Looking for investment ideas for April? Listed below are two high quality options to consider right now.

Here’s what you need to know about these ASX 200 shares:

ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

The first ASX 200 share that could be in the buy zone in April is ResMed. It is a sleep treatment-focused medical device company with a portfolio of industry-leading products supporting sufferers of afflictions including sleep apnoea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

ResMed also has a growing software business that looks well-placed to benefit from the shift to home healthcare.

The company has a long runway for growth. This is due to its significant market opportunity, with an estimated ~1 billion people suffering from sleep apnoea worldwide.

Morgans is a fan of ResMed. It recently retained its add rating and put a price target of $40.80 on its shares. The broker believes ResMed is well-placed as it “builds a unique, patient-centric, connected-care digital platform that addresses the main pinch points across the healthcare value chain.”

TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE)

Another ASX 200 share to look at in April is TechnologyOne. It is Australia’s largest enterprise software company, providing a global software as a service (SaaS) ERP solution that transforms business and makes life simple for its customers.

At the last count, there were well over 1,000+ leading corporations, government agencies, local councils and universities being powered by its software.

TechnologyOne’s ongoing shift to a SaaS focused business has driven strong recurring revenue growth in recent years. Pleasingly, this is expected to continue in the coming years with management confident it will hit annual recurring revenue (ARR) of over $500 million by FY 2026. This is almost double its current base ARR of $257.5 million.

It commented: “Our SaaS business continues to grow quickly. The quality of this revenue stream is exceptionally high, given its recurring contractual nature, combined with our very low churn rate of ~1%. […] With our fast-growing SaaS business and the announcement of the end of our On-Premise business, we are on track to hit our target of $500m+ ARR by FY26.”

Bell Potter is a fan and has a buy rating and $14.00 price target on its shares.

The post 2 highly rated ASX 200 shares analysts are tipping as buys right now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Analysts name 3 ASX 200 shares that could generate strong returns
• 3 ASX shares primed to bounce back: expert
• Growth will be back! Expert picks 7 ASX shares to buy now
• The next ASX share ready to join the 20-bagger club: expert
• Broker tips TechnologyOne (ASX:TNE) share price to rise 26% amid SaaS growth

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 REA Group 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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As always, to herald the arrival of a new month, we asked our Foolish contributors (who are feeling especially ‘capital-F’ Foolish today!) to compile a list of some of the ASX shares experts are saying to buy in April. Here is what the team came up with.

Tristan Harrison: Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

The Xero share price has fallen by almost 30% since the start of 2022, but the business continues to grow.

In its FY22 half-year result, Xero revealed that its total number of subscribers rose by 23% to 3 million, while annualised monthly recurring revenue (AMRR) jumped 29% to $1.13 billion. Profitability continues to climb as well – the gross profit margin rose 1.4 percentage points to 87.1%.

Xero’s goal is to become the world’s most insightful and trusted small business platform to make life better for people in small businesses, as well as their advisors and communities worldwide. It’s investing heavily to “drive long-term shareholder value.”

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison does not own shares of Xero Limited.

Bernd Struben: DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO)

Droneshield offers products to detect and defeat drones on and off the battlefield.

With global drone production forecast to keep growing rapidly, the total addressable market for counter-drone technology is estimated to hit $5.9 billion by 2026. Analysts predict the market for drone defence technology will see annualised growth of more than 20% in that time.

There was much to like in Droneshield’s full-year financial results for 2021. Among the highlights, revenue increased 91% year on year to $10.6 million. And repeat customer cash receipts leapt 350% from 2020 to reach $9.9 million.

Droneshield is a smaller company with a market capitalisation of around $80 million. Shares in the company were trading at 20 cents apiece at yesterday’s close.

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben does not own shares of Droneshield Ltd.

Brooke Cooper: Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH)

Adairs is a staple store in many Australian shopping centres and is loved by its customers.

The company’s loyalty program holds 950,000 members. Additionally, Adairs’ sales remained relatively strong during the last half, considering it lost a significant number of store trading days during the period.

Unfortunately, the Adairs share price has tumbled by around 25% in 2022, but it could be one to look out for in the future. Broker Morgans is tipping 15% upside for Adairs shares this year, as well as a 9% dividend yield. The Adairs share price closed at $3.02 on Thursday.

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper does not own shares of Adairs Ltd.

Sebastian Bowen: BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

This exchange-traded fund (ETF) from BetaShares tracks the NASDAQ-100 Index (NASDAQ: NDX). The NASDAQ-100 houses most of the US tech giants on the American markets. You’ll find everything from Netflix and Tesla to Apple and Paypal in this fund.

But US tech shares like these have had a rough time of it lately on the NASDAQ. As it currently stands, NDQ units are still down more than 11% from their all-time high, which was reached in November last year.

This could arguably present one with an attractive opportunity to get exposure to some of the world’s leading tech companies at a discounted price. The BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF also has a trailing distribution yield of 3.8% at the time of writing.

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen does not own shares of the BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF, but does own shares of Apple and Tesla.

Zach Bristow: Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)

Macquarie has set the pace among ASX financials this past month and now trades around 13% higher over that period. At Thursday’s close, the Macquarie share price was trading at $203.27, having leapt around $28 from its March 2022 low point.

Macquarie has exposure across banking, infrastructure and commodity markets — segments that have spearheaded investor returns in 2022 so far. The investment bank recently noted it has rebalanced its portfolio “as if it’s a commodity boom”, sizing up positions in ASX miners, whilst trimming holdings in leisure and healthcare.

Macquarie is also forecast to pay a $6.30 per share dividend, according to consensus figures from Bloomberg data.

Motley fool contributor Zach Bristow does not own shares of Macquarie Group Ltd.

Brendon Lau: Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)

The gold price has been under some pressure as Russia and Ukraine try to negotiate a ceasefire. While the short-term movement in the gold price will be influenced by geopolitical risks, Macquarie believes that the nominal yield curve’s inversion, and still deeply negative level of real interest rates, remain supportive of the safe-haven commodity.

One of the broker’s top picks among ASX gold shares is Northern Star. Macquarie has an ‘outperform’ rating and $14 share price target on Northern Star. At Thursday’s close, Northern Star shares were trading at $10.74.

Motley fool contributor Brendon Lau does not own shares of Northern Star Resources Ltd.

Mitchell Lawler: Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL)

The COVID-19 PCR testing tailwind might be losing its former strength, but that hasn’t stopped some analysts from remaining bullish on one of the world’s leading medical diagnostic companies, Sonic Healthcare.

Despite recently achieving record revenue and profits, announcing an on-market share buyback program of up to $500 million, and acquiring one of the largest nationwide pathology practices in the United States (ProPath), shares in Sonic Healthcare are down by around 24% since the beginning of the year.

For Credit Suisse, the discount appears to offer an attractive share price compared to its own upgraded price target of $40.00. Sonic shares closed Thursday’s session at $35.48.

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares in Sonic Healthcare Limited.

Aaron Teboneras: Nearmap Ltd (ASX: NEA)

Nearmap shares have surged by around 27% over the past month. This came on the back of a positive update by the aerial imagery specialist on 29 March.

Management highlighted that Nearmap has achieved group annual contract value (ACV) of $150 million for the first time ever. Furthermore, the company signed its largest-ever government annual contract in North America.

In the same update, Nearmap also reaffirmed that group ACV is expected to be at the upper end of the $150 million to $160 million guidance range in FY22. This represents a potential increase of between 17% and 25% compared with the prior year (FY21: $128.2 million).

The Nearmap share price closed Thursday’s session 2.3% lower at $1.485.

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras owns shares of Neapmap Ltd.

James Mickleboro: Lifestyle Communities Limited (ASX: LIC)

Lifestyle Communities builds, owns, and operates land-lease communities that provide affordable housing options to Australians aged over 50.

The company notes that the land-lease model allows working, semi-retired, and retired people to downsize their family home to free up equity in retirement whilst enjoying resort-style living. This style of living is becoming increasingly popular, arguably putting Lifestyle Communities in a strong position to profit.

Goldman Sachs is very positive on the company’s outlook and believes “the market is not capturing the long-term opportunity for this business to continue to grow its long-term annuity-style earnings with limited incremental capital.”

The broker has a conviction buy rating and $24.50 price target on the company’s shares. The Lifestyle Communities share price has dropped 18% in 2022 and closed Thursday at $17.04.

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro does not own shares of Lifestyle Communities Limited.

The post Top ASX shares to buy in April 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Why is the Xero share price sliding 4% lower today?
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Tabcorp demerger update, BHP higher, Block tumbles
• 2 ASX dividend shares expected to have BIG yields in 2022
• 2 ‘very interesting’ ASX shares to buy now as ASX 200 roars back

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended ADAIRS FPO, Apple, BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS, DroneShield Ltd, Nearmap Ltd., Netflix, PayPal Holdings, Tesla, and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended ADAIRS FPO, BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS, Nearmap Ltd., and Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Apple, DroneShield Ltd, Macquarie Group Limited, Netflix, PayPal Holdings, and Sonic Healthcare 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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Are you looking for dividend shares to buy? If you are, then you might want to look at the shares listed below.

Here’s why these ASX dividend shares could be worth considering in April:

Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1)

The first ASX dividend shares to look at is Accent. It is a footwear focused retailer that owns a growing collection of store brands. These include HYPEDC, Pivot, Platypus, Sneaker Lab, and Stylerunner.

Accent’s shares have lost almost a third of their value this year due to tough trading conditions caused by COVID lockdowns. While this is disappointing, the team at UBS appear to see it as a buying opportunity.

The broker currently has a buy rating and $2.50 price target on the retailer’s shares. And while it expects a lower than normal dividend this year due to softer earnings, it is expecting a big rebound next year.

UBS has forecast a fully franked dividend of 7 cents per share in FY 2022 and then 13 cents per share in FY 2023. Based on the current Accent share price of $1.70, this will mean yields of 4.1% and 7.7%, respectively.

Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD)

Another ASX dividend share for investors to look at is agribusiness company, Elders.

It provides rural and regional customers with a range of services. These include livestock, real estate, feed and processing, wool agency services, financial planning, and grain marketing services.

Thanks to the success of Elders’ transformation plan and acquisitions, it has been a very strong performer over the last couple of years. Pleasingly, Goldman Sachs expects this positive form to continue.

It highlights the rationalisation of the rural services industry, margin expansion through backward integration, and the benefits of its large scale systems modernisation project as key drivers of growth in the coming years.

In light of this, the broker has a conviction buy rating and $17.65 price target on its shares.

As for dividends, the broker is forecasting fully franked dividends of 45 cents per share in FY 2022 and 47 cents per share in FY 2023. Based on the current Elders share price of $13.29, this will mean yields of 3.4% and 3.5%, respectively.

The post 2 fully franked ASX dividend shares experts rate as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• These were the best performing ASX 200 share last week

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 Accent Group and Elders 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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Recently it has been a horrifying time to be a Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) shareholder.

The share price has plummeted more than 70% since last July and has lost 25.5% just this year.

It was once a market darling but now seems like a basket case.

For Switzer Report co-founder Paul Rickard, the calamitous fall in Magellan shares can only be blamed on one thing.

“Fundamentally, it’s a story about performance,” he told Switzer TV Investing.

“A number of Magellan’s investors have realised that it’s underperforming its key index. It has been doing so for some time.”

Rickard said this is what happens to ASX shares that represent investment businesses.

“The money moves out [of the funds] and that creates its own problems, but of course, it means future earnings are going to be lower.”

Magellan has also faced some well-publicised management issues, primarily concerned with the stepping down of its celebrity co-founder Hamish Douglass.

So with the share price at such a heavy discount, is it time to consider buying Magellan shares again?

Has it hit the bottom yet?

Magellan shares look ‘super cheap’

Magellan shares closed Thursday at $15.94, which is actually 8.8% up from a week ago.

The target price from the analyst community is still below the current stock price, according to Rickard.

“Analysts have a consensus of $13.50,” he said.

“They’re worried you’re going to see a lot more funds outflow or funds under management moving out of the company — and that’s going to affect future earnings.”

Rickard admitted that the current stock price is looking very tempting.

“In a value sense, Magellan is looking super cheap. It’s trading on a price-earnings multiple of about 6.6 times this year’s earnings,” he said.

“Even allowing for a big fall in earnings next year because people have seen the funds flow out, it’s still only about just under 10 times.”

Don’t catch a falling knife

Rickard agrees with the analyst community that perhaps Magellan shares haven’t quite finished their descent yet.

“There’s no argument Magellan is a value stock, but I still think there’s maybe more bad news to come,” he said.

“Until you see the investment performance back on track, I think it’s a watch-and-wait stock.”

There is absolutely no rush in chasing a stock that’s had a shocker for a prolonged period.

“We always warn people about catching the falling knife,” he said.

“Sometimes these things keep falling.”

The post Is it finally time to buy Magellan (ASX:MFG) shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Magellan (ASX:MFG) share price dips despite free gift bonanza
• Magellan (ASX:MFG) share price up another 7% to 1-month high
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Telstra CEO steps down, Fortescue confirms E.ON deal
• Why did the Magellan (ASX:MFG) share price soar 7% on Tuesday?
• These were the worst performing ASX 200 shares last week

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo 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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On Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ran out of steam and ended its winning run with a small decline. The benchmark index fell 0.2% to 7,499.6 points.

Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Friday and end the week on a high? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to fall

The Australian share market looks set to end the week on a subdued note following a poor night of trade on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 15 points or 0.2% lower this morning. In late trade in the US, the Dow Jones is down 0.7%, the S&P 500 trading is down 0.65%, and the Nasdaq is down 0.6%.

Oil prices tumble

Energy producers including Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) could have a tough finish to the week after oil prices tumbled. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 6.5% to US$100.84 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 5.4% to US$107.29 a barrel. This follows news that US President, Joe Biden, will release 1 million barrels per day of oil from strategic petroleum reserves to support supply and combat sky high prices.

Tabcorp given buy rating

The Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX: TAH) share price could be in the buy zone according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. In response to the gambling company’s demerger update, the broker has put a buy rating and $6.20 price target on its shares. It said: “We continue to see this [demerger] as a key catalyst in unlocking significant shareholder value.”

Gold price rises

Gold miners Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) and St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) could have a decent finish to the week after the gold price edged higher. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.4% to US$1,947 an ounce. This was driven by weaker treasury yields and puts the precious metal on course to record its best quarter in almost two years.

Dividends being paid

It is another big day of dividend payments on Friday with a number of ASX 200 shares rewarding their shareholders today. Among the companies paying dividends are banking and insurance company Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN), telco giant Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), and wine company Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE).

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

More reading

• The ASX 200 just had its longest winning streak since 2017. What’s doing?
• What helped boost the Telstra share price on Thursday?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares this Thursday
• What’s dragging on ASX 200 energy shares today?
• Why BHP, Core Lithium, Tabcorp, and Talga shares are racing higher

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 owns and has recommended Telstra Corporation Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Treasury Wine Estates 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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The small end of the Australian share market is home to a number of companies with the potential to grow materially in the future.

Three that investors might want to get better acquainted with are listed below. Here’s why they are rated highly:

Bigtincan Holdings Ltd (ASX: BTH)

The first small cap ASX share to look at is this leading provider of enterprise mobility software to businesses globally. Bigtincan’s software provides businesses with new and more effective ways for their teams to perform at higher levels and deliver better results. This is because, as the company notes, its platform empowers sales and service representatives to maximise their use of sales collateral to engage with customers and prospects more effectively.

Morgan Stanley is bullish on Bigtincan. It has an overweight rating and $2.10 price target on its shares.

Symbio Holdings Ltd (ASX: SYM)

Another small cap to watch is Symbio. It specialises in the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology which is used to support services like teleconferencing, online business meetings, and digital data transfers. Symbio appears well-placed for growth over the long term thanks to increasing demand for VoIP technology, its expansion into Asia, and its strong balance sheet. The latter gives management opportunities to look at boosting its growth with acquisitions.

Ord Minnett currently has a buy rating and $7.15 price target on Symbio’s shares.

Whispir Ltd (ASX: WSP)

A final small cap ASX share to watch is Whispir. It provides a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) communications workflow platform that automates interactions between organisations and people. Whispir has been growing at a solid rate in recent years and management appears confident this will continue. This is due to the global mega trend of digital transformation which is providing strong tailwinds. Another positive is the low levels of churn the company is reporting (under 2%), which demonstrates the stickiness of its platform.

Ord Minnett is also a fan of Whispir. It has a buy rating and $2.85 price target on its shares.

The post 3 exciting small cap ASX shares for your watchlist appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 exciting small cap ASX shares for your watchlist
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• Down 35% in a month, why Motley Fool analyst Benny Ou says this ASX tech share is now a bargain buy

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 BIGTINCAN FPO, Symbio Holdings Limited, and Whispir Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended BIGTINCAN FPO and Symbio Holdings Limited. 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 Bruce Jackson.

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Looking for growth shares to buy in April? Well, here’s some good news!

Listed below are two growth shares that have recently been named as buys. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Allkem Limited (ASX: AKE)

Allkem could be an ASX growth share to buy in April. It is the top five global lithium mining company that was formed when Galaxy Resources and Orocobre merged last year.

The company owns a collection of high-quality assets including Olaroz, Mt Cattlin, and the Sal de Vida brine project.

Importantly, Allkem is already producing lithium in large quantities. This means that it is benefiting greatly from the record lithium prices being underpinned by the clean energy transition and the adoption of electric vehicles.

Morgans is very positive on Allkem and is forecasting strong earnings growth in the coming years as its production ramps up. It has an add rating and $14.83 price target on its shares.

Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME)

Another ASX growth share that is highly rated is Pro Medicus. It provides industry-leading software that facilitates the clinical assessment of medical images.

Pro Medicus has been growing at a rapid clip over the last decade thanks to increasing demand for solutions that can process, transfer and store medical images and associated data efficiently. This is particularly the case given that speed and accuracy is fundamentally linked to both treatment success and commercial incentives.

Pleasingly, the company’s strong form has continued in FY 2022. During the first half, Pro Medicus reported a 40.3% increase in revenue to $44.33 million and a 52.7% jump in net profit after tax to $20.68 million.

Analysts at Bell Potter were impressed and appear confident this strong form can continue. The broker is forecasting full year revenue growth of 36% in FY 2022, 19% in FY 2023, and then 33% in FY 2024.

Bell Potter has a buy rating and $55.00 price target on the company’s shares.

The post 2 stellar ASX growth shares analysts rate as buys appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Growth will be back! Expert picks 7 ASX shares to buy now
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• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Why Allkem, Firefinch, JB Hi-Fi, and Piedmont Lithium are charging higher
• Experts name 3 of the best ASX lithium stocks to buy now

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns Allkem Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Pro Medicus Ltd. 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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The Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB) share price has been climbing in the last month, but could it ascend further?

Webjet shares fell 2.61% today and finished trading at $5.60. It wasn’t the only ASX travel share to suffer, with the Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price slipping 0.95% and Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) dropping 2.04%.

However, overall March proved a good month for Webjet, with its shares jumping 5.26% since closing at $5.32 on February 28.

Let’s take a look at the outlook for this digital travel business.

What does the future look like for Webjet?

The team at Goldman Sachs sees Webjet as a “growth share” that could come out stronger on the other side of COVID-19.

Analysts are optimistic on the company’s future, my Foolish colleague James recently reported. Goldman sees growth potential for the travel company in the B2B and B2C spaces, along with being positive on the company’s balance sheet.

Goldman has placed a $6.90 price target on the Webjet share price, 23% more than the current price.

Webjet could also benefit from upcoming border relaxation in Australia and New Zealand in April. Health Minister Greg Hunt recently announced Australia’s biosecurity emergency will lapse on 17 April.

In practical terms, this means the end of restrictions on cruise vessels into and within Australian territory. Negative pre-departure tests for travellers entering Australia will also no longer be required.

Further, the New Zealand Government will be opening the borders to vaccinated arrivals from Australia from 12 April.

Commenting on easing restrictions internationally in a recent blog, Montgomery Small Companies Fund portfolio manager Dominic Rose said:

Both the UK and the European Union have scrapped COVID-19 testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers.

While recent commentary from numerous US airlines suggests that North American leisure activity is back at or near pre-pandemic levels with corporate improving to 25% to 30% behind.

Webjet may be an Australian and New Zealand company, but it has customers across the globe.

My Foolish colleague Aaron recently reported Webjet shares have more than doubled in the past decade despite the COVID-19 turbulence.

Webjet share price snapshot

The Webjet share price has ascended 8% year to date, while it has climbed 0.36% in the past year.

For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has gained nearly 11% in the past year.

Webjet has a market capitalisation of about $2.1 billion based on the current share price.

The post Is the Webjet share price set to take off in April? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Finally! 4 travel ASX shares ready to take off: expert
• Despite the COVID crash, here’s what $10,000 invested in Webjet (ASX:WEB) shares 10 years ago would be worth now
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• Analysts name 2 excellent ASX growth shares to buy and hold
• Why has March been such a lousy month for the Webjet (ASX:WEB) share price?

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 Webjet Ltd. 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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The Australian mining industry got some big news this week. The Australian trade minister Dan Tehan met with the US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in Washington D.C. This was for the inaugural Australia-US Strategic Commercial Dialogue. According to the minister’s press release, Mr Tehan was joined by CEOs from “the critical minerals and rare earths sector to take part in a Critical Minerals Roundtable”.

In a joint statement, Mr Tehan and Secretary Raimondo said the following:

[We] highlighted the commercial potential for both Australian and U.S. industries and underscored the need to strengthen capabilities across all segments of the supply chain, including extraction and downstream processing. Australia and the United States will look at how their respective financing mechanisms could be better coordinated and leveraged to support private investment in supply chains.

So this indicates that the US and Australian governments are intending to work together to expand Australian production and processing of ‘critical minerals and rare earths’.

Critical minerals refer to the US Government’s list of minerals that have been identified to “play a significant role in our national security, economy, renewable energy development and infrastructure”. The list now totals 50 different elements and minerals. These include cobalt, graphite, magnesium, nickel, lithium, neodymium, vanadium and zinc.

Which ASX mining shares could benefit from focus on critical minerals?

So the government of both the US and Australia are now focusing on developing domestic mining and processing facilities for as many of these minerals as possible. That’s partly because many global supply chains presently run through China. This situation is increasingly being viewed as a strategic problem. This could have huge consequences for Australian mining shares.

Lithium shares are an obvious beneficiary. The ASX is home to many of these. The most prominent of which is Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS). But we also have Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN) and AVZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: AVZ). 

The ASX is also home to some cobalt miners. Cobalt Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX: COB) has been in the news recently after it was granted ‘major project status’ by the government earlier this month. 

Earlier today, we looked at some ASX vanadium miners. One such share is Neometals Ltd (ASX: NMT).

Nickel shares like Nickel Mines Ltd (ASX: NIC) have also recently been drawing attention.

And then there is rare earths company Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC). Lynas is one of the only significant producers of rare earths elements like neodymium outside China. 

So all of these ASX resources shares have the potential to benefit over the medium-to-long term from the news out of the trade minister’s office this week. Many have already received assistance from governments. And many more might join them in the future. Critical mineral security is certianly a hot topic right now, given the current geopolitical climate. Thus, this is a space well worth keeping an eye on.

The post The US is backing Aussie critical minerals projects, and these ASX mining shares could be set to reap the rewards appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• The ASX 200 just had its longest winning streak since 2017. What’s doing?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares this Thursday
• What’s driving the Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) share price higher today?
• What exactly is vanadium and which ASX shares have exposure?
• Here’s why the Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) share price is spiking today

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. 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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Believe it or not, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) just enjoyed its longest winning period in five years.

According to Saxo Markets Australian market strategist Jessica Amir, on Thursday afternoon the index charged upwards for eight consecutive days.

“This is the longest win streak since 2017,” she said.

“The materials sector is up the most, up 2%, while tech stocks are down 1.4%.”

The bullish turn is happening all while the war in Ukraine tragically continues and fears of interest rates have turned into actual higher rates.

Remember the panic selling in January? 

That seems like two years ago now, not two months.

It’s an important lesson for long-term investors that the market can do anything in the short term but will eventually trend upwards.

Resources leading the charge for ASX 200

According to Amir, the current hot streak has been triggered by a few different factors.

“It’s end of quarter, so professional investors are taking profits [off] the table, rebalancing portfolios,” she said.

“Secondly, the iron miners are charging — like Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA) which we’ve mentioned many times now, including yesterday, it’s one of today’s best performers, up 4.5%. Followed by the iron ore heavy weights: Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG), BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) after the iron ore price (SCOA) rose 4.5% in two days on optimism Chinese demand will pick up.”

Another driver is US president Joe Biden announcing this week a production boost for “critical minerals”.

This has triggered a price surge for lithium-related ASX shares.

“This has fuelled US battery tech company… Novonix Ltd (ASX: NVX) [to head] up 6%, and ASX 200 African lithium company AVZ Minerals Ltd (ASX: AVZ) up 4%.

‘Dangerous game for equity investors’

During the current part of the market cycle, Amir recommends investors take shelter in sectors like logistics, cybersecurity, commodities, defence, and activities related to “green transformation” such as hydrogen production.

“​​Our head of equity strategy says that without commodity exposure, it’s a dangerous game for equity investors in 2022.”

Amir noted that lithium producers have been the best performers on the ASX so far in 2022, citing the 61% gain for AVZ and 88% for Lake Resources NL (ASX: LKE).

But mining stocks are notoriously fickle. So if investors were nervous about picking individual companies, but still wanted to back the rise of the battery and electric vehicle industries, she had a suggestion.

“You could invest or trade in Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (NYSEARCA: LIT) or ETFS Battery Tech & Lithium ETF (ASX: ACDC) that invests in about 30 of the biggest EV and battery technology companies in the world.”

The ASX 200 ended its winning streak after market close on Thursday. It ended 0.2% down after post-trade processing.

The post The ASX 200 just had its longest winning streak since 2017. What’s doing? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares this Thursday
• What’s dragging on ASX 200 energy shares today?
• Why BHP, Core Lithium, Tabcorp, and Talga shares are racing higher
• Novonix (ASX:NVX) share price shoots up 20% this month amid tech snapback
• What exactly is vanadium and which ASX shares have exposure?

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo owns ETFS Battery Tech & Lithium ETF. 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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