• CSL (ASX:CSL) share price wobbles on plasma and vaccine update

    A man climbing stairs that go up and down in a chart style, indicating a moving share price

    The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price has been in the spotlight in recent memory. This follows concerns over its plasma collections as well as its progress in producing the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

    At the time of writing, the global biotech’s shares are trading for $264.64, down 1.3% for the day.

    Plasma worries

    COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the global economy and virtually shut down foot traffic movement in the United States.

    Unfortunately for CSL, this has affected its plasma collections as fewer people are donating blood to its collection centres. The company last provided an update in March advising that December 2020 plasma volumes were sitting around 80% of the December 2019 levels.

    This has led CSL to approach the public for ideas on how it can maximise the yield and processing efficiency in human immunoglobulins.

    CSL Behring’s immunoglobulins are much needed for running its business operations. Derived from plasma, human immunoglobulins are a lifesaving therapy that prevent and fight rare and serious infections.

    The company is offering $40,000 on the winning idea as well as two one-on-one mentoring sessions with CSL Behring.

    COVID-19 vaccine update

    Furthermore, CSL is striving to increase production of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. So far, Australia has administered over 1.65 million vaccinations to the public, averaging around 60 thousand doses per day.

    The Australian government has indicated that it’s strongly considering bringing vaccine manufacturing capability to Australia within the next decade. This would protect Australians from present and future pandemics through local supply, avoiding political problems such as the European shipment block.

    CSL has put its hand up for this proposal and is in current discussions with the Australian government. Although, it may take some time to set up such a facility and begin producing important vaccines.

    Broker update

    The latest broker update came from investment bank Macquarie yesterday, issuing a price target of $282.50 for CSL. While it may have cut its outlook by 1.9% from its original note, this represents an upside of almost 7%.

    CSL share price review

    Over the last 12 months, the CSL share price has faltered and is now trading at the same price as recorded in November 2019. The company’s shares momentarily reached a high of $320.42 in late November 2020 before trending downwards and moving sideways since.

    As one of the ASX market’s largest companies in terms of market capitalisation, the CSL share price is valued at $120.2 billion. Furthermore, the company has more than 455 million shares on issue.

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    Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL Ltd. 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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  • BHP (ASX:BHP) share price lower despite natural gas update

    two men in mining hats shake hands on a deal with gas pipelines in the background, indicating good news for the gas and LPG share price

    The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price dipped today. That’s despite today’s announcement of the commissioning of a new natural gas field to supply Australia’s east coast.

    At close of trade today, shares in the mining giant were selling for $47.44 – down 0.25%. By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is 0.68% lower.

    Let’s take a closer look at today’s news and how it might be affecting the BHP share price.

    BHP’s joint venture

    BHP revealed its 50/50 Gippsland Basin Joint Venture’s West Barracouta natural gas field with Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM)’s Australian affiliate, Esso Australia, is now up and running.

    The field, located in the Bass Strait off the coast of Victoria, is expected to provide domestic gas supply for Australia’s east coast. BHP’s stake in the venture is worth approximately $400 million. The project hasn’t appeared to have a positive impact on the BHP share price.

    Country Manager of BHP Petroleum Australia, Graham Salmond, said:

    The Gippsland Basin Joint Venture has played a central role in reliably meeting the energy needs of Australian homes and businesses for 50 years.

    As the largest domestic gas project in Australia in recent years, West Barracouta has unlocked a new, high quality gas resource that will help maintain Bass Strait production and support our diverse domestic customer base.

    We aim to continue developing opportunities to maximise the value of Bass Strait for the joint venture and our shareholders.

    Natural gas commodity price

    Presently, natural gas is trading on the commodities market for US $2.75 per 10 billion British thermal units. While up 49.5% higher than this time last year, the price of natural gas is down 16.1% since the middle of February this year.

    The website Trading Economics is forecasting the price of natural gas to fall to US $2.16 in 52 weeks’ time.

    The BHP share price, however, is still tipped to increase because of the surge in demand for copper.

    BHP share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months, the BHP share price has increased by 54%. In fact, since the beginning of this year, the company’s value has increased by 10.1%.

    BHP has a market capitalisation of $224.3 billion.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Motley Fool contributor Marc Sidarous 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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  • 2 highly rated ASX growth shares

    cloud shares

    With so many growth shares to choose from on the Australian share market, it can be hard to decide which ones to buy over others.

    To help narrow things down, I have picked out two ASX growth shares that could be top options for investors today. Here’s what you need to know about them:

    Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

    The first ASX growth share to look at is Megaport. It is a leading provider of elastic interconnection services globally. The company utilises software defined networking (SDN) to allow customers to rapidly connect their network to other services across the Megaport Network.

    This means that services can be directly controlled by customers via mobile devices, their computer, or its open API.

    The shift to the cloud has led to increasing demand for Megaport’s services. As a result, it now connects more than 2,050 customers in over 700 enabled data centres globally. This led to Megaport reporting Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) of $6.3 million at the end of December. This was up $1.7 million or 37% year on year.

    Goldman Sachs is confident in its growth outlook. The broker currently has a buy rating and $15.55 price target on its shares.

    NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)

    Another ASX growth share to consider is NEXTDC. Like Megaport, it appears perfectly positioned to benefit from the cloud computing boom.

    This is because NEXTDC is one of the region’s leading data centre-as-a-service providers with a total of 11 world class centres in key locations across Australia. From these facilities, NEXTDC provides colocation services to local and international organisations. 

    But it isn’t settling for that. The company has recently opened up offices in Singapore and Tokyo with a view of expanding into these markets. If this expansion proves to be a success, it would give NEXTDC a significant growth runway.

    Goldman Sachs is also positive on NEXTDC. Earlier this month it retained its buy rating, added it to its conviction list, and lifted its price target to $15.00. The broker believes NEXTDC is well-positioned for growth over the medium term.

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    James Mickleboro owns shares of NEXTDC Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO. 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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  • BrainChip and Zip were among the most traded ASX shares last week

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    Australia’s leading investment platform provider CommSec has released data on the most traded ASX shares on its platform from last week.

    Here’s the data:

    Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

    Zip’s shares were the most popular shares among CommSec investors last week, accounting for a sizeable 5% of trades. Approximately 58% of these trades came from buyers, who will have been delighted to see the Zip share price surged 13% higher over the five days. The catalyst for this was a strong Q3 update.

    Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

    The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF was popular with investors again last week. Its units accounted for 1.7% of trades on the platform, with a massive 80% of them coming from buyers. Investors may have been piling in due to a pullback in bond yields.

    Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN)

    This artificial intelligence technology company’s shares were attributable to 1.5% of trades last week. Almost two-thirds of these trades came from the buy side, which helped drive the BrainChip share price 14% higher for the week. News that the company has begun manufacturing its neuromorphic processor chip for edge AI devices gave its shares a boost.

    BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders ETF (ASX: ETHI)

    A new entry to the top five is this ethical investing ETF. It accounted for 1.3% of trades during the period, with buyers accounting for 85% of the volume. This ETF invests in sustainable and ethical companies and has now recorded three straight weeks of gains.

    Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)

    The ever-popular Afterpay makes the top five yet again. The payments giant’s shares were attributable to 1.1% of trades on CommSec. And despite the Afterpay share price rising almost 4.5%, only 46% of the volume came from buyers. This morning Afterpay released its third quarter update and revealed that underlying sales continue to grow at a rapid rate globally.

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    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 BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS. 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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  • Aussie fintech lets ANYONE receive salary in Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC)

    Smiling ASX investor holding a gold bitcoin

    An Australian fintech is allowing any person to receive their wages or salary in Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC).

    A privately held startup named Living Room of Satoshi has this week launched its Wages service.

    To use the feature, the user simply has to instruct their employer to pay their wages into a Living Room of Satoshi account — as opposed to a bank account.

    The cryptocurrency facilitator will then convert a percentage of the wages into Bitcoin and deposit the rest into the user’s bank account.

    This is the easiest way to build up a cryptocurrency balance, according to Living Room of Satoshi chief executive Daniel Alexiuc.

    “Bitcoin has seen its price rise astronomically in the last 6 months, which has triggered an unprecedented buy-in from institutional investors,” he said.

    “We wanted to provide an option for regular folks in Australia to also join this burgeoning ecosystem — and the simplest and most pain-free way is to have a small percentage of your wage converted and sent to you when you get paid.”

    The Bitcoin price has risen from about $36,000 at the start of the year to now more than $70,000.

    What is Living Room of Satoshi?

    Living Room of Satoshi is named after the pseudonym for the anonymous founder of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto.

    The 7-year-old service allows Australians to pay any bill, bank account or credit card using cryptocurrencies. The app also allows Bitcoin purchases.

    “We like to imagine that when Satoshi has a bill to pay, he kicks back at the end of the day and pays it in his living room. Hence ‘Living Room of Satoshi’!” states the company website.

    The fintech holds its own Australian Financial Services licence.

    Living Room of Satoshi is not the only company to allow Australians to receive their wages in cryptocurrency. Fintech getpaidinbitcoin.com.au specifically exists for that purpose.

    While Living Room of Satoshi charges a 4.9% conversion fee excluding GST, getpaidinbitcoin.com.au slugs $1 per transaction.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Tony Yoo 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 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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  • ASX stock of the day: AnteoTech (ASX:ADO) shares top ASX

    A drawing of a white rocket streaking up, indicating a surging share pirce movement

    The Anteotech Ltd (ASX: ADO) share price is one the best performing shares on the ASX today, topping the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) and besting every share in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). At the time of writing, Anteotech shares are up a very robust 13.11% to 34 cents a share after opening at 20 cents this morning.

    It’s been an incredible few months for Anteotech, as well as an incredible year. Over the past month alone, Anteotech is up 38%. Year to date in 2021 so far, investors have enjoyed gains of roughly 213%. And over the past 12 months, Anteotech shares have risen a mind-boggling 1,625%. Want one better? Since November 2019, Anteotech is up 3,350%. Enough said.

    So who is this company? And why are Anteotech shares rocketing today?

    Anteo-who?

    Anteotech is a tech company that specialises in ‘surface management technology’. It has two flagship products: AnteoBind and AnteoCoat. AnteoBind is a glue of sorts that has a myriad of biomedical uses, including more recently the management of COVID-19. AnteoCoat uses a similar sort of technology but employs it in the energy space. This is most prominent in battery manufacturing. With this technology, Anteotech aims to increase the charge capacity of rechargeable batteries, as well as reducing size, weight and costs in battery manufacturing.

    Anteotech has a range of patents that apply to its technology, which it hopes to use for future growth.

    Why are Anteotech shares topping the ASX today?

    It’s not entirely clear why Anteotech shares are rocketing today. There has been no major news or announcements out of the company this week.

    However, there have been a number of positive developments recently that are likely to be feeding into Anteotech share price today.

    Back on 9 April, Anteotech shares jumped 9% on news of a new contract. Under the arrangement, Anteotech will be providing silicon composite for the Super Anode Project, run by the Future Battery Industries Cooperation Research Centre. As my Fool colleague Brooke reported at the time, the company is set to spend roughly $500,000 on the project. In exchange, it will receive some intellectual property rights on any technological developments or breakthroughs.

    Further, on 12 April, Anteotech announced that European regulators have given its EuGeni COVID-19 rapid diagnostic test the tick of approval for sale in the European Union and the United Kingdom. That announcement sent Anteotech shares up another 8% at the time.

    That was the last major update we got from the company. Saing that, ASX data shows that there has been a significant uptick in the volume of Anteotech shares traded today, which is inevitable from a share price jump like what we’ve seen. 11.4 million shares have traded today so far, significantly above the 5.2 million that swapped hands yesterday. We could be seeing some large institutional buying today, or just some good old fashioned momentum.

    Either way, Anteotech investors are probably a very happy bunch right now. At the current share price, Anteotech has a market capitalisation of $636.4 million.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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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  • Is the Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price in the buy zone after its update?

    The Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price has been a disappointing performer on Tuesday despite the release of a strong third quarter update.

    In afternoon trade the payments company’s shares are down 1% to $124.87.

    What did Afterpay report?

    Afterpay continued its meteoric rise during the third quarter of FY 2021.

    It reported a strong operating performance across all regions with underlying sales rising 104% over the prior corresponding period to $5.2 billion.

    This was driven by a 75% increase in active customers globally to 14.6 million and increasing customer frequency across all regions. In respect to the latter, the top 10% of customers globally on average now transact 33 times per year.

    Once again, the US business was arguably the star performer during the period. It reported a 211% increase in underlying sales to $2.6 billion. This means the North America region is now the largest contributor to underlying sales.

    This was supported by a 48% increase in underlying sales in the ANZ market and a 246% jump in underlying sales in the UK market.

    Afterpay shares get a US listing

    Also catching the eye was news that there may soon be an Afterpay share price quoted on the US share market.

    Management advised that it is doing this as the US is now the largest contributor and is expected to continue growing strongly.

    In addition, its shareholder base is increasingly becoming more globally focused. It feels a US listing would further accommodate this growing interest.

    Where next for the Afterpay share price?

     A number of brokers have responded to Afterpay’s quarterly results with quick updates.

    Ord Minnett was pleased with the company’s performance and notes that underlying sales and active customer numbers were higher than it expected. It was also happy to see the company announce a launch into Germany in FY 2022.

    Ord Minnett is reviewing its buy rating and $150.00 price target. If it holds firm, its price target implies potential upside of 20% over the next 12 months.

    Elsewhere, according to note out of RBC Capital, Afterpay fell a touch short of expectations during the quarter. Though, it believes the company can still achieve its second half expectations. It has an outperform rating and $150.00 price target at present.

    A note out of Macquarie reveals that Afterpay performed in line with its expectations. It also spoke positively about the US listing, which it believes will provide a large capital base and competitive advantages.

    However, the broker isn’t currently in a rush to invest. It has a neutral rating and $120.00 price target on its shares.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. 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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  • Why the Meridian Energy (ASX:MEZ) share price is falling

    asx share price fall represented by investor looking puzzled at computer screen

    Meridian Energy Ltd (ASX: MEZ) shares are tanking today. At the time of writing, the Meridian share price is trading at $5.30 – down 3.99%. By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is down 0.77%.

    During earlier trade, Meridian shares fell by as much as 7.6% before recovering to their current levels. The slump comes after a large sell-off of the New Zealand energy provider’s shares by private equity firm BlackRock Inc.

    Let’s take a closer look at why the company’s shares are in the red.

    Background

    Meridian Energy is New Zealand’s largest electricity generator, operating hydro stations and wind farms in New Zealand and Australia. It is majority-owned by the government of New Zealand.

    All of its energy is generated through renewable energy sources, including 90% via hydropower. The company is dual-listed on both the ASX and the NZX.

    What’s dragging the Meridian share price?

    The Meridian share price is on the slide today after the company provided an update to the ASX. In the update, Meridian declared BlackRock is selling 53% of its stake in the company or roughly 96 million shares.

    Any large influx of shares onto the open market is likely going to drag on the price of the stock. That’s because supply of the stock will likely outweigh demand for it at its higher price. In economics, this is known as the law of supply and demand.

    According to the Financial Times, BlackRock was forced into today’s actions because of an influx of investments in its clean energy exchange-traded fund (ETF) iShares Global Clean Energy ETF (NASDAQ: ICLN). The underlying index that calibrates the ETF is comprised of only 30 companies. Investments in the ETF, and its European equivalent, grew by 1,321% to US$10.8 billion from the start of 2020 to now. The massive cash inflows into the ETF saw the fund’s stake in companies like Meridian and Contact Energy Ltd (ASX: CEN) grow to potentially controlling levels. Before today’s sell-off, BlackRock owned 7.1% of shares in Meridian.

    The S&P Global Clean Energy Index (SP: SPGTCLEN) was reweighted to include more companies to counteract the concentration problems that were foreseen. Meridian went from 4.5% weighting in the old index to just over 0.7% in the newly calibrated one.

    Meridian share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months, the Meridian share price has increased by 24.71%. Its share price, however, is around 43% lower than its all-time high of $9.33. The record was achieved in early January when President-elect Joe Biden’s Democratic party won both Senate seats in the state of Georgia and thus control of the upper chamber. Investors saw the news as a boon for green energy companies.

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  • Why the QEM (ASX:QEM) share price catapulted 37% today

    A drawing of a rocket follows a chart up, indicating share price lift

    The QEM Ltd (ASX: QEM) share price powered up today on news of a new project management specialist for the company’s green hydrogen development.

    At the time of writing, the QEM share price has gained a huge 37%. Shares in the exploration and development company are currently swapping hands for 24 cents. 

    Let’s take a closer look at the announcement made by the company this morning.

    New project management 

    Today’s gains for the QEM share price come after the company shared that it has signed an execution strategy agreement with the project management consultant Siecap.

    The agreement will see the Brisbane-based consultancy company assume a project management role at QEM.

    It will manage execution strategies for mining, extracting, processing, and the Julia Creek project, where QEM will be exporting vanadium pentoxide and transport fuels as well as green hydrogen. 

    Siecap will also be responsible for grants coordination. Previously, QEM has stated its Julia Creek project could be eligible for a number of grants. These include the $2.47 billion Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility and the $24 million Queensland Hydrogen Industry Strategy funding commitment.

    In its release, the company stated that Siecap could be working to support the progressing of Julia Creek’s pre-feasibility study in the future.

    Commentary from management

    QEM’s managing director Gavin Loyden commented on the agreement, stating it will strengthen the company’s future plans.

    With the continued progression of our Julia Creek vanadium and oil shale project and green hydrogen strategy, this Agreement will streamline our broader business strategy to drive these two intertwined developments forward as efficiently as possible,

    Siecap has a deep knowledge of the sector and policy environment QEM operates in, making them the optimal choice to assist us in successfully executing this.

    QEM share price snapshot

    The QEM share price rose dramatically when the company announced its green hydrogen strategy in March, and it’s been performing well since.

    Currently, the QEM share price is up 161% year to date. It’s also up by 235% over the last 12 months.

    The company has a market capitalisation of around $23 million, with approximately 100 million shares outstanding.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

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    Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

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  • Why Coca-Cola Amatil (ASX:CCL) shares days are numbered

    Two hands grasp together, one painted gold, representing a golden handshake or deal between two ASX share companies

    Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd (ASX: CCL) shares’ days on the ASX are numbered after the Aussie bottling company provided an update on its proposed takeover.

    Why are Coca-Cola Amatil shares on watch?

    Coca-Cola this afternoon provided an update on the proposed takeover by Coca-Cola European Partners PLC (NYSE: CCEP). Importantly, the Supreme Court of New South Wales has today made orders approving the Scheme of Arrangement for CCEP to acquire all Coca-Cola Amatil shares.

    The Aussie company will lodge an office copy of the Court orders with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Shareholders will receive $13.32 cash per share once the Scheme becomes legally effective. The final cash payment is due on the Scheme’s Implementation Date, currently slated for 10 May 2021.

    Shareholders will receive the fully franked final dividend of $0.18 per share as announced on 18 February 2021 for shares held at yesterday’s record date.

    Today’s news means CCEP can finally acquire Coca-Cola Amatil shares. Tomorrow’s market close will see the company’s shares suspended from trading.

    What are the details of the takeover?

    Coca-Cola Amatil shares have surged higher in 2021 on the back of takeover developments. CCEP issued a best and final offer to acquire the company for $13.50 per share, or $9.8 billion, in mid-February. That comprises both the $13.32 cash payment and $0.18 per share dividend payment.

    That came after several months of pressure on the European group to up its offer from a variety of stakeholders. CCEP ultimately upped its offer on the back of stronger trading conditions for the business in Australia and New Zealand.

    Coca-Cola Amatil shares have remained largely unchanged this afternoon. That’s largely thanks to these approvals being a formality and already priced in. That means tomorrow is set to be the final trading day for the Aussie bottling company. It brings to a close a long chapter for the group that listed in 1970 and became Allied Manufacturing and Trade Industries Limited (AMATIL) in 1977.

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    Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall 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.

    The post Why Coca-Cola Amatil (ASX:CCL) shares days are numbered appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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