Despite the U.S. election uncertainty, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has just had its best week in a month and recorded a very strong gain. The benchmark index climbed a sizeable 4.4% to end the week at 6,190.2 points.

Unfortunately, not all shares were climbing higher last week. Here’s why these were the worst performers on the index:

Pendal Group Ltd (ASX: PDL)

The Pendal share price was the worst performer on the ASX 200 last week with an 8% decline. Investors were selling the fund manager’s shares following the release of its full year results. Pendal reported cash earnings per share of 45.5 cents, which was down 11% from 51.3 cents per share a year earlier. This was driven by a 4% decline in funds under management and a 3% increase in its operating expenses.

Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG)

The Fortescue share price was out of form last week and dropped 4.7% lower. The catalyst for this decline was a pullback in iron ore prices. Over the five days, the steel making ingredient shed 2.7% of its value. This appears to have been driven by an expected increase in global iron ore production during the fourth quarter of 2020.

Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE)

The Treasury Wine share price wasn’t far behind with a 4.6% decline over the five days. This appears to have been driven by its annual general meeting. At the event, management provided an update on Chinese investigations into wine dumping. It advised that the China Alcoholic Drinks Association has submitted a written request to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce that imports of Australian wine in containers of two litres or less into China be subject to retrospective tariffs.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield CDI (ASX: URW)

The Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield share price was a poor performer once again and dropped a further 4.6%. This stretched the shopping centre operator’s year to date decline to 46.1%. Last week’s decline was driven by the release of its guidance for 2020, which fell short of expectations. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s underperformance appears to have been caused by elevated rental relief as larger agreements are executed.

More reading

• Here’s what a Joe Biden victory would mean for ASX shares
• The ASX 200 shares rocketing on takeovers, upgrades and low interest rates
• 2 ASX dividend shares with yields over 8% today
• Why the Treasury Wine (ASX:TWE) share price is surging higher today
• ASX 200 shoots 1.3% higher on Thursday

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Treasury Wine Estates Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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Is the National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) share price a buy for dividends? It was in the headlines this week. 

NAB shares have been rallying since the start of November 2020, its share price is around 4%. The major ASX bank just released its FY20 result which showed a sharp decline in profit and another dividend cut.

What was in the FY20 result?

NAB reported that its statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) was $2.56 billion, which was significantly impacted by COVID-19 effects.

The big ASX bank explained that its credit impairment charges rose by 201% to $2.76 billion. As a percentage of gross loans and acceptances, this represented an increase from 31 basis points to 46 basis points.

The FY20 credit impairment charges included $1.86 billion of additional forward looking collective provisions to reflect potential COVID-19 impacts. That included $388 million of provisions for targeted sectors experiencing elevated levels of risk including aviation, tourism, hospitality and entertainment, retail trade and commercial property.

In terms of arrears, NAB said that its ratio of loans that were over 90 days overdue and gross impaired assets, as a percentage of gross loans and acceptances, increased 10 basis points to 1.03%. NAB explained this increase was due to rising delinquencies in the Australian home loan portfolio where customers are not part of the COVID-19 deferral program.

The cash earnings were also impacted severely by the current conditions. Cash earnings fell 36.6% to $3.71 billion. After excluding the large notable items, cash earnings dropped by 25.9% to $4.73 billion.

There were several large notable items in the result including customer-related remediation, payroll remediation and impairments of property-related assets.

NAB dividend

NAB’s board decided to declare a final dividend of 30 cents per share, bringing the full year dividend to 60 cents per share. That was a cut of around 64% compared to last year.

The bank said that maintaining a strong balance sheet is a key requirement. The final dividend represented 49.8% of continuing operations statutory earnings.

At the current NAB share price, the full year dividend amounts to a grossed-up dividend yield of 4.4%.

Some opinion on dividends

Dr Don Hamson from Plato Australian Shares Income Fund, which focuses on dividends, recently said: “In this current environment … the case for active management is strong. The old days of buying and holding the banks to get income is not going to work and you have to be active.”

Plato put NAB’s dividend outlook into a group of businesses ranked ‘ugly’. Other businesses in that group include Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ), Scentre Group (ASX: SCG) and Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG).

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) was the only major domestic-focused ASX bank which had a ‘bad’ dividend outlook, rather than ‘ugly’.

Plato commented in its annual report: “The last six months in particular was a period where avoiding the dividend traps was especially important as there were particular industries such as banking, retail property trusts, travel and energy stocks that underperformed significantly. In contrast, certain sectors such as the large gold and iron ore miners and well as consumer staples were largely unharmed by the economic environment.”

If you’re wondering which shares don’t have ‘ugly’ dividend outlooks, Plato said that the following large ASX blue chips have good dividend outlooks: Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO), BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG), Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES), CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) and ASX Ltd (ASX: ASX).

More reading

• Here’s how much NAB (ASX:NAB)’s new dividend is worth
• Big 4 banks’ own customers don’t trust them
• ASX 200 shoots 1.3% higher on Thursday
• When ‘cutting rates’ doesn’t mean what you think it means
• NAB (ASX:NAB) share price higher despite reporting 36.6% decline in cash earnings

Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Wesfarmers Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and All Ordinaries (ASX: XAO) have made a V-shaped recovery following a weak finish to October. The broad strength and company-specific tailwinds has allowed these five ASX  shares to hit 52-week highs on Friday. 

1. Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) 

The Eagers Automotive share price hit a 52-week high of $12.80 on Friday. The automotive sector including competitors such as Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP) have been some of the best performing ASX200 shares this year. In its most recent trading update announced on 15 October, the company delivered a 45.4% increase in underlying operating profit before tax for the nine months ended 30 September. While the Eagers Automotive share price is making new highs, its operational and financial performance have also lived up to expectations. 

2. Lynas Corporation Ltd (ASX: LYC) 

The Lynas share price has pushed higher in recent months to a 52-week high of $3.08. Lynas is the world’s second largest producer of rare earths outside China. The increasing importance for rare earth minerals has put Lynas in the spotlight with recent contracts signed with the US Department of Defense for a US-based rare earths facility and expanding its production capabilities in Western Australia and Malaysia. 

3. Nextdc Ltd (ASX: NXT) 

Data centres continue to capture the tailwinds of an increasing appetite for cloud and connectivity services. This, combined with the recent surge in US tech and ASX200 shares, has seen the NextDC share price hit a record all-time high just shy of $14.00. 

4. REA Group Limited (ASX: REA) 

The REA Group share price continues to grind higher despite ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on property markets. The company released its first quarter FY21 results on Friday. They highlight a 3% fall in revenues and 8% increase in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). In October, national residential listings were down 1%, with increases in Melbourne and Sydney of 14% and 2% respectively, offset by declines in other markets. The REA Group continues to see strong levels of buyer inquiry, underpinned by low interest rates and healthy bank liquidity. Its sound results pushed its share price higher to a record all-time high of $132.14.

5. Wisetech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) 

The Wisetech share price hit a 52-week high of $32.34 on Friday. Its shares are clawing back last year’s underperformance following J Capital’s short selling report and weaker-than-expected earnings. The company has not released any market sensitive news in October besides a strategic alliance with OFX Group Ltd (ASX: OFX). The market did react positively to Wisetech’s FY20 results back in August. The lingering sentiment and soaring tech shares may be pushing the Wisetech share price higher. 

More reading

• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week
• ASX 200 rises again on Friday
• OFX (ASX:OFX) and WiseTech (ASX:WTC) share prices rally on new partnership
• All eyes on the REA Group (ASX:REA) share price after Q1 results
• Latest ASX small cap buy calls from top brokers

Motley Fool contributor Lina Lim has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Bapcor. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended REA Group Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was well and truly on form last week and charged materially higher. The benchmark index rose an impressive 4.4% higher to end the period at 6,190.2 points.

While the majority of shares on the index climbed with the market last week, some recorded stronger gains than others.

Here’s why these were the best performing ASX 200 shares over the five days:

Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX: TAH)

The Tabcorp share price was the best performer on the ASX 200 last week with a gain of 24.6%. The majority of this gain came on Friday when the gambling company was the subject of takeover speculation. That speculation suggested that a private equity firm is aiming to acquire the company and put former SportsBet CEO, Matthew Tripp, in charge. Tabcorp advised that it is not aware of any proposal.

Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT)

The Flight Centre share price wasn’t far behind with an impressive 24.4% gain last week. Investors were buying the travel company’s shares following the release of its annual general meeting update. That update revealed that bookings are improving and its corporate travel business is performing better than expected. This also helped give the Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) share price a boost. It recorded a sizeable 20.3% gain over the week.

News Corporation (ASX: NWS)

The News Corp share price was a strong performer and shot 19.2% higher over the five days. A large portion of this came on Friday following the release of the media giant’s first quarter update. New Corp revealed net income of $47 million, compared with a net loss of $211 million in the prior year. A key driver of this result was its Dow Jones business, which posted a record first quarter of profitability and higher revenues.

Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE)

The Eagers Automotive share price was on form and raced 16.5% higher last week. The catalyst for this was news that the auto retailer has acquired three new sites in Western Australia for a consideration of $30.3 million and a strategic site in New South Wales for $76.3 million. One broker that liked what it saw was UBS. It retained its buy rating and $13.00 price target on the company’s shares. The Eagers Automotive share price ended the week at $12.65.

More reading

• Here’s what a Joe Biden victory would mean for ASX shares
• ASX 200 rises again on Friday
• The ASX 200 shares rocketing on takeovers, upgrades and low interest rates
• Why the Treasury Wine (ASX:TWE) share price is surging higher today
• Tabcorp (ASX:TAH) share price rallies 16% on takeover rumours

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Webjet Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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As I’m sure we would all be aware of today, the vote counting for the US elections is still underway and unresolved. Neither incumbent President Donald Trump or his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, has yet been officially declared the winner of this week’s presidential election. Saying that, Joe Biden is on track to receive the most votes in the electoral college by the most recent vote counts. As such, it is looking increasingly likely that he will emerge the winner from this most extraordinary of elections, going off of the latest data.

So, if Mr. Biden does emerge victorious, what will a new president mean for global markets, and, of course, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and ASX shares?

According to reporting in the Australian Financial Review (AFR), Joe Biden’s priorities (assuming he is sworn in as President of course) are likely to be focused on the coronavirus, economic recovery and healing the bitter divisions that will inevitably stem from the close election result.

These are all domestic American issues.

Bidenomics for the ASX?

However, the AFR article also notes that climate change and foreign policy will be secondary priorities for a Biden administration. On climate change, the article notes that Biden has stated that “if we don’t get this right, nothing else matters”.

As such, it expects Biden to quickly rejoin the Paris agreement on climate change and “pressure other countries to do more. Australia will be among them.”

That may indicate that a Biden presidency might not be too kind to fossil fuel extractors like BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX: WPL)

The article also notes that a Biden administration’s foreign policy may seek greater engagement with China. It’s no secret that Sino-US relations under President Trump have deteriorated amid trade wars and tariff implementation.

The present relationship Australia has with China is also showing signs of being shaky. Just this week, China announced fresh import restrictions on some Australian goods, after flagging wine importation restrictions earlier in the year.

Although the AFR notes that “China will continue to be a central strategic and economic competitor” to the US, it also expects more “direct hard talking” between Washington and Beijing.

If this relationship thaws, we could see a concurrent thawing of our own relationship with China. This could be good news for ASX shares like Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE) and other Australian companies exporting to China.

All in all, the article posits that a Biden presidency could bring modest changes in the economic sphere, but a dramatic change in the global diplomatic order. It will be interesting to see how these changes play out for Australia and the ASX.

More reading

• ASX 200 rises again on Friday
• The ASX 200 shares rocketing on takeovers, upgrades and low interest rates
• Why the Treasury Wine (ASX:TWE) share price is surging higher today
• OFX (ASX:OFX) and WiseTech (ASX:WTC) share prices rally on new partnership
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Treasury Wine Estates Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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ReadyTech Holdings Ltd (ASX: RDY) provides a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for a diverse range of applications. The ReadyTech share price will be on watch on Monday after the company announced a move to grow by acquisition. The company is currently in a trading halt while it makes announcements related to this acquisition.

ReadyTech has executed a heads of agreement and exclusivity agreement to acquire government-based software provider, Open Office. The deal is for an upfront consideration of $54 million and an earn out of up to an additional $18 million. 

Why will the ReadyTech share price be on watch?

Open Office is a leading government and justice case management SaaS provider with a customer base in Australia and the United Kingdom. It provides a platform to local and federal government for various applications including asset management, HR and payroll, community management, finance, and many other applications. 

At present, ReadyTech provides services for student management, HR and payroll, and management of work pathways. Accordingly, the company believes that the acquisition is consistent with its strategy to acquire complementary technologies, thus providing it with the opportunity to focus on new and attractive verticals and target higher value customers. 

The company will pay for this via a fully underwritten institutional placement for up to $25 million. This will be an offer with the ReadyTech share price at $1.88, a 6% discount to Thursday’s closing price. 

Management commentary

ReadyTech CEO Marc Washbourne said the acquisition opportunity is strategically compelling for ReadyTech:

Open Office is a high-quality business, providing solutions to 130 government and global justice clients, with a client retention rate of approximately 95%. It is a resilient market, with long-term government funding. Gaining access to government and justice clients allows ReadyTech to unlock the potential of servicing a new market and adding a third pillar to our operations.

The Open Office acquisition provides ReadyTech with an opportunity to secure a strong foothold into all levels of government in Australia, with the benefits of long-term, sustainable client base with strong barriers to entry. Entering a market of this type requires the type of expertise for which ReadyTech is renowned.

Trading guidance

Aside from the acquisition, ReadyTech has reaffirmed FY21 guidance, with Q1 trading in line with guidance assumptions. Revenue retention for the first quarter of FY21 is maintained at 95%. In addition, gross new business remained at $14 million and the company is investing in sales and marketing to drive top line revenue. The ReadyTech share price is currently up by 11.7% year to date. 

More reading

• 3 ASX small cap shares you must add to your watchlist

Daryl Mather has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Readytech Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Readytech Holdings Ltd. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Iress Ltd (ASX: IRE) share price has been a stellar performer this week following a positive market update.

Shares in the technology company rose from a low of $8.90 on Monday to finish the week at $10.00. This represents a gain of over 12% in just five short trading days.

Let’s take a look at what pushed the Iress share price higher this week.

Q3 business update

On Wednesday, Iress provided its quarterly result to the market for the period ending September 30. The company said that financial performance was consistent with Q3 FY19, in which revenue and segment profit grew 3% and 2%, respectively.

Strong tailwinds in APAC reflected ongoing demand for Xplan and Super solutions. The segment saw an 8% growth in revenue for the first nine months of the year.

Mortgages were affected by the delay in a number of client projects due to COVID-19. However clear revenue momentum has since returned leading up to Q4.

Positive contributions were made from QuantHouse and O&M, which have been meeting management expectations. QuantHouse has now transitioned from a loss-making stream to a profit contributor in 2020.

Net profit after tax for year-to-date trading made a loss of 11% to 45 million. This included the OneVue one-off acquisition related costs of $1.4 million.

What did Iress Management say about the result?

Commenting on the excellent result, Iress Chief Executive, Mr Andrew Walsh was pleased with the business’ resilience. He said:

Iress has delivered a consistent performance in Q3. The strength of our recurring revenue model has been clearly demonstrated during 2020.

I am proud of the way the team has continued to perform, while mostly working from home. Although there are high levels of uncertainty around Covid-19 transmissions and government restrictions, we are continuing to prioritise the health and wellbeing of our people and delivering service continuity and major projects for clients.

We have delivered over 500 client conversions to Xplan this year and two mortgage clients went live in August. The projects to deploy our super administration technology and service are progressing well. QuantHouse is also performing well and has achieved profitability. Covid-19 is impacting the timing of projects and business activity, postponing the revenue growth we envisaged at the beginning of the year.

The outlook for Q4

The company expects its revenue streams to increase in the fourth quarter, improving overall profitability. In addition, a number of major client projects are underway and are predicted to benefit additional cost savings.

Iress said that the completion of the OneVue acquisition today will bring advice and investments closer together. The company stated that it’s working on a plan to deliver a more efficient service through the integration of its portfolio.

Furthermore, Iress revealed that its positive outlook remains supported by the shift to digitalisation in financial services.

Pleasingly, the company reinstated its profit guidance for the end of FY20. It is forecasting segment profit to be around $152 million, which is the same level as FY19.

More reading

• Iress (ASX:IRE) share price on watch after Q3 update

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended IRESS Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Finbar Group Limited (ASX: FRI) share price closed marginally higher today following an update on its Civic Heart project.

Shares in the property developer closed only slightly in the green, up 0.69% at the close of trade. However, on release of the news earlier today, the Finbar share price jumped as much as 3.4% to 74.5 cents.

Earthworks development

According to the update, Finbar advised that earthworks on the company’s landmark Civic Heart project will commence in January 2021.

The decision by the company to begin significant works comes off the back of a strong sales momentum recorded across its portfolio. Finbar received 60 sales for Civic Heart apartments, worth $59 million, prompting it to begin development works.

During October, Finbar had secured the sale of 47 apartments to the value of $31.3 million. This translates to more than $1 million in sales per day. The company noted that the sales achieved in October reflect its highest on record since 2017. This is extremely positive news, according to the company, given the circumstances of how COVID-19 has affected the Western Australian housing market.

The Civic Heart project is located on a site 8,208 metres squared, situated in one of South Perth’s most anticipated mixed-use developments.

Once finished, the building will feature two towers housing 309 residential apartments, four penthouses, and 25 ground floor commercial tenancies.

The entire project’s end value is estimated to be around $408 million.

What did Finbar’s Managing Director say?

Finbar Managing Director, Mr Darren Pateman, made comment on Perth’s rental market, which has seen its lowest vacancy levels in 30 years. Mr Pateman said that while this was driving buyer demand, investors were cautiously returning to the market.

After a prolonged absence from the Perth market, we are currently seeing the return of investors as a result of the tight rental market and more buoyant conditions across the market in the wake of the pandemic.

This rental market tightening coupled with record low interest rates is also encouraging tenants to enter the market as buyers which is helping with the sale of our entry level product.

The return of investors is also a key element in addressing the current rental shortage across Perth which is predicted to increase in 2021.

In addition, Mr Pateman went on to talk about the improved sales activity across the sector as a result of new and existing arrivals. This includes returning West Australians, interstate and overseas migrants seeking a COVID-free state.

Finbar share price summary

The Finbar share price has been climbing higher over the past few weeks, gaining more than 15%. Shares in the property developer fell to 52 cents in March after achieving a 52-week high of $1.01 in February. The company has a market capitalisation of $202.7 million and a price-to-earning (P/E) ratio of 31.

More reading

• Why the Finbar (ASX:FRI) share price is moving today

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. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) share price charged higher today, closing out the day 10.16% higher. That far outpaces the 0.8% gains posted by the S&P/ASX 300 (INDEXASX: XKO) at this same time.

Bellevue Gold shareholders have had little to complain about since the company began trading on the ASX in June 2018.

Which is not to say the gold miner escaped the ravages of the COVID-19 market selloff earlier this year. It didn’t.

From 24 February through to 19 March, Bellevue’s share price plummeted 56%. But it came roaring back from there, with shares rocketing 377% higher from the March lows.

Year-to-date the share price is up 147%, currently trading at a new record high of $1.35 per share.

What does Bellevue Gold do?

Bellevue Gold is a gold explorer advancing the historic Bellevue Gold Mine in Western Australia, approximately 30 kilometres north of Leinster. From 1986–1997 this was one of Australia’s highest-grade gold mines. But it was shuttered until 2017, when Bellevue became the first company to apply modern exploration techniques.

Since commencing work, Bellevue has discovered numerous high-grade deposits. The company anticipates further discovery success as it continues to drill with multiple rigs during 2020.

Why is the Bellevue Gold share price up 10% today?

The Bellevue Gold share price looks to be rising on 2 factors.

First, the price of gold has gained 3.8% since last Thursday, 29 October. And it’s up 2.0% over just the past 2 days.

Gold miners’ share prices tend to rise – and fall – significantly more than the price of the yellow metal they dig from the ground. That’s why we see a number of other ASX gold shares trading higher today. Like the Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG) share price, up 8.9%. And the St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) share price, up 7.6%.

Investors may also be drawn to Bellevue Gold’s shares today following the release of the company’s Inaugural Sustainability Report.

Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues are becoming increasingly important to a growing number of retail and institutional investors.

In its report, the company notes that as it continues to move its Bellevue Gold Project towards production, that a key feature will be identifying opportunities to minimise any adverse environmental impacts of its activities, including reducing emissions that could cause climate change.

Bellevue stated it is “also committed to best practice when considering human capital and good governance in its operations”. The company announced its intention to form a dedicated Sustainability Committee.

Bellevue’s ESG credentials will likely only make the company more appealing to many ASX investors. But, as with all gold explorers, the price of the yellow metal – and how much they uncover – will be the biggest factors determining Bellevue Gold’s future share price.

More reading

• RED 5 (ASX:RED) share price in focus as gold production nears
• Why the Bellevue (ASX:BGL) share price is dropping lower

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. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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