The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) went up by more than 1% today to 6,008 points.

Here are some of the biggest positive movements of the day

The Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) share price grew 7.75%.

The Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) share price grew 7.7%.

Agribusiness Nufarm Limited (ASX: NUF) experienced a share price rise of 7.3%.

The Perenti Global Ltd (ASX: PRN) share price went up 7.1%.

The Chorus Ltd (ASX: CNU) share price grew by 4.8%.

In terms of the biggest businesses in the ASX 200, the CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price went up by 2.1% today after the healthcare giant announced its involvement in manufacturing two COVID-19 vaccines for Australia.

At the bottom of the ASX 200 was retailer JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH), its share price dropped 2.8%.

Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD)

Airport operator company Sydney Airport announced that it had completed its retail shortfall bookbuild.

Sydney Airport said that the retail entitlement offer had raised gross proceeds of approximately $695 million from the issue of approximately 152 million new shares at an offer price of $4.56 per new share. Together with the institutional offer, the ASX 200 airport operator raised approximately $2 billion.

Around 58.1 million new shares were offered for sale under the retail bookbuild. These were sold in the retail bookbuild at a price of $5.50 per share, which was a premium of $0.94 per share compared to the original offer price of $4.56. That meant that shareholders who didn’t take up the offer will receive $0.94 less expenses for each new share not taken up. That payment will be made on (or around) 15 September 2020.

Sydney Airport said it chose to raise equity via a renounceable entitlement offer (with retail rights trading) to prioritise fairness to all Sydney Airport shareholders and the outcome of the retail bookbuild supported this decision.

The ASX 200 operator was one of the worst performers today. The Sydney Airport share price dropped by 2.8%.

Atlas Arteria Group (ASX: ALX)

Toll road business Atlas Arteria has announced that APRR has successfully priced €500 million of Eurobonds under its Euro medium term note programme.

Atlas Arteria owns a 31.1% interest in the APRR toll road group in France.

The bonds have a term of 8.3 years and will mature on 18 January 2029. Atlas Arteria said that no other bonds are maturing in that year for APRR.

Atlas Arteria said the bonds were priced on 7 September 2020 at 99.373% of par with a coupon of 0.125%. This represents a margin of 48 basis points (0.48%) over mid-rate swaps and a yield to maturity of 0.201%, which reflects Atlas Arteria said reflects continued strong support for APRR.

Settlement is expected to occur on 18 September 2020, subject to the usual closing conditions.

Atlas Arteria chief financial officer Nadine Lennie said: “Eurobond investors demonstrated their continued support for the APRR business in this transaction with the book several times oversubscribed. It provides APRR with additional liquidity, further reduces its average cost of debt, extends its weighted average debt maturity and strengthens APRR’s capacity for growth.”

The Atlas Arteria share price dropped almost 2% today.

Scentre Group (ASX: SCG)

Shopping centre business Scentre announced that it collected $183 million of rent in August 2020. This represented 86% of monthly gross rental billings.

This announcement confirms the actual amount of rent collected that was referred to in the June 2020 results presentation.

Scentre said that it will provide an update for the quarter ending 30 September 2020 in early November 2020.

Today the Scentre share price rose by 4.1% in reaction to this news.

More reading

• Half of ASX 200 stocks at risk as China-Australia relations hit new low
• Sims (ASX:SGM) share price tops ASX 200 leader’s board, surging 8%
• Latest ASX stocks top brokers are urging you to buy today
• Why Jumbo, St Barbara, Sydney Airport, & Uniti shares are dropping lower
• ASX 200 up 0.95%: Big four banks rise, Scentre collections improve, Nufarm jumps

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Webjet 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 Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) share price leapt higher on open today and kept attracting buyers. The Sims share price closed the day up 7.8%, putting it atop the leader’s board of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). By comparison, the ASX 200 gained 1.1% today.

Year to date, the Sims share price remains down 21%, having yet to fully recover from the trouncing it took during the post COVID-19 market rout. From 19 February through to 23 March, the Sims share price crashed 48%.

Since the March low, however, Sims shares are up nearly 48% to $8.48 per share. That gives the company a current market capitalisation of $1.7 billion.

What does Sims do?

Formerly known as Sims Metal Management, the company was founded in 1917. Since then, Sims has become the largest scrap metal and electronics recycler on Earth. Sims employs 6,000 people in 230 global locations, including Australia, the United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. 

The company buys a variety of ferrous (containing iron) and non-ferrous metals from a large range of sources. It also processes ferrous metals for resale to end users including steel mills, foundries and metals brokers.

Sims shares began trading on the ASX in 1999.

Why did the Sims share price gain strongly today?

There was no specific news released by the company to drive the Sims share price up almost 8% today. But investors may be cottoning on to the fact that the company’s shares remain down around 28% from their 22 January high in a market with strong growth outlooks.

According to Brandessence Market Research, as reported by Scientect today, the metal recycling market is valued at roughly US$52 billion globally, with growth predicted to be 7.1% over its forecast period of 2020-2027.

The metals that Sims recycles include copper and aluminium. And both metals have seen sharp upswings in their prices. Copper is trading for US$6,789 per metric tonne, its highest price since mid-2018. Aluminium is at US$1,798 per metric tonne, putting it back at its January 2020 levels and up 23% since 15 May.

With copper demand in China seeing the nation import record levels in July and near record levels in August, copper prices are likely heading higher. And with the demand for aluminium and recycled steel likely to ramp up as well, the Sims share price is one to watch.

More reading

• ASX 200 rises 1%, CSL (ASX:CSL) leads the way

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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If you’re looking to add some international exposure to your portfolio, then using exchange traded funds (ETFs) is both a quick and very effective way to achieve this.

This is because ETFs will allow you to invest in a range of countries, markets, sectors, and even themes.

But given the large number to choose from, which ETFs should you buy for international exposure today? I’ve picked out two that I think could be great additions to most portfolios. Here’s why I would buy them:

BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

If you’re looking for exposure to the United States, then you might want to consider buying the BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF. If you buy this ETF, you’ll be getting a piece of 100 leading non-financial companies on the famous NASDAQ 100 index. This includes countless household names such as Google’s parent Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Netflix, and Starbucks. I believe these 100 companies have brighter than average long term outlooks, which could lead to the BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF outperforming the ASX 200 over the 2020s.

Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)

Another ETF for investors to consider buying for international exposure is the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. This ETF gives investors access to some of the biggest and brightest companies in the world. In fact, at present the fund is invested in a total of 1,547 listed companies across major developed countries. Over one-third of its portfolio is allocated to technology and healthcare shares at present. And given the favourable long term outlooks of these sectors, I see this as a big positive. Among its holdings you’ll find the likes of Apple, Johnson & Johnson, NVIDIA, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Tesla, and United Health. Overall, I think it has a strong chance of outperforming the ASX 200 over the long term as well.

More reading

• 2 ASX shares I would buy for both growth and income today
• Afterpay and Brainchip were among the most traded shares on the ASX last week
• New to investing? ASX growth shares to buy now
• Here’s how to make a $1 million portfolio by investing $1,000 a month
• I love volatile ASX share market days like today

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS and Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. 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 OpenLearning Ltd (ASX: OLL) share price has climbed more than 50% in the past month alone. Although, dropping 5.41% in late afternoon trade today to close at 35 cents, the overall growth is certainly exciting for shareholders.

So what’s driving the OpenLearning share price? Let’s take a look at the company and recent activities.

About OpenLearning

OpenLearning is a Sydney-based education software as a service (SaaS) company. It may be local, but its one of the world’s largest online learning platforms and courses are delivered globally.

OpenLearning empowers education students to complete courses or degrees online. It even produces “micro-credentials” that are displayed inside the online portfolios. For students, not only is this tracking useful, but it has the power to show potential employers how their progress is going.

Launching in 2012 and hitting the ASX as an initial public offering (IPO) in 2019, OpenLearning is currently up more than 85% from IPO. A few months of sideways movement occurred before the price really started to move toward the end of last week.

Currently, OpenLearning provides educational courses to more than 2 million students in more than 180 countries. The reach is massive.

Growth factors

OpenLearning has had an exciting few months following its IPO, with a number of key developments announced.

Alibaba deal

In March this year, OpenLearning signed a deal with internet mogul Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA). Alibaba Cloud, to be exact, was the deal maker, allowing OpenLearning to deliver options to students in mainland China. This was an exceptional deal for OpenLearning, rapidly expanding the brand.

Around the same time, OpenLearning discussed options with Alibaba to act as a ‘gateway’ into the market for other education providers.

High Resolves deal

High Resolve is a not-for-profit education provider with a huge global reach. It delivers education to more than 350,000 students in Australia, the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. Doing a deal with OpenLearning meant that High Resolve could deliver learning programs to high school students across the globe, leveraging the technology and processes that OpenLearning provides. School shutdowns were and still are a global concern. OpenLearning is part of the solution. It’s a great partnership.

Australian Catholic University deal

This year in June, OpenLearning signed a 3-year agreement with Australian Catholic University (ACU) to provide its SaaS platform to the education provider.

ACU is an existing investor in OpenLearning. This deal helps to solidify the relationship. It’s great for OpenLearning to have such a well-known brand in the education space actively backing it. No doubt for ACU, the relationship helps to put them on the innovation map as well.

Open Universities Australia deal

In July, only a month after the ACU deal, OpenLearning announced it had signed a deal with Open Universities Australia.

Australia’s largest online higher education provider agreed through a memorandum of understanding that OpenLearning would provide SaaS platform services. Additionally, OpenLearning would be able to distribute its own courses within the OUA marketplace.

Foolish Takeaway

Online learning is critical today. The world was transitioning to online services long before coronavirus came along. However, this pandemic has certainly pushed technology into a growth phase that’s unmatched in other industries. OpenLearning has a solid history of growth. Its has also actively pursued strategic partners along the way. Coronavirus may be a blessing in disguise for this SaaS education provider.

More reading

• 3 ASX shares to buy for the COVID-19 reopening theme
• 2 ASX shares I would buy for both growth and income today
• Half of ASX 200 stocks at risk as China-Australia relations hit new low
• ASX 200 rises 1%, CSL (ASX:CSL) leads the way
• Sims (ASX:SGM) share price tops ASX 200 leader’s board, surging 8%

Motley Fool contributor glennleese has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended OpenLearning 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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When it comes to investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), I think some of the best options out there are growth ETFs. ETFs have a reputation for being ‘passive’ investments best suited to investors who want to put them in the bottom drawer and never look at them again. Whilst that’s true for index funds like the iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ETF (ASX: IOZ), not all ETFs should be tarred with this brush. So here are 3 high-growth ETFs that I think all growth investors should be looking at investing in today.

3 high-growth ETFs

1) BetaShares S&P/ASX Australian Technology ETF (ASX: ATEC)

This is a relatively new ETF, having only started out back in March of this year. However, since then ATEC has been on an absolute tear, rising more than 40% since its inception (and that includes through the March crash). I like ATEC as it’s one of the only ASX ETFs purely dedicated to tracking ASX tech companies. You’ll find the popular buy now, pay later share Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and online furniture hawker Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW) here, as well as other WAAAX shares like Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) and Appen Ltd (ASX: APX). If you’re bullish on the ASX tech sector, I think this ETF is a great candidate for your portfolio today.

2) ETFS FANG+ ETF (ASX: FANG)

This ETF is also a relatively new addition to the ASX, having started life in February of this year. FANG invests in the shares held in the NYSE FANG+ Index. This includes the eponymous FAANG stocks of Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN), Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL). It also includes a few more tech high flyers such as Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA), NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), Baidu Inc (NASDAQ: BIDU) and Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR).

Having only these 10 holdings makes FANG a highly concentrated investment, but with its growth titan holdings, investors might not mind too much. FANG has also had a stellar start to life, delivering a return of 45.91% since its inception. If you don’t have as many of these companies in your portfolio as you might otherwise like to, I think FANG is a perfect choice for a growth-orientated portfolio today.

3) Betashares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK)

Our final high-growth ETF is another fund from BetaShares, this time specialising only in companies within the cybersecurity space. With the increasing importance of the digital world to corporations and governments globally, I see a bright future for this sector. And this ETF gives us an easy ticket in.

HACK holds a basket of 43 shares from around the world, with its top holdings including Crowdstrike Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: CRWD), Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO), Okta Inc (NASDAQ: OKTA) and Splunk Inc (NASDAQ: SPLK). HACK has been around a little longer than ATEC or FANG and has returned an average of 22.6% per annum over the past 3 years. Not a bad return!

More reading

• 3 ASX 200 shares to buy with $3,000 this week
• Afterpay and Brainchip were among the most traded shares on the ASX last week
• The biggest global stock winners from the lockdown revealed
• Why I would buy Appen and these ASX tech shares after the selloff
• A practical guide on how to invest in ASX shares

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Sebastian Bowen owns shares of Alphabet (A shares), Facebook, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Netflix, NVIDIA, Tesla, and Twitter. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Temple & Webster Group Ltd and Xero and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon, long January 2021 $85 calls on Microsoft, short January 2021 $115 calls on Microsoft, and short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO, Appen Ltd, and BETA CYBER ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet (A shares), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Netflix, NVIDIA, and Temple & Webster Group 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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Today, the Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) share price soared 30.36% to 73 cents at the time of writing.

Why is the Brainchip share price soaring?

It’s possible that last week’s positive news contributed to the Brainchip share price soaring higher today.

Last week, Brainchip signed a deal with US-based VORAGO Technologies to provide early access to its Akida neuromorphic processor. The collaboration is intended to support a phase I NASA program for a neuromorphic processor that meets space flight requirements.

Brainchip said the Akida neuromorphic processor was uniquely suited for spaceflight and aerospace applications. The early access agreement included payments to offset expenses incurred when supporting VORAGO Technologies with its needs.

The Brainchip Holdings share price has surged 135.48% since the collaboration was announced. Also last week, it was announced that Brainchip would be added to the S&P ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX).

What does Brainchip do?

An artificial intelligence technology company, Brainchip has developed a processor that acts on information in a way that is inspired by the human brain. The technology learns through experiences without needing to send information to a data centre for processing and can adapt to new situations without needing to undergo retraining.

The processing architecture developed by Brainchip, called Akida, has applications in processing visual, audio and smell data along with smart transducer applications which measure movement and changes in pressure.

About the Brainchip share price

In the year to 30 June 2020, Brainchip had revenue of US$13,397, down 80% compared to the prior year. The company posted a loss of US$6.86 million in the year to 30 June 2020. This was a basic loss per share of US 0.48 cents per share.

The Brainchip share price is up 2333.33% since its 52-week low of 3 cents, and up 1360% since the beginning of the year. The Brainchip share price is 1725% higher than this time last year. 

More reading

• Afterpay and Brainchip were among the most traded shares on the ASX last week
• ASX All Technology Index swells with new additions
• Why Brainchip, De Grey, Mesoblast, & SKYCITY shares are pushing higher
• 3 defence ASX shares set for explosive growth
• Why Brainchip and these ASX shares just surged to new highs

Motley Fool contributor Chris Chitty 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 Castillo Copper Ltd (ASX: CCZ) share price is up 2.13% after topping at 4.3% in late afternoon trading today. That gain is enough to put the company’s share price up 140% year-to-date.

In comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is still down 9% in 2020.

Castillo’s share price was initially unfazed by the COVID-19 panic selling that gripped the ASX in late February. But in early March, the share price crashed 50% in a single day, down to 1 cent per share. The recovery began on 7 April. Since then, the Castillo Copper share price is up a whopping 395%.

What does Castillo Copper do?

Castillo Copper, as the name implies, is a metals explorer with a primary focus on copper. The company also hunts for nickel, zinc and cobalt.

Castillo’s prime asset is the Cangai Copper Mine. Located in northern New South Wales, Cangai counts among Australia’s highest grading historic copper mines. Castillo also has the Mt Oxide project in the Mt Isa district. Located in north-west Queensland, the area is known to be a copper-rich region. In addition, Castillo has prospects in Zambia, the second largest copper-producing nation in Africa.

Why could Castillo’s share price run higher?

Just as gold explorers’ share prices are closely tied to the price of bullion, so too are copper explorers’ share prices linked to the price of copper. There are other factors involved, of course. Good management and an element of luck go a long way to aiding an explorer’s share price.

But for a copper explorer like Castillo, the price of copper is a big factor in how well the share price will perform. Today copper is trading for US$6,789 per metric tonne, levels not seen since mid-2018.

The copper price is surging due to an increase in global demand, predominantly from China, along with falling global inventory levels. That explains some of Castillo’s 2020 success. But the latest data in from China indicates that its copper demand remains at almost record levels. Copper imports in August were only slightly lower than July, which set a new record high.

Castillo’s latest review, reported yesterday, of its Mt Oxide Pillar project also looked encouraging.

Commenting on the review, Castillo Copper’s Managing Director Simon Paull said:

The ongoing geological review at the Mt Oxide Pillar continues to deliver dividends, with interpretation of the evidence highlighting potential prospectivity for structurally controlled copper mineralisation. This delivers another attractive target to investigate and cumulatively builds on the Mt Oxide Project’s exploration upside.

If you’re considering investing in Castillo, be sure to do your own thorough research. And remember that small-cap shares (Castillo has a market cap of $48 million) tend to be riskier than bigger shares. And certainly more volatile.

Over the past 12 months the Castillo Copper share price has traded as low as 0.6 cents and as high as 5.3 cents.

More reading

• Top ASX growth shares to buy in September 2020
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Friday crash pulls ASX back below 6,000 points
• IGO share price drops despite exploration deal
• De Grey share price rockets 17% higher on new gold find
• Gentrack share price higher on announcement of new CEO

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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With a total of 200 shares trading on the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), there certainly is a lot of choice for investors.

Among the many quality options on the benchmark index, I think the three listed below are standout picks right now.

Here’s why I would invest $3,000 across these ASX 200 shares:

Appen Ltd (ASX: APX)

The first ASX 200 share I would buy is Appen. It is a leading developer of high-quality, human annotated datasets for the machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) markets. This essentially means that it prepares the data that goes into AI models. This is a vital part of the process, as quality data is integral to improving models and allowing them to reach their full potential. Pleasingly, with spending on machine learning and AI expected to grow materially over the next decade, Appen looks well-placed to benefit. Especially given its leadership position in the market and its history of working with tech giants such as Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft.

CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

Another ASX 200 share to buy is CSL. I think the biotherapeutics giant could be the highest quality company on the index and a great long term option. This is due to its world class therapies and vaccines, high level of investment in research and development, expansive plasma collection network, and talented management team. Combined, I believe they leave CSL well-positioned to deliver solid earnings growth over the 2020s.

SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK)

A final ASX 200 share to buy is SEEK. Due to its growing China-based operations and its market domination in the ANZ market, I believe SEEK is well-positioned for long term growth once the pandemic passes. Management certainly appears to believe this is the case. It continues to target revenue of $5 billion later this decade. This will be a very big increase on the revenue of $1,577.4 million it recorded in FY 2020.

More reading

• ASX 200 up 0.95%: Big four banks rise, Scentre collections improve, Nufarm jumps
• ASX investors given a $1.7bn injection of COVID-19 hope
• Why I would buy Appen and these ASX tech shares after the selloff
• ASX 200 rises 0.3%, CSL reveals COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing deals
• Broker picks best ASX small cap stocks to buy from the reporting season

James Mickleboro owns shares of SEEK Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Appen Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended SEEK 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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I think it’s a good idea to have diversification in your portfolio. Some ASX shares can provide excellent diversification very quickly.

There are some high-quality ASX shares out there like A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) and Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH). However, there are individual company risks when you own relatively few names in your portfolio. So it could be an idea to buy ASX shares that offer instant diversification rather than buying additional individual businesses just to make up the numbers.

Here are some great ideas:

Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF (ASX: VDHG)

This is a very diversified option for investors. It’s an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that invests in a number of other ETFs. It’s invested in ASX shares, international shares, global bonds, small international companies, emerging markets and Australian bonds.

It would be possible for this investment to be your only investment forever. It offers exposure to both growth assets and defensive assets.

The bonds may not be the best asset to own right now because interest rates are so low, so they don’t offer much of a return.

However, the ETF has enough growth exposure that it could deliver good total growth. Since inception in November 2017 its net returns have been 6.6% per annum.

The ETF comes with an annual management fee of 0.27% per annum. That’s cheap for what it does in my opinion.

Future Generation Global Invstmnt Co Ltd (ASX: FGG)

Future Generation Global is a listed investment company (LIC) which invests in indirectly in global shares.

The ASX share invests into the funds of Australian fund managers that invest in global shares. The great thing is that there are no management fees charged by Future Generation Global or the underlying fund managers, they work for free. They do this so that Future Generation Global can donate 1% of its net assets each year to youth mental health charities.

The LIC has money invested with a variety of managers including outfits like Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG), Cooper and Munro Partners.

The ASX share has outperformed its benchmark (the MSCI AC World Index (AUD)) over the past month, six months, 12 months three years and since inception (in September 2015). Over the past three years the Future Generation Global gross portfolio return has delivered a return of 13.1% per annum, outperforming its benchmark by 2.1%.

At the current Future Generation Global share price it’s trading at a 14% discount to the net tangible assets (NTA) per share at 14%. Buying outperformance at a discount is attractive to me, particularly during the current COVID-19 times.

Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL)

Soul Patts is a reliable investment conglomerate ASX share.

It’s invested in private businesses in industries like agriculture, swimming schools, resources and financial services.

Soul Patts is also invested in listed ASX shares such as TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG), Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW), New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC), Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ASX: API), Milton Corporation Limited (ASX: MLT), Bki Investment Co Ltd (ASX: BKI) and Clover Corporation Limited (ASX: CLV).

I like the mix of large holdings above, plus it also has a large cap portfolio and small cap portfolio within its asset base.

Not only does Soul Patts regularly deliver outperformance of the broad ASX, but it is increasing its diversification. It has plans to invest in regional data centres.

The investment house has been around since 1903. It has great longevity. The management team are involved in the business for the long-term and investing within Soul Patts itself for the long-term.

At the current Soul Patts share price, it offers a grossed-up dividend yield of 4.1%.

Foolish takeaway

I really like each of these ASX shares as long-term diversification options. I like Soul Patts as a long-term idea, but Future Generation Global looks very good value to me. It’s also good to buy now because of the strength of the Australian dollar.

More reading

• 3 unstoppable ASX shares to invest $2,000 into right now
• Top ASX growth shares to buy in September 2020
• These 2 ASX 200 shares could be the best value ideas
• New to investing? Here are 5 ASX dividend shares to buy now
• New to investing? More ASX growth shares to buy now

Tristan Harrison owns shares of Future Generational Global Investment Company Limited and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Clover Limited and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of A2 Milk. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended 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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The Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: RCE) share price has returned from its trading halt on Tuesday and is shooting higher.

In afternoon trade the biotechnology company’s shares rocketed as much as 27% higher to a record high of $1.87 at one stage.

They have since dropped back a touch but are still up 10.5% to $1.63 at the time of writing.

Why is the Recce share price rocketing higher?

Investors have been buying Recce’s shares after it provided an update on the international SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in vitro studies undertaken by Path BioAnalytics and the University of Tennessee’s Health Science Centre.

According to the release, Recce 327 (R327) and Recce 529 (R529) compounds have shown concentration-dependent reductions in the COVID-19 virus in an in-vitro study using organoids made from human airway epithelial cells.

Management also advised that the concentrations of R327 and R529 further indicated an excellent toxicity profile (<0.25%) on Vero (monkey) cells, in a separate but related study.

In light of these results, the researchers have recommended that the company should advance research of both R327 and R529. To do so, it has secured testing of the compounds in a gold-standard in-vivo COVID-19 infection study in ferrets. This US ferret study is expected to begin this month and be completed prior to the end of 2020.

Non-Executive Chairman Dr John Prendergast said: “We are very pleased with the anti-viral activity against SARS-CoV-2 demonstrated by our two compounds, RECCE 327 and RECCE 529 in vitro, and look forward to further success in the forthcoming ferret model studies. As COVID-19 infections and mortalities continue to rise, an effective treatment is critical. Recce’s anti-infective technology is striving to address the global health problem of emerging viral pathogens.”

Though, the company warned investors not get too excited just yet.  It explained: “Whilst Recce is delighted by the results, further testing must be completed before either (or both) compounds may be deemed safe or effective as a treatment of SARS-CoV-2.”

In other news.

Recce isn’t the only junior biotech company that is hoping to develop compounds to fight COVID-19.

On Monday, the Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price rocketed higher after providing an update on the screening of select compounds against COVID-19.

According to the release, Biotron has concluded the first stage of its screenings and found that several compounds have been shown in laboratory cell-culture studies to have antiviral activity against COVID-19.

More reading

• The Castillo Copper (ASX:CCZ) share price is up 140% in 2020. Here’s why.
• 3 ASX 200 shares to buy with $3,000 this week
• 3 ASX shares I’d buy to quickly add diversification
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell today
• Electro Optic (ASX:EOS) share price shoots higher on new product release

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro 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 Recce Pharmaceuticals (ASX:RCE) rockets to record high on COVID-19 update appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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