• Brokers name 2 exciting small cap ASX shares to buy

    ASX share price on watch represented by man looking through magnifying glass

    At the small end of the Australian share market, there are a number of companies with the potential to grow materially in the future.

    Two that brokers believe are in the buy zone are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

    MyDeal.com.au Limited (ASX: MYD)

    The first small cap ASX share to look at is MyDeal.com.au. It is an online retail marketplace with a focus on homewares, furniture, and electronics.

    Despite delivering very strong growth during the first half, the MyDeal share price has been dragged lower by the tech selloff in recent weeks. This means it is now trading below its IPO price of $1.00.

    This could be a buying opportunity for patient investors, especially given its exposure to the structural shift to online shopping and its rapidly growing active customer base. In respect to the latter, at the end of the first half the company had 813,764 active customers.

    One leading broker that is a fan is Morgans. In response to the company’s half year results last month, the broker retained its add rating and $1.70 price target.

    Whispir Ltd (ASX: WSP)

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

    Whispir’s increasingly popular software platform allows businesses and governments to deliver actionable two-way interactions at scale using automated multi-channel communication workflows.

    As with MyDeal, the Whispir share price has come under pressure during the tech selloff. So much so, it is now trading 30% lower than its 52-week high. This is despite the company releasing a strong half year result last month and reporting a 29.2% increase in its annualised recurring revenue to $47.4 million.

    Ord Minnett appears to see this as a buying opportunity. Earlier today it retained its buy rating and put a $4.25 price target on its shares.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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 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.

    The post Brokers name 2 exciting small cap ASX shares to buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3vsTsxX

  • The Kleos (ASX:KSS) share price launched 6% higher today

    asx share price surge represented by hand holding rocket taking off

    The Kleos Space SA (ASX: KSS) share price marched ahead today despite a lack of announcements during the trading session. The satellite reconnaissance company’s shares finished up 6% higher to 71 cents per share.

    With no news out today, it might be worth looking at recent developments to understand what could have the market excited.

    Kleos share price tapping US interest?

    The volume of shares traded today (more than 1.13 million) was abnormally high considering its last announcement was on 12 March. At that time, Kleos provided an investor presentation specifically for United States public market investors. Since that release, the company’s shares have gained nearly 14%.

    Kleos’ service is focused on collecting radio spectrum data via orbiting satellites. This information is beamed back to Earth, where it is then processed with the Kleos’ algorithms.

    From there, the valuable data is delivered to its clients. Currently, those clients are mostly Five Eyes organisations and agencies homing in on illegal activities.

    There are a few reasons the presentation could be driving shares higher. Firstly, there is potential that some US investors liked the proposition and have gone ahead and invested. Secondly, as the information is available to the ASX, potentially local investors found a few valuable nuggets in the slides.

    Lastly, the second satellite cluster launch around mid-year is fast approaching. The nearing of that particular event could have investors scrambling to accumulate.

    SpaceX Starship seems feasible

    Another potential catalyst for the Kleos share price is the recent developments in Space X’s Starship.

    The 50m tall rocket has been under development for years now as an ambitious endeavour to reduce space flight costs further. On 5 March, the rocket managed to make a return landing on the launch platform before later exploding.

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

    Due to the rocket’s size, if successful, it would be able to carry a far greater number of satellites/people in the future. Thereby decreasing the per kilogram cost for sending into space.  

    This is an exciting potential for a company like Kleos, as it may significantly reduce one of its highest operation costs – getting the satellite into space to begin with. 

    Accounting for today’s gain in the Kleos share price, the company now has a market capitalisation of $107 million.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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 The Kleos (ASX:KSS) share price launched 6% higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3f0BJZ1

  • Why the Kyckr (ASX:KYK) share price surged 19% today

    2 businessmen shaking hands, indicating a partnership deal and share price lift

    The Kyckr Ltd (ASX: KYK) share price was rocketing this afternoon after the company announced a partnership with BAE Systems Applied Intelligence.

    At the close of trading, the regulatory technology company’s shares were up 18.9%, trading at 6.9 cents.

    Let’s take a closer look at the new alliance.

    What did Kyckr announce?

    In today’s release, Kyckr advised that it has partnered with BAE Systems to address anti-money laundering and compliance issues posed by regulated firms. The company aims to deliver reliable and efficient know-your-customer (KYC) and customer due diligence (CDD) solutions.

    Kyckr believes the alliance will empower mutual customers to benefit from its solutions. Its network spans more than 180 registries and 170 million entities in 120 countries.

    According to Kyckr, demand has been growing rapidly for its capabilities and services, supplying real-time access to a company’s registry details. It said that regulations increasingly required for accurate and up-to-date KYC information.

    A detailed study by Facts and Factors assessed the global KYC market value in 2019 at $257.23 million. This is forecast to reach $1,015.36 million by 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22%.

    Management commentary

    Kyckr partnerships head Myles McLaren welcomed the collaboration, saying:

    We are delighted to be partnering with BAE Systems Applied Intelligence to provide live registry data to their end customers, improve KYC capabilities via enhanced access to our registry network and bring the best solution to their customers. We look forward to continuing to provide leading services in KYC compliance.

    BAE Systems product director Peter Fisher added:

    Partnering with Kyckr enables the automated screening of corporate records data within our NetReveal customer due diligence solution. The result is effective investigations, better detection and ultimately, a smoother end customer experience.

    About the Kyckr share price

    The Kyckr share price has gained more than 40% over the past 12 months but fallen around 10% year-to-date. The company’s shares are currently between its mid-range of its 52-week chart (between a low 3.5 cents and a high of 11 cents).

    Based on valuation grounds, Kyckr has a market capitalisation above $23.7 million, with roughly 343 million shares on issue.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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.

    The post Why the Kyckr (ASX:KYK) share price surged 19% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3tyrSgZ

  • Bring your portfolio to life with these fantastic ASX healthcare shares

    increase in asx medical software share price represented by doctor making excited hands up gesture

    Because of ageing and growing populations, better technologies and treatments, and increasing chronic disease burden, demand for healthcare services is expected to continue to increase over the long term.

    This bodes well for healthcare shares, positioning them perfectly for growth over the 2020s and beyond. With that in mind, I have picked out two healthcare shares that are highly rated right now:

    CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

    CSL is one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, comprising the CSL Behring and Seqirus businesses. CSL Behring is the global leader in plasma therapies, whereas Seqirus is the world’s second largest influenza vaccines business.

    Both businesses appear well-placed for growth over the long term. For CSL Behring, this is due to robust demand for its life-saving immunoglobulins products and its highly promising research and development pipeline. The latter is filled with a good number of potentially lucrative products.

    Supporting this growth will be its Seqirus business, which is expected to experience a surge in demand for seasonal flu vaccines because of the pandemic.

    And while plasma collection headwinds are likely to weigh on the company’s overall growth in the immediate term, once the pandemic passes, collections will become easier and this headwind will ease.

    One broker that is positive on CSL is Citi. Last week it upgraded its shares to a buy rating with a $310 price target. This compares to the current CSL share price of $261.00.

    ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

    Another healthcare share which is highly rated is medical device company ResMed.

    ResMed aims to change lives by developing, manufacturing, and distributing innovative medical devices and cloud-based software solutions that better diagnose, treat, and manage sleep-disordered breathing, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other key chronic diseases.

    These are lucrative markets for the company to target. Management estimates that there are hundreds of millions of sufferers of both sleep apnoea and COPD globally.

    In addition to its industry-leading hardware, the company has a burgeoning digital health ecosystem. This ecosystem reached over 12 million cloud connectable medical devices in 2020, providing ResMed with strong recurring revenues and a material amount of high quality data.

    Analysts at Morgans are bullish on the company. They recently retained their add rating and put a price target of $30.09 on its shares. This compares to the current ResMed share price of $25.03.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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 CSL Ltd. 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.

    The post Bring your portfolio to life with these fantastic ASX healthcare shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3qZbap3

  • Why the Metalstech (ASX:MTC) share price has rocketed today

    man holding hard hat and giving thumbs up representing rising pilbara minerals share price

    The Metalstech Ltd (ASX: MTC) share price opened nearly 18% higher today after the mineral exploration company announced it was spinning off its lithium assets into a new, publicly-listed company.

    Shares in the miner retreated through the course of the day but rallied in the closing moments of trading to an intraday high of 21 cents before closing at 19.5 cents, up 14.7%. In comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is down 0.52%.

    Let’s take a closer look at what Metalstech announced.

    Metalstech recycles its lithium

    In today’s release, Metalstech advised it would spin out its Québécois lithium projects into a new, yet to be named company.

    Metalstech foreshadowed the spinoff in a statement released to the market 6 days ago. The company said it would reorganise the assets into one Australian-owned subsidiary. From there, 22 million shares in the new company will be created and held by Metalstech.

    Metalstech will then seek shareholder approval for the spinoff. Once approved, shares in the new company will be distributed to shareholders on a pro-rata basis.

    After the distribution of shares, the new company will have its initial public offering (IPO). Metalstech hopes the new company will raise between $5 million – $8 million for the listing. Shares in the new company will be sold at a rate of 20 cents each.

    The company is selling its lithium assets to focus on its gold and cobalt operations.

    Words from the chair

    Speaking on today’s announcement, Metalstech chair Russell Moran said:

    … our portfolio of high-grade lithium assets [is] valuable. A spinout of the lithium assets into a separate listing provides a non-dilutive and ‘off balance sheet’ solution for accelerated development in what is now a booming battery metals sector.

    Metalstech share price snapshot

    This time almost 1 year ago, the Metalstech share price hit a 52-week low of 3.2 cents. Since then, the company’s value has increased by 462.5%. However, the share price is 37.9% lower than its 52-week high of 29 cents in July 2020.

    Metalstech has a market capitalisation of $26.4 million.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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.

    The post Why the Metalstech (ASX:MTC) share price has rocketed today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/2Q52mkQ

  • Why the Humm (ASX:HUM) share price will be on watch on Thursday

    Two happy people use their hands as binoculars, indicating a positive ASX share price or on watch

    The Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM) share price will be one to watch on Thursday.

    This follows the release of an announcement by the financial services company just as the market closed on Wednesday.

    What did Humm announce?

    This afternoon Humm announced the pricing of $450 million of asset-backed securities (ABS), which is significantly more than previously planned. These are supported by a pool of fully amortising, secured commercial auto and equipment finance receivables.

    According to the release, strong investor demand enabled a upsize of $150 million over the launch amount previously flagged in February. The receivables are originated through flexicommercial.

    The release explains that the flexicommercial ABS Trust 2021-1 represents the second ABS transaction in FY 2021 for Humm. It is also the third securitisation of receivables originated through flexicommercial.

    Following the close of this transaction, Humm will have issued $700 million of ABS notes during FY 2021.

    Humm’s Chief Financial Officer, Jason Murray, commented: “We are extremely pleased with the market appetite for this transaction which was oversubscribed across all note tranches and is testament to the quality of the underlying receivables being securitised.”

    “Considering the significant demand from investors, the transaction was upsized to A$450 million, representing the largest hummgroup ABS transaction and raising to date.”

    “The strong demand also led to a tightening of pricing across all tranches and reflects that investors continue to seek high quality assets in a low interest rate environment. The pricing and successful completion of this transaction is an important step in the strategic review of flexicommercial, to increase the capital efficiency of the business. This will also provide a material capital release for hummgroup.”

    The Humm share price is underperforming in 2021 and down 12% year to date. This compares to gains of 53% by Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) shares and 26% by Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL) shares.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Sezzle Inc. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Humm Group Limited and Sezzle Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

    The post Why the Humm (ASX:HUM) share price will be on watch on Thursday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3bSqgIM

  • Which ASX shares with ethical values are seeing returns in 2021?

    Graphic of suited man balancing scales with a dollar symbol and a world globe

    Ethical investing, also known as sustainable or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing is having a moment. It is an approach to investing that focuses on investing in companies making positive impacts.

    If you’re concerned about the environment or social inequality, you might be interested in investing in ethical Australian companies that share these concerns. 

    For those who want to invest responsibly but wonder whether investing ethically will lessen profitability, we’ve rounded up a few ethically minded companies performing well on the ASX.

    3 ASX shares with strong ethical values that are making coin in 2021

    Vicinity Centres (ASX: VCX)

    Vicinity Centres is one of Australia’s leading retail property groups. It operates 63 shopping centres throughout the country with an extensive ESG strategy.

    Last year, Vicinity invested over $5 million into communities while consulting with over 300 people to further improve its culture, values, and behaviour. It also began work on a plan to manage sustainability and slavery risks within its supply chains and received a 4-star Green Star performance portfolio rating – making it Australia’s highest-rated retail property portfolio.

    The Vicinty Centres’ share price is up a respectable 5% year to date, and 15.09% over the last 12 months.

    The ethical Australian company has a market capitalisation of around $7.7 billion with approximately 4.5 billion shares outstanding.

    Ecograf Ltd (ASX: EGR)

    Ecograf is creating high purity graphite for the lithium-ion battery market. It uses environmentally responsible purification technology to produce sustainable battery anode graphite. Ecograf has also developed a process to help reduce battery waste by recycling minerals to improve battery lifecycle efficiency.

    Ecograf’s share price is currently up a whopping 323% year to date, going from 17 cents to 72 cents. The company’s shares are also trading 1,233% higher over the last 12 months.

    It has a market capitalisation of around $329 million with approximately 454 million shares outstanding.

    Seek Ltd (ASX: SEK)

    Seek is an online employment marketplace trading on the Australian share market. Based in Melbourne, Seek has a presence in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, and South America.

    Not only does the company have strong ESG strategies, over the last 18 months Seek has worked to help Australians in need, including helping the Flying Doctors Service attract urgently needed medical staff during the 2019 bushfires and guiding people through COVID-19 related employment challenges.

    Seek’s share price has a 12-month return of 73%, having increased by $11.66 since this time last year. Its year-to-date return isn’t as exciting, it’s currently down 5.9% as it bounces back from a large drop in late February.

    Seek has a market capitalisation of $9.7 billion with approximately 353 million shares outstanding.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

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

    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.

    The post Which ASX shares with ethical values are seeing returns in 2021? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3qUi6Uw

  • Should ASX investors own Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) as a defensive investment?

    hit to asx shares represented by two fists being pushed forward

    The Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price stands at US$55,900 (AU$72,600) at the time of writing. That’s up 3.3% over the past 24 hours. However, the Bitcoin price is still down 8.7% from its all-time highs of just over US$61,520, which it reached this past Sunday.

    If you’re familiar with cryptocurrencies at all, you’ll know they have a notorious history of volatility. According to data from CoinDesk, just last year you could have bought one Bitcoin for US$5,700. If you’d held onto it, you’d be sitting on a gain of 880% today.

    But price swings run in the other direction too

    Sticking to just the past 30 days, Bitcoin was trading for US$57,960 on 22 February. By 1 March, the price had tumbled to US$43,500. In other words, the Bitcoin price tanked 25% in only one week.

    So why are more institutional investors turning to Bitcoin as a defensive asset?

    Why more institutional investors are banking on Bitcoin

    Governments in developed nations are spending trillions of dollars in fiscal stimulus measures to counter the economic impacts of the pandemic. And central banks are ramping up their quantitative easing (QE) programs and holding interest rates near zero. As such, many investors fear that rising inflation may be just around the corner. Indeed, US Government 10-year Treasury notes are yielding just over 1.6% today, the highest since before COVID struck.

    Now, according to a survey conducted by JPMorgan, an increasing number of professional investors are turning to Bitcoin over more traditional assets like gold and inflation-linked bonds to hedge against inflation.

    As reported by The Australian Financial Review on Monday:

    According to a JPMorgan institutional investor survey of 174 asset managers, owners, and hedge funds responsible for more than $US15 trillion in assets, 29 per cent responded they’re positive on digital assets in that they may replace fiat money in the future. Forty-four per cent were neutral and 14 per cent negative.

    Of the respondents, 26% cited the “debasement of fiat currencies as the most compelling reason to invest in Bitcoin, versus 13% of investment managers”. Increasing market dept, with more financial institutions turning to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin was cited by another 27%.

    The JPMorgan survey also revealed that 54% of the professionals who are invested in digital tokens “have an allocation less than 1 per cent, with 32 per cent having an allocation between 1 to 5 per cent; 79 per cent of all professionals declared the allocations unhedged.”

    So as an ASX investor, should you invest in Bitcoin as a defensive asset against the spectre of rising inflation?

    That, dear investor, is a decision you’ll need to make for yourself.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    Bernd Struben 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.

    The post Should ASX investors own Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) as a defensive investment? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3vyq49v

  • Why the ASX’s most shorted share is a clean energy ETF

    A woman in a green garden shrugs her shoulders, indicating confusion over a company share price

    Earlier this month, we covered a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) set to hit the ASX boards in the ‘near future’.

    That ETF was the VanEck Vectors Global Clean Energy ETF (ASX: CLNE), and it indeed listed on the ASX as of 10 March. 

    And it’s been a pretty good debut so far. At the time of writing, this ETF is up 1.43% from its initial public offering (IPO) price. At one point last week, it was up almost 6%.

    Investing in global, clean energy with an investment that is on the up, what’s not to like?

    Well, quite a bit, says a new report from the Australian Financial Review (AFR) today.

    According to the AFR, this Global Clean Energy ETF is now the most shorted share on the entire ASX. If you’re not familiar with short selling, it involves the process of borrowing shares from another investor to sell at a later date.

    The ‘shorter’ makes money if the shares fall in value over this time. Put simply, shorting is betting the price of a share (or ETF in this case) will fall.

    Shorting a clean energy ETF?

    According to the report, 17% of this ETF’s units are being held short. That makes it the most shorted share on the ASX.

    The reason? The AFR argues that it is because of “concern of a growing bubble in climate-friendly investing”. As well as a sense that “investors are piling cash into anything that looks ‘green’”.

    It notes that globally, US$350 billion has been invested in ESG (environmental, social and governance criteria) assets in 2020. That’s double the previous year.

    The report also notes that the Global Clean Energy ETF’s largest holding is Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ: PLUG). Plug Power is a company that has risen more than 1,200% over the past year but has cratered in the past week. This is reportedly due to Plug warnings it would have to “restate its financial statements” for 2018 and 2019 after “finding errors”.

    According to VanEck, Plug Power is still the ETFs largest holding. It has a weighting of 9.32% in the fund.

    With that in mind, it’s understandable why some investors are getting nervous over the Global Clean Energy ETF.

    Contrary to some popular opinion, it’s worth noting that ‘investing’ in a company doesn’t directly result in the company receiving more money.

    If more capital flows into a company, it just means investors are just paying other investors more money for the shares.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    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.

    The post Why the ASX’s most shorted share is a clean energy ETF appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3eLKdD5

  • Is the Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) share price a buy or hold?

    A hand outstretched with questionmarks floating above it, indicating uncertainty about a ahreprice

    The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price is down 0.58% at time of writing. That’s right in line with the broader S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), down 0.51%.

    Commonwealth Bank’s shares have underperformed the other big 4 banks over the past 12 months, with shares up 28% since 17 March 2020.

    Australia and New Zealand Banking Grp Ltd (ASX: ANZ) leads the big 4, with the share price up 54%

    National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) comes in a close second, with shares up 51%

    And the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price has gained 42% in 12 months.

    So is the Commonwealth Bank share price a buy or hold at today’s level?

    That depends on who you ask and how far along you think the ASX 200 is on the reflation curve.

    Commonwealth Bank shares a hold

    Romano Sala Tenna is the portfolio manager at Katana Asset Management. And he believes that the big 4 banks, all up significantly in 2021, are fully valued. As the Australian Financial Review points out “the ASX banks index is up almost 20 per cent since the start of the year”.

    That has Sala Tenna keeping a careful eye on Katana’s bank share holdings. He said:

    Momentum is still there, sentiment is still there, so we are happy to hold [the big 4 banks] for the course. But once we think that sentiment and momentum changes, we will move to the door on those as well.

    Commonwealth Bank shares a buy

    Plato Investment Management managing director Don Hamson has a different take on Commonwealth Bank shares. And that’s all to do with its juicy dividend potential.

    Out of the big 4 banks Hamson picks Commonwealth Bank as the top income investing share.

    According to Hamson:

    Its $1.50 dividend equates to only 67% of earnings and the bank has said its pay-out ratio is likely to be 70 to 80% this year, so a stronger second-half dividend is expected. There’s also the possibility management will use excess franking credits to undertake an off-market buyback in the coming year, which will be a lucrative opportunity for retirees in particular.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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 Is the Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) share price a buy or hold? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3lla7yM