A number of S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares could come under pressure on Wednesday.

A group of 12 ASX-listed companies are trading ex-dividend today, which means their share prices will no longer include the value of their latest payout.

That alone is expected to have a decent impact on the broader market.

According to The Australian, the combined ex-dividend moves could shave around 31 points from the ASX 200.

With futures already pointing lower, that could make market open look a little heavier than usual.

Here’s the shares investors will want to keep an eye on.

The ex-dividend moves to watch today

There are a few larger payouts sitting near the top of today’s list.

Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SHL) closed Tuesday at $19.64 and is trading ex-dividend for 63 cents per share. The payment is 60% franked and is due on 17 September.

Monadelphous Group Ltd (ASX: MND) is not far behind. Its shares closed at $28.78 before going ex-dividend for a 59-cent fully-franked payout.

Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) and Seek Ltd (ASX: SEK) also have decent-sized dividends dropping off today.

Origin’s 30-cent fully-franked dividend comes off an $11.70 closing share price, while Seek’s 25-cent fully-franked payment comes off a $14.32 close.

Furthermore, Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) closed at $176.04 and is trading without its 25.95-cent unfranked dividend.

More ASX shares joining the list

There are also several smaller payouts coming off the board as well.

Downer EDI Ltd (ASX: DOW) closed Tuesday at $6.55 and is trading ex-dividend for 16.3 cents per share. Steadfast Group Ltd (ASX: SDF) closed at $5.84 and is going ex-dividend for 12.75 cents.

Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL) is also on the list. The shares closed at $4.81 on Tuesday, with a 10.9-cent dividend going ex today.

Among the miners, Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL) is trading ex-dividend for 7 cents per share, and Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) is doing the same for 6 cents.

PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS) is trading ex-dividend for 5 cents, with Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) rounding out the group with a 1.2-cent payout.

All of the 7 dividends are fully franked.

Why today’s moves could be misleading

Keep in mind, trading ex-dividend does not automatically mean a stock will fall on the day. There’s still plenty happening in the broader market that can push shares either way.

Nonetheless, the ASX 200 futures are expected to open at a fall of around 0.9%.

The post Why these ASX shares are worth watching closely today 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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sonic Healthcare. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Most ASX shares are hurt by rising interest rates, which is why it’s important to look at the exceptions to this rule.

Australia’s 10-year government bond yield climbed to around 5.19% on Tuesday.

That is its highest level in 15 years.

ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) now expects the Reserve Bank to lift the cash rate to 4.60% in November.

A handful of listed businesses would quietly welcome that outcome.

Why some ASX shares benefit from higher rates

The mechanism is simple and frequently overlooked.

Insurers and financial administrators hold enormous pools of other people’s money between the day it arrives and the day it is paid out.

That money lies in cash and short-dated bonds, earning whatever the prevailing rate happens to be.

When rates rise, the income on those balances rises with them, while almost none of the cost base moves in sympathy.

1. QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE)

QBE is the clearest example on the local market.

The company’s first-half result delivered adjusted net profit after tax of US$1,033 million, up 4%, with gross written premium rising 10% to US$15.1 billion.

The combined operating ratio held steady at 92.8% and return on equity reached 17.7%, comfortably above the company’s medium-term target of 15%.

Management specifically flagged that an improving outlook for interest rates is expected to support investment returns.

The shares closed Monday at $22.48, up 4.51% over twelve months, on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 11.08 and a 5.06% yield.

Franking is only 30%, which matters a great deal for Australian income investors.

The interim dividend rose 6% to 33 cents per share.

2. Computershare Ltd (ASX: CPU)

Computershare earns margin income on the client balances it administers, which is the same mechanism.

FY26 revenue rose 4.6% to US$3,257.5 million and net profit after tax edged up 1.9% to US$618.7 million.

Employee Share Plans revenue grew 18%, Corporate Trust rose 9.6%, and Issuer Services added 7.7%.

The interesting part is in the outlook statement.

Management warned that margin income may be constrained by prevailing lower interest rates.

That guidance assumed rates were heading downward.

If bond yields at 15-year highs are telling us anything, the assumption now looks conservative.

The shares closed at $39.72 and have gained 18.54% so far this calendar year.

3. Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL)

Medibank is the most defensive of the three.

Health insurers hold reserves against future claims, and those reserves earn more as yields rise.

FY26 underlying net profit after tax rose 2.9% to $636.8 million on revenue of $9,115.2 million, up 5.9%.

The fully-franked dividend increased 6.7% to 19.2 cents per share.

Chief executive David Koczkar was direct about the environment his customers are living in:

We continued to deliver value for the 6 million people who trust us with their health and wellbeing, as household budgets remain under pressure. Despite this, people continue to prioritise their health.

The shares closed at $4.81, down 3.61% over the year, on a fully-franked yield of 3.87%.

The risks facing these ASX shares

None of the three is a risk-free bet on interest rates.

QBE is an insurer, and a bad catastrophe season would overwhelm any investment income benefit.

Computershare’s core revenue depends on corporate activity, which tends to slow when rates rise.

Medibank faces regulated premium increases and rising claims costs, and its FY27 guidance is only for margins broadly consistent with FY26.

In each case, higher rates help the investment line while pressuring the customer.

Foolish takeaway

The case for these three ASX shares is not that they escape higher rates.

It is that higher rates arrive on the revenue side of the income statement rather than the cost side.

QBE offers the most direct leverage and the highest yield.

Computershare has the most conservative guidance to beat.

Medibank is the steadiest and the slowest growing of the three.

If the Reserve Bank does move in November, these are the ASX shares I would look to own.

The post Top 3 ASX shares built for higher-for-longer rates appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 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.

The gold price is well down on the highs it hit earlier in the year, but according to the analysts at RBC Capital Markets, the trend from here will be up.

RBC has issued a new research report on the yellow metal and says they remain bullish on its outlook.

Gold in focus as uncertainty reigns supreme

Gold tends to benefit from uncertainty, and with the war in the Middle East dragging on, the war in Ukraine, and US President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade wars, there’s plenty of uncertainty around.

RBC said investors are coming back into the market in a new wave of the “debasement” trade, which refers to a flight to hard assets.

The broker said:

Recent months have seen investors come back in size, which should drive north of 200 tons of inflows this year. Central bank flows in particular, after a pause earlier this year, are back too. We think their reasoning and volume will remain consistent for now, leading to over 700 tons of inflows this year and next.

The broker said President Trump’s popularity, or lack thereof, could also be key.

As they said:

While the macro drivers still cannot explain gold’s current prices on their own, gold’s reputation as a perceived haven, store of value, and non-debaseable real asset are very well suited to the current environment, in our view. Trump’s second term has brought with it numerous gold-positive risks and uncertainties, and we’ve cited a notable negative correlation between gold prices and Trump’s approval rating. We eye the upcoming midterms with anticipation, but at the moment, are focused on gold’s growing contextual appeal.

RBC also said the US national debt is a cause for concern, which helps to drive gold demand.

As they said:

Perhaps the biggest sustainable driver is one that the gold bugs have been holding onto for some time — that a mountain of debt in the US and elsewhere should drive more interest in non-debaseable assets like gold. Likewise, the uncertainty of geopolitics, politics, and headline-driven volatility across assets increases the appeal of a perceived safe haven and preserver or value like gold. That’s why we have stuck with our forecasts from late last year, despite a pause in some of the flows that were key underlying drivers of gold prices, because we still thought that the context of gold was unchanged.

Gold price to grind higher from here

RBC said they believe that US$4500 to US$5000 is the “sweet spot” for gold in the medium term, while “we are beginning to favour our high scenario, grinding towards US$5000/oz before year-end and higher in 2027”.

This compares to the current gold price of US$4485.10.

The post How high will the gold price go this year, according to RBC Capital Markets? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Cameron England 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.