Tag: Motley Fool

The Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) share price is having a terrible start to the week.

In afternoon trade, the artificial intelligence data services company’s shares are down a sizeable 15% to $5.60.

Why is the Appen share price crashing on Monday?

The Appen share price has come under pressure for a few reasons on Monday.

One is broad weakness in the tech sector following a poor finish to the week on the tech-focused Nasdaq index.

This has seen the S&P ASX All Technology index tumble 2.2% this afternoon.

What else?

The reason for the weakness on Wall Street’s Nasdaq index is having a negative impact on the Appen share price.

Investors were hitting the sell button on social media and advertising stocks on Friday night after Snapchat’s owner, Snap Inc, released a very disappointing update. Snap saw its shares crash almost 40%, Meta (Facebook) was down almost 8%, and Google dropped almost 6%.

As Appen generates the majority of its revenue from these companies, their underperformance could ultimately have an impact on demand.

Anything else?

Finally, a note out of Citi could be weighing on sentiment and the Appen share price today.

While its analysts have retained their neutral rating and $6.60 price target, they have warned that the market is too optimistic on Appen ahead of its first half earnings.

Citi highlights that the consensus estimate is for EBITDA of US$20.6 million. However, it believes that Appen will fall short of that and is forecasting EBITDA of US$19 million instead.

The broker also warned that there is a risk to Appen’s guidance for a material increase in second half revenue. This is due to weakness in digital advertising and Facebook’s transition to a new artificial intelligence engine.

The post Why is the Appen share price sinking 15% today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Why is the Appen share price leaping 6% on Wednesday?
• Why Appen, Arizona Lithium, Australian Stategic Materials, and Nuix shares are dropping
• Why the upcoming first-half result could be pivotal for Appen shares
• Tech tumble: How this ASX share plunged 59% last financial year
• Why did the Appen share price sink 13% in June?

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 Appen Ltd. 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/QMWkxgC

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.

Recession fears have weighed heavily on the stock market through the first half of the year. In fact, the broad S&P 500 had its worst first half since 1970, and the Nasdaq Composite is currently 25% off its high, putting the tech-heavy index in bear market territory.

On the bright side, tumbling prices mean that many stocks are now trading at discounts to their historical valuations, and that creates an opportunity for patient investors. Here are two growth stocks worth buying right now.

1. Roku

Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU) helped pioneer the streaming industry. In 2008, it brought the first streaming player to market, not long after Netflix introduced the first streaming service. Today, RokuOS is still the only operating system purpose-built for television, and its viewer-friendly reputation has led to partnerships with a growing number of television manufacturers. That has helped Roku position itself as the most popular streaming platform in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Meanwhile, Roku has also built a powerful ad tech platform, OneView, which enables advertisers to deliver targeted campaigns across connected TV (CTV), mobile, and desktop devices. That means Roku can monetize advertising whether or not it owns the inventory.

In the first quarter, Roku reported a 14% increase in streaming hours, marking a deceleration in engagement. But that came on the back of a pandemic-driven acceleration in the prior year, when viewing time soared 49%. More importantly, Roku still outpaced the industry average of 10% growth, meaning it gained market share. That led to reasonably strong financial results, as revenue rose 44% to $2.9 billion and cash from operations climbed 18% to $234 million.

Turning to the future, investors have good reason to be bullish. US viewers currently spend 46% of their television time on streaming, but advertisers spend just 18% of their television budgets on streaming. In the coming years, investors should expect more ad dollars to shift to streaming platforms, and Roku is well-positioned to benefit from that trend.

On that note, global television ad spend will reach $344 billion by 2026, according to IMARC Group, and Roku CEO Anthony Wood believes all television advertising will eventually be streamed. That creates a tremendous opportunity for the company.

Shares currently trade at 4.7 times sales, much cheaper than the three-year average of 15.5 times sales. That’s why this growth stock is a screaming buy.

2. Block

Block (NYSE: SQ) breaks its business into two segments: Square and Cash App. Through the Square ecosystem, sellers can provision all of the hardware, software, and services they need to run a business across online and offline locations. That differentiates Block from traditional merchant acquirers (e.g. banks), which often bundle products from different vendors, leaving merchants with a patchwork of solutions that must be manually integrated.

The Cash App ecosystem takes a similarly disruptive approach. Consumers can deposit, send, spend, and invest money from a single mobile app, and they can file their taxes for free. Better yet, where banks with physical branches typically pay at least $300 to acquire a new customer, Block pays just $10 to acquire a new Cash App user, making its business model much more efficient.

In short, Block is disrupting the financial services industry for both merchants and consumers, and that has translated into strong financial results. In the past year, gross profit climbed 50% to $4.8 billion and the company generated $965 million in free cash flow, up from a loss of $344 million in the prior year.

Looking ahead, Block is well-positioned to grow its business. The company is working to unlock synergies between Square and Cash App by integrating Afterpay — its recently acquired “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) platform — into both ecosystems.

Specifically, Square sellers will be able to accept BNPL online and in person. That should drive sales growth, simply because BNPL tends to boost transaction volume. But those sellers will also be able to use shopper data to deliver targeted recommendations to consumers through the Cash App, which could further boost sales.

Currently, Block puts its addressable market in the U.S. at $190 billion in gross profit, but the company also operates in Canada, Japan, Australia, and the U.K., and it recently entered Ireland, Spain, and France. That means Block has a long runway for growth, and with shares trading at 2.3 times sales — near the cheapest valuation in the past five years — now is a great time to buy this growth stock.

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

The post Nasdaq bear market: 2 stellar growth stocks I’d buy hand over fist appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() { function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) { if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) { var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0]; button.style[property] = defaultValue; } } setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’); setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’); setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’); })()

More reading

• Why Block stock cratered by nearly 62% in 2022’s first half
• 4 potential winners from Netflix’s advertising plans
• Why are ASX tech shares struggling today?

Trevor Jennewine has positions in Block, Inc. and Roku. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Block, Inc., Netflix, and Roku. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Block, Inc. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Netflix. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/gkzpShJ

The Cronos Australia Ltd (ASX: CAU) share price is pushing higher today following the release of its quarterly activities report for the quarter ended 30 June 2022.

The ASX cannabis share has since rocketed 32% into the green from the open and now trades at 29 cents apiece.

Cronos shoots higher on ‘another record quarter’

Key takeouts from the period include:

• Record annual cash receipts from customers for FY2022 of $70 million, representing 245%
  year-on-year (YoY) growth
• Total cash receipts of $23 million, another record quarter
• Net positive operating cash flows of greater than $13 million for FY2022
• Total cash now at more than $16 million at the end of FY2022
• Record 486,000 products sold through BHC’s CanView platform during FY2022, representing
  270% YoY growth

What else happened for the ASX cannabis share?

Sales generated through the CanView platform in the June quarter totalled roughly $21 million.

This results in a quarterly compound average growth rate (CAGR) of 34% for sales made through the CanView platform, the company says.

Average gross margins are also steady between 35–40% across the portfolio. Cronos says it now has more than 160 product stock keeping units (SKUs) sold on the platform.

It sold around 165,000 units through the CanView platform last quarter. This brings the total number
for FY22 to more than 486,000.

As a result, total units sold through CanView grew by 355,000 from FY21, a YoY growth of 270%.

Finally, another 203 new pharmacies established wholesale accounts through the CanView platform. This takes the cumulative number of pharmacies at year end to 2,808.

This is “close to half of all pharmacies in Australia,” Cronos says.

Management commentary

Speaking on the announcement, Cronos CEO, Rodney Cocks said:

At the end of the first financial year after our successful merger with CDA Health, we are very pleased to close out the year with total cash receipts of nearly $70 million, positive net operating cash flows of $13 million and more than $16 million in cash. Our CanView platform has been key to these results and is the sales and distribution partner of choice for leading Australian Medicinal Cannabis suppliers.

Having now established nationwide coverage of pharmacies, we look to execute the next phase of our growth strategy with our national Medical Science Liaison team targeting further prescribers across the country. As we continue to implement our strategic plan, we are confident of delivering further sustainable growth and shareholder value in 2023.

What’s next for Cronos?

The merger with CDA Health Pty Ltd has resulted in a significant increase in Cronos’ expenditures. It has scaled up operations and therefore costs, as well.

It has retained positive net cash flows from operations for all four quarters of FY22. It is anticipated
that “the balance of the Group’s cash and cash equivalents is expected to increase over time.”

The ASX cannabis share is up 141% in the past 12 months.

The post Guess which ASX cannabis share just rocketed 30% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Green shoots or just weeds? The outlook for ASX cannabis shares in FY23
• How did ASX cannabis shares perform in FY22?

Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/vXZoQfn

The Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) share price is rallying after a steep early morning slide amid a tough day for buy now, pay later (BNPL) shares.

The Zip share price fell as low as 9.65% in early trading but has made its way back into the green, up 2.27% to 90 cents at the time of writing. For perspective, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is currently down 0.04%.

Let’s take a look at what is happening to the Zip share price.

What’s happening to the Zip share price?

The Zip share price struggled early but it was not the only BNPL share in the red. Block Inc (ASX: SQ2) shares are down 3.86% while the Sezzle Inc (ASX: SZL) share price is 10% lower at the time of writing.

Today’s fall follows the S&P 500 Index sliding 0.93% and the NASDAQ dropping 1.87% in US markets on Friday.

Investors were alarmed after Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP) reported a net loss of $422 million compared to its $152 million loss in the previous quarter. Snapchat shares fell 39% on the back of the results.

BNPL share Block’s New York Stock Exchange listing was among other shares in the red, down nearly 4%. Commenting on the market falls, Crossmark Global Investments chief investment officer Bob Doll said, cited by Reuters:

Earnings are coming in less bad than feared, but they’re deteriorating from what we got used to and accustomed to over the last several quarters

Meantime, Zip reported a 27% increase in revenue to $160 million last week compared to the prior corresponding period. Customer numbers also grew 5.3% from the previous quarter to 12 million.

ZIP CEO and co-founder Larry Diamond said:

All this was done whilst balancing and implementing our updated financial strategy to fast-track profitability, by reducing our global cost base, and refocusing our capital and efforts on core products and core markets.

Share price snapshot

Zip shares have slid 87% in the past year, losing 79% in the year to date.

However, in the past month, Zip shares have surged 68%.

For perspective, the benchmark ASX index has declined about 8% in the past year.

Zip has a market capitalisation of about $619 million based on today’s share price.

The post Swings and roundabouts: What’s with the Zip share price today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday
• Why Brickworks, Ioneer, Telix, and Zip shares are charging higher
• Up 59% this week: Why is the Zip share price surging another 17% today?
• ASX 200 midday update: Brickworks higher, IAG drops on prelim results, Zip rockets

Motley Fool contributor Monica O’Shea 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. and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Block, Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/zAoH5gv

At lunch on Monday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has given back its early gains and dropped into the red. The benchmark index is currently down 0.2% to 6,776.6 points.

Here’s what is happening on the ASX 200 today:

EML crashes on Ireland update

The EML Payments Ltd (ASX: EML) share price is crashing deep into the red on Monday. This follows news that the Central Bank of Ireland has not approved the company’s remediation programme for its European operations. The bank identified “shortcomings” in components of the programme, principally the sequencing and approach taken to the risk assessment of its distributors, corporates and customers.

Flight Centre upgrades guidance

The Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) share price is having a strong day thanks to a guidance upgrade from the travel agent. The company revealed that a strong finish to the financial year means that it expects a lower operating loss than previously guided to. Flight Centre expects to record an underlying EBITDA loss of between $180 million and $190 million in FY 2022. This is an 11.9% improvement on the mid-point of the company’s initial FY 2022 guidance.

South32 shares higher on quarterly update

The South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) share price is pushing higher today following the release of a solid production update from the mining giant. Among the highlights were Alumina production up 3% quarter on quarter to 1,361kt and aluminium production up 5% to 255kt. South32 also revealed that it expects to achieve its operating cost guidance for most commodities in FY 2022.

Best and worst ASX 200 performers

The best performer on the ASX 200 on Monday has been the Flight Centre share price with a 5.5% gain. This follows the travel agent’s guidance update. Going the other way, the EML share price has been the worst performer by some distance on Monday. The embattled payments company’s shares are down 20% at lunch following its Ireland update.

The post ASX 200 midday update: EML crashes, Flight Centre jumps on guidance upgrade appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• EML share price crashes 22% on Ireland warning
• South32 share price higher on solid Q4 update
• Flight Centre share price storms 5% higher on guidance upgrade
• Up 10% so far in July, is the CSL share price heading back above $300?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday

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 EML Payments. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended EML Payments. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/nPMzWSU

The Camplify Holdings Ltd (ASX: CHL) share price is trading up in the green today amid the release of its Q4 FY22 activities report and business update.

At the time of writing, Camplify is trading 4% higher at $2.36 apiece. In broad market moves, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is flat at 6,798 at the time of writing.

Camplify share price up as revenue climbs

Key takeouts from the quarter include:

• Q4 FY22 Gross Transaction Volumes (GTV) of $ 17.71 million, growth rate of 82.81% over the prior corresponding period (pcp), pcp being Q4 FY21.
• Revenue for Q4 FY22 of $5.6 million, a growth rate of 103.83% over the pcp
• Take rate for the quarter hitting 25.47% (unaudited) and 31.63% including van sales.
• Cash receipts from customers of $15.86 million for Q4 FY22
• Order book closing the quarter strong at $14.78 million in future bookings recorded.

What else happened last quarter for Camplify?

Camplify experienced an 83% growth in GTV over the pcp last quarter. Total GTV recorded was $17.71 million.

Net revenue also grew more than 103% compared to the same time last year. The company printed net revenue of $5.60 million, underscored by its “stellar growth performance”.

Future booking values continue to grow as well. Camplify left the quarter with an allocation of $14.78 million in future bookings value.

This represents a year on year increase of more than 112% to $6.95 million.

“Future bookings, are bookings that have been booked and paid, but are yet to take place, and not recognised in the Camplify recorded GTV allocation,” the company clarified.

Moreover, growth was recognised within all the company’s footprint, Camplify says.

“Growth for the period was consistent across all regions with over 83% increases in GTV in every region,” it noted.

In particular, New Zealand was strong in growth with a 146% year on year growth schedule. These numbers indicate a strong recovery there, the company says.

Other avenues of income continue to show signs of growth as well:

During the quarter the Camplify marketplace grew total customers by 67180. This includes users from the import of customers from the Mighway and ShareaCamper and organic customer growth.

Growth in the total RV fleet reached 9,926, a total growth percentage of 61.11% pcp.

In the past 12 months, the Camplify share price has held onto an 83% gain.

The post Camplify share price leaps 6% as revenue more than doubles appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• ASX 200 midday update: EML crashes, Flight Centre jumps on guidance upgrade
• What’s the outlook for Newcrest Mining shares in FY23?
• Why is the Whispir share price tumbling 10% on Monday?
• Why has the Core Lithium share price surged 15% in a week?
• Investing is more important now than ever before

Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow 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 Camplify Holdings Limited. 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/8DqjMuz

Shares of Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) are rangebound today and trade less than 1% in the red.

At the time of writing, the gold miner is fetching $19.23, following a 17% slip into the red over the past month of trade.

Meanwhile, the price of gold is still bottom-heavy at US$1,722 per ounce.

What’s in store for Newcrest shares?

The gold price has been a challenge for Newcrest in CY2022. It has tumbled from previous highs and now trades at key long-term support levels, as seen below.

Newcrest shares and the gold price tend to track each other closely. Gold has been drifting lower as the opportunity cost of holding the yellow metal increases amid rising yields. Recall, gold pays no interest.

Newcrest released its operational update and exploration overview for the June quarter. The company reported sound results, with gold production in line with forecasts, and copper production slightly lower than guidance.

It also reported higher injury rates than the prior period at its Cadia, Telfer and Red Chris operations.

Investors can expect FY23 full-year guidance in Newcrest’s annual report due for presentation on 19 August.

It did note, however, that it is progressing its “exciting pipeline of organic growth projects,” and remains “focused on superior operational performance”.

Meanwhile, 47% of brokers presently advocate buying Newcrest shares, while the remaining 53% is shared to hold, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.

The consensus price target from this list is $25.62, suggesting there could be more upside yet for the miner if this group is correct.

In the last 12 months, Newcrest shares have slipped more than 26% into the red.

The post What’s the outlook for Newcrest Mining shares in FY23? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Thursday
• Newcrest share price up on quarterly results and exploration activities report
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday

Motley Fool contributor Zach Bristow 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/4FlC9Ra

The Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) share price has taken off over the last seven days, leaping 15%.

Interestingly, there’s been no news from the lithium developer during that time. Though, future supply challenges have been flagged by an industry insider.

At the time of writing, the Core Lithium share price is $1.06. That’s up from last Monday’s open of 92 cents.

For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has gained around 3% over the same period.

So, what has been going on with the ASX 200 lithium developer’s stock? Let’s take a look.

What’s driving the Core Lithium share price higher?

The Core Lithium share price has been on a roll lately despite the company’s silence.

In fact, it’s been close to a fortnight since the market last heard price-sensitive news from the lithium favourite. Then, the company posted a significant increase to its flagship Finniss Project’s mineral resource estimate and ore reserve.

However, last week Tesla and Tech Council of Australia chair Robyn Denholm reportedly told a summit that a shortfall in battery materials could be the “rate-limiting actor” in the fight against climate change.

Denholm is said to have told the Clean Energy Summit the lithium industry must “scale at sprinting pace” to bolster supply of the material.

Of course, greater demand for lithium generally means higher prices, which tend to boost producers’ bottom lines.

Additionally, the Core Lithium share price still has plenty of room for recovery after a major lithium sell-off in June.

The stock tumbled 31% last month alongside many of its ASX lithium peers. It has since recovered around 8%.

Though, short sellers’ interest in the stock hasn’t abated yet. Between late May and mid-June, Core Lithium’s short position increased by around 5%. It was sitting at 7.6% as of the most recent count.

The post Why has the Core Lithium share price surged 15% in a week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43B02A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today
• Why is the Core Lithium share price surging 7%?
• ASX 200 lithium shares get busy amid dire supply call
• Here are the top 10 ASX shares today

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 Tesla. 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.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/yG0JEFO

The Whispir Ltd (ASX: WSP) share price has started the week deep in the red.

In morning trade, the communications workflow platform provider’s shares are down 10% to $1.10.

Why is the Whispir share price sinking?

Broad weakness in the tech sector appears to have offset the release of the company’s reasonably solid quarterly update this morning and weighed heavily on the Whispir share price.

In respect to its update, for the three months ended 30 June, Whispir reported a 25.9% increase in cash receipts over the prior corresponding period to $16.96 million.

And while the company is not yet profitable, it has made an improvement with its cash outflows. During the period, Whispir reduced its free cash outflow by 15.8% over the prior quarter to $4.74 million thanks to its cost management program.

This left Whispir with a cash position of $26.1 million at the end of June, which management notes is sufficient to cover more than 12 months of cash burn in FY 2023. Though, it may not need it. Management believes that it will achieve positive EBITDA during second half of FY 2023.

What were the drivers of its growth?

According to the release, Whispir now has over 1,000 customers using its communications platform. All regions showed growth during the quarter, with North America the stand-out with a 16.7% increase over the prior quarter.

Another positive was its customer revenue retention (CRR) which came in at 125.5% in June. This was an improvement of 8.4% versus the prior corresponding period. Customer churn remains under 5%.

FY 2022 guidance

Whispir also provided the market with an idea of what to expect with its full-year results next week.

It advised that it expects to exceed the upper end of its revenue guidance range of $64 million to $68 million by up to 5%.

Management also revealed that it expects to exceed the upper end (the good end) of its EBITDA loss range by up to 10%.

One small disappointment, though, is that its annual recurring revenue (ARR) is only expected to be at the lower end of its $65.4 million to $70 million guidance range.

Whispir’s CEO, Jeromy Wells, commented:

Whispir continues to sign new customers, expand its offering to existing customers, and find new markets and applications for its communications platform. With a robust cash position and a clear strategy for its three main geographical markets, the Company is well placed to achieve its goals of profitable operations during the second half of FY23 and becoming cash accretive during FY24.

The post Why is the Whispir share price tumbling 10% on Monday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• ‘Great long-term investment’: Expert names small-cap ASX share to buy for cheap
• Guess which ASX All Ords shares are serving up 15% gains today

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 Whispir Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Whispir Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/DVHAUdk

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.

With high inflation pushing up the cost of virtually everything while salaries aren’t keeping up, investing might seem like a luxury you can do without until things stabilize. Unfortunately, that thought process can lead to you falling ever farther behind. After all, investing gives you the chance to let your money work for you, and over time, a strong portfolio can help you cover the gap that your stagnating salary won’t.

That makes investing more important now than it has been in quite a long time. After all, every dollar of unearned income you receive is a dollar you don’t have to cover from your salary. Add the compounding effect of your investments potentially growing over time, and a decent portfolio just might provide you your best approach to fighting the runaway cost pressures we’re all facing. 

Start by getting your costs under control

Of course, with your costs escalating, it can be challenging to come up with the money to invest in the first place. On that front, there’s a straightforward approach you can take to help you get ready to invest. Start by tracking your expenses — every penny — for around two months. In this stage, there’s no need to judge where your money is going, just write it down. On top of that tracking, write down an estimate for the regular costs you face that don’t hit monthly, like birthdays, holidays, and insurance.

Once you know where your money is going, look over those expenses and mark them as red, yellow, or green, based on your own priorities. Money you’re spending absentmindedly or that you otherwise neither want nor need to spend, mark red. Money that is going toward critical parts of your life that you can’t or won’t live without, mark green. Everything else, mark yellow.

For the red coded expenses, the next step is simple: stop spending on them. Those are costs that you’re facing that aren’t at all a priority for you. When it comes to the green expenses, those are fine to hold onto, as long as they’re not overwhelming your income. Still, over time, you can look for ways to get them down, such as paying off your mortgage to lower your housing costs.

To tackle your yellow colored costs, you’ve got some work to do. Those are things you’re spending money on that aren’t super-critical to you but you’re not quite willing or able to completely do without. For these costs, you need to optimize. For instance, you might want to switch from cafe-bought coffee to the home brewed variety, or even the free coffee that could be available at your office. Likewise, a programmable thermostat can help you cut down on energy use without otherwise affecting your life.

Between cutting out the red expenses and optimizing your yellow expenses, you should be able to put some space between your income and your outgo. If not, go back to your spending list and see if there’s any more yellow expenses you can code red, green expenses you could code yellow, or yellow expenses you could continue to optimize. Your goal here is to free up as much cash as you can while minimizing the impact to the things you prioritize in your life.

Next-tackle your debts

Once you have your costs where you need them to be, your next objective should be to get your debts under control. The most efficient approach to pay off debt is known as the debt avalanche method. To use it, start by lining up your debts in order from the highest interest rate to the lowest interest rate.

On all debts except your highest interest one, pay the minimums. On that highest interest debt, pay as much as you can above that minimum until it’s completely paid off. After that debt gets paid off, take all the cash that you had been paying toward it and add it to your new highest interest rate debt. Repeat the process until nearly all your debts are paid off.

It may be OK to keep some of your debts out of the avalanche, paying only the minimums on them until they’re paid off. For that to be true, the debt should have a low interest rate, a low payment, and serve a key purpose for your future. Debts that may fit the bill are often ones like mortgages, medical debts, or auto loans on modest, reliable transportation.

Finally-start investing

By getting both your everyday costs and your debts under control, you just might find that you’ve freed up way more cash to invest than you initially thought possible. Make sure you set up a modest emergency fund, and then get to work investing for the long term future.

If you haven’t invested before, a low-cost, broad based index fund is a great choice. You’ll get market-like returns with very little effort. In addition, you’re likely to outperform the vast majority of Wall Street’s best and brightest active fund managers over time. Once you’re in that spot, you’ll be at the point where your money can be working for you — and helping you fight the crazy inflation we’re all facing.

Get started now

The sooner you get started on this approach, the sooner you can get to the point where you have a powerful tool at your side that can help you keep up with ever-escalating costs. Make today the day you begin your journey, and give yourself your best chance possible of reaching the point where the returns on your money can cover a decent chunk of your costs. 

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

The post Investing is more important now than ever before appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

(function() {
function setButtonColorDefaults(param, property, defaultValue) {
if( !param || !param.includes(‘#’)) {
var button = document.getElementsByClassName(“pitch-snippet”)[0].getElementsByClassName(“pitch-button”)[0];
button.style[property] = defaultValue;
}
}

setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#0095C8”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#fff”, ‘color’, ‘#fff’);
})()

More reading

• Genex share price rockets 50% on confirmed takeover bid
• Why is the Fortescue share price climbing today?
• EML share price crashes 22% on Ireland warning
• Your portfolio vs a bear market: How to come out on top
• Why is the Nanosonics share price sinking?

Chuck Saletta 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. 

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

from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/dFe0bP7