The Senex Energy Ltd (ASX: SXY) share price is surging this week as gas prices continue to rise both nationally and internationally, partly brought on by cooler than average temperatures throughout the biggest gas consuming economies.

The Senex share price is up 3.1% today, trading at $3.29 per share at the time of writing

Senex is an Australian oil and gas exploration and production company. The company’s geographical segment includes the Surat Basin and Cooper/Eromanga Basins.

It generates most of its revenue from the Cooper/Eromanga Basins segment, which is located mainly in the northeast part of South Australia and extending into southwest Queensland. The company earns its key revenue through oil sales, gas and gas liquids sales.

Australia’s gas debate

Senex has had a strong 12 months, helped by the Australian government’s public focus on utilising Australia’s large gas reserves to spearhead a broader economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

While gas has become a more publicly palatable energy resource than coal as sentiment moves towards renewable energy, it’s still proved a controversial plan. 

ABC’s Four Corners program raised concerns over the plan and the government’s handling of independent research. Meanwhile, a recent Grattan Institute report suggested that the energy resource will “flame out” over time and expanding gas production would be an inefficient investment. 

“Gas is likely to play the critical backup role, though not an expanded role,” the report said. “Australia will make a gas-supported transition to a net-zero emissions electricity system – but not a ‘gas-led recovery’ from the COVID recession.”

The government is backing its gas strategy and a spokesman for Energy Minister Angus Taylor says balance will be crucial in the system going forward.

“The government is focused on getting the fundamentals of market design right to encourage investment in the right mix of generation to ensure electricity is available when and where it is needed, at affordable prices,” he told AAP. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison signalled increased government funding for production basins, saying working with large gas producers like Senex will be a key factor in the government’s overall economic plan.

“We’ll work with industry to deliver a gas hub for Australia that will ensure households and businesses enjoy the benefits of our abundant local gas while we hold our position as one of the top global liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters,” the Prime Minister said.

“This is about making Australia’s gas work for all Australians. Gas is a critical enabler of Australia’s economy.”

The Senex share price

The government began signalling gas as a pillar of Australia’s economic recovery around September last year and the Senex share price has raised by almost 30% since these announcements.

It’s continued to perform strongly of late despite the controversy surrounding the government’s plan. In the past month, the Senex share price has risen by 7.5%, after news that the company had signed a new gas sales agreement with CleanCo Queensland to produce enough gas to power roughly 50,000 homes for a year.

Senex’s performance has been even stronger in the past week, rising over 9.3%. It’s risen 104% over the past 12 months, beating the energy sector by 80%. 

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• Why NAB (ASX:NAB) shares could take off: fundie
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• Why the Red River Resources (ASX:RVR) share price is plummeting today
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Motley Fool contributor Lucas Radbourne-Pugh 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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A fund manager has revealed how bullish he is on National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) shares.

In an interview with The Motley Fool, SG Hiscock High Conviction Fund portfolio manager Hamish Tadgell revealed NAB is the fund’s second-biggest position.

“That is reflective of the fact that we’ve come through the pandemic probably better than most would have expected 12 months ago,” he said in this week’s Ask A Fund Manager.

“Loss rates and provisions look like they’ll be lower. The banks have taken significant provisions last year, and we think that some of those will be unwound over the course of the next 12 months.”

Wilson Advisory agreed in its monthly report this week, titled Aussie Banks: Maintain Overweight Ahead of Results Season.

“We continue to see upside across the industry as the economy recovers, lending growth improves and strategic initiatives take hold,” stated the report.

“Market conditions are likely to continue to remain favourable given the prospect of further upward moves in long bond yields through 2021 and acceleration in the domestic recovery cycle.”

Tadgell reckoned there is a strong chance NAB could increase dividends this year.

“In an environment where rates are rising, albeit modestly, net interest margin [could move] to more neutral – maybe even slightly positive – for the banks,” he said.

“So we continue to see upside in the banks, particularly on the dividend side.”

Upgraded credit rating outlook 

On Tuesday, Fitch Ratings revised its outlook for ANZ and NAB shares, upgrading each from ‘negative’ to ‘stable’.

Even though the share prices for all 4 major banks have climbed significantly since September, Wilson remains overweight on NAB shares, as well as Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ).

“Today, we are overweight [on] the banks, with valuations sitting at around 1.4x [of book value],” 

“While valuations have improved, share prices are still 15% below levels implied by looking at the long-term measures of price to book ratios (P/B), or on the same basis, 30% below 2015 levels before the multi-year bank derating process ended in mid-2020.”

With the finance industry Royal Commission now firmly in the rear-vision mirror, regulatory risks have settled down for the big banks.

“The worst is behind the banks from a regulatory perspective. The reduction in potential risks is particularly important for our view on Westpac – the regulatory laggard of sorts.”

At the time of writing on Thursday afternoon, the NAB share price is trading 0.41% higher at $26.83.

More reading

• Can the ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price go even higher?
• Why the Michael Hill (ASX:MHJ) share price is on watch today
• This ASX telco and bank will go gangbusters: fundie
• Is it time to jump on the Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price?
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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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After a poor start to the day, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is back on form this afternoon. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.65% to 7,064.6 points.

Four ASX shares that have failed to follow the market higher today are listed below. Here’s why they are tumbling:

Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN)

The BrainChip share price is down 8% to 58.5 cents. This appears to have been driven by profit taking after a very strong gain on Wednesday. Investors were buying the artificial intelligence technology company’s shares after it revealed that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has started volume manufacturing of its Akida AKD1000 neuromorphic processor chip for edge AI devices.

Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL)

The Regis Resources share price has crashed 14.5% lower to $2.71. Investors have been selling the gold miner’s shares after it announced an agreement to acquire a 30% interest in the Tropicana Gold Project for $903 million from IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO). To fund the acquisition, Regis has raised $494 million from institutional investors at a 14.8% discount of $2.70 per share. It will now seek to raise a further $156 million via the fully underwritten retail component of the entitlement offer.

Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)

The Whitehaven Coal share price has sunk 14% to $1.58. This follows the release of a production and guidance update this morning. That update revealed that the coal miner’s production has been impacted by poor weather conditions and geological challenges. As a result, Whitehaven has downgraded its FY 2021 managed ROM production at the Narrabri mine. Rather than the previous 5.3Mt to 5.5Mt guidance, the company now expects 4.5Mt to 4.9Mt.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

The Zip Co share price has fallen 3% to $9.35. This follows the completion of its $400 million zero coupon senior unsecured convertible notes offering. These notes are convertible into fully paid ordinary shares of Zip at an initial conversion price of $12.39 per share. This represents a conversion premium of 29% over its last close price. The funds will be used to support the active pursuit of both core and international growth opportunities.

More reading

• ASX 200 flat: Zip raises $400m, Bank of Queensland results, Regis crashes
• Why the Whitehaven Coal (ASX:WHC) share price is plunging 14%
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• Is the Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price set to surge later this month?
• Strike Energy (ASX:STX) goes into trading halt for $80m cap raise

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 ZIPCOLTD FPO. 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 Red River Resources Limited (ASX: RVR) share price is dropping in early afternoon trade following a production update. At the time of writing, the mineral exploration company’s shares are trading for 22 cents, down 8.51%.

What did Red River Resources announce?

Red River Resources shares are tumbling on the company’s latest performance update at its operating sites.

According to its release, Red River Resources provided an update on its March quarter production. In particular, for its Thalanga Operations in Queensland and Hillgrove Gold Mine in New South Wales.

Thalanga Operations

During the March quarter (Q3 FY21), Red River Resources reported a mixed result for its Thalanga Operations. Ongoing mining activities produced 3,608 tonnes of copper concentrate, 6,959 tonnes of zinc concentrate, and 1,613 tonnes of lead concentrate. Looking at the prior corresponding period (Q3 FY20), 2,310 tonnes of copper concentrate, 4,310 tonnes of zinc concentrate, 1,117 tonnes of lead concentrate was yielded.

The company stated that a safety incident occurred in March which led to a temporary shutdown of mining activities. From 27 March until 1 April, the Far West mine ceased production until an investigation was completed. Since then, the operations have resumed back to normal levels.

Hillgrove Gold Mine

Moving on, Red River Resources pleasingly noted that it is continuing to ramp up production at its Hillgrove Gold mine. In the quarter, 667 ounces of gold was produced in doré and concentrates from the Bakers Hill stockpile.

Gold doré refers to a bar that comprises of a super high gold content alloy. This can sometimes also be pure gold. Doré is a French word meaning ‘golden’ or ‘gilded.’

During the earlier months of January and February, low-grade ore was processed as the mill became online. The company stated that it has poured 261 ounces of gold (in doré) which has been sold. The remaining 406 ounces of gold are at the flotation concentrate stage.

Red River Resources revealed that it will provide its full March quarterly result later this month.

Red River Resources share price review

Over the past 12 months, the Red River Resources share price has jumped more than 200%, but fallen 20% year-to-date. The company’s shares reached a 52-week high of 33 cents in early January, before treading lower.

Based on the current share price, Red River Resources presides a market capitalisation of around $113.9 million.

More reading

• Recce (ASX:RCE) share price surges 6% on clinical trial registration
• Coinbase IPO: What is a Class A share?
• Can the ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price go even higher?
• Why this broker thinks the Vulcan (ASX: VUL) share price can double again
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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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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Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: RCE) shares are on the move in mid-afternoon trade. This comes after the company announced the inclusion of Recce 327 into the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ANZCTR).

At the time of writing, the Recce share price is swapping hands for $1.255, up 6.36%.

Checkpoint passed

The Recce share price is responding positively after the biotech company advised that its lead compound, Recce 327, has been registered in the ANZCTR for its phase I/II topical burns study in humans. The Recce 327 topical antibiotic therapy will seek to treat infected burn wounds in adults.

Established in 2005, ANZCTR is an online public registry of clinical trials being undertaken domestically and abroad. The purpose of the organisation is to improve research transparency, making all details of the trial publicly available. In addition, public awareness can facilitate increased trial participation, avoid duplication of similar studies, identify research areas, and promote collaboration.

ANZCTR consists of a variety of trials such as pharmaceuticals, surgical procedures, preventive measures, treatment and rehabilitation strategies, and more. Notably, registration with ANZCTR is one of the final administrative checkpoints for clinical trials to commence.

The upcoming phase I/II topical burns study will assess the safety and efficacy of Recce 327 from 30 recruits. Over 2 weeks, 10 patients will receive Recce 327 on a daily basis. The other remaining participants will receive the Recce 327 three times per week.

The company stated that it will update shareholders as the trial progresses.

Recce share price review

Recce is involved in the advancement of synthetic antibodies designed to address the global health challenge of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. The medical company’s flagship drug, Recce 327 is being developed to treat blood infections and sepsis.

The group operates solely in research and development and is located in both Australia and the United States.

In the past 12 months, the Recce share price has stormed more than 280% higher and is around 15% up year to date. The company’s shares hit a record high of $1.875 in August 2020 on the back of positive investor sentiment.

Based on the current share price, Recce has a market capitalisation of roughly $221.5 million, with 173.7 million shares outstanding.

More reading

• The Recce (ASX:RCE) share price is up 7% after its drug saved a human
• Why EML, NextDC, Qantas, & Recce shares are racing higher
• Why is the Recce (ASX:RCE) share price in the red today?
• Recce Pharmaceuticals (ASX:RCE) share price tumbles despite positive update

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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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Watchers of the blockbuster Coinbase Global Inc (NASDAQ: COIN) IPO last night might have noticed something that would look rather odd to an ASX investor. That’s apart from its 52% pop upon listing, of course.

Coinbase shares are often referred to as ‘Class A’. 

Now, this isn’t some arbitrary badge of self-congratulation (i.e aren’t we a Class A company?). It actually refers to something that is enormously relevant for any current or potential Coinbase investor. 

And it’s this: Coinbase has two classes of shares. But only one is available for everyday investors like you or I. Those shares are the Class A shares that investors can now buy on the Nasdaq exchange. Those shares entitle the owner to one vote per share at Coinbase, as one might expect.

However, there is also another class of shares that investors can own of Coinbase – Class B shares. According to Coinbase’s SR-1 prospectus filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), an owner of a Class B share is entitled to 20 votes per share, rather than 1.  However, these shares are not available to the public or on the stock market. Only institutional investors and company insiders can own and trade these shares.

What’s the deal with Class A and B shares?

If this sounds outrageously unfair to you, I wouldn’t be surprised. On the ASX, these types of multi-class shares that don’t conform to a ‘one vote, one value’ system are not permitted. However, they are common in the US. It gives companies a way to retain power with founders or insiders while permitting them to dilute their ownership of the company. Its proponents often argue that it allows the founder to focus on the company’s long-term future by not having to worry about other substantial shareholders. 

Other companies that employ a ClassA/B model include Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B), Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) and Fox Corp (NASDAQ: FOX)(NASDAQ: FOXA).

Triple the fun

However, it could be even more complicated. Some companies even have a triple-class share structure. Take Google-owner Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL). It has three classes of shares. Class A shares trade under the GOOGL ticker. Those owners are entitled to one vote per share. Class C shares are the GOOG shares. Class C owners get ‘observer status’ with zero votes per share. Alphabet’s Class B shares get 10 votes per share, but, like Coinbase Class B, are not traded on the public share market, and are mostly owned by Alphabet’s founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin. Page and Brin, incidentally, have now left the company but kept their Class B shares.

Perhaps the most undemocratic model on the US markets goes to Snapchat owner Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP) though. According to Snap’s filing prospectus from 2017, there are three classes of SNAP shares. But only Class A are publicly available. Class A shares, however, come with zero votes. Class B shares are available to insider investors. But these shares still only come with one vote apiece. Class C shares come with 10 votes per share. But only Snap’s co-founders in Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy own these shares. According to Snap’s prospectus, this gave them 88.5% of the company’s voting power at listing. 

America may be a democracy, but its share markets are a different story in many cases.

More reading

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• Love tech shares? This ASX ETF is a great buy today
• This ASX ETF is smashing the ASX 200… and the S&P 500
• 2 top ASX ETFs to buy right now
• I want to double your money every 5 years: fundie

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Alphabet (A shares) and Facebook. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and Facebook and recommends the following options: short June 2021 $240 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short January 2023 $200 puts on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and long January 2023 $200 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and Facebook. 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 Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) share price has been a very strong performer in 2021.

Since the start of the year, the banking giant’s shares have gained approximately 25%.

This means the ANZ share price is now trading within touching distance of its 52-week high of $29.55.

Can the ANZ share price go higher?

The good news for investors is the ANZ share price has been tipped to go even higher in 2021.

According to a recent note out of Morgans, its analysts currently have an add rating and $31.00 price target on the bank’s shares.

Based on the current ANZ share price, this price target implies potential upside of approximately 8% over the next 12 months.

Morgans is also forecasting dividends of $1.45 per share in FY 2021 and then $1.61 per share in FY 2022. This equates to fully franked yields of 5% and 5.6%, respectively, over the next two years.

As a result, this means its shares could offer investors a total return of approximately 13% to 13.5% between now and this time in 2022.

What did the broker say?

Morgans was pleased with the bank’s performance in the first quarter, noting that it was thoroughly outperforming its expectations on a run-rate basis.

In addition to this, due to its strong capital position and the positive economic outlook, the broker suspects that capital management initiatives could happen in the not-so-distant future.

Who else is positive on ANZ?

Another broker that is positive on the ANZ share price is Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG). Late last month, the broker retained its outperform rating and $30.00 price target on the bank’s shares.

And earlier this month, Credit Suisse put an outperform rating and $29.50 price target on its shares. It notes that ANZ experienced a significant reduction in its loan deferrals during February.

More reading

• Why the Michael Hill (ASX:MHJ) share price is on watch today
• 2 high quality ASX dividend shares that smash term deposits
• ASX 200 rises, Zip (ASX:Z1P) flies, bank ratings upgraded
• Why Westpac (ASX:WBC) could be about to deliver a dividend surge
• Why the NAB (ASX:NAB) share price could push higher from here

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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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Canaccord Genuity came out with a bold $15.00 price target for the Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd (ASX: VUL) share price on Tuesday. 

Vulcan shares have surged some 3,000% from a mere 20 cents to $7.20 in the past 12-months. However, this new speculative target price suggests another near-100% upside. 

Why the Vulcan share price could go higher 

Canaccord views Vulcan’s Zero Carbon Lithium project as an “untapped lithium resource class which will be needed to meet expected lithium demand over the long term”. 

The project takes an innovative approach by extracting hot brines to generate renewable, geothermal power. It then uses direct lithium extraction (DLE) to produce battery quality lithium hydroxide.

The broker has also observed that Vulcan’s project possesses the largest lithium resource in Europe with more than 100 years in resource at nameplate capacity. Additionally, the note has called the DLE technology a “potential game-changer in the lithium world”. While DLE technology isn’t something new, it isn’t widely deployed in the industry either. 

Canaccord highlights a number of benefits of leverage DLE technology. This includes the commercialisation of lower-grade deposits, a reduced environmental footprint, improved product quality, and lower costs. 

Latest announcement details

On Monday, Vulcan announced that its German pilot plant for DLE is now operational. Vulcan managing director, Dr. Francis Wedin commented: 

Getting our Pilot Plant up and running on live geothermal brine is a significant milestone for Vulcan. This has already started producing crucial data needed for de-risking the lithium extraction process.

Vulcan is able to differentiate itself from traditional lithium hard rock and brine producers such as Galaxy Resources Ltd (ASX: GXY) and Orocobre Ltd (ASX: ORE). The main difference is that Vulcan produces clean lithium with no CO2 emissions. Canaccord believes that this will translate to a price premium for Vulcan’s product. This could also play favourably into proposed policies in the EU to impose tariffs on high CO2 products. 

Finally, the broker sheds light on the rapidly developing European lithium market, which has over 700GWh of battery manufacturing capacity. This will be built by 2030. The broker calculates that European original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) need to lift electric vehicle penetration rates to 19% in 2021. This will also need to increase to 40% in 2025 and 67% by 2030 to meet emission standards and avoid significant fines. Furthermore, these targets place Vulcan in a favourable position, especially with its planned zero-carbon lithium production. 

While Vulcan is still in its early days, Canaccord is bullish on its shares with a $15.00 target price. The Vulcan share price is climbing higher today, up 6.16% to $7.41 at the time of writing.

More reading

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Motley Fool contributor Kerry Sun 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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Today is pay day for Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) shareholders.

This morning the mining giant paid its $5.17 per share fully franked dividend to eligible shareholders.

While many investors will use these funds as a source of income, others may want to invest it back into the share market.

If you’re in the latter group, then you might want to consider buying the ASX shares listed below. Here’s why they are highly rated:

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

If you’re looking for more dividends, then you might want to take a look at this supermarket operator.

Coles has been a consistently strong performer since its demerger from Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES). This has been driven by its strong market position, increasing penetration of own brand products, and its defensive qualities. The latter was on display for all to see during the pandemic.

And while trading conditions are now returning to normal after 12 months of heightened demand, Coles remains well-placed for the long term. This is thanks to its Refreshed Strategy and focus on automation.

Goldman Sachs is a fan of the company. It currently has a buy rating and $20.70 price target on its shares and is forecasting a 62 cents per share dividend in FY 2021. Based on the current Coles share price of $15.74, this represents a fully franked 3.9% yield.

SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK)

Another option for investors to consider investing their Rio Tinto dividends into is SEEK.

It is the dominant job listings company in the ANZ region and has a number of growing international businesses.

While job listings came under pressure during the pandemic, they have bounced back incredibly strongly in recent months. In fact, recent metrics point to new ANZ listings reaching their highest levels in over a decade.

This bodes very well for SEEK given its leadership position in the local market. For example, at the end of December SEEK ANZ had 16 million candidate profiles, 35 million monthly visits, and 160,000 active hirers. This led to the company having almost a third of all placements in the region, which is five times greater than its nearest competitor.

UBS is positive on the company. It currently has a buy rating and $32.00 price target on its shares.

More reading

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns shares of SEEK Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of COLESGROUP DEF SET and Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended SEEK 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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The Australian economy is exceedingly healthy today if the latest jobs figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) are to be believed. The ABS’s labour figures for the month of March were particularly anticipated. That’s because they cover the final month of the JobKeeper payment (which ended on 28 March). 

So without further ado, let’s dive into what the ABS has told us today.

According to the Bureau, the unemployment rate decreased over the month of March to 5.6%. That’s down 0.2% from the 5.8% figure we saw for February. The number of unemployed people in Australia declined from 805,200 in February to 778,100 in March, a decrease of 27,100. That means there are now 13,077,600 employed people in the country as of March, up from 13,006,900 in February.

Pleasingly, both the underemployment (employed people who would like to work more) and the participation rate (percentage of the working-age population who are working) fell and rose respectively. The underemployment rate fell from 8.5% to 7.9% in March. Whilst the participation rate rose from 66.1% in February to 66.3%. Youth unemployment also fell from 5.8% to 5.6%.

What can we take from these March jobs numbers?

Well, it’s clear that these jobs numbers that the Australian economy is in full recovery mode. In fact, Bjorn Jarvis, head of labour statistics at the ABS, stated that the numbers show that the hours worked over the month are back to pre-COVID levels: 

Employment and hours worked in March 2021 were both higher than March 2020, up by 0.6 per cent and 1.2 per cent… In March 2021, 62.6 per cent of people over 15 were employed, which was higher than March 2020 (62.4 per cent). The proportion of women employed was the highest it’s ever been (58.5 per cent), half a percentage point higher than in March 2020… The proportion of men employed remained slightly lower than before the pandemic (66.8 per cent, compared with 67.0 per cent in March 2020).

Of course, all eyes will be on the current months’ numbers when they are released next month. The end of the JobKeeper payment will be the largest test the Australian economy will face yet. However, one business leader thinks there is plenty of blue skies ahead. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) Matt Comyn testified to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics this morning. His opening remarks included the following:

Based on the positive momentum we are seeing, our Economics team have also upgraded our forecasts for GDP and employment, and expect to see unemployment at 5.0 percent by the end of calendar 2021, and 4.7 per cent by the end of 2022.

Today, March 2020 seems a little bit further away.

More reading

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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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