The best exchange traded funds (ETFs) are not always the ones making the most noise today.

For long-term investors, a strong buy and hold pick should offer exposure to markets, industries, or businesses that can keep becoming more important over time.

With that in mind, here are three ASX ETFs that could be worth considering.

Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

The Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF gives investors exposure to large technology and online retail companies across Asia, excluding Japan.

This is an interesting part of the market because Asia is both a major producer and consumer of technology.

The region is home to key semiconductor manufacturers, hardware businesses, ecommerce platforms, digital entertainment companies, and internet giants. That means investors are not just buying one narrow idea. They are gaining exposure to several parts of Asia’s digital economy.

Holdings include SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (NYSE: TSM).

This could make the Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF a strong long-term option for investors who want technology exposure beyond the usual US names.

Betashares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK)

The Betashares Global Cybersecurity ETF could be another ASX ETF to look at for the long term.

Cybersecurity is becoming one of those expenses that businesses cannot easily avoid.

Companies can delay some technology projects when conditions are tough. But protecting customer data, payment systems, cloud networks, devices, and internal systems is harder to postpone.

That gives this sector a different feel to many other growth themes. The Betashares Global Cybersecurity ETF owns companies involved in areas such as network security, endpoint protection, identity management, cloud security, and threat detection.

This includes Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW), Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT), and CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD).

This ETF can be volatile, but the need for better digital protection is unlikely to disappear.

Vanguard Global Technology Index ETF (ASX: VTEK)

A third ASX ETF that could be a strong buy and hold pick is the Vanguard Global Technology Index ETF.

This fund gives investors exposure to around 300 large and mid-cap technology stocks across developed and emerging markets.

That makes it broader than a fund focused only on one exchange or one technology theme.

The Vanguard Global Technology Index ETF provides exposure to companies involved in chips, software, hardware, digital platforms, cloud infrastructure, and other parts of the global technology sector.

Its holdings include NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).

For investors who believe technology will keep taking a larger role in business and everyday life, this ETF offers a simple way to invest in that long-term shift.

The post Why these ASX ETFs could be strong long-term picks appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 Betashares ETFs I want to buy
• How much passive income can I earn off a $630,000 superannuation balance
• 3 exciting ASX ETFs to watch
• 3 ASX ETFs to buy for simple investing
• 3 amazing ASX ETFs for Aussie investors in September

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Betashares Capital – Asia Technology Tigers Etf. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Apple, BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF, CrowdStrike, Fortinet, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Palo Alto Networks. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Apple, CrowdStrike, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

ASX healthcare shares have spent the past year being repriced harder than almost any other corner of the market.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) fell as low as $90 before staging a recovery, and Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME) has roughly halved from the high it set less than a year ago.

Yet the sector rose 9% in a week during reporting season, which tells you sentiment may have started to turn.

Why ASX healthcare shares fell so far

The damage was mostly self-inflicted at the company level.

CSL wrote down its Vifor acquisition, Pro Medicus derated from an extraordinary multiple, and drug pricing pressure from the United States hung over the entire sector.

None of those problems has vanished, but the price investors are now asked to pay for them has changed.

That is usually where the better opportunities in a beaten-up sector are found.

1. CSL

CSL trades around $175 against a 52-week range of $90.00 to $222.47.

FY26 was openly badged as a reset year.

Revenue slipped 1% to US$15.8 billion, and impairments of US$7.1 billion drove a statutory loss of US$2.6 billion.

Underlying profit after tax and amortisation still reached US$3.1 billion, which is the figure worth focusing on because the impairments were non-cash and largely historical.

The forward numbers are what matter here.

CSL is targeting US$400 million of annual cost savings, rising to US$550 million by FY28.

FY27 guidance points to underlying profit growth of around 5%, with a further A$1.1 billion buyback authorised.

On the flipside, the company’s dividend was held at US$2.92 per share and net debt sits at 1.8 times EBITDA.

2. Pro Medicus

Pro Medicus is the quality name and remains the expensive one.

The shares trade near $185 against a 52-week high of $321.57, so the derating has been severe.

FY26 revenue rose 22.9% to $261.7 million and underlying net profit climbed 24.1% to $144.7 million.

The company’s underlying EBIT margin reached 74.9% and the company remains debt-free with $252.3 million in cash.

Chief executive Dr Sam Hupert was optimistic about the previous year:

We were aiming for 30% increases in EBIT and NPAT, and we exceeded both on a constant currency basis.

The company signed $407 million of new contracts and lifted its dividend 25.5% to 69 cents.

At roughly 75 times earnings the shares are still priced for something close to perfection, though considerably less so than they were twelve months ago.

3. Ramsay Health Care

Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC) is the turnaround story of the three.

FY26 revenue reached $18.6 billion and underlying EBIT rose 11.8% to $1.2 billion.

The EBIT margin improved 30 basis points to 6.2%, which is the number the market had been waiting on.

The full-year dividend lifted 13.8% to 91 cents.

The bigger catalyst is linked to its markets.

Ramsay plans to separate Ramsay Santé, its European business, with a shareholder vote scheduled for 24 November.

Approval would leave behind a simpler, Australian-focused hospital operator with a cleaner balance sheet and a far easier story for investors to value.

What could go wrong with ASX healthcare shares

Each of these stocks carry their own risk.

CSL still has to prove that its cost programme can deliver, and its Vifor division is guided to shrink around 25% in FY27.

Pro Medicus depends on continued contract wins in a US market where it already holds meaningful share.

Then on the other hand, Ramsay’s separation still requires a shareholder vote in November, and demergers routinely take longer and cost more than the initial timetable suggests.

Foolish takeaway

Of these three ASX healthcare shares, CSL offers the clearest difference between price and normalised earnings.

Pro Medicus has the best business and the hardest valuation to defend, whereas Ramsay has the most tangible catalyst and yet the least growth behind it.

A brutal twelve months has left the sector significant cheaper than it was, without making any of these three businesses straightforward to own.

The post Top 3 ASX healthcare shares to buy after a brutal year appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Top 3 ASX shares I’d buy with $5000 right now
• 40 ASX shares with ex-dividend dates next week
• ASX shares investors are getting younger and trading more often: CBA report
• 11 ASX 200 shares with reaffirmed buy ratings post-results
• How CSL shares skyrocketed 39% in August

Motley Fool contributor Mark Verhoeven has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL and Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) shares have been on fire over the past year.

Recently trading for $173.18, shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) mining giant have surged 51.3% in 12 months, smashing the 0.6% one-year gains posted by the benchmark index.

And that’s not including the two fully franked dividends, totalling $6.70 a share, that Rio Tinto paid (or shortly will pay) over the full year.

If we add that back into the recent share price of $173.18, then the accumulated value of Rio Tinto shares has rocketed 57.2% in 12 months.

But with those kinds of outsized gains already in the bag, should I still buy the ASX mining stock today?

Rio Tinto shares: Buy, hold or sell?

Morgans’ Damien Nguyen recently ran his slide rule over the ASX 200 mining giant (courtesy of The Bull).

“Rio Tinto continues to generate strong cash flow from its world class iron ore operations, while building exposure to copper and lithium,” Nguyen said.

“The company maintains a robust balance sheet and offers attractive shareholder returns, supported by low-cost assets,” he added.

But amid concerns over the miner’s heavy weighting towards iron ore and its strong run higher, Nguyen issues a hold recommendation on Rio Tinto shares.

He concluded:

However, iron ore remains the primary earnings driver, leaving profits exposed to movements in commodity prices and Chinese demand. Given this balance of quality and cyclical risk, we see Rio Tinto as fairly valued at recent levels.

What’s the latest from the ASX 200 mining stock?

Rio Tinto shares were in sharp focus on 29 July following the release of the company’s half year results (H1 2026).

Highlights included a 15% year on year increase in revenue to US$31.0 billion. And earnings surged 28%, with the miner reporting underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$14.8 billion.

On the bottom line, Rio Tinto reported a half year net profit of $6.7 billion, up 48.9% from H1 2025.

With profits surging, management declared a $3.029 per share fully franked interim dividend, up 36.4% from last year’s interim payout.

The stock traded ex-dividend on 13 August. If you held shares on 12 August, you can expect that passive income to land in your bank account on 24 September.

“Our strong performance is underpinned by accelerating productivity across the business,” Rio Tinto CEO Simon Trott said.

Rio Tinto shares closed up 3.7% on the day of the results announcement.

The post Up 57%! Should I still buy Rio Tinto shares today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Up 20% this year, are Rio Tinto shares still good value?
• What’s driving the ASX 200 higher today?
• Here’s how Fortescue, Rio Tinto and BHP shares stacked up in August
• How much passive income can I earn off a $630,000 superannuation balance
• Is it a great time to buy Rio Tinto shares?

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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 Scott Phillips.