Last week the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form and recorded a very strong 1.6% gain to end the period at 5942.6 points.

While the majority of shares on the index pushed higher, some climbed more than most. Here’s why these shares were the best performers on the ASX 200 over the period:

The Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: CUV) share price was the best performer on the ASX 200 last week with a 21.3% gain. This was despite there being no news out of the biopharmaceutical company over the period. However, its shares have been on a strong upward trend over the last three months. So much so, they have almost doubled in value since this time in March. Despite this strong rise, Clinuvel remains one of the most shorted shares on the ASX.

The Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) share price wasn’t far behind with a gain of 19.8%. Investors were buying the healthcare company’s shares last week after it announced the sale of Healius Primary Care, its medical centres business, to BGH Capital for $500 million. Management advised that the proceeds will be used for investments and to pay down debt.

The Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) share price was a very strong performer last week with a 14.7% gain. This gain appears to have been driven by a broker note out of Macquarie. According to the note, the broker has initiated coverage on the artificial intelligence company with an outperform rating and $38.00 price target. Macquarie believes that Appen’s Relevance segment is well placed for long term growth. Appen’s shares ended the week at $33.83.

The Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX: VEA) share price wasn’t far behind with a 14.2% gain. Last week the fuel retailer released a trading update which included better than expected guidance for the first half. Viva Energy expects its underlying net profit after tax (on a replacement cost basis) to be in the broad range of $20 million to $50 million. This was notably higher than the consensus estimates and led to a number of brokers upgrading their price targets.

More reading

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form last week and recorded a solid 1.6% gain to end at 5942.6 points.

Unfortunately, not all shares on the index were able to follow the market higher last week. Here’s why these shares were the worst performers on the ASX 200:

The Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) share price was the worst performer on the ASX 200 last week with a 14.5% decline. The lithium miner’s shares crashed lower ahead of its exclusion from the benchmark index on Monday at the June quarterly rebalance. Index tracking exchange traded funds and fund managers with strict investment mandates were potentially selling its shares.

The Mayne Pharma Group Ltd (ASX: MYX) share price wasn’t far behind with a 13.6% decline. As with Pilbara Minerals, this decline appears to have been driven by the pharmaceutical company’s exclusion from the ASX 200. Heading into the index at next week’s rebalance will be the likes of Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) and Mesoblast limited (ASX: MSB).

The Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA) share price was out of form and fell 12.2% last week. All of this decline came on Friday when the packaging company’s shares traded ex-dividend for its massive special dividend. Eligible Orora shareholders will receive its 37.3 cents per share dividend in their bank accounts on 29 June 2020. This dividend was the equivalent of a 15% yield based on its last close price. It was declared following the sale of Orora’s fibre business to Nippon Paper.

The Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price was some distance behind with a decline of 6.9%. This appears to have been driven by a spot of weakness in the iron ore price and profit taking after a strong gain in 2020. Even after last week’s decline, Fortescue’s shares are up 28% since the start of the year.

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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 MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO. 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 uncertain economic outlook caused by coronavirus may not make today appear to be the best investment opportunity in a decade. After all, it is likely that many businesses will experience a period of lower profitability that negatively impacts on investor sentiment.

However, with policymakers across the world having announced major stimulus programs, an economic recovery could be ahead in the coming years. As such, the stock market could deliver a strong recovery from its low valuation – just as it did following the global financial crisis over ten years ago.

Stimulus packages

The scale of the economic challenges posed by lockdowns over recent months has prompted policymakers to introduce major stimulus packages. For example, the United States Federal Reserve has slashed interest rates to zero and introduced an ‘unlimited’ quantitative easing program.

Together, these policies create additional liquidity for businesses and encourage spending rather than saving. They could help to stimulate the world’s largest economy, while similar policies announced across other countries could also improve the outlook for global GDP growth in the coming years.

Similar policies, albeit on a smaller scale, were introduced during the global financial crisis. They had a positive impact on asset prices, and sparked a bull market that lasted for over a decade. As such, the outlook for the stock market could be much more positive than recent corporate earnings and economic data suggests.

Low valuations

At the present time, many companies trade on low valuations. This is unsurprising, since a wide range of sectors are currently experiencing highly challenging trading conditions that are causing a severe decline in sales and profitability.

It may seem unlikely that valuations across the stock market will recover, due to an uncertain outlook. This feeling was also present during the global financial crisis, as well as in the midst of previous economic crises. However, the best investment opportunities have often occurred when the economic outlook is at its most precarious. Valuations are at their lowest ebb at such times, and investors can access wide margins of safety.

Clearly, it is not possible to know that valuations are at their lowest ebb at the present time. But many companies currently offer wide margins of safety that are unlikely to persist over the long run. As such, taking advantage of low valuations today could be a shrewd move.

A volatile recovery

Of course, the stock market is very unlikely to experience a smooth or fast recovery. It can take many years for stock prices to return to their previous highs, and investor sentiment can be highly volatile in the meantime.

However, investors who are able to buy stocks today and hold them for a prolonged period of time may generate high returns. The stock market’s track record of recovery from its deepest declines and vast stimulus packages recently introduced mean that now could be the best investment opportunity since the last global downturn over a decade ago.

More reading

• How to become a millionaire in 25 years with $20 a day
• These were the best performers on the ASX 200 last week
• These were the worst performers on the ASX 200 last week
• Why I’d buy bargain shares now to get rich and retire early
• COVID-19: why hard-hit dividend shares could make you a fortune in 10 years

Motley Fool contributor Peter Stephens 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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Following the recent 2020 market crash, some investors may feel that buying shares to retire early is unlikely to be a sound strategy. After all, shares have displayed a significant amount of volatility, and in many cases, prices are substantially down on where they started the year.

However, low valuations on offer across the share market could provide bargain share buying opportunities for long-term investors. Equities have a solid track record of recovering from their very worst declines. As such, through buying a diverse range of shares now, you could improve your capacity to retire early.

Capital growth potential

The past performance of the share market shows that it has outperformed many other mainstream assets over the long run. For example, its high single-digit annual returns are greater than the returns of other assets such as cash and bonds. Therefore, the shares market has historically been a sound place to invest for anyone seeking to build a nest egg to retire early with.

The downside of buying shares is that they are also riskier than other assets. And they can display significant amounts of volatility at times. However, those periods of decline can present buying opportunities for long-term investors. They enable you to buy high-quality shares when they offer wide margins of safety. As such, they could offer even greater returns than the market average over the long run, enabling them to make a bigger impact on your portfolio’s performance.

Recovery prospects

When share prices are low, recovery may seem highly unlikely. However, the share market has a strong track record of overcoming even its most challenging periods.

For example, during difficult periods such as the tech bubble and the financial crisis, many investors are likely to have felt that a market rebound was highly improbable. News regarding the economy was downbeat, and there were significant risks facing many companies and industries.

However, the share market went on to post fresh record highs after those bear markets, as well as every previous bear market. As such, while a recovery may not have seemed likely over recent months, there is a high probability the share market will follow its long-term path and new record highs in the coming years.

A long-term opportunity

Even if the share market takes years to recover, it can still help you achieve your plans to retire early. Many investors have a long-term time horizon and are not planning to retire over the next few years. As such, they are likely to have sufficient time for their holdings to recover from present economic difficulties.

Therefore, through buying strong businesses at bargain prices today and holding them for the long run, you can benefit from the shares market’s growth potential. This strategy could increase the size of your nest egg and allow you to retire early.

More reading

• COVID-19: why hard-hit dividend shares could make you a fortune in 10 years
• 3 ASX growth shares that could be future market beaters
• Short-sellers are stepping up their attack against these popular ASX shares
• Why I’m desperate to add CSL and 2 other ASX shares to my portfolio in 2020
• ASX 200 up again, ASX retailers make big gains

Motley Fool contributor Peter Stephens 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 Why I’d buy bargain shares now to get rich and retire early appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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