It’s important to properly review your investment portfolio on a regular basis and ask: why do I own this ASX 200 share? Personally, I like to do this just before the end of the financial year as it helps me with my tax planning. I would also recommend doing something similar annually, bi-annually or every quarter, when results are announced.

Doing this year’s review, I found myself asking the question, why do I own this S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) share? I discuss this share below, but first I feel it’s important for me to define myself as an investor and outline my investment strategy.

My ASX 200 investor profile

• Demographic: Generation Y
• Investment time horizon: 50 years +
• Investing experience: high
• Risk tolerance: very high
• End goals: Join the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement and go travelling. Pass on a financial legacy to my kids.

My ASX 200 investment strategy

Because I have such a long time horizon in which to invest, as well as minimal financial commitments, I’m able to be an ultra long-term, aggressive growth investor. My strategy is to build a highly diversified portfolio of quality growth companies with a lot of risk, but massive multi-bagger potential. I try to invest funds into the market on a monthly basis (or as close to this as possible).

I have been implementing this strategy for over half a decade now, which has seen my portfolio grow to nearly 60 active positions. But importantly, part of my strategy is to let my winners run and to concentrate the portfolio into about 30 meaningful positions. This is already starting to happen naturally. Currently, including roughly a 10% cash position, over 50% of my portfolio is in 18 stocks. Take it out to 32 stocks and that’s 70% of my portfolio.

So, why do I own this ASX 200 share?

Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF) is a financial services company known for being Australia’s largest annuity provider. With so much money in superannuation, my thesis was that our aging population would have growing demand for these types of products. As a result, Challenger could provide market beating total returns by investing funds under management. I also thought the company paid a decent dividend.

Challenger is one of the first shares I bought, back when I didn’t have a proper strategy. Because of this, it isn’t fully aligned with my current strategy of targeting growth. With interest rates at historic lows, it’s also harder for Challenger to earn high returns on its funds.

I still think that the investment theme is true and Challenger is a leader in the space. The company also possesses some quality characteristics, but with interest rates so low it probably isn’t the right fit for my portfolio right now. But, it may be for yours.

Foolish takeaway

I wrote this article to highlight the fact we are all constantly learning. I learn the most from my ASX 200 investment mistakes, not my winners. My advice is to invest based on your own personal circumstances and goals.

More reading

• 3 ASX 200 shares to add to your watchlist in 2020
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Afterpay share price up 7%, ASX 200 edges higher
• Latest 3 ASX buy ideas from leading brokers
• How Australian super funds are letting the team down on ethics

Motley Fool contributor Lloyd Prout owns shares in Challenger Limited and expresses his own opinions. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Challenger 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.

The post Why do I own this ASX 200 share? appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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ASX 200 shares had yet another day of gains on Wednesday as the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) closed 0.06% higher at 6,148.40 points.

There was a mix of winners and losers on the share market yesterday from tech shares to gold miners and Aussie retailers. 

Despite the market noise, there are still a couple of ASX 200 shares that I’m keeping my eye on right now. Check out why these top picks are on my watchlist below.

3 ASX 200 shares I’m watching in 2020

The first Aussie share that I’m watching is JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH). JB Hi-Fi shares are up 11.49% this year and have delivered strongly for shareholders.

That’s despite the February and March bear market that sent ASX 200 shares plummeting lower.

JB Hi-Fi has really benefitted from a strong online presence and its extensive electronics range. More Aussies have been stocking up on laptops, monitors and other accessories in the move towards a work from home model.

It’s not just JB Hi-Fi shares that have been climbing in 2020. The NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) share price has rocketed 34.95% this year as demand for its services has surged.

NextDC owns and operates data centres around Australia and recently expanded its balance sheet with a $672 million equity raising.

While a 34.95% gain doesn’t scream a buy to most investors, I believe NextDC still has some strong growth potential with a good strategy and clear expansion steps.

One ASX 200 share to watch that hasn’t climbed higher this year is BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP). Shares in the Aussie miner are down 3.65% but have some strong momentum behind them.

With iron ore prices rebounding strongly at the moment, I think the BHP share price is worth watching in 2020.

Foolish takeaway

These are just a few of the ASX 200 shares I’ve got my eye on right now. The share market volatility seems to have partially subsided since March and April.

This means right now could present a good opportunity to assess the real value of some of these companies without market noise.

More reading

• Why do I own this ASX 200 share?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Afterpay share price up 7%, ASX 200 edges higher
• 2 ASX shares to buy to benefit from the cloud computing boom
• Latest 3 ASX buy ideas from leading brokers

Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.

The post 3 ASX 200 shares to add to your watchlist in 2020 appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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If you’re new to investing, it is quite likely that you will not have considerable funds to put into the share market.

But I wouldn’t let that put you off starting your investment journey. After all, even an annual investment of $500 has the potential to grow into something meaningful over a long enough period of time.

For example, if you were to invest $500 into the share market each year for 30 years and earned an average annual return of 10%, your investments would grow to be worth over $90,000 at the end of the period.

I think this demonstrates how rewarding long term investing can be even when investing relatively small sums.

With that in mind, here are three top ASX shares that I think could be great options for that first $500 investment:

BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

The first option to consider buying with $500 is the BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF. I’m a big fan of this exchange traded fund due to the collection of exciting tech shares which it gives investors exposure to. These companies are revolutionising the lives of billions of people in Asia and look very well-positioned for growth over the next decade and beyond. These include ecommerce giants Alibaba and JD.com, search engine company Baidu, electronics giant Samsung, and WeChat owner Tencent.

Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN)

Another ASX share to consider buying with $500 is Nanosonics. It is an infection control specialist which currently generates its revenue from the trophon EPR disinfection system for ultrasound probes. This system has a massive market opportunity and could alone drive strong earnings growth over the next decade. However, it will soon be joined by a number of secretive products targeting other unmet needs. These products are also understood to have similar market opportunities. If they are a success, then they could take Nanosonics’ growth to the next level this decade

Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH)

A final ASX share to consider investing $500 into is Pushpay. It is a quick-growing provider of donor and church management software. Demand for its offering has been increasing very strongly over the last few years and particularly in FY 2020. This led to Pushpay recording a 33% increase in operating revenue to US$127.5 million this year. The good news is that the company still has a significant runway for growth. Management is aiming to capture a 50% share of the medium to large church market in the future. It estimates this to be a US$1 billion revenue opportunity. This is almost 8 times greater than its FY 2020 revenue.

More reading

• 2 ASX shares I’d buy in a heartbeat
• 3 top ASX shares to buy now to get rich later
• 3 ASX shares to buy for the big shift to contactless payments
• 3 ASX growth shares that could generate strong long term returns
• How to become a millionaire before your parents with ASX shares

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 Nanosonics Limited and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nanosonics Limited and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. 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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I tend to concentrate my investing in a few shares and mostly diversify if I see opportunities in sectors which I am not currently in. During the coronavirus pandemic, it was hard to stay focussed as there were value opportunities everywhere. Below I’ll detail some of the shares I recently bought and sold.

Mining share investing

Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) has long been a cornerstone of my portfolio. I bought into the company at a very low price compared to today. During the pandemic, I purchased more Fortescue shares at a price of $8.80 per share. At the close of business last week I had made around 64%. 

Fortescue is a local company for me. I like the “can-do” attitude, the use of local supply chains, and the year-on-year performance increases. Most of all, I really like the dividend.

I owned Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) before the pandemic, sold it to take profits, and then I have recently bought back in. Knowing what I know now, I would not have sold when I did. However, in March the whole world looked a lot more bleak and uncertain than it does now. 

In my view, Bellevue is a great opportunity for growth. It is developing a high-grade, high-ounce ore body. It has pre-existing infrastructure to reduce the costs of ramp-up. And it is employing many of the professionals who have done similar during the last decade with Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST).

Financial sector

I sold Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) for a significant loss during the lockdown period. My initial position was part of a turnaround strategy which I expected to be executed by September or so of this year. The share price had dropped due to the money laundering scandal.

However, once the pandemic hit, the situation changed immediately. It became clear that holding the Westpac shares was a lost opportunity for me. I am sure the Westpac share price will lift significantly. However, for me, there are more profitable ways to put capital to work in the short term.

Recently I also started a position in Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL). I had long favoured Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) as a likely challenger to Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT). Yet I decided Sezzle already had a good head-start among the Gen Z demographic in the $5 trillion US retail market. Sezzle is up around 20% for me so far. 

Foolish takeaway

As somebody approaching retirement years, yet, with no intention to ever retire, I use a higher-risk strategy than most.

My foundation is in solid income-producing shares, preferably those that will also increase in value. This is backed with a significant share investment in growth companies at a good price. Lastly, I work a lot on finding and exploiting share market events.

Most times, it has gone well. Sometimes it goes badly. When it goes badly there is no point in wasting time with regrets. Just pick yourself up, learn from the mistake, and put your capital back to work. 

More reading

• 3 ASX shares to buy now with $10,000
• Afterpay share price up 7%, ASX 200 edges higher
• Why the Afterpay share price just hit a record high and could still go higher
• Here are another 2 insanely cheap ASX 200 shares to buy right now
• Are Aussies still withdrawing cash like crazy?

Daryl Mather owns shares of Bellevue Gold Ltd, Fortescue Metals Group Limited, and Sezzle Inc. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sezzle Inc. 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.

The post My share investing journey during the pandemic appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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Deciding which ASX shares to buy in the current climate is difficult. During the bull markets you wonder if you have missed the boat. When the bear markets set in, and they will, you wonder if you should cut your losses. 

I believe the 4 shares below represent good value investments in today’s market. They should be solid investments over the medium term regardless of what happens tomorrow. In particular, I think one of them has the real possibility of becoming a 10 bagger share over the next decade. That is, a company likely to return 10 times the initial investment.

High blue chip value

I think that Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) is probably the best certified blue chip share at the moment. Having put aside $1.5 billion for costs related to COVID-19, CommBank has been moving fast to position the bank for future growth. Although, as the nation’s largest mortgage provider, it is likely to see larger impacts from COVID-19 than its competitors.

At the time of writing, CommBank has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of ~6%, although banks have currently deferred dividends, and is selling at a price to earnings ratio (P/E) of ~13.

Overlooked ASX value share to buy now

I believe Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) is probably the most overlooked ASX large cap share on the market. It has a fantastic track record of year on year sales growth, maintains very tight margins, and has a 10-year average return on equity (ROE) of 28.6%.

Despite the company’s exposure to digital gaming and social media platforms, its casino revenue streams have been hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions. As restrictions ease, I think Aristocrat will see its share price rise relatively quickly. 

The Aristocrat share price is currently trading at a P/E of just 10.8. That is way below its 10 year average P/E of 23.

One great ASX growth share

Over the past fortnight Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL) caught my eye. So much so that I have taken a small position in the company. This is a small buy now, pay later company competing head on with the giant Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT).  The company has a market cap of just $275 million, yet it has already secured a network of 1.3 million users and 14.9 thousand merchants. 

While much larger rivals Afterpay and Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) are actively working to enter the $5 trillion US retail market, Sezzle is already there targeting Gen Z and Millennials. While Sezzle is unlikely to suddenly become the market leader, I believe the potential for share price growth is high and the possibility of it becoming a 10-bagger over the next decade very real.

Foolish takeaway

I think these are among the best value ASX shares to buy now. Personally, I would split 40% of $10,000 into each of the large cap shares, and the remaining 20% into the higher risk growth share. I believe all of these companies have a very strong value proposition right now. But the market is moving fast.

More reading

• My share investing journey during the pandemic
• Afterpay share price up 7%, ASX 200 edges higher
• Why the Afterpay share price just hit a record high and could still go higher
• CBA share price lower on Slater & Gordon class action news
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX 200 shares to sell today

Daryl Mather owns shares of Sezzle Inc. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Sezzle Inc. 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.

The post 3 ASX shares to buy now with $10,000 appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

The stock market once again told a tale of two exchanges on Wednesday. The Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) had another great day, rising almost 1% and closing above 10,000 for the first time in its history. The Nasdaq 100 index did even better, gaining almost 1.5% and also climbing over the 10,000 hurdle. Yet elsewhere, market measures like the Dow and S&P 500 finished lower on the day, held back by fears about the Federal Reserve’s need to provide further monetary stimulus to try to shore up the broader economy.

Leading the Nasdaq higher on its historic day was Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), which celebrated a share-price milestone of its own. However, not every stock on the Nasdaq gained ground, and Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) in particular revealed some challenges that could hold back the coffee stock for a while.

Tesla gets into high gear

Tesla stock finished higher by 9%, soaring above $1,000 per share for the first time ever. The electric vehicle maker has high hopes that it’s only scratched the surface of its addressable market, and future products could dramatically expand its opportunities for further growth.

CEO Elon Musk helped fan excitement about Tesla by talking about the prospects for its Semi electric commercial truck. Even though the semi tractor-trailer truck concept has been part of Tesla’s plans since late 2017, the company has prioritized other efforts first, most notably the Model 3 mass-market sedan. However, Musk reportedly reset those priorities recently, signaling that he wants to move forward more aggressively in bringing the Semi to market faster.

It’s probably not a coincidence that the move comes just after newly public electric truck specialist Nikola (NASDAQ: NKLA) has promoted its own ambitions in serving the commercial truck market. With Nikola’s Badger electric pickup likely to go up against Tesla’s Cybertruck, investors are likely to see plenty of clashes between the two EV automakers. At least today, Tesla won the share-price battle, and investors have high expectations that Musk will lead his team to greater innovations in the future.

Starbucks slows down, faces big losses

Elsewhere, shares of Starbucks dropped 4%. The coffee giant revealed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission just how much the coronavirus pandemic has affected its business, and it showed some of the strategies it’s looking to follow to get back on track.

Starbucks expects to report a fiscal third-quarter adjusted loss of $0.55 to $0.70 per share, with the pandemic costing the company between $3 billion and $3.2 billion in revenue. Comparable store sales in the U.S. were down 28% in May from year-ago levels.

The coffee giant is also modifying its expansion plans. In China, the company expects to add at least 500 new stores for fiscal 2020, even with pandemic-related setbacks. However, Starbucks now sees itself opening just 100 new stores in the second half of the fiscal year, and it will close as many as 400 company-owned locations in the next 18 months in order to replace them with new store formats in different places. The idea is to offer ways to meet changing customer expectations, with new retail-oriented stores that won’t necessarily offer the typical Starbucks “third place” ambiance.

Investors can look forward to better results later in the year, with Starbucks projecting a fiscal fourth-quarter adjusted profit of $0.15 to $0.40 per share. Nevertheless, the full-year projection of just $0.55 to $0.95 in adjusted earnings per share threw a cup of cold coffee in investors’ faces, and shareholders have to hope that Starbucks’ strategic efforts bear fruit quickly.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

More reading

• Where to invest $500 into ASX shares right now
• My share investing journey during the pandemic
• 3 ASX shares to buy now with $10,000
• 3 top ASX dividend shares to buy to beat low interest rates
• Is the NAB share price a buy right now?

Dan Caplinger owns shares of Starbucks. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Tesla and Starbucks. 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.

The post Nasdaq Tops 10,000 on Tesla Surge; Starbucks Cools Off appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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Overnight the U.S. Federal Reserve held its monetary policy meeting for June. The central bank kept interest rates on hold at zero and revealed plans for rates to remain at these levels for the next couple of years.

I expect this to be the case in Australia as well and feel it will be many years until interest rates return to “normal” levels again.

In light of this, I continue to believe that ASX dividend shares will be the best way to earn a passive income for the foreseeable future.

But which dividend shares should you buy? Here are three top ASX dividend shares I would buy:

Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL)

I think that this supermarket operator would be a great dividend share to own. This is due to its defensive qualities and positive long term outlook. I believe this has positioned Coles to deliver solid earnings and dividend growth over the next decade whatever the economy throws at it. At present, I estimate that its shares offer a forward fully franked 3.7% dividend yield.

Dicker Data Ltd (ASX: DDR)

Dicker Data is a wholesale distributor of computer hardware and software. It has consistently grown its earnings and dividends at a solid rate for many years thanks to an increasing number of vendor agreements and solid demand. In FY 2020 the company intends to increase its dividend by 31% to 35.5 cents per share. This represents a 4.5% fully franked dividend yield.

Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

A final dividend share to consider buying is Telstra. After several tough years, I believe the telco giant’s outlook is the best it has been in a long time. This is because the NBN headwind will soon start to ease and a return to growth should then be possible. Especially given the positive progress it is making with its T22 strategy. In the meantime, I’m confident that its free cash flow can sustain its 16 cents per share fully franked dividend. This represents a very attractive 4.9% dividend yield.

More reading

• The TPG share price is on the up. A good long-term buy today?
• 2 quality ASX dividend shares to buy today
• Why the CSL share price continues to trail the ASX 200
• Not keen on Westpac? Then buy these top ASX dividend shares instead
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX bulls crash through 6,000 points

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Dicker Data Limited and Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of COLESGROUP DEF SET. 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.

The post 3 top ASX dividend shares to buy to beat low interest rates appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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Is the National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) share price a buy right now?

The major ASX bank has seen its share price go up 31.4% since 22 May 2020. That’s an astonishing return in a short amount of time for such a big business.

Investors are getting more confident that the Australian economy won’t be harmed by the coronavirus as much as first feared. The overestimation of the cost of jobkeeper is a great example of things looking better than previously expected.

There is still a lot of economic pain out there. NAB included an $807 million provision for potential COVID-19 impacts in its FY20 half-year result. There’s a reason why investors sent the NAB share price lower. Only time will tell whether that provision was too much or too little.

NAB has been showing a rising level of loan arrears in recent reports. The 90+ day past due arrears of total loans was 0.71% at the end of FY18, 0.79% in the first half of FY19, 0.93% at the end of FY19 and 0.97% in the recent FY20 half-year result. That’s not a good trend.

Could the NAB share price still be an opportunity?

Several weeks ago I thought the NAB share price was cheap if the economy recovered quicker than expected.

However, the strength of the NAB share price changes the value.

Low interest rates seem like they’re here to stay. This could cause the NAB net interest margin (NIM) to come under even more pressure. The NAB share price will follow earnings over time.

I like that NAB is investing in lifting skill levels, according to the Australian Financial Review. I also like the new NAB leadership team.

Who knows what’s going to happen with the NAB dividend this year? At the moment it has an annualised grossed-up dividend yield of 4.25%. However, if the economy is better than expected then perhaps the final dividend will be larger. I wouldn’t count on big dividends this year though.

Ultimately, I don’t see much compelling value at the current NAB share price. There are still risks to be wary of.

More reading

• Are Aussies still withdrawing cash like crazy?
• The ASX bank dividend recovery may be better than what the market thinks
• The ANZ share price has soared 37% in 2 weeks. Here’s why.
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX bulls crash through 6,000 points
• ‘Westpac share price undervalued’, says analyst

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison 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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On Wednesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fought back from a heavy decline at the open to record a small gain. The benchmark index rose slightly to 6,148.4 points.

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

ASX 200 expected to drop lower.

The ASX 200 looks set to end its winning streak on Thursday. According to the latest SPI futures, the benchmark index is expected to drop 73 points or 1.2% at the open. This follows another mixed night of trade on Wall Street overnight. The Dow Jones dropped 1.05%, the S&P 500 fell 0.5%, and the Nasdaq defied the selling once again with a 0.7% gain.

Tech shares could rise.

Although the market is expected to sink lower today, Australian tech shares such as Altium Limited (ASX: ALU) and Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) could defy this and push higher. The local tech sector has a habit of following the lead of the Nasdaq index, which stormed higher and closed above 10,000 points for the first time.  

Oil prices edge higher.

Energy producers such as Oil Search Limited (ASX: OSH) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) could be on the rise today after oil prices edged higher. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 0.3% to US$39.06 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price edged 0.1% to US$41.23 a barrel.

U.S. Federal Reserve meeting.

The U.S. Federal Reserve met overnight and kept rates on hold at zero. The central bank also suggested that interest rates will stay at this level until 2022. However, the U.S. Fed is not done with supporting the economy through the pandemic. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell commented: “What we’re thinking about is providing support for the economy. We think this is going to take some time.”

Gold price jumps.

Gold miners including Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) could be pushing higher today after the gold price jumped. According to CNBC, the spot gold price rose 1.4% to US$1,746.30 an ounce after dovish comments by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

More reading

• Afterpay share price up 7%, ASX 200 edges higher
• Latest 3 ASX buy ideas from leading brokers
• How Australian super funds are letting the team down on ethics
• Here are another 2 insanely cheap ASX 200 shares to buy right now
• 2 crazy cheap ASX 200 shares you could still buy

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 Altium. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Appen 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.

The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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