The Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price is back in the green.

The digital token has shrugged off its recent losing streak to gain 2.66% over the past 24 hours.

The Bitcoin price currently stands at US$40,320 (AU$54,632).

In a sign of the continuing volatility involved with investing in cryptos, even the world’s biggest crypto by market cap, Bitcoin traded as low as US$37,380 and as high as US$41,378 since this time yesterday.

In other words, the Bitcoin price swung through a range of almost 11% in a single day.

And it’s just this sort of volatility that’s keeping some of the wealthiest investors on the sidelines.

Bitcoin price volatility too risky for wealth manager

Carter Henderson is the portfolio manager at United States-based investment management firm Fort Pitt Capital Group. Henderson is steering well clear of crypto assets for now.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Henderson said:

We don’t advise any of our clients to go into it. Right now, it’s too unknown of a space to be in and two, the volatility of wealth management clients to be in an asset class like that doesn’t fit the risk profile.

Indeed, taking a step back to look at the Bitcoin price performance just in 2021, we see a massive trading range.

What type of volatility have we seen this year?

Bitcoin kicked off the year at US$29,111. That means investors with nerves of steel who bought on 1 January and held on through the ups and downs would be sitting on virtual gains of 38% at today’s Bitcoin price.

But spare a thought to crypto investors who bought in at the 16 April all-time high of US$64,829. They’re still nursing a loss of some 38%.

Depending on your own personal risk profile, that level of volatility may or may not be acceptable.

Just remember, never invest more into cryptos than you can afford to lose.

The post Bitcoin price back in the green but this wealth manager won’t touch it appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Here’s what’s keeping Bitcoin investors awake at night
• How this global crypto exchange indicator is bullish for Bitcoin
• Bitcoin price tumbles 6% after 10 days of gains…now what?
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX grinds to a halt following new all-time high
• 3 reasons why new ‘Britcoin’ will drive Bitcoin higher

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Bitcoin. 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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When it comes to buying shares for dividends, Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) shares are traditionally among the most popular options for investors.

But with the Telstra share price up a massive 25% in 2021 (even outperforming Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) shares), income investors may be wondering if it is still a good option.

Should you buy Telstra shares in August for the dividend yield?

The good news is that despite Telstra’s shares smashing the market this year, the forecast yield on offer is still very attractive. Particularly in comparison to the ultra low interest rates on offer with savings accounts and term deposits.

According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, its analysts believe Telstra is well-placed to continue paying a 16 cents per share fully franked dividend until FY 2023. Based on the current Telstra share price of $3.78, this will mean a yield of 4.2% for investors.

But it gets better. After years of dividend cuts, Goldman believes a long-awaited dividend increase is coming in FY 2024. Its analysts have pencilled in a fully franked 18 cents per share dividend that year.

Based on where its shares are trading today, this implies a 4.75% dividend yield for investors.

Are its shares good value?

In addition to offering investors a generous yield, Goldman Sachs sees value in Telstra shares at the current level.

Its analysts have a buy rating and $4.20 price target on them at present. This implies potential upside of 11% over the next 12 months. Combined with its dividends, this will mean a potential total return of greater than 15%.

And that’s not including its plan to return upwards of $1.4 billion to shareholders following the sale of 49% of its Towers business for $2.8 billion.

All in all, even though the Telstra share price has been on fire since the start of the year, it doesn’t appear to be too late to invest for dividends.

The post Should you buy Telstra (ASX:TLS) shares in August 2021 for the dividend yield? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Telstra (ASX:TLS) and this dividend share could be buys
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• 2 buy-rated ASX 200 blue chip shares for investors in August
• How do you value the Telstra (ASX:TLS) share price?

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. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO and 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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V2food has become a staple on Australian supermarket shelves. It was developed in conjunction with the CSIRO and has a focus on being a sustainable and realistic alternative to meat products.

In fact, if you’ve ever had a Rebel Whopper at Hungry Jack’s, you’ve eaten a v2food burger patty. So, how can ASX investors get their hands on a piece of v2food?

Unfortunately, I don’t have good news…

How to buy v2food on the ASX?

I hate to break the bad news, but v2food likely won’t be anyone’s next investment. That’s because it’s a privately owned company.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have any investors. Competitive Foods Australia, which operates Hungry Jack’s, is a v2food investor.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported v2food received investments from numerous Asian investment vehicles when it stretched its legs into Asia.

Today, The Australian reported v2food is valued at more than $500 million. It would be a particularly exciting day if an ASX inititial public offering (IPO) was announced for v2food.

The next best thing?

Luckily, there are numerous options for investors interested in companies like v2foods.

The most obvious is, of course, the NASDAQ-listed Beyond Meat Inc (NASDAQ: BYND). Beyond Meat reported its results for the 3 months ended 3 July yesterday.

Within them, it reported net revenue of US$149.4 million – 31.8% more than the prior corresponding period. However, it reported earnings before, interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) reached a loss of US$2.2 million.

The loss was due to higher overheads, transport costs, and depreciation and amortisation expenses.

ASX-listed plant-based protein makers

On the ASX there are a few options for those hoping to capitalise on plant-based meat. Those interested in buying shares of v2food might like the look of these ASX shares.

The first plant-based meat focused company is Wide Open Agriculture Ltd (ASX: WOA). The company isn’t wholly plant based – it has interests in beef, lamb, and poultry.

However, it’s working with the CSIRO and Curtin University to create plant-based proteins from lupin. It also produces the world’s first carbon neutral oat milk, OatUP.

Another ASX-listed company is coming at the plant-based movement from a slightly different direction.

Pure Foods Tasmania Ltd (ASX: PFT) acquired its second plant-based cheese business in March.

The post Can you buy shares in plant-based meat company v2food on the ASX? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Wide Open Agriculture (ASX:WOA) share price lifts on results

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. owns shares of and has recommended Beyond Meat, Inc. 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 Lithium Energy Ltd (ASX: LEL) share price is pacing higher again today, up 40% in the last 2 days. This comes after the battery minerals company announced a positive update yesterday for the Solaroz Lithium Project.

At the time of writing, Lithium Energy shares are exchanging hands for 69 cents, up 15%.

What did Lithium Energy announce?

According to its release, Lithium Energy reported that the Solaroz Lithium Project Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is nearing completion. The Unit of Environmental Management or otherwise known as ‘Unidad de Gestion Ambiental Provincial Minera’ (UGAMP) of the Jujuy Province is currently reviewing the EIA.

The UGAMP has representatives across several different provincial agencies. They include the Environmental Management Agency, Environmental Policy Department, Water Resources, Industry and Commerce, Public Health. In addition, the UGAMP has non-government stakeholders along with the Mining Secretary, which is responsible for approving Mining EIA’s.

Lithium revealed that in late July, two public consultation meetings took place with the UGAMP, landowners and first nations representatives. The meetings were seen as a positive step in securing signoff for the EIA.

The next stage involves receiving any technical input from relevant stakeholders. This is expected to have a timeframe of roughly 2 weeks.

Should the EIA become approved, Lithium Energy will conduct an extensive work program consisting of geophysical surveys and drilling. The company is hoping to find lithium brines underneath Solaroz.

Lithium Energy share price snapshot

Located within South America’s ‘lithium triangle’ in northwest Argentina, the Solaroz Lithium Project comprises of 8 mineral tenements. In total, the area is approximately 12,000 hectares.

The company established a conceptual exploration target of 1.5 million tonnes to 8.7 million tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE). Unfortunately, there hasn’t been enough exploration activities to estimate a Mineral Resource.

The Lithium Energy share price has jumped more than 230% since coming onto the ASX boards in May 2021.

The post Why the Lithium Energy (ASX:LEL) share price is up 40% in the last 2 days appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Can you buy shares in plant-based meat company v2food on the ASX?
• It’s been a great week for the Xero (ASX:XRO) share price
• ASX 200 midday update: REA & ResMed results, Afterpay jumps
• ASX tech shares lead the market on Friday, Afterpay higher
• Up 1000% in 2021, the Sayona Mining (ASX:SYA) share price lifts again

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 Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) share price has been a standout performer this week, rallying 6.34% to $150.65.

Why the Xero share price is pushing higher

Xero has not made any market sensitive announcements since its FY21 results on 13 May.

Despite the lack of company-related news to drive its share price, Xero shares are likely influenced by the positive gains made by the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and more specifically, the tech sector.

The ASX 200 set a new record this week, crossing 7,500 for the first time on Monday and running as high as 7,526.4 on Thursday.

The S&P/ASX 200 Info Tech (INDEXASX: XIJ) has also been a big winner this week. It surged 13.35% to a 7-month high.

On Wall Street, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed at a new all-time high on Thursday night, rallying 0.78% to 14,895.12.

The Xero share price is likely influenced by the bullish performance of major indices and positive buying across the tech sector.

Xero bounces back after May earnings crash

The Xero share price has been in full recovery mode after sliding 16.8% from $135.31 to $112.50 between 12 and 14 May. This occurred following the release of its full-year FY21 results.

As previously reported by The Motley Fool, Xero’s FY21 revenue of NZ$848.8 million was a touch short of market consensus estimates of NZ$854 million.

More recently, brokers are bullish on the outlook of Xero shares. Goldman Sachs has retained its buy rating and $165.00 target price on Thursday.

When does Xero report its results?

Xero follows a different reporting timeline than the usual February half-year and August full-year results that investors are accustomed to.

Xero typically reports its half-year results in the second week of November and its full-year results in the second week of May.

Meantime, investors can sit back and enjoy what a stellar week it has been for the accounting software company.

At the time of writing, the Xero share price is 1.04% higher to $150.65.

The post It’s been a great week for the Xero (ASX:XRO) share price appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why Objective, Pinnacle, Resolute, & Xero shares are pushing higher
• ASX 200 midday update: Energy shares drop, Resolute jumps, Xero higher
• Xero (ASX:XRO) share price rises on app store news and broker note
• These 2 hot ASX shares take up 20% of our fund: manager
• 2 fantastic ASX shares named as buys by analysts

Motley Fool contributor Kerry Sun 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 Xero. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Xero. 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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At lunch on Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record a very small gain. The benchmark index is currently up slightly to 7,512.8 points.

Here’s what is happening on the ASX 200 today:

REA shares tumble on FY 2021 results

The REA Group Limited (ASX: REA) share price is under pressure today despite delivering a full year result in line with the market’s expectations. For the 12 months ended 30 June, the property listings company posted a 13% increase in revenue to $928 million and an 18% jump in net profit to $318 million. Investors may have concerns over its soft start to FY 2022 due to lockdowns.

ResMed shares lower after full year update

The ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) share price is trading lower today. As with REA, this is despite the sleep treatment company announcing a full year result in line with expectations. ResMed reported an 8% increase in full year to US$3.2 billion and a 13% jump in non-GAAP net income to US$780.6 million. Investors may be slightly underwhelmed with management’s guidance for steady growth in FY 2022.

Iron ore price sinks

A pullback in iron ore prices overnight is weighing on BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG), and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) shares and the ASX 200 on Friday. According to CommSec, the spot iron ore price tumbled US$13.10 a tonne or 7.2% to US$170.05 a tonne. This was driven by concerns that Chinese regulators will increase production limits on steel producers.

Best and worst ASX 200 performers

The best performer on the ASX 200 on Friday has been the Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price with a 5% gain. This follows a strong rise in the Square share price overnight. Square is acquiring Afterpay in an all-scrip deal, so if its shares rise, the Afterpay share price should rise with it. The worst performer has been the REA share price with a 5% decline following its full year results release.

The post ASX 200 midday update: REA & ResMed results, Afterpay jumps appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX tech shares lead the market on Friday, Afterpay higher
• Banks, NIB and Nuix share prices rise. Nick Scali flying. Scott Phillips on Nine’s Late News
• Why the ResMed (ASX:RMD) share price slumped even as profit jumped
• Why the Fortescue (ASX:FMG) share price is tumbling lower on Friday
• Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price surges as Square hits record highs

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. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended REA Group Limited and ResMed Inc. 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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In early trade on Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is struggling to budge from its previous day’s close. While the broader index is struggling to find momentum, ASX tech shares are ripping ahead.

At the time of writing, the benchmark index is flat at 7,511 points. Here’s how the market is panning out for the final day of the week:

ASX tech shares delivering the goods

The ASX has been setting records day after day this week, but it looks like it might struggle to set another on Friday.

Unfortunately, the index is being weighed down by the big miners after iron ore prices took a tumble overnight. At the time of writing, BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG), and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) are down 2.6%, 2.2%, and 1.9% respectively.

Meanwhile, ASX 200 tech shares appear to be insulated from the market weakness today. The sector is 2.1% higher thanks to a strong performance by Altium Ltd (ASX: ALU) and EML Payments Ltd (ASX: EML).

However, the real star of the show is Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) with a 5% gain. Accordingly, the Afterpay share price is rising higher following a good session for its acquiring company, Square Inc (NYSE: SQ), overnight.

In fact, the only ASX 200 tech share that is flashing a bright shade of red on Friday is issuer services company, Computershare Ltd (ASX: CPU).

Reporting season begins to heat up

This morning REA Group Limited (ASX: REA) reported its FY21 result. It was a reasonable result with revenue and earnings growth, however, the market must have had higher expectations. Currently, the REA share price is off by 4.6%.

Next week will see reporting season (ASX Reporting Season Calendar) begin to ramp up. Amongst a handful of big names reporting, there will also be some ASX tech shares handing down results. One such example is Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1), which is slated to deliver financials on Tuesday 10 August.

The post ASX tech shares lead the market on Friday, Afterpay higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Banks, NIB and Nuix share prices rise. Nick Scali flying. Scott Phillips on Nine’s Late News
• Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price surges as Square hits record highs
• How owning too much Afterpay (ASX:APT) was our biggest regret
• Square might crash the Afterpay (ASX:APT) and Westpac partnership
• Should PayPal investors be worried about Square’s Afterpay takeover?

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO and EML Payments. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO, Altium, EML Payments, MEGAPORT FPO, and Square. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO, Altium, and EML Payments. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO and REA 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 Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) share price has stepped into the green in morning trade today, extending an impressive run this year to date.

Sayona shares are pushing higher today after the company released an update on its lithium asset pipeline. At the time of writing, the Sayona Mining share price is up 3.16% to 9.8 cents.

Let’s take a closer look at what the report entails.

First, a quick recap on Sayona Mining

Sayona is in the minerals exploration business. Its main focus is exploration and development of graphite and lithium assets.

Sayona’s flagship project is the Authier lithium project in Canada, but it also has lithium and gold interests dotted around Canada and in Western Australia.

At the time of writing, Sayona has a market capitalisation of $530 million.

What was announced?

Sayona confirmed exploration at its “highly prospective” Mallina lithium site will begin. This comes after earn-in partner Altura Mining completed its due diligence on all of Sayona’s Pilbara projects.

In addition, the company explained Altura will invest $1.5 million “on exploration within three years to earn a 51% interest”.

Under the agreement, exploration efforts will initially prioritise the Mallina site. The company said “intercepts of up to 5m wide, grading 1–2% Li2O” were observed back in 2017.

The move strategically aligns with WA’s heightened lithium demand. The state has already laid claim to the world’s largest spodumene miner, according to Sayona. Spodumene is a mineral that contains a source of lithium.

Sayona explains that Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) analysts “(are) predicting (spodumene) prices will rise by 30% through to 2025 due to lack of a third party”. It states “other analysts” predict similar outcomes.

Management commentary

Commenting on the release, Sayona managing director Brett Lynch said:

Importantly, Sayona has a growing presence with multiple projects in the two major lithium markets of the Asia Pacific and North America. We are shovel‐ready and set for near‐term production, putting us in an excellent position to benefit from accelerating global lithium demand.

Regarding the earn-in with Altura:

We welcome Altura’s decision to commence the earn‐in period and launch lithium exploration, given its track record of exploration success. This exploration activity provides the potential for further increases in shareholder value from any lithium discoveries by our earn‐in partner, amid rapidly rising spodumene prices and need for independent supply.

Investors are buying Sayona shares in droves after the release this morning, driving the Sayona Mining share price into the green.

Sayona shares are now exchanging hands at 9.8 cents, a 3.16% gain on the day, after they hit an intraday high of 10.25 cents in early trade.

Sayona Mining share price snapshot

The Sayona Mining share price has posted a year-to-date gain of 1,021%, extending the previous 12 month’s return of 909%.

These results have clearly outpaced the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO)’s climb of around 25% over the past year.

The post Up 1000% in 2021, the Sayona Mining (ASX:SYA) share price lifts again appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why Bell Financial, Sayona Mining, Strike, & Soul Patts are sinking
• Sayona Mining (ASX:SYA) share price sinks 8% on capital raising efforts

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 owns shares of and has recommended Macquarie 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 merger and acquisition frenzy among ASX companies has only just started, according to a trio of fund managers.

Yes, this week’s $39 billion union of Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Square Inc (NYSE: SQ) was the biggest takeover deal in Australian history. 

And already a massive $148 billion worth of merger and acquisition transactions have been announced in the first half of this year, according to Wilson Asset Management portfolio managers Matthew Haupt, Catriona Burns and Oscar Oberg.

But they reckon takeover fever hasn’t peaked yet.

“We believe we are only at the beginning of the wave of M&A activity which we expect will last for another 6 to 12 months,” the Wilson managers wrote in a memo to clients.

“We continue to screen laggards in the equity market with potential for a valuation uplift from strategic investments such as M&A.”

Why mergers can be beneficial

The Wilson fund managers pointed out takeovers can be a win-win for many different reasons.

Their WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) fund holds 2 ASX shares that are a prime example.

“Energy companies Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH) were recently spotlighted in the media for their planned merger,” the Wilson memo stated. 

“The merger is an example of companies using M&A to gain scale, relevance in new markets and a new opportunity pipeline.”

Compared to this, the blockbuster Afterpay-Square deal is beneficial for entirely different drivers.

“The recently announced takeover deal by California-based digital payments company Square for buy now, pay later platform Afterpay indicates the diversification opportunities companies are seeing in M&A activity, even those already trading at record multiples,” the fund managers wrote. 

“We expect to see such consolidation take place on a global scale.”

Who else could join the M&A frenzy?

For investors looking for a win from the next acquisition announcement, the Wilson trio singled out a couple of ASX stocks ripe for such opportunities.

“As beneficiaries of the coronavirus-induced lockdowns, there are companies that can use M&A activity to capitalise on their healthy balance sheets,” the Wilson team wrote.

“Companies such as media and information service provider News Corporation (ASX: NWS) and medical diagnostics provider Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL) are examples of WAM Leaders’ holdings with strong balance sheets with upside potential in the event of acquisition activity.”

News Corp on Friday revealed its best yearly result since 2013, raking in US$9.4 billion and a profit of US$389 million for the 2021 financial year. 

Its ASX shares were up almost 3% in early trade Friday morning.

Sonic Healthcare saw a 33% jump in revenue and a whopping 166% boost in net profit for the first half of the 2021 financial year.

Credit Suisse named shares for the pathology and radiology provider as “outperform” this week, lifting the price target to $43.50. 

On Friday morning they were going for $40.75. Sonic shares have gained almost 24% this year.

The post 2 ASX shares that could join the acquisition frenzy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why AnteoTech, BetMakers, News Corp, & Vulcan shares are racing higher
• The News Corp (ASX:NWS) share price hits 52-week high on FY21 earnings
• 2 COVID-19 ASX shares that could be buys
• 2 excellent ASX 200 healthcare shares named as buys
• 2 buy-rated ASX 200 dividend shares with attractive yields

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO and Square. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO and Square. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sonic Healthcare 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 Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price is edging higher, up 0.13%.

The ASX travel share rose strongly in morning trade, up 1.93% to $15.30. It has since fallen back to $15.08 at the time of writing.

Like all ASX travel shares, the Flight Centre share price tends to rise and fall on sentiment surrounding COVID-19.

With the delta variant ushering in renewed lockdowns across the eastern Australian states, investors are keeping a close eye on the mid-term outlook for reopening domestic and international borders.

With that reopening in mind, Flight Centre’s CEO, Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner, points to the United Kingdom as offering the roadmap back to free travel.

Vaccine passport rollout likely

Speaking from London to Scott Emerson on 4BC, Turner said the UK is on its way to rolling out vaccine passports.

As reported by 4bc.com, Turner said the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) keeps a record of vaccinations along with an NHS COVID pass. He sees this course of action taking root in Australia and other nations.

According to Turner:

Yes, this is going to happen and it already has happened over here [in the UK] to some extent. Over here the NHS has effectively a record of your vaccination, there are various apps … that will collate different countries recording of it.

At the moment it’s fairly dispersed and not uniform, but that will come. As you know now to travel freely into the UK, which you can come from many countries, all you need is to be fully vaccinated and a test before you arrive and two days after you arrive.

With the resurgent delta strain, the world is pinning its hopes on wide vaccination uptakes.

If Turner has this right, we’ll all be asked to prove this with new vaccine passports to book our trips in the foreseeable future.

That may sound onerous. Or even a bit Orwellian. But if it sees the lifting of travel restrictions, most people will likely embrace the additional red tape to get back on a plane and head interstate or overseas.

When travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, it should add a welcome tailwind to the Flight Centre share price.

Flight Centre share price snapshot

The Flight Centre share price came under tremendous selling pressure following the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020.

But the past 12 months have seen the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) travel share outperform.

Its shares are up 50% compared to 24% for the ASX 200.

Year to date, the Flight Centre share price has struggled, down 5.75% in 2021.

The post Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price higher as CEO looks beyond lockdowns appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why a2 Milk, Cann, Flight Centre, & GPT shares are tumbling lower
• Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price slides amid news Sydney lockdown could last until September

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 recommended Flight Centre Travel 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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