sand in front of a sign that says SOS with his brief case beside him.a businessman wearing tousers, a shirt and a tie sits cross legged on the sand in front of a sign that says SOS with his brief case beside him.

    The Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) share price closed more than 3% higher on Wednesday, finishing at $16.44.

    With its shares gliding downwards the past 12 months, the embattled fund manager turned to its investors for support as part of a wider plan to stop it haemorrhaging capital.

    As seen below, Magellan shares have now dipped substantially from the benchmark index, the result of a significant wave of selling pressure.

    TradingView Chart

    ‘We need your help!’

    Magellan is set to offer its clients $30 Amazon gift vouchers in exchange for feedback on how to improve its online services, The Age reports today.

    According to reports, Magellan sent an email to clients titled, “We Need Your Help!”, asking stakeholders to complete a short survey on how to improve the company’s website.

    “We regularly ask our clients for feedback as we value your opinions. Our website rebuild is no different… Be one of the first 200 people to complete the survey and receive a $30 Amazon voucher,” it said, as cited by The Age.

    The push for client engagement comes after a long-tailed string of events that’s seen the fund manager’s share price collapse more than 66% in the past year and almost 23% this year to date.

    After the shock exit of former CEO Brett Cairns, Magellan’s founder and chief investment officer Hamish Douglass was quick to follow.

    A short while later, it was reported Douglass will step down indefinitely, with the company confirming he will not return under a new leadership team.

    In the midst of the internal reshuffle, the fund’s largest shareholder, UK giant St James Place, withdrew its investment valued at $23 billion.

    Other institutional and retail outflows soon followed and have kept up at pace. Analysts at JP Morgan note this as a key risk for the company moving forward.

    In a recent note, the broker said:

    The pace of outflows, particularly in Institutional, appears to have slowed with Retail net outflows appearing relatively steady on a pro-rata basis.

    [H]owever, we still remain cautious noting this may not be indicative of an improving trend given the very short measurement window since the previous update.

    Total outflows for the March quarter stood at $17.9 billion, JP Morgan said. This was split between $16 billion of institutional capital pulled from the fund and an additional $1.9 billion in retail investor money.

    “Recent leadership changes and Mr Douglass’ leave of absence have resulted in greater uncertainty. We remain underweight on relative valuation,” JP Morgan concluded.

    The post Magellan share price lifts as company tells investors, ‘We need your help!’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

    More reading

    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 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 Bruce Jackson.

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  • Why crypto investors are watching this key Bitcoin price level

    a mysterious person wearing a black hoodie points a finger to a vast illuminated graph tracking bitcoin value with bitcoin symbols floating above the chart.

    a mysterious person wearing a black hoodie points a finger to a vast illuminated graph tracking bitcoin value with bitcoin symbols floating above the chart.

    The Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price is up 0.38% since this time yesterday, currently trading for US$40,122 (AU$53,932).

    This will come as welcome news to crypto investors who watched the world’s number one token by market cap tumble more than 7% amid yesterday’s broad crypto selloff. That selloff saw every one of the top 100 tokens, aside from stablecoins, trading deep into the red.

    Cryptos have been closely tracking risk assets, like high-growth tech shares, all of which have come under pressure with expectations of significant interest rate hikes ahead.

    And that risk-off sentiment has seen the Bitcoin price lose 12% over the past week.

    But that’s all virtual water under the bridge.

    To get a handle on where the world’s original digital token may be heading next, we turn to the price charts.

    Why crypto investors are watching this key Bitcoin price level

    Looking at the charts, Bitcoin is hovering just above a ‘bearish flag’ in terms of support.

    As Bloomberg reports, that support sits at US$37,582. Or about 6% below the current Bitcoin price.

    If the world’s top crypto falls below that, the next key price level to watch out for is US$36,700. And if it falls below that, look out below.

    According to Bloomberg analysts, if the Bitcoin price slides lower than that level – some 8% less than where it’s at today – it could tumble all the way down to US$26,000.

    The last time it was at the level was back in December 2020.

    The post Why crypto investors are watching this key Bitcoin price level appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for over ten years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.

    *Returns as of January 12th 2022

    More reading

    The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Bitcoin. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • Here are the top 10 ASX shares today

    Top 10 ASX 200 shares todayTop 10 ASX 200 shares today

    Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) dodged another negative session thanks to a heavy helping of gains across energy and materials. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 0.34% higher at 7,479 points.

    It appears the negative conditions that influenced US markets last night were contained from the Aussie share market today. Instead, the majority of ASX sectors chartered a course for a higher finish than yesterday.

    Those that delivered the best performance could be found within the energy and mining sectors. At the other end of the market, the real estate and communication services sectors finished in the red.

    However, the question is: which shares delivered the biggest returns to investors on the ASX today? Here are the top ten stocks that came through for investors:

    Top 10 ASX shares countdown today

    Looking at the top 200 listed companies, Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the lithium exploration company raced 12.35% higher amid a rush for lithium shares across the board during the session. Find out more about Core Lithium here.

    Picking up the silver placing with a gain of 11.65% today was none other than lithium developer AVZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: AVZ). An update regarding the company’s Manono Lithium and Tin Project helped shares gather momentum. Uncover the latest AVZ Minerals details here.

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

    ASX-listed company Share price Price change
    Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) $1.365 12.35%
    AVZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: AVZ) $1.15 11.65%
    Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE) $2.02 9.78%
    Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) $0.91 9.64%
    Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN) $2.25 7.14%
    Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL) $5.09 5.82%
    Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) $61.80 4.46%
    GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG) $1.55 4.38%
    Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) $1.66 4.08%
    Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX) $6.13 3.90%
    Data as at 4:00pm 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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    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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 Bruce Jackson.

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