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The NRW Holdings Limited (ASX: NRW) share price surged on Thursday after the company released a solid FY22 guidance update. 

The construction and mining contrator’s shares closed at $2.13 apiece, a 10.94% increase on yesterday’s closing price. By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) slipped 0.01% into the red.

Let’s take a closer look at what excited investors today. 

EBITA above guidance

The NRW Holdings share price received a boost after the company confirmed revenue is expected to come in at around $2.4 billion, in line with its previous guidance.

Of that, the company reported an unaudited earnings before interest, tax, and amortisation (EBITA) of $157 million. That’s above its previous guidance range of $150-$155 million.

What’s likely attracted investors today though is the company’s record order book of $5.2 billion.

NRW currently holds $219 million in cash. That covers its total long-term liabilities of $210 million, according to the company’s HY22 results. 

NRW management buoyed by results

Managing director and CEO Jules Pemberton said:

We will obviously provide more detail on the results when we release on the 18th August but clearly the business has performed very well despite the significant headwinds we have had to navigate caused by Covid, labour shortages, inflationary pressures and significant 1 in 100 year weather events.

NRW share price snapshot

Over the last twelve months, the NRW share price has gained 23% and more than 20% year to date.

It’s outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) which has fallen by around 7% in the last year.  

NRW has a current market capitalisation of $956 million. 

That puts the company’s price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio at 13 times, which is around its average PE multiple since it was listed on the ASX in 2007. 

My takeaway 

NRW’s business is largely dictated by the performance of the minerals and mining sector. As such, investors ought to be mindful of the unprecedented price levels for commodities over the last six months. This is illustrated below by the Reserve Bank of Australia‘s (RBA) Index of Commodity Prices, released on 2 August. 

In the last few months, commodity price levels have started to taper, resulting in significant share price falls across the mining and minerals sector. Should this continue, this could prove to be a major headwind to the NRW Holdings share price. 

Personally, I find it difficult to time such cyclical businesses so, for me, this stock falls into the too hard basket. 

The post <strong>NRW share price leaps 11% on an upgrade in guidance for FY22</strong> appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Which ASX 200 shares will prove to be dividend heavyweights this earnings season?
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• Why Appen, Centuria Industrial, NRW, and Sayona Mining shares are pushing higher
• First mover: CBA share price rises amid interest rate changes

Motley Fool contributor Raymond Jang has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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Firefinch Ltd (ASX: FFX) shares are not expected to resume trading until a funding proposal is finalised, which the gold miner anticipates will take until the end of the month. So, in short, late August at the earliest.

Firefinch today released a third letter to the ASX responding to its latest query.

Let’s take a look at what’s been happening with this ASX gold mining share.

What’s happening with Firefinch shares?

So, the drama with Firefinch of late all began on 27 June when the company requested a trading halt.

The following day, the miner announced that two recently appointed board members had resigned.

On 29 June, Firefinch asked the ASX to suspend its shares from quotation. The reason the ASX gave was “pending the release of an announcement regarding an update to operational performance and production guidance at the Morila Gold Project”.

The same day, Firefinch announced that “by mutual agreement” the managing director had resigned.

Firefinch said it would pay the outgoing Dr Michael Anderson $450,000 in contractual entitlements. Anderson was with the company for 14 months.

Firefinch appointed Andrew Taplin as acting CEO and Dr Alistair Cowden as executive chair. Taplin was on a salary of $417,006 per annum (including superannuation) plus incentives before taking on the extra role. Now he’s going to get an extra $10,000 per month.

What’s the latest on the Morila Gold Project?

On 4 July, Firefinch released the update on the Morila Gold Project. It revealed that gold production during the June quarter was well down on guidance due to poor equipment availability and delivery delays on additional equipment because of sanctions imposed on Mali restricting the movement of goods.

The production ramp-up is now behind schedule, so Firefinch had to withdraw its calendar year guidance. Plus, the company stated it was facing rising costs for inputs like diesel and explosives.

The company told the ASX it had a plan to deal with this, including a potential capital raising. But it said it needed more time and asked for an extension of its voluntary suspension until the end of July.

The next day, Firefinch announced it had sold a portion of its shares in Leo Lithium Ltd (ASX: LLL). This delivered a cash injection of $12.9 million to improve its working capital position.

On 11 July, Firefinch announced the resignation of Cowden with Brett Fraser as his replacement.

The ASX asks questions as Firefinch shares stay frozen

The ASX has asked Firefinch a bunch of questions. Firefinch issued responses on 12 July and 21 July.

On 26 July, Firefinch asked for another extension to its voluntary suspension. It said its discussions with third parties over funding were “not yet complete”. The miner asked for more time to finalise the proposed funding “which is anticipated to occur by the end of August 2022”.

In a third letter to the ASX released to the market today, Firefinch answered questions about when it took delivery of certain equipment.

It also explained the timing of its realisation that sanctions were having a material impact on production at the Morila Gold Project.

In the meantime…

On Monday, Firefinch released its June quarter cash flow and activities report. This revealed a few new details about progress at Morila.

The company said “mining equipment is now arriving at site which will alleviate operational pressures”. Firefinch also said it had implemented cost-saving measures and “enhanced” financial controls.

The company said it expected to provide an upgrade to the Morila resource and reserve estimate in the September quarter. It said this would “feed into a new mine plan, production and cost outlook and forward capital requirements”.

Firefinch reported that the Mali Government had “granted a three-year extension to the Morila Convention demonstrating its endorsement of the ramp-up and revival of Morila”.

As of 30 June, Firefinch had cash and equivalents of $40.8 million available, including gold in transit.

Firefinch shares snapshot

Firefinch shares have fallen by 64% in the year to date. They were trading for 20 cents apiece when the company asked the ASX for the trading halt.

Firefinch shares hit their 52-week low of 19 cents on 24 June.

The post When will Firefinch shares resume trading? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• What’s happening with Firefinch shares following a $13 million lithium sale?

Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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It’s that exciting time of the year again when many ASX-listed companies spill the tea on their latest financial results. Coincidentally, the reporting season aligns with an inundation of dividends from some of the biggest shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).

Typically, companies will declare the amount they intend to pay as a dividend with the delivery of their results. This is partly due to the reliance dividends have on the company’s results. Whether an ASX share achieves earnings above or below guidance can be the difference between a juicy payout or a paltry one.

As we hurtle toward the busy part of the ASX reporting season, we take a look at the ASX 200 shares that might be considered dividend heavyweights.

What will dividend disciples be dealt?

For investors who are geared more toward income, the weeks to ensue will be a white-knuckled ride. As pointed out in a Livewire article by Alastair Macleod of Wheelhouse Partners, a handful of ASX 200 companies wield a disproportionate portion of the total dividends to be paid over the next month.

It is a pivotal time for investors looking to cash in on dividend payouts. To paint the picture, 113 of the 200 constituents of the benchmark index are slated to go ex-dividend by 30 September. Within this, there are four ASX companies that Macleod highlights as ‘dividend heavyweights’.

Unsurprisingly, commodity giants Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) and BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) are on the list. Meanwhile, the other two ASX 200 shares fitting the bill are Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS).

However, the first cab off the ranks — Rio Tinto — surprised investors last week. The company slashed its interim dividend by 52%. Although, shareholders will still receive $3.837 per share in dividends on 22 September.

Alas, the remaining ‘dividend heavyweight’ contenders are yet to report. For those interested, here are the reporting dates:

• Commonwealth Bank of Australia — 10 August
• BHP Group — 16 August
• Woodside Energy — 30 August.

How important are these ASX 200 shares?

Macleod provides an insightful chart in his article, which we’ll reference here. As depicted, the four ASX 200 dividend shares listed above are expected to be key to the total payouts.

The chart above reflects consensus estimates among analysts for near-term dividend payouts. Furthermore, we can roughly estimate that nearly 63% of the total 1.83% cash yield projected will be comprised of dividends from Rio, Commonwealth Bank, Woodside, and BHP.

Only time will tell whether these ASX 200 shares can live up to the expectations.

The post Which ASX 200 shares will prove to be dividend heavyweights this earnings season? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• Why Creso Pharma, Endeavour, Orica, and Woodside shares are dropping
• First mover: CBA share price rises amid interest rate changes
• 3 ASX 200 shares smashing new 52-week highs on Thursday

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has positions in Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ) is a popular exchange traded fund (ETF) on the ASX. However, it is not the most popular ETF covering international shares on the ASX.

That honour goes to the iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV), closely followed by the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS).

But the NASDAQ 100 ETF is still an index fund. It covers the 100 shares on the US’s NASDAQ-100 (INDEXNASDAQ: NDX). The NASDAQ is well-renowned for hosting some of the largest tech shares on the US market.

While ‘old school’ companies like Berkshire Hathaway, Coca Cola, and Bank of America list on the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ hosts the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon.com, and Tesla.

It also hosts a diverse range of other shares as well, of course. These include Palo Alto, Netflix, Costco, Adobe, Starbucks, and Airbnb.

Now, there are many, many ETFs on the ASX that cover corners of the global tech share space. Take the BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK). It (as you can probably guess) tracks a portfolio of cybersecurity companies.

The ETFS FAANG+ ETF (ASX: FANG) holds only 10 shares, including Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Tesla.

Then there is the BetaShares Cloud Computing ETF (ASX: CLDD). It focuses on companies in the cloud computing industry, including Netflix and Salesforce.

The ETFS Morningstar Global Technology ETF (ASX: TECH) holds a diversified basket of 39 shares sourced from various corners of the global tech space.

But I prefer the BetaSahres NASDAQ 100 ETF to all of these other ASX tech ETFs.

This is for two reasons.

Why I prefer NDQ to any other ASX tech ETF

The first is sheer performance. Despite losing more than 12% over the six months to 31 July 2022, the NDQ ETF has still managed to give investors an average annual return of 20.69% over the past five years.

That runs rings around all of the other tech ETFs listed above, with the possible exception of FANG.

The FANG ETF has only been around for just over a year. But its benchmark index has reportedly returned an average of 24.6% per annum over the same period.

The second is diversification. NDQ has approximately 100 underlying holdings, far more than any of the above ETFs.

Among these 100 stocks are cybersecurity shares like Palo Alto, almost all of the shares in the FANG ETF, and cloud computing shares like Netflix.

A sector-specific ETF like HACK has its own diversification risks, seeing as all of the holdings come from the same sector.

But NDQ’s diversification risk is far lower seeing as it represents so many different underlying industries.

This diversification, together with NDQ’s superlative performance figures, is enough to convince me that I would rather have the NDQ ETF in my portfolio over any other tech-based ETF today.

The post Here’s why I prefer NDQ to these other ASX tech ETFs today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 3 ETFs for smart ASX investors in August
• Here are 2 ASX ETFs I would buy for 2022 and beyond
• Is the NDQ ETF a no-brainer buy right now?
• 3 high quality ETFs for ASX investors to buy today
• I think the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF looks like a strong buy

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. Bank of America is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Adobe Inc., Airbnb, Inc., Alphabet (A shares), Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, Costco Wholesale, Microsoft, Netflix, Starbucks, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Adobe Inc., Airbnb, Inc., Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, Apple, BETA CYBER ETF UNITS, BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS, Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), Costco Wholesale, ETFS Morningstar Global Technology ETF, Microsoft, Netflix, Starbucks, Tesla, and Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2023 $200 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), long January 2024 $420 calls on Adobe Inc., long January 2024 $47.50 calls on Coca-Cola, long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple, short January 2023 $200 puts on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short January 2023 $265 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short January 2024 $430 calls on Adobe Inc., short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple, and short October 2022 $85 calls on Starbucks. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BETA CYBER ETF UNITS and BETANASDAQ ETF UNITS. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Adobe Inc., Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), Netflix, Starbucks, Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF, and iShares Trust – iShares Core S&P 500 ETF. 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 ASX welcomed its newest exchange-traded fund (ETF) to its boards today. ETFs have been growing in both popularity and volume for years now.

Over the past 12 months, we have welcomed the BetaShares Online Retail and E-Commerce ETF (ASX: IBUY), the ETFS Hydrogen ETF (ASX: HGEN), and the BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF (ASX: CRYP) to the ASX.

And today, the BetaShares Metaverse ETF (ASX: MTAV) joined this list.

Metaverse ETF joins the ASX

Yes, as we covered this morning, this brand spanking new ETF has just floated on the ASX. As its name implies, it invests in a basket of global ‘metaverse’ shares.

As my Fool colleague Tony noted in his coverage, the metaverse is the term that refers to the idea that the internet will morph into a “massive unified virtual world”.

It has been a term most associated with the social media giant Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), which of course used to be known as Facebook.

So it perhaps will come as no surprise that Meta stock is one of the largest holdings in this new ETF. But other well-known shares like Roblox, NVIDIA, Apple and Disney are also present in its 32-share strong portfolio.

So how did the BetaShares Metaverse ETF perform on its first day on the ASX?

Well, MTAV units only began trading at 12 noon today. The ETF debuted at a unit price of $10.56 each. As of market close, the ETF slipped slightly and finished the day at a price of $10.53, a fall of 0.28%.

So nothing too dramatic there. But there will probably be no investors with FOMO either.

The BetaShares Metaverse ETF charges a management fee of 0.69% per annum or $69 per year for every $10,000 invested.

The post How did the BetaShares Metaverse ETF perform on its ASX debut? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 5 tech stocks sending the Nasdaq higher on Wednesday
• How to buy ASX shares exposed to the metaverse
• Why are ASX 200 tech shares having such a lousy start to the week?
• Headwinds will slow growth for Meta; Should investors sell now?

Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Apple, Meta Platforms, Inc., Nvidia, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Apple, Meta Platforms, Inc., Nvidia, Roblox Corporation, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2024 $145 calls on Walt Disney, long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple, short January 2024 $155 calls on Walt Disney, and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Apple, Meta Platforms, Inc., Nvidia, and Walt Disney. 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) slipped ever so slightly on Thursday after major commodity prices tumbled overnight. The index was 0.01% lower at 6,974.90 points as of the market’s close.

The slip came despite a decent performance by tech shares. S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) rose 1.9% today on the back of lower US bond yields. US 10-year yields fell to around 2.7% while US 2-year yields to near 3.07%.

On the other hand, the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) plummeted 2.2% in today’s session, likely due to lower oil prices.

Brent crude oil slumped 3.7% to US$96.78 a barrel overnight while the US Nymex crude price slipped 4% to US$90.66 a barrel.

The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) was the market’s next worse performer, plunging 1% on Thursday after iron ore futures fell 3.8% to US$110.38 a tonne.

At the end of today’s session, seven of the ASX 200’s 11 sectors were trading higher.

But which stocks outperformed all their peers to be crowned today’s best improver? Let’s take a look.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Today’s top performing ASX 200 share is none other than bookmaker Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH). Find out what the stock has been up to lately here.

Today’s biggest gains were made by these ASX shares:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Pointsbet Holdings Ltd (ASX: PBH)	$3.18	11.58%
Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU)	$.255	10.87%
Life360 Inc (ASX: 360)	$4.69	9.58%
Block Inc (ASX: SQ2)	$126.08	8.9%
Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA)	$3.73	6.88%
Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)	$9.13	4.94%
AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP)	$1.17	4.93%
Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX)	$7.75	4.45%
Virgin Money UK CDI (ASX: VUK)	$2.69	4.26%
Domain Holdings Australia Ltd (ASX: DHG)	$3.74	4.18%

Our top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays to see which stocks make the countdown.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• Why is the Pointsbet share price up 8% on the ASX today?
• First mover: CBA share price rises amid interest rate changes
• 3 ASX 200 shares smashing new 52-week highs on Thursday
• Why is the Block share price charging 10% higher on Thursday?

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Block, Inc., Life360, Inc., MEGAPORT FPO, and Pointsbet Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Block, Inc. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO and Pointsbet Holdings Ltd. 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 Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price is up 1% over the past 24 hours.

The world’s top crypto is currently worth US$23,084 (AU$3,169).

Bitcoin kicked off the month trading for US$23,289, meaning it’s currently down a fraction in August after posting a gain of 22% in July.

But the Bitcoin price, as you’re likely aware, tends to move quickly. In fact, just a few hours from the time of writing, the Bitcoin price was in the green for August, trading at US$23,579, CoinMarketCap tells us.

Commenting on the recent rally, eToro’s market analyst and crypto expert Simon Peters said, “While still a way to go to recover losses of H1, cryptoassets such as Bitcoin are witnessing a mini revival.”

What’s influencing the Bitcoin price?

It’s not just the Bitcoin price that rallied in July.

Most risk assets, like high-growth tech shares, enjoyed a strong month, as witnessed by the 12% gain posted by the NASDAQ and the 15% gain here in Australia on the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX).

“We’re very much seeing that the syncing up with equity markets is continuing,” Peters said. “July saw stocks, particularly tech and other higher-risk-profile equities surge back. Much of the effects of inflation and rate hikes now appears priced in, with markets sanguine about recession worries.”

The rising impact of institutional investors

The greater presence of institutional investors in crypto markets looks to be adding to the correlation between the Bitcoin price moves and other risk assets.

According to Peters:

Institutions have treated crypto holdings in much the same way as these equities, which is why there’s greater correlation now than in the past. As those big institutions move back into the space the crypto investors could see valuations tick back to better levels.

So, why has the Bitcoin price been retracing over the past few hours?

Our best guess is that futures on the NASDAQ have also turned moderately negative, indicating a likely retrace for risk assets when US markets open tomorrow (overnight Aussie time).

The post Bitcoin price dips in August after soaring 22% in July. What’s going on? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Bitcoin price dips. Is Ethereum on track to dethrone the top crypto?
• Why El Salvador is doubling down on Bitcoin despite the 2022 price crash
• The Bitcoin price is leaping 10% higher today. What’s going on?
• Bitcoin or Cardano: which crypto is most widely held among Aussies in 2022?
• Why top cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin are slumping today

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Bitcoin. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Bitcoin. 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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There are some good-looking ASX growth shares to consider in August, in my opinion.

Share markets have been recovering in recent weeks, but there are plenty of shares with prices still noticeably lower than they were at the start of the year.

We can’t turn back time to mid-June to when ASX share prices were generally lower across the board, but it’s still possible to invest in quality businesses at attractive prices.

I wish that I could invest in everything at once, but we have to choose what to do with the investment money we have.

While plenty of other ASX growth shares could also be attractive at this level, in this article I’m going to write about these two interesting ideas:

iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV)

This exchange traded fund (ETF) enables its investors to invest in 500 of the largest and most profitable businesses listed in the US.

Many Australian investors are focused on ASX shares, or perhaps ETFs targeted at the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) or S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO). So, it could be a good thing to add diversification by investing in some of the leading global tech shares.

While there are 500 businesses in this portfolio, there are a few pretty sizeable weightings of the ETF: Apple (7.1%), Microsoft (6%), Alphabet (3.9%), Amazon (3.4%), Tesla (2.2%), and Berkshire Hathaway (1.5%).

At today’s lower price – the IVV ETF is down 10% in 2022 – I think being able to buy the underlying group of businesses at this price is attractive.

One of the best things about this ETF is its extremely low management fee of just 0.04%.

Australian Ethical Investment Ltd (ASX: AEF)

This ASX growth share is a leading fund manager which specialises in offering investment products that are meant to align with investors’ values and also provide competitive returns.

It is seeing investors add hundreds of millions of dollars into the fund manager each quarter. A key part of that fund flow is superannuation. The business is benefiting from the regular contributions of the mandatory superannuation guarantee.

Over FY22, Australian Ethical saw $0.94 billion of net inflows.

Another positive factor for the business is that its customer numbers keep growing. It revealed that 4,794 new customers joined Australian Ethical during the three months to June 2022. This was an increase of 4% from 31 March 2022.

It has also executed a successor fund transfer deed with Christian Super, where Christian Super members will be transferred into Australian Ethical Super. At 30 June 2022, Christian Super had 30,000 members and $1.96 billion of funds under management (FUM). This could be a boost for the ASX growth share’s FUM.

I think that Australian Ethical will be able to grow its FUM as it grows its customer numbers, receives ongoing net inflows, and benefits from scale.

The post I rate these top ASX growth shares as buys in August appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 3 wonderful ETFs for ASX investors to buy today
• 3 quality ETFs for ASX investors in July
• Australian Ethical shares wobble amid 9% fall in funds under management
• Here are 3 ETFs for ASX investors to buy in FY23

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. Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, Apple, Australian Ethical Investment Ltd., Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), Microsoft, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended the following options: long January 2023 $200 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple, short January 2023 $200 puts on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), short January 2023 $265 calls on Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, Apple, Australian Ethical Investment Ltd., Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and iShares Trust – iShares Core S&P 500 ETF. 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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Are you looking for exchange traded funds (ETFs) to buy?

If you are, then you may want to look at the two exciting ETFs that are listed below.

Here’s why they could be worth getting better acquainted with:

BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF (ASX: CRYP)

The first ETF for investors to look at in August is the BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF.

This high risk ETF could be a top option for investors that believe the crypto industry is not only here to stay, but will become a big part of the global economy in the future.

That’s because this ETF gives investors exposure to the leading players in the cryptocurrency industry. These are the mining equipment manufacturers, trading platform providers, and cryptocurrency miners.

Among the shares you’ll be owning a slice of are crypto mining hardware manufacturer Canaan, crypto trading platform Coinbase, crypto bank Silvergate, and crypto mining company Riot Blockchain.

BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK)

A second exciting ETF for ASX investors to look at in August is the BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF.

This ETF could be a good option for investors that are wanting exposure to a growing cybersecurity industry.

Having exposure to the industry could be a smart move given that spending on cybersecurity services has been tipped to increase materially in the coming years as more infrastructure moves online and cyber attacks become more prevalent.

Among the companies included in the HACK ETF are Accenture, Cisco, Cloudflare, Crowdstrike, Fortinet, Okta, and Splunk. All these companies look well-placed to benefit from increasing demand for their services over the next decade.

The post 2 exciting ETFs for investors to buy in August appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 2 excellent ETFs for ASX investors in August
• Does the HACK ETF pay dividends?
• 3 high quality ETFs for ASX investors to buy today
• 3 highly rated ETFs for ASX investors to buy now
• Here’s why I think this cybersecurity ETF is a top buy in July

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended BETA CYBER ETF UNITS and Betashares Crypto Innovators ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended BETA CYBER ETF UNITS. 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 Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) share price is currently in the green amid news that Australian Pharmaceutical Industries (API) has a new boss.

Wesfarmers shares are up around 0.1% and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is also up around 0.1%.

Wesfarmers Health is the new division of the company which will be the home of businesses within the space of health, beauty and wellbeing.

According to reporting by the Australian Financial Review, Wesfarmers Health boss Emily Amos is now in charge of running API after Richard Vincent stepped down.

Vincent has reportedly decided to move into an advisory role, so Wesfarmers Health will still be able to benefit from this.

API was the first move by Wesfarmers into the health sector, but Wesfarmers leader Rob Scott said that it will look at any further acquisitions through a “consumer lens” according to the AFR. Beauty and skincare products, as well as digital health, could be areas of interest.

Over time, this segment could have a growing influence on the Wesfarmers share price.

What are some of the positives of moving into healthcare?

Wesfarmers is attracted to healthcare because it’s “an important, large sector with long-term growth tailwinds”. From 2019-2020 to 2060-61, the population aged 65 and over will double to 8.9 million.

The company says that there is increasing demand for health, beauty and wellbeing products and services. Wesfarmers noted that customers are becoming more interested in health and wellness. There is also increased focus on preventative health measures and treatments.

Management believes that ‘data and digital’ can transform the customer journey in healthcare. There are “opportunities to leverage technology to improve health outcomes”.

Wesfarmers stated:

With strong fundamentals and the ability to leverage group capabilities, Wesfarmers Health can deliver superior returns over the long-term.

In terms of the API business, there are three segments. There’s the pharmacy distribution segment which is one of only four national full-line pharmaceutical wholesalers. Priceline is another segment, which is a leading network of franchised pharmacies and retail stores. Clear Skincare Clinics has a growing footprint in the fragmented and “high growth” non-surgical aesthetics market. It also has an expanding range of high margin own label products.

Wesfarmers share price snapshot

Over the past month, Wesfarmers shares have risen by around 8%.

The post What’s impacting the Wesfarmers share price on Thursday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why is the Wesfarmers share price beating the ASX 200 today?
• Morgans name 3 of the best ASX shares to buy in August
• ‘Recession-like levels’: Why ASX retail shares could still be in for a bumpy ride
• From Cotton On to Catch: Wesfarmers’ plans to put its acquisition back on track
• Own Wesfarmers shares? Here’s why Bunnings and Kmart are under investigation by the information watchdog

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Wesfarmers Limited. 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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