The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is edging higher again on Friday after a choppy start to September.

At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.12% to 9,031 points, after briefly climbing above 9,060 earlier this morning.

That follows Thursday’s 0.46% gain, which snapped a 3-day losing streak and helped the market recover some of Wednesday’s 0.97% fall.

The positive start is being seen across much of the market. At the latest check, 126 ASX 200 shares were trading higher, compared with 57 fallers and 17 unchanged.

So, what is driving the market higher today?

US markets set the tone

The biggest support came from Wall Street, where US stocks finished higher overnight.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) rose 1.18%, while the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) lifted 1.06% and the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) shot up 1.40%.

The rally came after US Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he would support keeping interest rates unchanged this month if upcoming data shows inflation is continuing to cool.

That saw markets reduce the chance of a September rate hike to around 50%, down from more than 63% a day earlier.

But investors will get another important piece of data tonight when the latest US jobs report is released.

Economists expect the US economy added around 56,000 jobs in August, with the unemployment rate holding at 4.1%.

Banks and gold stocks move higher

Back home, the major banks are helping push the market higher this morning.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) shares are up 0.85% to $161.95, while ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) is 0.97% higher at $38.38.

National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) shares have gained 0.56% to $39.49, and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) is up 0.63% to $35.13.

Gold miners are also having a strong morning after the gold price rose around 2.54% overnight to roughly US$4,480 an ounce.

Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) shares are up 1.99% to $23.63, while Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) has gained 1.50% to $15.24.

BHP and Rio Tinto weigh on ASX 200

Not everything is moving higher today, with weakness among the big miners holding the ASX 200 back.

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares are down 1.73% to $62.68, despite its US-listed shares pointing to a stronger start before the opening bell.

Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) is also down 1% to $175.34, although Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) is moving the other way, up 1.65% to $17.23.

The post What’s driving the ASX 200 higher 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 BHP Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

If I had $15,000 ready to invest today, I would spread it evenly across three ASX shares I think can keep finding new ways to grow.

Here are three shares I would buy with the money.

Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL)

Netwealth would be my first pick.

This ASX share provides the investment platform and technology financial advisers use to manage client portfolios and superannuation.

I think the opportunity is increasingly about helping advice practices operate better. Advisers have to manage investments, reporting, administration, tax information, client communication, and an expanding range of products. A platform that can bring more of that work together can become increasingly important to how the practice runs.

Netwealth can keep improving those capabilities while competing for more advisers and client assets.

It also operates in a market with a strong long-term tailwind. Australia’s pool of superannuation and investment wealth should continue expanding over the years ahead.

For me, $5,000 invested in Netwealth would be backing a company that could potentially capture more of that wealth while becoming more valuable to the people managing it.

Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)

I would put another $5,000 into home appliance manufacturer Breville.

What I like here is the repeatability of the growth model. Breville can develop a strong product, build a reputation around it, take it into more countries, and then introduce those customers to other products across the kitchen.

Coffee has become a major strength, but I do not think the investment case needs to stop with espresso machines.

Breville has spent years building expertise in product design and a premium brand that can extend across many kitchen categories.

If the company keeps producing products people are willing to pay more for and expands its presence across international markets, I think it has a straightforward path to becoming a much larger global consumer business.

Catapult Sports Ltd (ASX: CAT)

My final $5,000 would go into Catapult Sports.

Professional sports organisations now generate enormous amounts of information from athlete tracking, video, training, and competition. The challenge is turning all of that information into better decisions.

Catapult is building technology around that entire process. Its products can help coaches and performance teams understand how athletes are moving, review matches, prepare tactics, and increasingly connect information that previously sat in separate systems.

I think that could make the company much more deeply involved in how sporting organisations work.

New areas such as athlete development, strength training, and scouting also give Catapult room to expand beyond the products it first became known for.

With professional sport played at enormous scale around the world, I think there is plenty of territory left for this ASX share to pursue.

Foolish takeaway

With $15,000 to invest, I would be comfortable giving each of these ASX shares $5,000.

The common thread for me is the ability to keep expanding what they already do well.

That gives me enough confidence to buy today and let the businesses, rather than short-term share price movements, determine the outcome over the years ahead.

The post Where I’d invest $15,000 in ASX shares now appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 40 ASX shares with ex-dividend dates next week
• How to build an ASX portfolio you can stick with for 10 years
• 3 ASX growth shares to buy in September
• 4 ASX shares scoring upgrades in the final week of earnings season
• Buy, hold, sell: Netwealth, Sigma Healthcare, and Wesfarmers shares

Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino 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 Catapult Sports and Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Catapult Sports and Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) spiked to an all-time high in early August. After falling from that peak, it remains up around 3% year-to-date.

Concerns about inflation, higher interest rates and a rising oil price saw stocks soften across much of the index.

Some ASX 200 shares, like Transurban Group Ltd (ASX: TCL) and Aurizon Ltd (ASX: AZJ) were smashed by the slump in sentiment, while others, such as APA Group Ltd (ASX: APA) bucked the trend and flew higher.

Here’s a breakdown of how each of these shares are tracking now, and what brokers tip next.

Hold APA shares

At the time of writing, APA shares are trading at $10.94 a piece. That’s a 6% increase over the past month and around a 21% increase for the year-to-date.

The shares stormed higher after the company reported its FY26 results in mid-August, which surpassed guidance.

APA reported an 8.3% increase in underlying EBITDA as part of its FY26 results this morning. It also announced a 3.2% increase in its free cash flow and 1.9% uplift in statutory revenue (excluding pass-through), and a 81.4% jump in statutory net profit.

Going forward, APA is also guiding a higher underlying EBITDA of between $2,260 million and $2,340 million for FY27.

The share price has climbed around 8% higher since its results announcement, but it looks like the shares could now be around fair value.

Market Index data shows the majority of brokers have a hold rating on APA shares. The average $9.65 target price implies a potential 12% downside at the time of writing.

Hold Transurban shares

Transurban shares have fallen around 8% over the past month, at the time of writing. The slump means the shares are now down around 3% for the year-to-date.

The shares started sliding after it posted its FY26 update. The toll road company reported a 7.5% increase in its proportional operating EBITDA and a 6.7% increase in its proportional toll revenue growth. EBITDA market also increased to 75.7%, up from 74.9% in FY25.

But it looks like investors are concerned about Transurban’s climbing debt-servicing costs and are now questioning whether its shares are now trading at over stretched valuations. The shares are now down around 6% since the results announcement.

Brokers are also reserved about the outlook for the shares. Market Index data shows that the majority have a hold rating on APA shares. The $13.95 average target price implies around a 2% upside ahead, at the time of writing.

Hold Aurizon shares

Aurizon shares crashed around 13% following its FY26 results last month. There has been a slight share price recovery, but they’re still down around 12% over the past month. 

The rail freight operator posted a 6% increase in revenue, a 9% increase in underlying EBITDA, and a 24% increase in underlying NPAT. Management also raised its full-year dividend 46% to 23 cents per share.

Going forward, Aurizon is guiding underlying EBITDA of $1,725–$1,775 million, with full-year dividends expected to be in the range of 23 to 24 cents per share. 

The company is targeting higher earnings in the Network and Bulk divisions, but it said Coal is expected to moderate due to lower contracted volumes. Containerised Freight is forecast to reach break-even on an EBITDA basis.

But it looks like investors are concerned about the cautious FY27 guidance figures and declining coal haulage expectations.

Brokers are also reserved. Again, Market Index shows that the majority of brokers have a hold rating on the shares. The $3.68 target price implies a downside of around 1% at the time of writing.

The post Here’s what brokers tip next for APA, Transurban, Aurizon shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies 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 Transurban Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Apa Group and Transurban Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.