• Redbubble (ASX:RBL) share price has surged 16% in 9 days. Is it a buy?

    a girl in a red t-shirt stands against a red door blowing bubbles through a red bubbleblower.

    The Redbubble Ltd (ASX: RBL) share price has seen better days than today. At the time of writing, the global online marketplace is in the red by 4.29%, at $4.355 per share.

    However, the Redbubble share price has surged approximately 15% in value over the past 9 trading days. That’s rather impressive considering many investors would be stoked with a 15% return over the course of a year.

    Additionally, shareholders have experienced a strong bounceback from the $3.19 price witnessed in August, rallying 37% since then.

    This poses the question: is now the time to buy Redbubble shares? Let’s see what brokers and fund managers think of the opportunity.

    Is Redbubble a buy on the ASX?

    Despite being included in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) back in April, the Redbubble share price suffered a swift fall soon after. This was instigated by a trading update from the company pointing out an increase in investments to drive its top-line growth.

    However, investors seem to have had a change of heart following the release of the company’s full-year results for FY21. Some notable items in its financials for the period included marketplace revenue increasing 58% to $553 million and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) skyrocketing 930% to $53 million.

    Since reporting these numbers, some brokers and fund managers have shared bullish perspectives on the eCommerce player.

    Firstly, leading broker Morgans considers Redbubble a serious ASX opportunity. The broker currently has a buy on the company with a price target of $4.83. Importantly, it sees a lot of growth potential ahead for Redbubble.

    For reference, the company is aiming to reach $1.25 billion per year in marketplace revenue in the next few years. This would represent an increase of 126% on its latest full-year revenue. If achieved, that would certainly be a significant level of growth.

    Fund manager thoughts

    Meanwhile, as we recently covered, EGP Capital is a big fan of Redbubble. At the end of August, the company was its fourth-largest holding in the Concentrated Value Fund.

    The fund’s chief investment officer Tony Hansen spoke highly of Redbubble’s management and is optimistic for the company’s medium-term prospects.

    I remain very positive about the medium-term prospects of RBL, now that the marketplace has reached scale, the key decisions are around how to deploy cashflows in search of business optimisation. Each new time I hear CEO Mike Ilczynski discuss his strategy, I am more convinced he has a very clear vision for how best to position the business.

    Additionally, Hansen notes that ASX-listed Redbubble could be enticing to US-based Etsy Inc (NASDAQ: ETSY) as a potential acquisition candidate.

    Redbubble currently trades on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 38.61.

    The post Redbubble (ASX:RBL) share price has surged 16% in 9 days. Is it a buy? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Etsy. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • Why Afterpay, Mineral Resources, Pilbara Minerals, & Pro Medicus shares are falling

    Woman sits at laptop looking confused and stressed

    It has been another disappointing day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is down 1.1% to 7,194.4 points.

    Four ASX shares that are falling more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are tumbling:

    Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)

    The Afterpay share price is down 4% to $122.43. This decline has been driven by a pullback in the Square share price overnight. As Square is acquiring Afterpay in an all-scrip deal, the value of the takeover changes with the payment giant’s share price. The Square share price was well and truly out of form and dropped 6% overnight.

    Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN)

    The Mineral Resources share price has dropped 5.5% to $43.39. Today’s decline appears to have been driven partly by a broker note out of Morgan Stanley today. According to the note, the broker has retained its underweight rating and cut its price target on the company’s shares to $41.00.

    Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

    The Pilbara Minerals share price is down 3% to $2.00. A number of resources shares are falling today amid a broad market selloff. And given how the Pilbara Minerals share price has more than doubled in value this year, some investors may be taking a bit of profit off the table as well.

    Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME)

    The Pro Medicus share price has fallen 3% to $52.43. Weakness in the healthcare and technology sectors today has been weighing on the health imaging software company’s shares. And as with Pilbara Minerals, profit taking could be adding to this. After all, the Pro Medicus share price is still up 49% since the start of the year.

    The post Why Afterpay, Mineral Resources, Pilbara Minerals, & Pro Medicus shares are falling appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO and Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO and 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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  • Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares so far today

    Man looks shocked as he works on laptop on top a skyscraper with stockmarket figures in graphic behind him.

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having a pretty terrible day on the share markets today, if we can be completely frank. The ASX 200 is currently down a nasty 1.01% to 7,202 points.

    But rather than crying over spilt milk, let’s instead take a look at which ASX 200 shares are proving the most popular today in terms of raw trading volume, according to invsting.com.

    The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares so far today

    Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH)

    ASX 200 energy share Oil Search is our first cab off the rank today. This oil driller has seen a notable 19.1 million of its shares swap hands on the markets so far today. With no major news or announcements out of Oil Search, we can probably assume today’s volume can be put down to the Oil Search share price itself.

    This company has had quite a day so far. Initially after open this morning, Oil Search cratered down to $4.29 a share. But since then, the company’s shares have staged a mild recovery. Although Oil Search remains down by 0.11% at $4.40 at the time of writing. It’s likely this turbulence is what’s behind the high trading volumes we see today.

    Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

    Next up we have ASX 200 lithium producer Pilbara Minerals. Pilbara has seen a substantial 20.26 million of its own shares bought and sold so far on today’s share market. This company did release a general meeting presentation earlier this afternoon, but this is unlikely to have had a major impact on trading volumes.

    Instead, we can probably look to the nasty share price fall Pilbara has undergone so far this Wednesday. This lithium share is currently down by 2.43% to $2.01 a share at the time of writing.

    Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT)

    Out final ASX 200 share today is another energy company in Beach Energy. Beach tops the ASX 200 so far today for trading volume, with a mighty 21.68 million shares bought and sold thus far. Like Oil Search, Beach has has a rather volatile day. It opened higher this morning at $1.40 a share, but quickly fell back down to $1.34 soon after.

    However, Beach has also staged something of a recovery later in the day, and is currently sitting at $1.36 a share, down just 0.22% so far. It’s this volatility that has likely sparked such a high trading volume. 

    The post Here are the 3 most traded ASX 200 shares so far today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Beach Energy right now?

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

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    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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  • Elixir Energy (ASX:EXR) share price lifts on hydrogen update

    male worker in hi-vis checking the balance of the hydrogen tanks

    The Elixir Energy Ltd (ASX: EXR) share price is steady in afternoon trade after a 6% surge earlier today.

    Shares in the gas explorer shot up to 26.5 cents apiece mid-morning but have slipped back amid general market malaise.

    Let’s take a look at what’s happened with the Elixir share price today.

    Hydrogen update propels Elixir share price higher

    Shares in Elixir received a boost in morning trade after the company released a compelling presentation on its interest in hydrogen and the market potential.

    The company highlighted various initiatives that its subsidiary in Mongolia, GOH Clean Energy LLC, has been pursuing.

    According to the presentation, Elixir considers Mongolia as one of the best locations in the world to produce green hydrogen.

    The factors that make the location attractive include its proximity to Chinese markets, low-cost delivery options and few competitors.

    Elixir noted its current natural gas assets in Mongolia are highly complementary to pursuing more clean energy ventures.

    In particular, Elixir highlighted the market opportunity in China.

    The company noted the physical nature of hydrogen makes it expensive to ship long distances. As a result, hydrogen sources adjacent to large users like China present a massive competitive advantage.

    More on Elixir Energy

    The Elixir share price has made numerous headlines this past month.

    Most recently, the company released an operations update relating to its Nomgon IX Coal Bed Methane site.

    Elixir’s management noted the company now has 3 new potentially productive sub-basins in its inventory.

    Shares in Elixir have remain buoyed since the company announced it had extended the area of discovery in its Kingston sub-basin in late August.

    Recently, the Elixir share price has also been boosted by the recent price rally in the oil markets.

    Snapshot of the Elixir share price

    The Elixir share price has had a volatile run in 2021.

    Shares in the gas explorer shot to record highs in April and have been progressively sold down since.

    Despite the sell-off, the Elixir share price remains more than 104% higher since the start of the year.

    At the time of writing, shares in Elixir are flat for the day at 25 cents apiece after hitting 26.5 cents around 11 o’clock.

    The post Elixir Energy (ASX:EXR) share price lifts on hydrogen update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Elixir Energy right now?

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Nikhil Gangaram 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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  • Afterpay’s Touch Ventures (ASX:TVL) leaps 50% on ASX debut

    A man and woman touch knuckles signifying success in their venture.

    Another company has successfully joined the ASX boards on Wednesday. Touch Ventures Ltd (ASX: TVL), formerly known as AP Ventures, is now a bonafide ASX-listed company.

    Shortly after listing at 11am, the Touch Ventures share price eclipsed 74 cents – setting an intraday high.

    Investors have taken to Touch Ventures’ shares like ducks to water. Perhaps there is some speculation over it following in the successful footsteps of its substantial shareholder, Afterpay. Regardless, it’s worth taking a quick look at the path so far for the listed investment company.

    Touch Ventures opens up ASX opportunities

    Unlike its largest shareholder, Touch Ventures is not directly operating in the buy now, pay later (BNPL) space. In fact, the company isn’t operating in any sector directly. Instead, Touch invests in startups both in Australia and internationally.

    Specifically, the company tends to invest $10 million to $25 million (sometimes more) in unlisted companies in the retail innovation, consumer, finance, and data segments. Its objective is to invest in such companies during their growth stage.

    Essentially, ASX-listed Touch Ventures seeks to find similar businesses to what Afterpay was before its initial public offering (IPO) and capture the upside in its rise to prominence – or at least that’s what is hoped for.

    Currently, the portfolio of investments consists of 5 companies including Sendle, Happay, PlayTravel, Basiq, and Postpay. Around $75 million has been poured into these various investments. However, the goal is to expand this to 8 to 10 companies in the short to medium term.

    Afterpay will maintain a close relationship with Touch Ventures under a collaboration agreement. This means the $35 billion BNPL company will, at its discretion, refer opportunities on and potentially provide expertise to Touch Ventures. The company would be financially motivated to do so, with it holding a 24% stake in the newly debuted company.

    What’s next?

    Touch Ventures now holds $100 million in funds following the successful capital raise from its IPO offer. The company will likely use these funds to invest in its next round of opportunities.

    Following its ASX listing, there isn’t much of a hint where Touch Ventures plans to invest next. However, the company did take part in a recent funding round held by Refundid. This Aussie startup brings the buy now, pay later model to refunds.

    For now, shareholders of Touch Ventures can rejoice in a mighty first day of trade on the ASX. Since peaking this morning, Touch Ventures shares are now trading at 51 cents apiece.

    The post Afterpay’s Touch Ventures (ASX:TVL) leaps 50% on ASX debut appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Touch Ventures right now?

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • 2 ASX 200 mining shares to buy in October

    Man in white hard hat cheers with fists pumped

    If you’re looking to diversify your portfolio with some mining shares, then the two listed below could be worth considering.

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

    Orocobre Limited (ASX: ORE)

    The first ASX 200 mining share to consider is this lithium miner. It could be a top option for investors looking for exposure to the clean energy/electric vehicle thematic.

    Orocobre recently completed its merger with Galaxy Resources. This has created a top five global lithium mining company, which will soon be rebranded as Allkem. The merged company has a collection of strong operations and equally strong growth prospects. This puts it in a great position to benefit from the increased demand and strong prices for the battery making ingredient.

    The team at Macquarie are very positive on Orocobre. The broker currently has an outperform rating and $11.80 price target on its shares. This compares to the current Orocobre share price of $8.52.

    South32 Ltd (ASX: S32)

    Another ASX 200 mining share to consider is South32. The BHP Group (ASX: BHP) spin off could be a top option due to the diversity of its operations and positive growth outlook.

    Among the commodities that the company produces are alumina, aluminium, energy coal, metallurgical coal, manganese ore, nickel, silver, lead, and zinc.

    The one that is getting investors excited right now is aluminium. With the metal believed to be in the early stages of a multi-year bull market, South32 looks set to benefit from strong prices in the coming years.

    Goldman Sachs certainly expects this to be the case. So much so, the broker has a conviction buy rating and $3.80 price target on its shares. Goldman is also forecasting double digit dividend yields through to at least FY 2026.

    The South32 share price is currently fetching $3.39.

    The post 2 ASX 200 mining shares to buy in October appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns shares of Orocobre 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 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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  • Top broker sees 18% upside for the Beach (ASX:BPT) share price

    Four people in business suits and white hard hats sit in front of desk and cheer

    The Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) share price has been a relatively positive performer today.

    The energy company’s shares are currently trading a fraction higher at $1.37.

    This compares to a 1% decline by the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this afternoon.

    Why is the Beach share price outperforming?

    The Beach share price appears to be faring better than others today due to a number of positive broker notes.

    One of those came from the team at Bell Potter. This morning the broker retained its buy rating and lifted its price target on the company’s shares to $1.62.

    Based on the current Beach share price, this implies potential upside of 18% over the next 12 months.

    The broker is also forecasting a 1.5% dividend yield, bringing the total potential return to almost 20%.

    What did the broker say?

    According to the note, the broker was pleased with Beach’s investor update and its plan to increase its production to 28 MMboe by FY 2024. This represents a 27% increase on the midpoint of its FY 2022 guidance.

    Bell Potter commented: “BPT has a strong, fully funded energy production growth outlook. This production growth is diversified across five energy basins and across four separate gas markets, including the global LNG trade. The company should benefit from tightening east coast gas markets and international LNG markets flowing through to higher realised prices. BPT is trading at materially lower earnings multiples compared with its ASX-listed peers.”

    The broker also suspects that Beach may outperform its targets. It has pencilled in production of 29.5 MMboe in FY 2024.

    It explained: “We are forecasting production of 29.5MMboe in FY24. This forecast assumes production at the Cooper Basin Joint Venture, BassGas and Kupe to remain steady, Western Flank to decline to 4MMboe per year, successful ramp-up to near nameplate capacity at the Victorian Otway to 7.3MMboe per year and an expansion in production at the Perth Basin assets to 5.2MMboe per year.”

    All in all, the broker feels this makes the Beach share price good value at the current level.

    The post Top broker sees 18% upside for the Beach (ASX:BPT) share price appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    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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  • Despite today’s falls, the Splitit share price is up 23% in 7 days. Here’s why

    a line of buyers form a queue holding their phones to tap on a payment machine.

    The Splitit Payments Ltd (ASX: SPT) share price has slipped into the red during afternoon trade today, going for 43.5 cents at the time of writing.

    Yet Splitit shares have climbed over 23% in the past week of trading, well ahead of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO)’s slump of 1% in this time.

    Let’s investigate further.

    What’s fuelling the Splitit share price lately?

    The Splitit share price has reversed some of its losses in the last week after a board member took the opportunity to buy some of the company’s shares at discounted prices.

    Splitit’s non-executive chairperson Dawn Robertson collected 100,000 shares last week, fully paid for, at a price of 34.5-35.5 cents apiece.

    This is all well and good, but what does it mean for Splitit shares?

    It comes down to the market’s perception and reaction to Robertson’s in-house purchase.

    When a public company’s executive, board member or key stakeholder increases the size of their investment in the entity, it generally suggests that a particular individual is confident of the company’s good fortune moving forwards.

    Why else would they be buying more shares? Surely not just because it’s good policy.

    Contrast this to the opposite situation – where insiders sell their shares as they aren’t confident the company will continue performing.

    That generally results in a dramatic share price decrease, and fittingly so.

    These are important data points because executives and board members have privileged access to information about the company that we, as investors, simply don’t.

    Investors don’t necessarily have the in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of most public companies. So when a non-executive director purchases a bunch of shares out of their own pocket, putting two + two together, it signals that something is up. Perhaps, something good.

    All of this is common market behaviour in response to board directors and company executives buying or selling their shares in the company.

    It’s just one other indicator that investors use to make informed decisions on which direction a shares’ price is set to go into the future.

    Splitit share price snapshot

    The Splitit share price has been bathing in a pool of red this year, having posted a loss of around 67% since January 1.

    This increases its loss over the past 12 months to 69.5%. Both of these results are well behind the broad index’s return of about 25% this past year.

    The post Despite today’s falls, the Splitit share price is up 23% in 7 days. Here’s why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Splitit Payments right now?

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    The author Zach Bristow has no positions 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 AFIC (ASX:AFI) share price is steady today as the ASX 200 falls

    Man drinking from a bottle sitting on a floating ring in the middle of a harbour going nowhere.

    The Australian Foundation Investment Co. Ltd (ASX: AFI) share price booked gains this morning while the major benchmarks swam in a sea of red.

    The tide turned slightly on the ASIC share price around lunch, slipping below the opening price this afternoon alongside the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO), which is down 1.1% into the red today. At the time of writing, however, AFIC shares are trading steady at around $8.36.

    What’s up with the AFIC share price today?

    Firstly, there is no market-sensitive information for the company today that is likely to impact the AFIC share price. So we can rule that out.

    However, in view of the broader market selloff today, it’s important to realise some of the mechanics behind the market’s psychology, in order to explain why AFIC hasn’t slumped with the broader market today.

    In times where risk, volatility and market uncertainty are high, investors tend to display a herd-like behaviour where they shift capital from risker investments into ‘safer’, more conservative ones.

    This is called a ‘flight to quality’, and may occur within the same type of investment, or across different asset classes in times of financial market turbulence.

    When talking about the share market in these instances, investors generally define risk as high volatility or fluctuations in price.

    On this basis, the flight to quality involves shares that have low historical volatility, when looking in the rearview mirror.

    The historical volatility of a share is measured using a fancy term called standard deviation – but there is a much easier way for Foolish investors to see this for themselves.

    One easy way to examine this is to simply check a company’s share price chart, and see the style of the price line.

    If it looks like a hyperactive 2-year-old drew it – with high peaks and low troughs – this is what high volatility looks like.

    Conversely, a stable, gradually increasing line indicates the opposite scenario.

    Looking at AFIC’s chart, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that its volatility has been low this past 12 months.

    Compare this to Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)’s share price over this same time, and one clearly see’s the difference.

    How AFIC share price volatility compares to Afterpay

    Data: Google FinanceGoogle and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google LLC, used with permission

    Hence, investors who want to take some risk off the table as market uncertainty grows, are likely to seek out shares such as AFIC, in a flight to quality, to help preserve capital.

    What else could be at play?

    Another factor to consider is that AFIC is a diversified investment company.

    And one way that investors tend to reduce their investment risk is to diversify their portfolio – not keep all their eggs in one basket.

    Given that AFIC has a high number of investments in the local share market, it offers investors a diversified way of staying invested in ASX shares.

    Except they can achieve this benefit by owning one share – AFIC – instead of purchasing a bunch of individual shares at who knows what prices.

    This increases the popularity of shares like AFIC in times of market uncertainty, as it offers investors a way to hedge their bets, and diversify their investment portfolio.

    That way investors aren’t left catching the falling knife if a basket of shares begins to crash – as in today’s example – they can simply sell their AFIC shares instead, no dramas.

    In a nutshell, AFIC shareholders gain access to the returns offered by a whole range of ASX shares but get to reduce their risk at the same time, because they aren’t holding the shares individually.

    There’s a bit of a cap on the total return (as one trades some reward in exchange for lower risk), but that’s still a pretty attractive scenario for large institutions and investors with millions/billions of dollars at stake.

    AFIC share price snapshot

    It hasn’t been a terrible year for the AFIC share price, which posted a gain of 14.5% since January 1.

    This extends its climb over the past 12 months to almost 33%. Both of these results are well ahead of the broad index’s return of around 25% in the last year.

    The post The AFIC (ASX:AFI) share price is steady today as the ASX 200 falls appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    The author Zach Bristow has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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  • Why Sigma, Smartgroup, St Barbara, & Touch Ventures are pushing higher

    share price rise

    It has been another disappointing day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). In afternoon trade, the benchmark index is down 1.1% to 7,191.6 points.

    Four ASX shares that have not let that hold them back are listed below. Here’s why these shares are pushing higher:

    Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG)

    The Sigma Healthcare share price is up 3% to 62 cents. Investors have been buying this pharmacy chain operator’s shares this week after a bidding war broke out between Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) and Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ASX: API). Investors appear to be hoping that Wesfarmers comes back with a higher offer.

    Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (ASX: SIQ)

    The Smartgroup share price has jumped 18% to $9.29. This morning the fleet management and salary packaging company announced the receipt of a takeover approach of its own. A consortium led by private equity firm TPG Global has tabled an all-cash offer of $10.35 per share. Four weeks of due diligence has been granted.

    St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM)

    The St Barbara share price has stormed 7% higher to $1.36. Investors have been buying gold miners today amid the market volatility. And with the St Barbara share price down materially this year, it has been particularly popular with investors. The S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold index is up 2.7% at the time of writing.

    Touch Ventures Ltd (ASX: TVL)

    The Touch Ventures share price is up 31% to 52.5 cents. This morning the Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) spin off completed its IPO with a listing price of 40 cents per share. Touch Ventures is an investment holding company focused on high growth, scalable investment opportunities in Australia and internationally. This includes companies that may benefit from Afterpay’s ecosystem.

    The post Why Sigma, Smartgroup, St Barbara, & Touch Ventures are pushing higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in Touch Ventures right now?

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

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

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

    *Returns as of August 16th 2021

    More reading

    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 shares of and has recommended SMARTGROUP DEF SET. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3zRuYiS