The Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG) share price is having a rough year, but the same can’t be said for its major competitor.

While the IAG share price has slumped 9% since the start of 2021, that of QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX:QBE) has gained 32%.

That’s despite what seems to be the major catalyst of IAG’s tumble having hit both insurance giants.

At the closing bell on Friday, the IAG share price was $4.27, up 0.23%.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) increased 0.44% today and is up 11% over 2021 so far.

Let’s take a look at why IAG has been underperforming its fellow insurance provider lately.

What’s weighed on the IAG share price in 2021?

Looking back to late 2020, both IAG and QBE were caught up in the headlines when the New South Wales Court of Appeal found insurers must pay out business interruption insurance claims for losses caused by COVID-19.

Interestingly, while QBE sat quietly following the ruling, IAG halted its share price as it underwent a $750 million capital raise. The extra funds were needed to strengthen its balance sheet in the face of impending payouts.

As a result, QBE sailed out of the findings relatively unscathed. Meanwhile, IAG is now expecting to be hit with a class action regarding its disclosure of information of the case.

A law firm representing IAG shareholders expects to file the class action in the Supreme Court of Victoria in the new year. It claims IAG failed to communicate the likelihood the New South Wales Court of Appeal would find in favour of policyholders.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), IAG will be well versed in the courtroom by then. Legal action against the company was brought about by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in October.

ASIC claims the insurer increased NRMA customers’ premiums before applying loyalty and ‘no claim’ discounts. It alleges this cost at least 596,000 policyholders more than $60 million in total.

Not to mention, IAG recently downgraded its guidance for financial year 2022 after wild weather thrashed parts of Australia in October.

While all this weighed on the IAG share price in 2021, QBE’s stock continued to trend upwards.

Sadly, brokers are predicting more pain for IAG in 2022. Meanwhile, experts are bullish on the future of QBE’s shares.

The post Why is the IAG (ASX:IAG) share price underperforming QBE in 2021? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Where are QBE (ASX:QBE) shares headed in 2022?
• Why is the IAG (ASX:IAG) share price heading south today?
• What are experts saying to expect for the IAG (ASX:IAG) share price in 2022?
• It’s trading at around 9-year lows, could the IAG (ASX:IAG) share price be a takeover target?
• 3 ASX shares to buy before Xmas (hint: one predicted to rise 41%)

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 owns and has recommended Insurance Australia 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 Tesserent Ltd (ASX: TNT) share price is pushing higher during late afternoon trade. This comes after the internet security services company provided an update on two recent acquisitions.

At the time of writing, the Tesserent share price is 18 cents, up 6.06%.

What did Tesserent announce?

According to its release, Tesserent advises it has completed the acquisitions of both Pearson Corporation and Claricent.

Tesserent bought both companies due to their strong position in the Federal Government marketplace. Following these two acquisitions, Tesserent’s federal government businesses now contribute a combined annual turnover of $48 million to the group’s overall results.

The additions have directly integrated into the company’s ecosystem, particularly Tesserent’s North Security business. This business manages Tesserent’s federal government team and delivers large multi-year projects.

Tesserent expects its acquisitions to provide immediate organic growth in the second half of FY22. Additional locked-in recurring revenue in the remaining fiscal 6 months has been consolidated into Tesserent’s FY22 results.

Tesserent agreed to pay $28.8 million for Pearson and $4.13 million for Claricent through a mix of cash and company shares. In total, the price tag for both acquisitions totalled $32.93 million.

Tesserent is due to pay these amounts in 2 instalments. It has already paid for around 50% of the enterprise value. It will pay the remaining 50% after the finalisation of audited accounts, expected in September 2022.

These acquisitions cement Tesserent’s position as the leading provider of cybersecurity solutions and services to the Federal Government.

When the acquisition news was first announced on 7 December the Tesserent share price leapt by 10% in a day.

The company noted that it will provide a full business update as part of the upcoming 4C in the near term.

About the Tesserent share price

Tesserent shares are down a whopping 50% year to date.

Tesserent presides a market capitalisation of $209.32 million and has approximately 1.21 billion shares on its registry.

The post Tesserent (ASX:TNT) share price pops by 6% amid acquisitions update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Tesserent (ASX:TNT) share price slides despite Vocus deal
• Why has the Tesserent (ASX:TNT) share price tumbled 12% in a month?
• Tesserent (ASX:TNT) share price leaps 10% on acquisition news

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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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The Focus Minerals Ltd (ASX: FML) share price is ending the week on a high.

At one stage today, the gold explorer and developer’s shares were up a whopping 39% to 36.2 cents.

In afternoon trade, the Focus Minerals share price has pulled back a touch from its intraday high but remains up 17% to 30.5 cents.

Why is the Focus Minerals share price rocketing higher?

While there isn’t any real news out of the company today to explain the sensational rise in the Focus Minerals share price, there is a likely explanation for it.

That is Theta Gold Mines Ltd (ASX: TGM) and its aim of acquiring the company via a hostile takeover.

Theta Gold Mines recently offered 2 of its own shares for ever Focus share owned. At the time, this implied a value of 36 cents for each Focus share, which represented a 41.2% premium to the Focus share price of 25.5 cents on 8 December.

However, Focus wasn’t biting and told shareholders not to take action in response to the offer.

Why is Theta interest in Focus?

Theta explained the rationale for the acquisition.

It said: “The TGM [Theta Gold Mines] Offer will, if accepted, allow Focus shareholders to become members of a larger, more liquid and more geographically diverse group. Should [major shareholder] Shandong Gold accept the Offer, the resultant combined group would have a combined exploration portfolio of over 1,000km2 spread across the West Australian goldfields and South Africa. Should Shandong Gold not accept the Offer, TGM’s Offer seeks to aggregate minority holdings in Focus and (with an increased holding and substantial management experience) would allow TGM to exercise influence to encourage the prompt development of the Focus assets.”

Given the significantly higher than normal volume today, it could be a sign that Theta Gold is looking to buy shares on market to build up a position that supports its takeover proposal.

The post Why is the Focus Minerals (ASX:FML) share price rocketing 39% higher today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price hits yet another 52-week high. What’s going on?
• The Magellan (ASX:MFG) share price is now up 11% in 3 days. What’s going on?
• The DigitalX (ASX:DCC) share price is soaring 14% today. Here’s why
• Why is the Chalice Mining (ASX:CHN) share price surging today?
• Neuroscientific Biopharmaceuticals (ASX:NSB) share price surges 11% on drug update

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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The Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price has done it again. Telstra shares are currently trading at $4.14 each, up 0.36% for the day so far this Christmas Eve.

That’s not all though, folks. Telstra hit a new high of $4.15 a share in intra-day trading shortly after lunchtime. Not only is that a new 52-week high for this ASX 200 telco, but it’s also the highest share price Telstra has traded at since mid-2017.

That puts Telstra’s year-to-date gains so far at a very pleasing 37%. Including Telstra’s dividends and full franking credits, and we’re looking at a return north of 40% for the year (touch wood). Not bad for an old blue-chip like Telstra, one could say. Especially since this is just the latest in a string of new 52-week highs we have seen Telstra clock up over 2021.

It’s hard to picture at the current pricing, but it was only back in October last year that Telstra was hitting a new all-time low of $2.63 share. Since those dog days, the company is up more than 55%.

So what could be behind today’s most recent push into record territory?

Why is the Telstra share price hitting a new 52-week high today?

Well, it’s not entirely clear. There are no pre-Christmas items of news out of the company today. But there are several factors that could be at play. The first is Telstra’s ongoing share buyback program.

Telstra is currently in the process of buying back its own shares. Just this morning, it told investors that it bought and retired just over a million shares yesterday. Share buybacks decrease the number of shares in circulation. Under the laws of supply and demand, less supply usually translates into higher pricing, so this is why these buybacks could be relevant.

We could also be seeing the effects of some ASX broker opinions on Telstra play out. For example, as we covered earlier his week, Goldman Sachs is currently very bullish on this telco. Goldman currently rates Telstra as a buy with a 12-month share price target of $4.40. Goldman particularly likes Telstra’s T22 and T25 cost-cutting strategies, which it believes will help fund a dividend increase by FY2024. Even today, Telstra’s dividends are offering a fully franked yield of 3.86%.

So perhaps it’s this combination that has resulted in the Telstra share price reaching this new 52-week high today. Whatever the reasons, it’s likely to have made more than one Telstra shareholder’s Christmas a merrier one.

At the current Telstra share price, this ASX 200 telco has a market capitalisation of $48.96 billion, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 26.5.

 

The post Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price hits yet another 52-week high. What’s going on? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• The ASX share market coverage that captivated readers in 2021
• 3 ASX 200 dividend shares to buy for 2022 and beyond
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• Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price remains flat amid new court order
• These 3 ASX 200 shares are topping the volume charts on Wednesday

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen owns Telstra Corporation 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 owns and has recommended 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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What a week it has been for the Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) share price. Magellan shares had one of the worst weeks in the company’s history this week.

The Magellan share price fell an astonishing 32.9% between last Friday’s close and Monday’s open. It found a new 52-week low of $19.19 earlier this week. That was the first time Magellan has fallen below $20 a share since 2015.

But the past few days have certainly seen a reversal of fortunes for this ASX 200 fund manager. Today, the Magellan share price is $21.40 at the time of writing, up a healthy 2.1% so far. This means that Magellan shares have now bounced by 11.5% from their new 52-week low that we saw earlier in the week.

So to understand Magellan’s rather decisive recovery, we first have to go over what caused the Magellan share price to tumble so tragically on Monday.

Top ASX 200 fund manager faces its worst Christmas

So before this week, Magellan was already a company under pressure. The sudden and scantily-explained exit of its CEO Brett Cairns on 6 December spooked investors first.

Two days later came the announcement that the marriage of Magellan’s founder and chief investment officer, Hamish Douglass, had broken down. Douglass and his wife, Alexandra, both own significant chunks of Magellan shares, so the split had investors worried that a large-scale sale of shares might be on the cards.

Then last Friday, Magellan got some even worse news. As we covered at the time, the Magellan share price was suspended from trading last Friday after the company announced that a “material contract” had been terminated.

On Monday, it was revealed that the client contract in question was that of British wealth management company, St. James’s Place (LON: STJ). The contract was worth around 12% of Magellan’s annual revenue, so this was obviously big news for ASX investors to digest.

The resumption of trading on Monday saw the nasty share price crash we touched on earlier.

So with all of this seemingly bad news coming Magellan’s way, what has turned the ship around over the past 3 days?

Why has the Magellan share price bounced back?

Well, it could be put down to 1 or 2 factors. Firstly, Hamish Douglass released a client video yesterday that addressed many investors’ concerns.

Douglass said any suggestion that he or his wife would “dump” shares in Magellan was “absurd”. He added: “We’ve never sold a single share in Magellan”.

He also stated that “people have tried to create an image that my wife and I are in some nasty divorce … Nothing could be further from the truth”.

He urged calm among investors regarding the St. James’s Place mandate.

Douglass said:

Their decision to withdraw doesn’t have an impact on any other clients and importantly, it doesn’t have that larger impact on our business.

So it’s possible that Douglass’s strong defence has eased some concerns over the company’s future direction.

It’s also possible that some investors are seeing great value in a Magellan share price under $20.

Whatever the reason for Magellan’s share price recovery, investors will surely feel relieved. Merry Christmas, indeed! 

The post The Magellan (ASX:MFG) share price is now up 11% in 3 days. What’s going on? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Douglass speaks out: ‘We’ve never sold a single share in Magellan’
• Why Brickworks, Charter Hall, Magellan, and Rio Tinto shares are falling
• Magellan (ASX:MFG) share price flops as fresh talk of turmoil at the top emerges
• Is it a sell? Why is Morgans saying ‘avoid’ the Magellan (ASX:MFG) share price?

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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The DigitalX Ltd (ASX: DCC) share price is surging higher on Friday. This comes after the blockchain and asset management services company announced a senior leadership appointment.

At the time of writing, DigitalX shares are fetching 11 cents, up 14.13%. It’s worth noting its shares are now around 24% higher than this time last week.

What did DigitalX announce?

Investors are pushing up the DigitalX share price following the company’s positive update.

According to Thursday’s release, DigitalX has appointed highly experienced finance industry executive Lisa Wade as its new CEO.

This follows an extensive search process after the resignation of Leigh Travers in late July. His departure came into effect during September after giving a two months’ notice period.

Incoming CEO Wade brings a wealth of knowledge to the role, having served for more than 30 years in the finance industry.

With a strong background in blockchain project development, Wade recently led the Project Atom Central Bank Digital Currency project (CBDC). This is a collaborative research project between the Reserve Bank of Australia, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and Perpetual, and Project Carbon. The latter is a global strategic alliance tokenising voluntary carbon credits with Latu, CIBC, Natwest, and National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB).

Previously, Wade held various titles including director at Citigroup where she specialised in arbitrage and derivatives.

Most recently, however, Wade took on the position of head of digital innovation and sustainability at NAB.

She is also a non-executive director of Blockchain Australia, the peak blockchain industry body in Australia.

DigitalX stated that Wade is expected to fulfil the new CEO role as soon as her notice period is expired from her existing job. No exact date was given in the release.

DigitalX share price summary

So far this year, the DigitalX share price has gained around 13%.

Based on today’s price, DigitalX commands a market capitalisation of about $77.96 million and has approximately 742.44 million shares outstanding.

The post The DigitalX (ASX:DCC) share price is soaring 14% today. Here’s why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• DigitalX (ASX:DCC) share price leaps 19% on Sell My Shares update
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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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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The Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN) share price is topping off a rocky week with a 3% gain, despite no news having come from the company.

However, its recent volatility might have something to do with the company’s spin-off, Falcon Metals Ltd (ASX: FAL).

At the time of writing, the Chalice Mining share price is $8.83, 3.15% higher than its previous close.

Let’s take a closer look at the latest news of the former gold explorer turned mineral explorer.

What’s driving the Chalice Mining share price lately?

The Chalice Mining’s stock is once again on the move today. It follows a 1.5% gain on Tuesday and a 1.1% slip on Wednesday.

The small rollercoaster came amid the float of the company’s spin-off, Falcon Metals, which listed with what used to be Chalice Mining’s gold assets.

Today’s gain may well be the market’s way of showing relief the company’s hard work is over.

The company spun out its gold assets to focus on its nickel, copper, and platinum group elements projects. The resulting company, Falcon Metals, debuted on the market on Wednesday.

Its share price plummeted 28% after its initial public offering (IPO), which saw Chalice Mining shareholders taking home 1 Falcon share for every 3.0341 Chalice shares owned.

It also offered $30 million worth of new shares, priced at 50 cents apiece, with Chalice shareholders having priority over the general public.

Fortunately, the Falcon Metals share price recovered 19% yesterday and is currently up 5.3% today. Right now, it is trading at 39.5 cents, still 21% lower than its offer price.

All the excitement might have put pressure on Chalice Mining’s stock this week. Particularly, since it tumbled 4.2% when Falcon Metals was officially demerged on 15 December.

However, the Chalice Mining share price is still 105% higher than it was at the start of 2021. Though, it is 8% lower than it was this time last month.

The post Why is the Chalice Mining (ASX:CHN) share price surging today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 22% recovery: Falcon Metals (ASX:FAL) share price regains on second day of trade
• Falcon Metals (ASX:FAL) share price nosedives 28% on IPO
• Why is the Chalice Mining (ASX:CHN) share price falling today?
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The Neuroscientific Biopharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NSB) share price is rising today on the back of a clinical trial update.

Shares in the company are trading at 34 cents at the time of writing, up 11.48%.

Let’s take a look at what may be weighing on investors’ minds today.

What did the company announce?

The Neuroscientific Biopharmaceuticals share price is on the rise following promising results from a safety assessment of the company’s lead drug candidate, EmtinB.

In research conducted in vitro, the EmtinB drug did not cause any adverse reactions or toxicity. The trial involved screening 173 potential biological targets known to stimulate drug-induced reactions in humans.

Neuroscientific is a biotechnology company working on peptide-based drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

EmtinB binds to specific proteins known as receptors to activate signalling pathways between the cells. This can help to protect and regenerate the nervous system.

The in vitro trials were carried out by research company Eurofins at laboratories in France. This screen is recommended to reduce risk before progressing to human trials.

The completion of this safety assessment is seen by the company as a major step towards conducting phase I trials in humans.

Management commentary

Speaking on the results fuelling the Neuroscientific Biopharmaceuticals share price, chief executive officer and managing director Matt Liddelow said:

These positive safety results add further confidence to existing safety data for EmtinB in demonstrating it’s low likelihood to cause any major safety issues in humans — and is another major step towards achieving the landmark milestone of starting first-in-human Phase I studies in the first half of 2022.

I look forward to updating the market with further progress in the New Year as we advance towards Phase I clinical studies.

Neuroscientific Biopharmaceuticals share price snap shot

The Neuroscientific Biopharmaceuticals share price has gained 36% since the start of the year. For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has returned more than 12% over the same period.

Despite this, the company’s shares have lost 7% in the past month but are up around 8% this week.

The company has a market capitalisation of roughly $43.7 million based on its current share price.

The post Neuroscientific Biopharmaceuticals (ASX:NSB) share price surges 11% on drug update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• The ASX share market coverage that captivated readers in 2021
• Merry Christmas
• Why AMP, Hipages, Pilbara Minerals, and Webjet shares are storming higher
• Imricor Medical (ASX:IMR) share price spikes 6% after expanding trial sites
• Could 2022 be a good year for the Westpac (ASX:WBC) 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 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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It has been quite the year for the ASX share market in 2021, with more than 150 initial public offerings (IPOs), bountiful dividend payouts, a boom in mergers and acquisitions, and a flurry of high-flying ‘green shares’. It was exciting for ASX market writers, too! Ultimately it was you — our readers — who decided what the big news this year would be.

We’ve compiled some of our most popular articles among readers this year to reflect on what captivated investors in 2021.

Is Fortescue Future Industries listed on the ASX?

In October, Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) revealed its new green hydrogen subsidiary, Fortescue Future Industries (FFI). Considering the excitement around green energy alternatives, investors were flocking to find out how they could get hold of some FFI.

As we covered, the subsidiary is not a directly listed ASX share. However, owning shares in the $59 billion iron ore mining parent company can give investors some indirect exposure to the Fortescue Future Industries business.

The Fortescue Metals share price has gained 28.9% since announcing its hydrogen venture.

3 top ASX dividend shares to buy for 2021 and beyond

It looks like investors made a New Year’s resolution to increase their passive income in 2021. One of our most popular articles all year was published in January. It laid out 3 ASX dividend shares offering a reasonable yield. Maybe its popularity shouldn’t be a surprise given the low interest rate environment.

Nonetheless, the companies were Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL), and Washington H. Soul Pattinson & Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL). Updating for present-day figures, these ASX shares are offering trailing dividend yields of 3.87%, 3.45%, and 2.06% respectively.

5 lithium shares that are fast-charging up in 2021

Following an 8-fold increase in the share price of US electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) in 2020, attention quickly turned to the companies whose materials are expected to be highly sought-after in the EV era. As a result, ASX lithium shares sprung to life.

In our January coverage, we took a closer look under the hood of 5 ASX-listed lithium suppliers. Most of these companies went on to outperform the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this year.

These are the top performing lithium stocks in 2021 so far

Clearly, the appetite for ASX lithium shares was large throughout this year. The interest in the electrifying sector carried through to our article in March summarising the top performing ASX lithium shares in 2021 up to that point in time.

Remarkably, all 5 of the companies covered had posted gains of more than 150% between January and March alone. That is equivalent to a compound return of more than 35% each month for the first 3 months of 2021. For reference, the ASX share taking the crown was Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE), which is now up 1,087% year-to-date.

Is Canva coming to the ASX?

Last, but not least, our readers were incredibly curious to know if Canva was coming to the ASX. The graphic design platform garnered the interest of many ASX shares investors as it rapidly ascended from its US$6 billion valuation in 2020. By April 2021, the Sydney-based company had reached a valuation of US$15 billion after raising another US$71 million in funding.

Yet, here we are at the end of 2021 and Canva has not shown any intention of becoming an ASX share.

However, the company has since gone on to raise more capital privately. By September, it had reached a monumental US$40 billion valuation.

The post The ASX share market coverage that captivated readers in 2021 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: AMP shoots higher, travel shares rise
• This week, Fortescue (ASX:FMG) produced its own hydrogen for the first time. What does this mean?
• 2022 will be a shocker, so this is what to do: experts
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Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns Tesla. 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, Telstra Corporation Limited, and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company 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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Well, 2021 isn’t going to end the way many of us had hoped it might.

Thanks to the rise of the new COVID variant, our 26 year-old and his partner are stuck at their place for Christmas, thanks to a housemate testing positive a couple of days ago. It’s a tough pill to swallow for all of us, but especially for his 8 year-old little brother.

Out of an abundance of caution, we also got tested yesterday, and at the time of writing we’re still waiting for the results. We’re hoping they’re back before our planned Christmas lunch with our extended family tomorrow – otherwise it’ll be a quiet Christmas for us, too.

And we’re not alone. Many people will spend Christmas apart, who’d otherwise be with family and friends.

It’s so very 2021.

And yet.

And yet, I can’t help but reflect on how fortunate we are.

On the pandemic front, we live in a time when scientific discovery made identification of the virus possible. And when cutting edge science made a vaccine available in crazy-fast time, using brand-spanking-new technology. And when top-grade medical treatment reduced the severity and breadth of the harm.

When our governments were (generally) smart, willing and able enough to support what otherwise would have been a cratering economy. And when we (and previous generations) had voted to make healthcare both free and universal.

We live largely free of war and conflict. In one of the most prosperous countries on Earth. With access to sufficient healthy food, comfort and means of connection.

If we’re going to live through a pandemic, doing it here, in Australia, and now, in 2021, is about as good as you could hope for.

I’m not going to talk about money, or stocks, or finance, today. I’ll probably do a 2021 wrap-up another time.

Today is for the other stuff, that’s more important. Today is about recognising that things haven’t been ideal, but that we have a helluva lot to be thankful for.

It’s also about remembering those who are going to do it tough, tomorrow. Those who’ll be separated from family and friends, either because of COVID or myriad other reasons.

And it’s about remembering those who’ll have empty chairs at their tables; perhaps for the first time, or perhaps not. Many of us will be celebrating Christmas but also missing loved ones who are no longer with us.

We’re thinking of you, and hoping you’ll find some Christmas joy, even if it’s tinged with sorrow. (And if you find yourself in a dark place, please talk to someone. You can call Lifeline on 13 11 14.)

And every year, thousands and thousands of Australians will miss all or part of Christmas because they’re serving you and me.

Many of our armed forces will be deployed away from home, tomorrow. Our hospitals will be full of doctors, nurses and support staff who will probably wear Santa hats, if COVID regulations allow, but will otherwise be doing what they do every day – and more over the last 22 months – taking care of us.

Our ambos will be treating our sick and injured, and getting them to hospital as quickly and safely as possible. Our fireys will be attending car accidents and house fires. Our coppers will be attending crime scenes, managing traffic, dealing with violence and generally keeping us from harm.

And our utility workers will be keeping the lights on and the water flowing; retail staff and hospitality staff will be keeping us supplied and fed; media staff will entertain and inform us; and many, many more will be serving us in other ways.

Thank you to all of you who are working tomorrow.

And a personal thank you, from me and on behalf of the entire Motley Fool team, for being with us throughout 2021.

We know there are a million other things you could be doing, and a thousand other places you could get your finance fix. That you spend some of your time with us is truly appreciated.

Whether you’re a casual reader or a paying member, thank you. We appreciate and deeply value the trust you’ve placed, and continue to place, in us.

And, to conclude, I want to share the latest in our annual Christmas tradition – a Foolish Christmas Carol.

Yeah, it’s a little corny. And if it’s not your thing, that’s cool. But it’s a bit of fun, and we hope it gives you a smile.

From all of us, to all of you, and with all our love, we wish you a very Merry Christmas.

—–

God Rest Ye Foolish, Gentlemen

God rest ye Foolish gentlemen
(All genders though, today)
Remember our good fortune
This coming Christmas Day
Then make good use of compound’s pow’r
Don’t you be led astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
(Time we’ll employ)
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

In Australia, and globally
Our patience, this year worn
Remember that the good times come
The sun will rise each morn
So Murphy’s Law or just bad luck
We won’t give up in scorn
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
(Trading’s not a toy)
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Fear not then, Foolish investor
Let nothing you affright
Though markets can be volatile
We think the future’s bright
Just save, invest and stay the course
We think that path is right
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
(The fruits we’ll enjoy)
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

God rest ye Foolish gentlemen
(All genders though, today)
We thank you for your trust and faith
We hope you’ll hap’ly stay
We’ve done our best to see you through
And not lead you astray
Oh wishing you lots of Christmas joy
(From your Foolish envoy)
Oh wishing you lots of Christmas joy

—–

Fool on (merrily)!

The post Merry Christmas appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Scott Phillips 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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