With the share market still trading notably lower than its February highs, I believe there are some great opportunities for investors right now.

If you have $3,000 gaining just a modicum of interest in a savings account, I would seriously consider putting it to work in the share market instead.

Here are two top ASX 200 shares I would buy with $3,000:

Bravura Solutions Ltd (ASX: BVS)

Bravura Solutions is a leading provider of software products and services to the wealth management and funds administration industries. It is best known for its Sonata wealth management platform which allows users to connect and engage with their clients anytime, anywhere, through computers, tablets or smartphones. Sonata has been growing very strongly in recent years and looks set to continue for some time due to its quality and sizeable market opportunity.

This should be bolstered by recent acquisitions of Midwinter and Finocomp. Midwinter allows financial advisers to provide comprehensive face to face financial advice and looks well placed to capitalise on the continued change in the Australian financial advice industry. Whereas FinoComp’s software adds functionality to Bravura and cross-sell opportunities. Another positive is that demand for its offering has not been impacted by the pandemic. Management recently reaffirmed its guidance for mid-teens profit growth in FY 2020 (excluding the benefits of the aforementioned acquisitions).

ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

Another share to consider buying with $3,000 is ResMed. It has been growing at a very strong rate over the last decade and has become one of the world’s leading sleep treatment companies. Pleasingly, this strong form has continued in FY 2020. During the first half the company delivered a 22% lift in operating profit to US$368.9 million. It then followed this up with a 47% increase in third quarter profits earlier this month.

Although ResMed’s growth in the coming quarters could be hit by lower sleep apnoea diagnoses because of the pandemic, outside this, I’m confident that it is well-placed to continue its positive trajectory for many years to come. This is due to its world-class product portfolio and the massive number of undiagnosed sleep apnoea sufferers globally. The company estimates that there are upwards of ~1 billion people impacted by sleep apnoea globally. The vast majority of these are currently undiagnosed.

More reading

• Why CSR, Kogan, Premier Investments, & ResMed shares are storming higher
• These were the top 10 ASX 200 shares over the last year
• In a post-COVID world, could Australia be the next superpower?
• 5 top ASX shares to buy and hold for a decade
• Fund manager thinks investors should look beyond the worst economic data since the Great Depression

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 Bravura Solutions Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Bravura Solutions Ltd and ResMed Inc. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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At lunch on Wednesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is off its lows but on course to record another decline. The benchmark index is down 0.9% to 5,352.5 points.

Here’s what has been happening:

Commonwealth Bank third quarter update.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price is trading higher today after the release of its third quarter update. For the three months ending March 31, Commonwealth Bank delivered cash net profit from continuing operations of $1.3 billion. This was down 41% on the average quarterly cash net profit it posted in the first half. The coronavirus pandemic was the main drag on its results. The banking giant revealed an additional credit provision of $1.5 billion for the potential longer term impacts of COVID-19.

Big banks under pressure.

The rest of the big four banks are trading lower on Wednesday after overnight declines by their U.S. counterparts. The worst performer in the group is the Australia and New Zealand Banking Grp Ltd (ASX: ANZ) share price with a 1% decline. Its shares were down as much as 2% at stage this morning.

Gold miners charge higher.

One area of the market which is pushing higher today is the gold mining industry. Two of the biggest gold miners, Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST), are up around 2% at lunch. This has helped drive the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold index 1.25% higher today. Investors have been buying the gold miners due to a rise in the gold price and increasing demand for safe haven assets.

Best and worst ASX 200 performers.

The best performer on the ASX 200 today has been the Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price by some distance with a 7% gain. This is despite there being no news out of the lithium miner today. The worst performer has been the Ausnet Services Ltd (ASX: AST) share price with a 6.5% decline. This morning Ord Minnett downgraded its shares to a lighten rating with a $1.75 price target following its FY 2020 result.

Returns as of 7/4/2020

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

More reading

• How can the ASX 200 soar with rising unemployment?
• Revealed: 5 dividend shares for reliable income
• Dividends are drying up – but not for these ASX shares
• Why CBA, CSR, Fortescue, & Northern Star shares are pushing higher
• Safe dividend stocks to buy today for the COVID-19 world

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has followed the lead of U.S. markets and is sinking lower on Wednesday. In late morning trade the benchmark index is down 1.45% to 5,325.3 points.

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

The Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price is down 3.5% to $40.29. This decline appears to be down to profit taking after some exceptionally strong gains over the last few weeks. In fact, this week the Afterpay share price hit a record high of $43.68. When the payments company’s shares hit that level, it meant they were up ~450% from the 52-week low they hit in March.

The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price has fallen 3% to $10.23. As with Afterpay, the travel agent’s shares look to have come under pressure due to profit taking. Flight Centre’s shares were surging higher on Friday and Monday in response to the government’s plan to reopen Australia.

The Mesoblast limited (ASX: MSB) share price has returned from its trading halt and is down 4% to $3.30. This morning the cellular medicines developer announced the successful completion of a US$90 million capital raising. The funds were raised at a price of A$3.20 per share, which represents a 7% discount to its last closing price. The proceeds will be used to scale-up manufacturing of its lead product candidate remestemcel-L. This is being trialled as a treatment for COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

The Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL) share price has fallen almost 6% to $2.15. This is despite the Afterpay rival releasing a very positive presentation this morning ahead of its appearance at the Goldman Sachs virtual conference. Sezzle continues to grow its merchant sales and customer numbers at a solid rate in 2020.

More reading

• Safe dividend stocks to buy today for the COVID-19 world
• Short sellers are going after Afterpay’s rivals and these ASX shares
• 3 top-notch ASX shares on my May watchlist
• ASX 200 sinks 1.3%: Big four banks drag ASX lower & Altium issues sales warning
• These 10 ASX 200 shares have fallen the most over the last year

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and Sezzle Inc. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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