ASX 200 energy shares rose 2.39% while the broader market tanked amid turmoil in the Middle East last week.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) dropped 2.94% and closed at a 10-week low of 8,741.2 points.

Nine of the 11 market sectors fell into the red.

Let’s review.

Brent crude oil price jumps 12%

Brent crude, the international benchmark oil price, jumped 12% last week to above US$108 per barrel on Friday.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil also leapt 12% to above US$103 per barrel.

US heating oil rose 12% and gasoline increased 5%.

The UK gas price jumped 15%, German gas rose 14%, and European gas increased 13%.

This occurred as the Iran-backed Houthis sought to take control of Saudi Arabia’s alternative oil export route.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil and gas is shipped, has been effectively shut down since March.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter and a US ally, has been exporting via the Red Sea and Strait of Bab el-Mandeb instead.

The Red Sea and the strait run alongside Yemen, where the Houthis are based.

The rebels seized a Yemeni port city called Mocha, and are now advancing toward other cities closer to Bab el-Mandeb.

While all this was happening, Iran and the US continued to exchange fire with no hope of a peace deal in sight.

The US-Iran conflict has helped push up inflation in Australia, the US, and other nations.

Last week’s oil price spike raised the chances of an interest rate rise in Australia and the US this month.

Traders rate the likelihood of a rate rise in both countries in September at 70%.

The US stock market also slumped last week, and American bond yields hit multi-year highs.

Australia’s 3-year government bond yield rose above 5% on Friday, the highest level in 15 years.

These were among the factors contributing to the ASX 200’s slump last week.

Energy shares led amid broader market downturn

The Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) share price gained 3.24% to close at $32.86 on Friday.

The Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) share price ascended 4.63% to $8.59.

Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) shares edged 1.38% higher to $41.21.

The Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX: VEA) share price jumped 4.83% to $3.04.

Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) shares ripped 5.17% to close the week at $1.83.

Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) shares rose 2.33% to 88 cents apiece.

The Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) share price increased 2.5% to $8.60.

Whitehaven shares were one of 9 ASX stocks upgraded by experts last week.

The New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC) share price gained 3.77% to $6.33.

Uranium miner Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) tumbled 12.14% to $10.28 per share.

The Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) share price fell 3% to $1.46.

ASX 200 market sector snapshot

Here’s how the 11 market sectors stacked up last week, according to CommSec data.

Over the five trading days:

S&P/ASX 200 market sector	Change last week
Energy (ASX: XEJ)	2.39%
Utilities (ASX: XUJ)	0.51%
Industrials (ASX: XNJ)	(1.28%)
Financials (ASX: XFJ)	(2.33%)
Communication (ASX: XTJ)	(2.72%)
Consumer Staples (ASX: XSJ)	(3.48%)
A-REIT (ASX: XPJ)	(3.62%)
Healthcare (ASX: XHJ)	(3.77%)
Materials (ASX: XMJ)	(3.91%)
Consumer Discretionary (ASX: XDJ)	(4.73%)
Information Technology (ASX: XIJ)	(8.57%)

Next week 33 ASX shares are set to trade ex-dividend.

The post Energy shares rose while the ASX 200 slumped last week. Here’s why appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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.

Superannuation is one of the rare investments designed to be held for decades. That makes Warren Buffett’s approach to investing particularly relevant for Australians building wealth for retirement.

Buffett’s success hasn’t come from constantly trading in and out of stocks. Instead, he has focused on owning high-quality businesses, paying reasonable prices and giving them plenty of time to compound.

Several of those principles can translate surprisingly well to superannuation.

Patience can be a superpower

Perhaps the biggest Buffett lesson is that investing doesn’t have to involve constant activity.

The legendary investor is famous for holding businesses for many years, sometimes decades. That patience allows companies to reinvest profits, grow earnings and compound value without investors repeatedly interrupting the process.

There’s a lesson here for superannuation investors.

Constantly changing investments can create more opportunities to make mistakes, particularly when decisions are driven by fear during market sell-offs or excitement when a stock is soaring.

If the original investment thesis remains intact, there may be little reason to sell simply because another opportunity looks more attractive.

A superannuation timeframe can stretch 20 or 30 years. That gives investors an enormous advantage: time.

Of course, patience only works when paired with sensible investments. Whether it’s carefully selected ASX shares or diversified index ETFs, having a clear strategy and sticking with it can provide a strong foundation.

Think like a business owner

Buffett doesn’t view shares as pieces of paper to trade. He sees them as ownership stakes in real businesses.

That mindset can be particularly useful for investors running a self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF).

Take CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL). Rather than simply asking whether its share price might rise next year, a superannuation investor could consider what makes the biotech company competitive, how durable those advantages are and whether the business can become more valuable over the next decade.

Share prices can fluctuate wildly along the way. But ultimately, long-term returns are driven by the performance of the underlying businesses.

That means investors should consider factors such as competitive advantages, management quality, financial strength and opportunities for future growth.

Quality matters more than simply being cheap

Buffett’s investing style has also evolved towards owning exceptional businesses rather than simply buying statistically cheap stocks.

That distinction matters for superannuation investors. A company with a strong competitive position, capable management and plenty of opportunities to reinvest capital may be able to compound its value for many years.

That doesn’t mean price is irrelevant. Buffett remains highly conscious of valuation.

But a slightly more expensive high-quality business can potentially prove a better long-term investment than a struggling company that initially looks cheap.

Keep it simple

There’s another Buffett lesson that may be even more relevant to most superannuation investors: you don’t need to pick individual winners.

Despite his extraordinary record as a stock picker, Buffett has repeatedly acknowledged the value of low-cost index investing for people who don’t have the time or expertise to analyse individual businesses.

For Australians, ETFs such as the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) or iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV) offer straightforward ways to own diversified portfolios.

For super investors, perhaps the biggest Buffett lesson is therefore simple: invest sensibly, keep costs under control, think like an owner and give compounding time to work.

The post What Warren Buffett can teach Australians about superannuation appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther 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 CSL and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL and iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares are among the most popular ASX dividend options because of the company’s reputation as an ASX dividend share with a pleasing dividend yield.

The ASX bank share usually has a higher dividend yield than Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), though the yield is typically similar to National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) and ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ).

If an investor is searching for passive income, then investors may like the idea of Westpac shares over Commonwealth Bank.

Westpac has increased its annual payout each year since the COVID-impacted year of 2020, so it’s pleasing to see the business has delivered regular payout growth for investors.

The FY26 half-year result was a good demonstration of the company’s commitment to regularly paying a good dividend. Statutory net profit rose 3% year-over-year to $3.4 billion and underlying net profit rose 1% year-over-year to $3.5 billion. That profit generation helped Westpac hike its interim dividend by 1.3% to 77 cents per share.

However, in this article, we’re not thinking about FY26’s payments, we’re going to look at the FY27 annual dividend, which will be paid in 2027.

2027 dividend projection for owners of Westpac shares

According to the projection on CMC Invest, the ASX bank share is projected to pay an annual dividend per share of $1.585, which could equate to a possible 2.25% rise year-over-year.

At the time of writing, that forecast translates into a dividend yield of 4.6% excluding franking credits and 6.5% including franking credits.

If someone were to invest $15,000 in Westpac, they would be able to buy 433 Westpac shares (with a little bit of money left over).

With those 433 Westpac shares, investors could receive $686.30 of passive income cash and $980.44 overall, including the franking credits.

Is this a good time to invest in the ASX bank share?

According to CMC Invest, there have been eight analyst rating calls on the business within the last three months.

Of those eight ratings, five were a sell rating, two were a hold rating and one buy rating was a buy. Therefore, investment professionals are, on average, negative on the appeal of the company’s valuation right now.

The average price target of those eight ratings is $33.94. That means, collectively, those analysts are predicting the Westpac share price could fall by 2% (at the time of writing) within the next year. The Westpac share price has drifted slower since April 2026, so we’ll see what happens next.

For now, there seem to be better ASX shares out there that Australians can buy.

The post If I invest $15,000 in Westpac shares, how much passive income will I receive in 2027? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• How much superannuation do I need to earn $100 a day in passive income?
• $10,000 invested in Westpac and NAB shares 3 years ago is now worth…

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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.