Two fund managers have both declared Airtasker Ltd (ASX: ART) is a great business, but one explained why she bought into it and the other put up a case for not investing.

Airtasker is an online marketplace that matches customers that need chores done to “taskers” who bid to execute it for a fee.

The company listed on the ASX in March after an initial public offering price of 65 cents per share. The stock was going for $1.20 on Wednesday afternoon.

The Firetrail Small Companies Fund bought into the Australian business during a pre-IPO round.

Firetrail equity analyst Eleanor Swanson said that Airtasker’s competitive advantage was that it wasn’t prescriptive about what service was offered to end users.

“Users create their own unique tasks and communicate the requirements directly to taskers,” she posted on Livewire.

“The flexibility is valued by both customers and taskers, reflected by the fact that a new task is posted on Airtasker every 17 seconds. In addition, the company is now the number 1 employer of platform workers in Australia, ahead of even Uber!”

Airtasker’s 3 paths for growth

Swanson laid out three different opportunities that Airtasker could leverage for future growth:

1. Marketing to accelerate new customer sign-ups and spending frequency
2. New products such as Tasker Superstore
3. Overseas expansion

Airtasker has seen consistent growth in new customer numbers, according to Swanson. This was especially impressive last year when marketing spend was cut by 90% after the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.

“We estimate 8% of Australian households have used Airtasker with current levels of brand recognition sitting at about 50%,” she said.

“The company aims to reach over 80% brand awareness within the next 2 years. Heightened brand awareness will drive increased market penetration and growth in total transaction value on the marketplace.”

Swanson called for the platform to invest in “call-to-action marketing” to get more out of existing customers.

“Currently, customers transact on Airtasker 2 times per annum, on average. An increase to 3 times per annum would immediately deliver 50% revenue growth [even with] customer numbers flat.”

Airtasker also has an opportunity to replicate the Australian model into the UK, New Zealand, Singapore and US markets.

“New markets increase Airtasker’s total addressable market 12 times to $643 billion.”

Why Airtasker wasn’t a buy for this fundie

Frazis Capital portfolio manager Michael Frazis also thought Airtasker was “a great company”.

“I think it will generate positive returns over time, probably better than most stocks,” he told clients in a video update.

But he had a simple reason why he didn’t invest in it.

“We passed on it because growth isn’t high enough,” he said.

“That’s not to say it’s not going to accelerate and it’s not going to do really well… But when we looked at it, the growth rate wasn’t high enough for us.”

Frazis explained that the average revenue growth rate within his fund was now about 110% per annum.

“We’re really looking at companies in that category,” he said.

“They’re rare, they’re hard to find, but they can really move when they get going.”

More reading

• Seven West (ASX:SWM) share price wobbles on market update
• Why Airtasker, Ecofibre, Nuix, & Woolworths shares are sinking
• ASX 200 rises, Kogan jumps, gold miners sold off
• Why Airtasker, Appen, Downer, & Kogan shares are charging higher
• The Freelancer (ASX:FLN) share price is soaring 8% today

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo 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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More reading

• These ASX dividend shares keep giving investors a payrise
• 2 buy-rated ASX dividend shares for income investors
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• ASX 200 rises, ANZ drops, Nearmap jumps
• 2 fantastic blue chip ASX 200 shares rated as buys

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Kate O’Brien owns shares of Apple and Rio Tinto Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), and Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), and Apple. 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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There are a handful of ASX dividend shares that have a record of giving shareholders an income payrise for many years in a row.

It has been difficult to find consistent growth of income in recent years because of slow growth and low inflation.

But these two ASX dividend shares have kept increasing the dividend payout:

Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SHL)

Sonic is one of the largest pathology healthcare businesses in the world.

It has operations in Australia, Europe and North America.

Over the last 20 years, Sonic has increased its dividend in nearly every year. In the latest result (the FY21 half-year result) the Sonic board decided to increase the interim dividend by another 6%.

Healthcare spending has been increasing for a long period of time thanks to an ageing population, better technology and a stronger focus on health outcomes.

Sonic has been one of the most important businesses involved in the fight against COVID-19 as it has been conducting millions of COVID-19 tests.

Whilst COVID-19 is moderately impacting Sonic’s core business, the testing is more than making up for it. This can be seen in the HY21 result where revenue rose 33% and net profit jumped 166%. Sonic has been able to utilise existing infrastructure. 

The ASX dividend share is looking to invest some of its elevated profit cash into acquisitions and other opportunities.

At the current Sonic share price, it has a partially franked dividend yield of 2.5%.

Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)

Brickworks is another ASX dividend share that has been growing its dividend for several years.

But its dividend has been one of the most reliable on the ASX. It hasn’t cut its dividend for over four decades, largely thanks to the growing dividend from its substantial holding of Washington H Soul Pattinson and Co Ltd (ASX: SOL) shares, an investment conglomerate.

Soul Patts gives Brickworks a lot of underlying diversification with its investments in telecommunications, property, resources, agriculture and so on.

This cross-holding relationship has served them both well for a number of decades.

Brickworks also funds its dividend from its partnership with Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) where they jointly own an industrial property trust that builds quality buildings on excess Brickworks land.

The latest projects are two huge warehouses for Amazon and Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL). The completion of these facilities is expected to significantly increase the rental profit as well the capital value of the trust.

There’s even more land that the ASX dividend share has available for building on over the coming years. This will fund higher dividends for years to come.

At the current Brickworks share price, it has a fully franked dividend yield of 2.8%. That’s after a 5% increase to the interim dividend in the HY21 result.

More reading

• Why these 5 ASX construction shares went strong today
• ASX healthcare shares could be next to be hit by the digital disruption
• ASX stock of the day: Brickworks (ASX:BKW) shares top the ASX 200
• Morgans just added these ASX shares to its “best ideas” buy list
• 2 ASX dividend shares to buy in May 2021

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns shares of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of COLESGROUP DEF SET. 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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Fortunately for income investors, there are a good number of dividend shares offering attractive yields at present.

Two ASX dividend shares that are highly rated are listed below. Here’s why they could be top options:

Aventus Group (ASX: AVN)

The first ASX dividend share to look at is Aventus. It is Australia’s largest fully integrated owner, manager, and developer of large format retail centres.

Aventus has been a solid performer over the last 12 months. This has been underpinned by the quality of its tenancies and its exposure to everyday needs and national retailers.

Goldman Sachs is a fan of the company. It currently has a buy rating and $3.04 price target on its shares.

The broker is forecasting a ~16.6 cents per share distribution in FY 2021. Based on the current Aventus share price, this represents a 5.6% yield.

Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL)

Another highly rated ASX dividend share to consider is Super Retail. It is the retail conglomerate behind popular brands BCF, Macpac, Rebel, and Super Cheap Auto.

It has been a very strong performer in FY 2021. For example, in the first half it reported a 23% increase in half year sales to $1.78 billion and a 139% increase in underlying net profit after tax to $177.1 million.

Positively, more of the same is expected in the second half following a positive trading update. That update revealed that its growth has accelerated, with like-for-like sales up 28% over the first 44 weeks of FY 2021.

Management also revealed that its gross margin had remained steady since the end of the half.

Goldman Sachs was pleased with the update and responded by retaining its buy rating and $15.00 price target on its shares. The broker is also expecting an 84 cents per share fully franked dividend in FY 2021.

Based on the current Super Retail share price of $11.86, this represents a 7% yield.

More reading

• Top broker tips Super Retail (ASX:SUL) share price to smash the market
• ASX 200 rises, Flight Centre drops, Super Retail grows
• ASX 200 up 0.2%: SEEK hits record high, Flight Centre tumbles
• Super Retail (ASX:SUL) share price surges 5% higher on strong sales update
• Here’s why the Aventus (ASX:AVN) share price is on the rise

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Super Retail Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended AVENTUS RE UNIT. 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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On Wednesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form again and recorded a solid gain. The benchmark index rose 0.4% to 7,095.8 points.

Will the market be able to build on this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to rise

The Australian share market looks set to push higher again on Thursday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 10 points or 0.15% higher. This follows a mixed night on Wall Street, which has seen the Dow Jones rise 0.3%, the S&P 500 edge 0.1% higher, and the Nasdaq fall 0.4%.

NAB half year update

The National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) share price will be on watch today when it releases its half year results. According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, it expects the banking giant to report cash earnings of $3,031 million. This will be up 77% on the prior corresponding period. On the very bottom line, the broker is forecasting earnings per share growth of 43% to 85.4 cents. This is expected to lead to the NAB board declaring a 55 cents per share fully franked interim dividend.

Oil prices lower

It could be a subdued day of trade for energy producers such as Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) after oil prices softened. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 0.6% to US$65.29 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has fallen 0.3% to US$68.67 a barrel. Oil prices softened despite inventories declining.

Gold price rises

Gold miners Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG) will be on watch after the gold price pushed higher overnight. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.55% to US$1,785.90 an ounce. The gold price rose after the US dollar pulled back.

ANZ rated as a buy

The Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) share price could be good value according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. This morning the broker responded to its half year results by putting a buy rating and $30.20 price target on its shares. Goldman is also forecasting a 5% dividend yield in FY 2021.

More reading

• ASX 200 rises, ANZ drops, Nearmap jumps
• How this new forecast could put ASX copper shares under pressure
• ASX stock of the day: Brickworks (ASX:BKW) shares top the ASX 200
• Why Afterpay, ANZ, Domino’s, & Flight Centre shares are tumbling lower
• The ASX 200 is within an arms reach of all-time record highs

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. 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 S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) went up 0.4% to 7,096 points.

Here are some of the highlights from the ASX:

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ)

ANZ reported its HY21 result today. Compared to the second half of FY20, statutory profit after tax grew by 45% to $2.94 billion, cash profit (continuing operations) rose by 28% to $2.99 billion.

One of the key drivers was a net credit provision release of $491 million.

ANZ’s board decided to increase its dividend per share by $0.35 to $0.70. This decision was taken after a 110 point increase of the common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio to 12.4%.

The CEO of ANZ, Shayne Elliott, said:

Following the trends of the first quarter, all parts of our business performed well. Costs were down 2% and we also increased investment in new digital capability that will provide ongoing productivity improvements and better customer outcomes.

Australia retail and commercial had another good half, becoming the third largest home lender in the market. Deposits performed well, with retail and small business customers behaving prudently by building solid savings and offset balances through the half.

Lower revenues in our institutional business were largely expected due to the impact of falling interest rates as well as a normalisation of markets revenue after an exceptionally strong 2020. Our disciplined focus on credit management has been a positive with our largest customers going into the pandemic from a position of strength and adapting fast to the rapidly changing environment.

New Zealand continued its recent strong performance with record lending growth combined with disciplined cost management. This is a well-run business that is an important part of our overall portfolio and is well-placed to manage increased regulatory capital demands.

Improving credit conditions resulted in a release of almost $500 million during the half. While the pandemic hasn’t resulted in large credit losses to date, we still have almost $4.3 billion in reserve if conditions deteriorate.

The ANZ share price fell over 3% today, making it one of the worst performers in the ASX 200.

Nearmap Ltd (ASX: NEA)

The Nearmap share price went up 14.5% today before going into a trading halt this morning.

Yesterday afternoon, Nearmap increased its FY21 annual contract value (ACV) guidance to a range of $128 million to $132 million, up from $120 million to $128 million.

After a strong first half of FY21, the company has seen momentum continue with growth across its core industry segments from both new and existing customers.

Management boasted that this reinforces the attractiveness of the company’s subscription business model, its technology and the differentiated customer offering which combine to give Nearmap a significant competitive advantage.

Nearmap continues to invest the proceeds from the FY21 capital raise into key growth initiatives, including the development of HyperCamera3 which remains on track to be rolled out in FY22. With each of the investment initiatives on track and with continued momentum in ACV growth, Nearmap now expects the net cash outflow to be less than $10 million this financial year.

In early trading, Nearmap shares went into a trading halt to respond to the potential legal proceedings. It was the best performer in the ASX 200 before the trading halt. 

Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC)

The Ramsay Health Care share price dropped over 4% today after giving a trading update yesterday. The private hospital business said that Ramsay Australia has seen volume recovery in the Australian market continues, but it has been impacted by lockdowns.

In the third quarter of FY21, it saw a 4.6% increase in total patient revenue. That was driven by surgical admissions per work-day going up 8.5% year on year and non-surgical admissions per work-day going up 4.4%.

Ramsay UK was called on by the NHS to help deal with peak surge COVID-19 cases, resulting in the company seeing 14 hospitals being utilised during certain periods. Ramsay was paid on a cost recovery basis for this. The business has continued to treat non-COVID NHS priority cases and to provide private patient services during the third quarter. Admissions were down 6.2%.

The Ramsay share price was one of the worst performers today in the ASX 200.

More reading

• How this new forecast could put ASX copper shares under pressure
• ASX healthcare shares could be next to be hit by the digital disruption
• ASX stock of the day: Brickworks (ASX:BKW) shares top the ASX 200
• Why Afterpay, ANZ, Domino’s, & Flight Centre shares are tumbling lower
• Here’s why the Nearmap (ASX:NEA) share price is in a trading halt

Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Nearmap Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nearmap Ltd. and Ramsay Health Care 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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If you’re wanting to construct a balanced portfolio, having a few blue chip ASX shares in there could be a smart move.

But which blue chip ASX 200 shares should you buy? Two that are highly rated are listed below:

ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

The first blue chip ASX 200 share to look at is ResMed. It is one of the world’s leading medical device companies with a focus on sleep disorders.

ResMed appears well-placed for growth over the long term thanks to its enormous addressable market, its industry-leading technology, and its digital health ecosystem. At the end of December, this ecosystem reached over 12 million cloud connectable medical devices.

Positively, its investment in digital health also gives it an advantage over much of the competition and puts it in a strong position to benefit from the shift to home healthcare.

Morgans is positive on the company. Earlier this week the broker put an add rating and $29.14 price target on its shares.

Woolworths Limited (ASX: WOW)

Another blue chip ASX 200 share to consider is retail conglomerate Woolworths.

Woolworths has been a very positive performer in FY 2021 thanks to strong performances across its BIG W, BWS, Dan Murphy’s, and Woolworths supermarkets businesses.

This led to the company reporting a 10.5% increase in first half revenue to $35.8 billion and a 15.9% increase in net profit after tax to $1,135 million.

And although its growth is now slowing as it cycles the panic buying at the height of the pandemic, Woolworths looks well-placed to resume its solid growth once trading conditions normalise. This is thanks to its strong market position, online growth, and the unlocking of value via the Endeavour demerger.

Macquarie is a fan of the company. Last late month, the broker put an outperform rating and $44.50 price target on its shares.

More reading

• Vicinity (ASX:VCX) sees improvements as it struggles back to COVID-normal
• What do brokers think of the ResMed (ASX:RMD) share price dip?
• Why Bubs, IDP Education, ResMed, & Tyro shares are dropping today
• ASX 200 up 0.25%: Westpac result impresses, PointsBet jumps
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Woolworths Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended 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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If you’re looking for growth shares to buy, then the tech sector could be a great place to start. In this sector there are a number of companies with the potential to grow materially over the next decade.

With that in mind, I have picked out two top tech options to consider. Here’s what you need to know about them:

BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK)

The first option for growth shares to consider is actually an ETF. The BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF provides investors with access to the leaders in the growing global cybersecurity sector.

This is certainly a great space to be in. Demand for cybersecurity services has been increasing at a rapid rate in recent years and is expected to continue doing so. This is due to the growing threat of cyberattacks on governments and businesses.

There are a total of 40 companies included in the fund that investors will be buying a slice of. These include Accenture, Cisco, Crowdstrike, Fortinet, Okta, Splunk, and VMware.

Whispir Ltd (ASX: WSP)

Another tech share to look at is Whispir. It is a software-as-a-service communications workflow platform provider.

Demand for Whispir’s platform has been growing strongly over the last few years and has continued in FY 2021.

For example, last month it released its third quarter update and revealed that its annualised recurring revenue (ARR) was up 20.3% over the prior corresponding period to $50.3 million. This was driven by continued growth in customers and increased usage.

Pleasingly, with the company recently raising significant capital, it is well-funded to accelerate and execute its growth strategy. 

Ord Minnett is very positive on the company’s prospects. Late last month the broker retained its buy rating and $4.25 price target on its shares. This compares very favourably to the current Whispir share price of $2.99.

More reading

• 3 high quality ETFs for ASX investors in May
• 2 growing small cap ASX shares you need to watch
• 2 exciting ETFs ASX investors need to know about
• Whispir (ASX:WSP) share price charges higher following Q3 update
• 3 excellent small cap ASX shares to watch closely

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 recommends Whispir Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of BETA CYBER ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Whispir Ltd. 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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Are you looking for some small cap ASX shares to add to your watchlist this month? Then you might want to take a look at the ones listed below.

Here’s why they could be worth keeping a close eye on:

Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8)

The first small cap ASX share to watch is Audinate. It is a digital audio-visual networking technologies provider best known for its industry-leading Dante audio over IP networking solution.

This solution is dominating the competition and is expected to continue doing so for the foreseeable future. In fact, as we covered here earlier this week, one fund manager believes Audinate has the potential to be an unregulated monopoly.

Positively, after being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, demand has started to rebound strongly for the company’s offering. This led to Audinate reporting its highest ever quarterly revenue last month.

UBS is a fan of the company. Last month it responded to its third quarter update by putting a buy rating and $10.40 price target on its shares. This compares to the most recent Audinate share price of $7.94.

Nitro Software Ltd (ASX: NTO)

Another small cap to watch is Nitro Software. It is a software company aiming to drive digital transformation in organisations around the world.

Its key solution is the Nitro Productivity Suite, which provides integrated PDF productivity and electronic signature tools. Demand continues to grow for the solution, underpinning strong recurring revenue growth.

For example, in FY 2021, the company is guiding to annualised recurring revenue (ARR) of $39 million to $42 million. This represents year on year growth of 41% to 51.6%.

Morgan Stanley is positive on the company and recently reaffirmed its overweight rating and $3.70 price target on its shares. This compares to the latest Nitro share price of $3.00.

More reading

• Like Bluetooth but better: ASX share excites fundie
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now
• Why Coles, Nickel Mines, Nitro, & Regis Resources are storming higher
• Why the Nitro (ASX:NTO) share price is surging 6% higher today
• 2 highly rated ASX tech shares

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AUDINATEGL FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nitro Software 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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ASX construction shares Boral Limited (ASX: BLD), Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW), Cimic Group Ltd (ASX: CIM), Reliance Worldwide Corporation Ltd (ASX: RWC), and James Hardie Industries PLC (ASX: JHX) were all in the green today. By market close, they were up 0.8%, 4.23%, 1.47%, 3.99%, and 1.78%, respectively. For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended the day 0.4% higher.

Today’s price appreciation came as the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released figures showing building approvals are continuing at record pace.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the factors impacting ASX construction shares today.

Building approvals up

The number of dwellings approved rose 17.4% in March (seasonally adjusted), following a 20.1% rise in February. That’s according to the data released today by the ABS.

Daniel Rossi, director of construction statistics at the ABS, said the results were the second-highest on record.

“The total number of dwellings approved in March was the second-highest recorded, only exceeded by the November 2017 result,” Mr Rossi said.

New South Wales had the greatest increase in approvals for March at 26.9%. This was followed by Victoria (24.7%), Queensland (12.1%), and South Australia (3.5%). Dwelling approvals in Western Australia and Tasmania actually fell in March.

When only looking at private sector housing, Victoria delivered the most significant growth – up 7.8%. New South Wales had the fastest decline in this metric – down 10.5%.

The value of total buildings approved increased 36.3% to reach a record high. The value of total residential building rose 22.9%, driven by a 25.4% rise in new residential building. Residential alterations and additions rose 7.3%, also reaching an all-time high.

Further, the value of non-residential building reached an all-time high (up 59.4%), driven by a large rise in both private and public projects in March.

Shane Oliver, chief economist at AMP Capital, said the federal government’s HomeBuilder program probably had some effect in boosting approvals. He believes, however, the numbers also show an increase in actual construction in the month.

Aust Mar home building approvals +17%, volatile units +59%, houses +1% at record. Additions & alterations +7%.
HomeBuilder has likely brought forward approvals – but points to a strong rise in home building..+ve for jobs & may help slow house prices.
Non-res approvals also up. pic.twitter.com/l8HrVmVoBz

— Shane Oliver (@ShaneOliverAMP) May 5, 2021

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

While today’s statistics are unlikely to have had a direct effect on ASX construction shares, they are indicative of the environment these companies are trading in. Arguably, today’s positive price movements could be a sign investors believe the building approval rates are indicative of what is to come, as well as what has already occurred.

Strong economic growth forecasts

In yesterday’s Reserve Bank meeting, chair Phillip Lowe said he was expecting GDP growth in 2021 to be stronger than initially expected.

“The Bank’s central scenario for GDP growth has been revised up further, with growth of 4.75 per cent expected over 2021 and 3.5 per cent over 2022,” Dr Lowe said.

He also expects unemployment to fall to 5% by the end of the year and 4.5% by the end of 2022.

Other factors pointing to strong GDP growth are the COVID-19 vaccination rollout (which experts are saying is needed to restart the economy) and rising new car sales. New car sales are widely regarded as an indicator of economic growth.

Shane Oliver says construction and the economy have a positive, almost symbiotic relationship:

While housing construction in total is only around 10 to 15% of GDP and housing construction specifically is only around 5 to 6% of GDP it is hugely cyclical, is a big employer and has big flow on effects to the rest of the economy.

Particularly once completed homes or additions to homes need to be fitted out with furnishings, fittings and consumer goods. So, the massive upswing in building approvals being seen is a positive sign that the economic recovery will remain on track over the next 12 months.

And of course, the relationship between construction and the economy is a positive one in that to the extent that strong construction can help drive a strong economy, the confidence and extra jobs that come with a strong economy can help further drive strong construction.

One could argue that ASX construction shares, therefore, could be the beneficiary of this economic growth. This, in turn, could fuel additional GDP growth in the short term, further benefitting these types of companies.

ASX construction shares’ recent history

By close of trade today, Boral shares were selling for $6.33, Brickworks shares were $21.17 each, Cimic Group shares were trading at $19.30 apiece, Reliance stock was $5.21, and to buy a share in James Hardie would set an investor back $43.51.

Over the last 12 months, the companies have changed in value by roughly +134%, +61%, -17%, +113%, and 99%, respectively.

The market capitalisations of these ASX shares range from $3.2 billion to $19.3 billion.

More reading

• ASX stock of the day: Brickworks (ASX:BKW) shares top the ASX 200
• Why the Future First Technologies (ASX:FFT) share price is surging 5%
• Pssst, I’m a value investor who makes money from growth shares: fundie
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Marc Sidarous has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Reliance Worldwide Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Reliance Worldwide 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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