Last week, the Australian dollar crossed the 72 US cents mark for the first time in more than three months. Investors have today returned from the weekend to see our Aussie dollar at about the same level, currently buying 72.1 US cents. It’s quite a comeback for a currency that was, as recently as July, trading at under 70 US cents. Moves like this one can seem inconsequential. But they can have a real impact on the value of ASX shares, and Australian investors’ portfolios by extension.

Remember, the exchange rate really prices the value of our currency, which naturally has far-reaching consequences across our economy. There are countless factors that pay into what one currency trades at compared to another. I won’t pretend to know everything that has caused our dollar to appreciate by close to 5% over the past two months or so. But there’s little doubt that inflation (and interest rate) expectations, the ongoing wars in the Middle East and Europe, as well as concerns about the mounting levels of debt in the United States, are all playing a part.

What moves a dollar?

So what does a higher dollar mean for ASX investors, aside from the odd case of a healthy bout of nationalistic pride?

Well, at a simple level, the primary outcome from an increase in the value of the Aussie dollar is that exporting goods or services becomes cheaper for consumers and companies, while importing becomes more expensive. To illustrate, let’s say an agricultural company has to buy fertiliser every month for US$100 a bag. Back in July, that bag would have cost roughly $144.50. Today, that same bag would only set the buyer back by $138.90.

However, let’s say that a bushel of wheat that could be grown using that fertiliser costs US$700. Back in July, our company would have received over $1,000 in our local currency. Today, they would get just over $972.

Which ASX shares prosper from a higher Aussie dollar?

A higher Aussie dollar benefits companies that import more goods or services than they export, and punishes companies that export more than they import.

As such, it’s clear that the biggest losers from a higher Aussie dollar are our major exporters. Namely, our largest mining stocks. The likes of BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO), Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG), Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS), and Northern Star Ltd (ASX: NST) are arguably some of the companies most exposed. So to are companies that report their earnings in US dollars. That includes CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) and WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC).

Conversely, net importers will be lining up to enjoy the benefits of a higher Aussie dollar. That might be Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD), which imports petroleum products to refine or on-sell. It could be Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES), which receives a huge amount of its stock for Bunnings and OfficeWorks from overseas. Ditto with JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) or Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN). It could even give Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) and Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) a bit of a margin boost on any food or drinks that are grown or manufactured beyond our shores.

Not all companies are winners or losers, though. Changes in our currency would have little to no impact on the earnings of something like Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) or Transurban Group (ASX: TCL).

Changes in the Aussie dollar can have a tangible impact on one’s ASX share portfolio. Keep that in mind if you’re wondering why one of your investments has been a bit of a laggard of late, or has jumped in value with no other obvious catalysts.

The post These ASX shares benefit from a high Aussie dollar appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in CSL and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL, Transurban Group, Wesfarmers, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Harvey Norman, Telstra Group, Transurban Group, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, CSL, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares are marching higher today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy stock closed on Friday trading for $31.83. In morning trade on Monday, shares are changing hands for $32.13 apiece, up 0.9%.

For some context, the ASX 200 is up 0.1% at this same time.

This sees Woodside shares up 35.8% in 2026, smashing the 3.2% year-to-date gains posted by the benchmark index.

That’s the recent share price action for you.

Now here’s how the Aussie energy giant is building a global LNG portfolio.

Woodside shares expanding global LNG footprint

Woodside’s major growth projects include the Trion oil field, located offshore Mexico, which was 64% complete at the end of H1 2026.

On the liquid natural gas (LNG) front, Woodside shares could get long-term support on two fronts.

First, its Scarborough Energy Project, a natural gas resource project located in Western Australia. At the end of H1 2026, Scarborough was 98% complete and on track for first LNG cargo in Q4 2026.

Then there’s the mammoth Louisiana LNG project in the United States, which was 28% complete at the end of H1 2026.

The approximately AU$24 billion project got the green light from former CEO Meg O’Neill in April 2025.

On completion, Louisiana LNG has a total permitted capacity of 27.6 million tonnes per annum.

The company stated:

Development of Louisiana LNG will position Woodside as a global LNG powerhouse, enabling the company to deliver approximately 24 Mtpa from its global LNG portfolio in the 2030s, and operating over 5% of global LNG supply.

And MST Marquee analyst Saul Kavonic noted that the United States, and Louisiana in particular, provide regulatory certainty that Woodside and other energy companies aren’t getting from Australia.

According to Kavonic (quoted by the Australian Financial Review):

The fact that even Woodside is looking to spend most of its next wave of investment in the US instead of Australia is a stark signal that Australia is losing its competitiveness to attract investment in our world-scale gas resource base.

Commenting on the company’s LNG ambitions intended to boost Woodside shares over the years, Liz Westcott, who took over the reins as Woodside CEO in March this year, said, “We’ll have LNG facilities in the Atlantic and the Pacific. That is really quite a unique position for an operator to be in.”

Woodside owns 90% of Louisiana LNG, with United States-based Williams holding the rest.

The post How Woodside shares are building a ‘unique position’ to supply global LNG markets appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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.

Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) shares only returned to the ASX last Thursday, and the week couldn’t have gone much worse.

After more than a year suspended from trading, the stock crashed 86% on its first day back to close at $2.32. The selling continued on Friday, with Corporate Travel shares dropping another 3% to finish the week at $2.25.

The shares are rebounding slightly today, up 4% to $2.35 at the time of writing. Even with that recovery, they remain around 85% below the $16.07 level they were trading at before the suspension.

And investors now have another problem to think about.

Another legal headache

According to The Australian, law firm Phi Finney McDonald is investigating a potential class action against Corporate Travel Management and its former auditor, PwC Australia.

The law firm said it was “well advanced in its investigation” into what it described as financial misreporting over several years.

Any class action would allege that Corporate Travel misled investors through its annual financial reports over a multi-year period up to 2024, in breach of the Corporations Act.

It would also allege PwC engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and made false statements about its auditing of the company’s financial reports.

Phi Finney McDonald principal lawyer Roop Sandhu told The Australian that investors were “rightfully concerned about what has happened to their investments”.

At this stage, no class action has been filed, but it is another issue shareholders could probably have done without.

Some signs of progress

Corporate Travel shares were suspended in August 2025 after accounting problems emerged around customer charge rates in its UK operations.

Since then, the company has been working through a large customer remediation program. Around 78% of refunds have been agreed or are close to finalisation, leaving roughly $55 million still to be dealt with.

The FY26 result did at least show the underlying business is moving in the right direction.

Revenue and other income rose 4% to $669.9 million, while underlying EBITDA increased 36% to $113.6 million. Corporate Travel also returned to profit, reporting net profit after tax (NPAT) of $17.7 million compared with a $348.5 million loss a year earlier.

Transaction volumes climbed 13% to 18.3 million, while the company secured $669 million of new business and $1.5 billion of re-tenders and renewals during the year.

Would I buy Corporate Travel shares?

I can see why some investors might look at the $2.35 share price and wonder whether most of the bad news is already priced in.

The business is still operating, earnings improved in FY26, and the shares have already taken a huge hit.

But I’d still be staying on the sidelines.

There’s a sizeable remediation bill to work through, the accounts carry a modified audit opinion, and there is now another potential legal issue hanging over the company.

After everything that has happened over the past year, I’d want to see a few of these issues resolved before considering the shares.

The post Where does it end? Corporate Travel hit with another blow after crashing 85% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 positions in and has recommended Corporate Travel Management. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Corporate Travel Management. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.