Today, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) provided investors with a positive start to the week. At the end of the session, the benchmark index finished 0.16% higher at 7,233.6 points.

The Australian share market shook off the 2.7% tumble across tech shares spurred on by a red showing for the sector on Wall Street from Friday night. Fortunately, utilities provided a standout positive performance following a bid rejection for AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL). Meanwhile, over in the consumer staples sector, the pastures were green after well-received earnings from the likes of The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) and Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV).

As always, 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, The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) was the biggest gainer today. Shares in the infant formula company won over investors as the share price surged 11.13% amid an improved outlook in its half-year results. Find out more about The A2 Milk Company here.

The next biggest gaining ASX share today was AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL). The Australian energy ‘gentailer’ regained its appeal among investors as it rallied 10.62% today. A takeover approach from Brookfield and Mike Cannon-Brookes for $7.50 per share was rejected by the company. Uncover the latest AGL Energy details here.

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

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)	$5.89	11.13%
AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL)	$7.92	10.62%
Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV)	$7.18	10.29%
Chorus Ltd (ASX: CNU)	$6.86	9.94%
Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF)	$7.07	5.05%
Event Hospitality and Entertainment Ltd (ASX: EVT)	$15.30	5.01%
QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE)	$12.10	4.76%
Dicker Data Ltd (ASX: DDR)	$15.00	4.17%
Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL)	$14.52	3.27%
TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG)	$5.97	3.11%

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.

More reading

• Why has the South32 (ASX:S32) share price rocketed 60% in 6 months?
• Own ASX dividend shares? Here are some of the payouts that have surprised so far this earnings season
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Monday
• Why A2 Milk, AGL, Endeavour, and TPG shares are charging higher
• Why inflation doesn’t impact all ASX shares equally

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. owns and has recommended Dicker Data Limited and Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended Dicker Data Limited and Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk, Challenger Limited, and TPG Telecom 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 NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF) share price is edged lower on Monday. This follows the release of the private health insurer’s first half results for the 2022 financial year.

After spending much of the day in the red, NIB shares finished trading at $6.63, down 0.15%.

Let’s take a look at what the company reported for the front-end of FY22.

NIB share price fails to take off despite growth across key metrics 

The NIB share price finished in the red today after the company delivered its results for the 6 months ending 31 December 2021. Here are some of the key highlights:

• Total group revenue of $1.35 billion, up 8.3% on the prior corresponding period (H1 FY21 $1.25 billion);
• Group expense claim of $1.06 billion, up 6.4% (H1 FY21 $1 billion);
• Group underlying operating profit (UOP) of $109.6 million, up 28.5% (H1 FY21 $85.3 million);
• Net profit after tax (NPAT) of $81.2 million, up 24.7% (H1 FY21 $65.1 million); and
• Fully-franked interim dividend of 11 cents per share, up from 10 cents per share.

What happened in H1 FY22 for NIB?

NIB experienced a strong first half operating performance, driven by premium revenue growth of 8.2% due to an uplift in policyholders.

In addition, COVID-19 related disruptions to elective surgery and allied healthcare, such as dentistry contributed to the result.

Arhi (Australian Residents Health Insurance) recorded policyholder sales growth and retention. Net arhi policyholder growth lifted to 2.8% to 653,000 new policyholders.

This was partly propelled by elevated community awareness for financial protection and risk of disease as a result of COVID-19. Resumption of previously suspended policies and the benefits of arhi’s distribution strategy also attributed to the result.

Furthermore, its New Zealand branch saw stable performance, with revenue growth of 13.8% added to the business.

Both the international inbound and travel businesses (iihi) continued to be mixed as a result of border closures. Each segment reported varying results as NIB implemented cost reduction and business efficiency measures.

What did management say?

NIB managing director, Mark Fitzgibbon commented on the result, saying:

There’s little doubt the pandemic has reinforced the importance of good health and the value of private health insurance. This translated into strong policyholder growth across our Australian and New Zealand health insurance businesses. Conditions haven’t been as positive in our international students and travel insurance businesses but as COVID-19 passes these will bounce back.

Ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions on non-urgent elective surgery, as well as visits to the dentist and other healthcare providers, continued to impact our claims expense. We also continue to expect and account for an inevitable “catch-up” in deferred treatment now estimated at $59.2 million.

What’s next for NIB?

Looking ahead, NIB expects market conditions for the second half to remain similar to H1 FY22. Heightened awareness of health risks from COVID-19 have become paramount among policyholders.

Ahri’s policyholder is expected to lift roughly 3% with the launch of new product concepts.

The near-term outlook for the iihi and travel businesses is expected to gradually return as countries re-open international borders. Both segments are forecasted to become profitable in FY23.

In addition, New Zealand net policyholder growth is estimated to reach between 3% to 5%.

Nonetheless, given the unpredictable nature of COVID-19, NIB refrained from providing an earnings guidance for the FY22 period.

However, Mark Fitzgibbon did say, “We see a real opportunity to outpace the market in the six months ahead with some exciting initiatives underway including our brand re-fresh, new product concepts, additional distribution partnerships and increased investment in marketing”.

The post ‘Real opportunity’: NIB (ASX:NHF) share price slips following first-half results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Ansell, AnteoTech, Dubber, and NIB shares are dropping
• Why is the NIB (ASX:NHF) share price sliding 7% today?

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras owns NIB Holdings Limited. 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 NIB Holdings 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has not had the easiest time of late, as most ASX investors would be all too aware of. Over the past six months, the ASX 200 is still down by around 3.4% on today’s pricing, including by around 4% in 2022 so far. But one ASX 200 share has put those figures well and truly to shame. That is the South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) share price.

South32 shares have comprehensively defied the broader market over the past six months. Not only is this mining company up more than 12% in 2022 thus far, but South32 has put on an impressive 60.5% since late August. Not a bad return for an old blue chip miner. Especially one that was once kicked out of BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP).

So why have South32 shares been such a lucrative investment in recent times?

Well, it’s likely due to a number of factors. The first is commodity prices. South32 is a diversified miner with operations across aluminium, lead, nickel, silver, zinc, and manganese. Fortunately for the company, most of these commodities have enjoyed significant price rises in recent months. Perhaps due to inflation concerns, raw materials across the board have benefitted in recent months. These include iron ore, oil, gold, and many of the metals listed above.

Are earnings and broker buys lifting the South32 share price?

But South32 is also putting rubber to the road here. It was only last week that the company reported its half-year earnings. As we covered at the time, South32 reported a US$979 million increase in statutory profit after tax to US$1.032 billion for the half. Underlying earnings rose by US$868 million to just over US$1 billion.

The miner also announced another US$60 million for on-market share buybacks and a monster 8.7 US cents per share interim dividend, its largest ever. This report was well received. South32 shares jumped almost 5% on its release and remain up substantially as of today.

But South32 has been showered with love from some of the ASX’s biggest brokers recently too. This has likely helped its share price rise as well. Just last week, broker Morgans gave South32 an add rating, along with a 12-month share price target of $4.90. That implies even more upside — 7.2% — is ahead of the company over the next year.

So everything seems to be going right for South32 in recent times, which is probably why we have seen such an enthusiastic response from ASX 200 investors over the past six months.

At the current South32 share price, the ASX 200 miner has a market capitalisation of $21.2 billion, with a trailing dividend yield of 3.72%.

The post Why has the South32 (ASX:S32) share price rocketed 60% in 6 months? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Own ASX dividend shares? Here are some of the payouts that have surprised so far this earnings season
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Monday
• Why inflation doesn’t impact all ASX shares equally
• Fund manager reveals one key metric in finding quality ASX shares during a correction
• Do ASX investors simply have to get used to volatility?

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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ASX investors are currently in the thick of earnings season — a nail-biting time for shareholders of ASX dividend shares.

This is the time of year when companies release their financial results for the latest half. It will also reveal how much shareholders can expect to receive on payday if the company pays a dividend. As you might imagine, the outcome can make a big difference for passive income investors.

The current earnings season hasn’t been without its dividend surprises. However, it has contained a mix of positive and negative shocks to shareholders.

Let’s take a look at a handful of dividend delights and disasters from the February results so far.

ASX shares delivering down right smashing dividends

Kicking us off with the first surprise among ASX dividends shares this earnings season is mining giant BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP).

Strength in commodity prices and near-record production meant BHP achieved substantial growth across revenue and earnings. In turn, the company opted to pass on these bumper profits to its shareholders through a record interim dividend of US$1.50 per share. This was a surprise to analysts at Goldman Sachs who forecast US$1.27 per share.

Likewise, Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) benefitted from strong demand for oil and gas during the half. As a result, revenue almost doubled and profits after tax more than tripled.

This colossal result enabled a final dividend of US$1.05 per share, representing a 255% increase on the previous corresponding period. Notably, this took the company’s 12-month trailing dividends to a level not seen since before the pandemic.

The final ASX dividend share surprising to the upside so far this earnings season is salary packaging company Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (ASX: SIQ). While the increase in revenue was reasonably modest, Smartgroup managed to increase its net profits by 7%.

Pleasingly, the board decided to declare a special dividend of 30 cents per share on top of the company’s normal 19 cents per share payment.

Dividend disappointments

Then there are those ASX dividend shares that have surprised investors in a bad way. Here are a couple of companies that have put a dent in the hopes of passive income investors this earnings season.

Firstly, AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL) doused hopes of a higher dividend with cold water earlier this month. After recording a 41% fall in underlying net profits, the company decided to trim its interim dividend heavily. The outcome is a dividend of 16 cents per share, 41% less than the prior corresponding period.

Finally, homewares retailer Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH) decided to do the same, though, not as drastically. A ~45% fall in net profit after tax led this ASX share to decrease its interim dividend to 8 cents per share from 11 cents per share.

The post Own ASX dividend shares? Here are some of the payouts that have surprised so far this earnings season appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Monday
• Why A2 Milk, AGL, Endeavour, and TPG shares are charging higher
• Why inflation doesn’t impact all ASX shares equally
• Fund manager reveals one key metric in finding quality ASX shares during a correction
• ‘Significant’ COVID-19-related disruptions: Adairs (ASX:ADH) share price sinks 5% following horror first-half results

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns SMARTGROUP DEF SET. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended ADAIRS FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns and has recommended ADAIRS FPO and SMARTGROUP DEF SET. 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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ASX dividend shares could be the answer for boosting passive investment income for investors.

Whilst expectations are growing that interest rates are going to rise this year, the Australian interest rate will still likely be materially below ‘normal’ inflation of 2% to 3%.

But there are businesses paying out an attractive amount of profit each year to investors, like these two:

Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK)

Nick Scali is one of Australia’s biggest retailers of furniture. Its market position has increased with the announced acquisition of Plush-Think Sofas by Nick Scali for an enterprise value of $103 million on a cash-free and debt-free basis.

Auscap Asset Management Tim Carleton, according to the Australian Financial Review, said that he believes that the market is being too harsh on Nick Scali with expectations that demand will drop as the economy ‘normalises’. He said:

You’ve got a business that should be a beneficiary of this big housing cycle that we’re in at the moment, that has really exciting opportunities in terms of what they want to do.

Their online business has EBIT margins in the mid-50s. And yet, it’s trading on low double-digit multiple earnings for a business that probably has one of the best management teams in the market.

It’s very conservatively run. They don’t do dilutive things. There’s the same number of shares on issue today as there were on listing.

In the FY22 half-year result, the ASX dividend share revealed it made $13.7 million of sales online, generating earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of $8 million.

But the Nick Scali share price has actually fallen by 18.4% in the 2022 year to date.

How big is the Nick Scali dividend going to be in FY22? Commsec numbers suggest a grossed-up dividend yield of 7.3% in this financial year and that it’s priced at 14x FY22’s estimated earnings.

Charter Hall Retail REIT (ASX: CQR)

This multi-billion real estate investment trust (REIT) owns a portfolio of retail assets around Australia.

It recently announced its result of the December portfolio valuations which saw an 8.5% increase on prior book valuations. The net tangible assets (NTA) increased 11.7% to $4.48. The Charter Hall Retail REIT share price of $4.16 is at a 7% discount to this.

That valuation also came with an announcement of a distribution of 11.7 cents for the period to 31 December 2021.

Macquarie currently rates the ASX dividend share as a buy with a price target of $4.45. The broker is expecting the REIT to pay an annual distribution of 24.5 cents per unit in FY22 – this is a yield of 5.9%. In FY23, Macquarie is expecting a yield of 6.5%.

The post 2 ASX dividend shares for strong income in 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Fund manager reveals one key metric in finding quality ASX shares during a correction
• Is the Nick Scali (ASX:NCK) share price a comfortable buy after HY22?
• No deal: Nick Scali (ASX:NCK) share price lifts as latest rumours quashed
• ASX retail shares have slumped in 2022. Could there be more pain to come?
• Why is the Nick Scali (ASX:NCK) share price dumping 13% so far this week?

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 has recommended Macquarie 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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The Chorus Ltd (ASX: CNU) share price was a strong performer on Monday.

In response to its half year results, the New Zealand-based telco’s shares jumped 10% to $6.86.

Chorus share price jumps on solid half year update

• Operating revenue up 1% to NZ$483 million
• EBITDA up 5.8% to NZ$347 million
• Net profit after tax jumped 56% to NZ$42 million
• Interim dividend of 14 NZ cents per share
• NZ$150 million share buyback

What happened during the half?

For the six months ended 31 December, Chorus reported a modest 1% increase in revenue to NZ$483 million. Management advised that this was primarily due to gains from its ongoing network optimisation programme.

Things were even better for its earnings, with Chorus’ EBITDA rising 5.8% to NZ$347 million and its net profit after tax jumping 56% to NZ$42 million.

In light of this strong performance, management has upgraded its full year EBITDA guidance to the range of NZ$665 million to NZ$685 million. This compares to its previous guidance range of NZ$640 million to NZ$660 million.

But that’s not the only thing the company upgraded. Management has also lifted its FY 2022 dividend guidance to 35 cents per share from 26 cents per share. After which, the company expects to pay dividends of at least 40 cents per share in FY 2023 and 45 cents per share in FY 2024.

And the good news doesn’t stop there. Also getting investors excited and boosting the Chorus share price is news that the company plans to return NZ$150 million to shareholders via a share buyback.

Management commentary

Chorus’ CEO, JB Rousselot, was pleased with the company’s performance and particularly the continued broadband growth in fibre areas.

He said: “The continued growth in fibre demand is a testament to the reliability fibre broadband is delivering through the challenges of the ongoing COVID pandemic. We saw the lockdowns and other public restrictions in the first-half ramp up the average data usage on fibre to new record highs of more than 600 gigabytes per month.”

“Our fibre rollout is now close to completion with just 30,000 or so premises left to pass. More than 1.3 million homes and businesses have fibre at their doorstep; of these 67 per cent have now chosen to connect. During the first half of the year, we saw fibre connections grow by 47,000 to 918,000, and we’re on track to achieve our target of one million fibre connections by the end of the year.”

In respect to its dividend, Mr Rousselot notes that with Chorus on the cusp of becoming free cash flow positive and beginning to earn more than it is investing in the network, it has been able to update its dividend guidance for the next three years.

The post Chorus (ASX:CNU) share price jumps 10% today amid guidance upgrade and NZ$150m buyback appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 ASX dividend shares for strong income in 2022
• Own Woolworths (ASX:WOW) shares? Here’s what to expect when the company reports this week
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Here’s why ASX 200 gold shares turned sharply lower mid-day today
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Monday

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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Owners of Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) shares, get ready to rumble. The company is set to release its earnings for the first half of financial year 2022 on Wednesday.

The six months ended 31 December were a chaotic time for the company as it battled amid outbreaks of COVID-19.

As of Monday’s close, the Woolworths share price was $34.49, 1.41% higher than it was at the end of Friday’s session.

Let’s take a closer look at what we know about the supermarket giant’s impending earnings.

Could this drive the Woolworths share price on Wednesday?

Of course, COVID-19 impacts will likely have impacted Woolworths’ earnings during the first half.

The company provided the market with a trading update in mid-December detailing its struggles against COVID-19’s Delta variant.

Within the update, Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci described the first half as “one of the most challenging halves [the company had] experienced in recent memory”.

“The ongoing material costs of operating in a COVID environment has impacted our expected earnings in H1,” Banducci continued. “COVID has had a significant impact on costs, even more so than last year due to the combination of both direct COVID-related costs, together with the indirect impacts from disruption caused by COVID.”

For the first half, the company expected its Australian Food segment to report around $150 million of additional COVID costs.

Disruptions in stores and distribution centres were expected to add another $60 million to $70 million of costs.  

Woolworths stated it expected its Australian Food segment to report earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of $1.19 billion to $1.22 billion.

It reported around $1.32 billion of EBIT for the first half of financial year 2021.

Big W, meanwhile, was expected to end the half with EBIT of $20 million to $30 million.

For comparison, it reported $133 million of EBIT for the previous first half.

Additionally, following the challenging period, the supermarket giant will be handing staff a “Christmas thank you” payment worth between $35 million and $40 million. It also invested around $40 million into building its eCommerce abilities during the period.

The Woolworths share price tumbled 7% on the back of the trading update.

What else could be included in Woolies’ earnings?

Other happenings that might find their way to Woolworths’ half-year report include the demerger of its food and hospitality business Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV).

The business was split from Woolworths late in financial year 2021. This will be the first time the company reports without it. Thus, Woolies’ half-year report might look quite different this year.

On top of that, some brokers, such as Credit Suisse, have dropped their expectations of the supermarket giant.

As The Motley Fool Australia recently reported, the broker’s analysts believe a guidance downgrade could be included in Woolworths’ half-year results.

Additionally, my Foolish colleague Zach Bristow recently reported JP Morgan is also tipping lower earnings for financial year 2022. Though, it’s bullish on the Woolworths share price in the long-term.

The post Own Woolworths (ASX:WOW) shares? Here’s what to expect when the company reports this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell next week
• Is the Woolworths (ASX:WOW) share price a buy or sell right now?
• Is it a buy in 2022? Why this top broker tips 15% upside in Woolworths (ASX:WOW) shares
• Why UBS is warning of more pain for the Coles (ASX:COL) share price
• Own Woolworths (ASX:WOW) shares? Now you also own part of this niche start-up

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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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With so many shares to choose from on the ASX, it can be hard to decide which ones to buy. The good news is that brokers across the country are doing a lot of the hard work for you.

Three top ASX shares leading brokers have named as buys this week are listed below. Here’s why they are bullish on them:

Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP)

According to a note out of UBS, its analysts have retained their buy rating and $8.10 price target on this auto parts retailer’s shares. Although UBS suspects that Bapcor has lost market share to rival GPC, it is sticking with the company. The broker believes the company is over the worst of its issues and is optimistic that the acceleration of its operational improvement will lead to a market share recovery. The Bapcor share price is currently trading at $6.82.

PWR Holdings Ltd (ASX: PWH)

A note out of Morgans reveals that its analysts have retained their add rating and lifted their price target on this automotive cooling solutions company’s shares to $10.05. This follows the release of a half year result which came in well ahead of the broker’s expectations thanks largely to its Motorsports business. Outside this, the broker is positive on the future and believes PWR has strong organic growth potential. The PWR share price is fetching $8.50 today.

QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE)

Analysts at Citi have retained their buy rating but cut their price target on this insurance giant’s shares to $13.70. According to the note, QBE delivered a full year result that fell short of the broker’s estimates. And while it also felt its guidance was a touch soft, Citi saw enough positives to maintain its buy rating. It was pleased with QBE’s premium growth and expects rising interest rates to boost its performance. The QBE share price is trading at $12.09 on Monday afternoon.

The post Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Fortescue, Goodman, Inghams, and QBE shares are dropping
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: QBE sinks but Magellan rockets
• QBE (ASX:QBE) share price sinks 9% on FY21 earnings miss
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• 3 ASX shares to buy before the market rockets up again

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 Bapcor and PWR Holdings 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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There were some telling moves among S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gold shares today.

Here’s what we mean.

Right up until lunchtime, ASX 200 gold shares were leading the charge higher, even as the benchmark index itself was mired in the red.

Some two and a half hours after the opening bell, the Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) share price was up 2.1%; Evolution Mining Ltd shares were up 3.2%; and the Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) share price had gained 4.0% for the day.

The broader collection of ASX gold shares tracked by the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) was up 2.2% at this time.

As for the ASX 200? It was down 0.8% in intraday trading.

Then something happened to turn it all upside down. Or right side up, depending on your perspective.

How France’s Macron deflated today’s ASX 200 gold share rally

Gold, as you’re likely aware, has benefited from its haven status in recent weeks as investors fear Russia may invade Ukraine.

This has seen the gold price lift to today’s US$1,895 per ounce, up from US$1,791 per ounce on 28 January, according to data from Bloomberg.

And it’s helped lift the fortunes of ASX 200 gold shares along the way.

When investors tuned into their screens this morning, they were greeted with more news that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was looking increasingly likely.

Hence, many shares sold off while gold stocks did well.

Then, around 11:30am AEDT, news broke that French President Emmanuel Macron had worked out a summit meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, it’s a deal that won’t go ahead if Russia invades Ukraine.

While no dates have been set, the news clearly relieved jittery investors.

Here’s what happened next

Since the summit announcement hit the newswires, the ASX 200 has rebounded from a loss of 0.8% to currently being up 0.3%.

The All Ords gold index went from a gain of 2.2% to a gain of 0.9%.

What about the ASX 200 gold shares named above?

The Newcrest share price gains slipped from 2.1% to 1.2%. Evolution’s share price hike dropped from 3.2% to 2.3%. And the Northern Star share price gains fell from 4.0% to 1.7%.

Still, all of these ASX 200 gold shares are still in the green.

But if you were wondering just how much impact geopolitical wrangling can have on specific shares and the broader market, this makes an excellent intraday case study.

The post Here’s why ASX 200 gold shares turned sharply lower mid-day today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Here’s why ASX 200 gold shares are leaping higher today
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Newcrest (ASX:NCM) share price lifts despite 46% profit drop
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

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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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has kicked off the week enjoying a decent day of green here on the ASX boards this Monday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is up by 0.23% at 7,239 points.

But let’s dive deeper and check out the ASX 200 shares that are currently at the top of the market’s volume charts, according to investing.com.

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume so far on Monday

A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

A2 Milk is our first share of the day today. This ASX 200 dairy share has seen a sizeable 14.41 million shares bought and sold so far. This volume is almost certainly the result of the company’s half-year earnings report which was delivered this morning.

Although A2 Milk reported a mixed bag of results, investors seem to approve of what the company had to say. A2 Milk shares are currently up 11.13% at $5.89 each as it presently stands. It’s these factors that are the likely reason why A2 Milk makes the list today.

AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL)

ASX 200 energy utility company AGL is next up today. AGL has had a hefty 14.57 million of its shares trade on the markets so far this Monday. This is probably a byproduct of the blockbuster machinations that have gone on with this company. 

As my Fool colleague James covered earlier, AGL received a takeover approach from billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and Brookfield Asset Management. Even though AGL quickly rejected the offer of $7.50 per share, the AGL share price is still up a pleasing 12.3% at the time of writing at $8.04 a share. This is probably why we are seeing so many AGL shares find a new home.

Tyro Payments Ltd (ASX: TYR)

ASX 200 payments company Tyro is our final and most traded share of the day this Monday. So far, a whopping 26.12 million Tyro shares have swapped hands. Again, we seem to have earnings to thank for this move. Tyro also reported its half-yearly results this morning.

But unfortunately, they haven’t elicited the same response from investors. Tyro shares are presently down a nasty 26.8% at $1.60 a share, the lowest level since the 2020 COVID crash. This is why Tyro is topping today’s trading volume charts. 

The post These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts this Monday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why Altium, PointsBet, Tyro, and Zip shares are sinking today
• Why A2 Milk, AGL, Endeavour, and TPG shares are charging higher
• Why inflation doesn’t impact all ASX shares equally
• A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price jumps 12% on ‘improved’ outlook
• Do ASX investors simply have to get used to volatility?

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns A2 Milk. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns and has recommended Tyro Payments. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk and Tyro Payments. 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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