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The BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) share price is in the freezer on Wednesday. Here’s what we know so far.

Prior to market open this morning, the company – engaged with neuromorphic computing – paused the trading of its shares.

Soon after, they were halted at the BrainChip share price’s previous close of 62 cents.

Let’s take a closer look at the details of BrainChip’s trading halt.

Why is the BrainChip share price frozen?

BrainChip’s stock isn’t going anywhere right now as the company prepares to make a mysterious announcement.

In requesting its trading halt, BrainChip stated it’s working to “facilitate an orderly market in BrainChip’s securities to manage its continuous disclosure obligations.”

Unfortunately, that’s the only clue we have. BrainChip’s stock will remain frozen until it either releases an announcement or the ASX opens on Friday, whichever comes sooner.

The trading halt has come just days after BrainChip announced a new partnership with Japanese giant MegaChips Corporation. The company’s stock gains 21.5% on the back of the announcement.

Additionally, the BrainChip share price surged 14.8% over the first 3 weeks of November. My Foolish colleague Zach recently broke down all the news that drove the BrainChip share price in late October and early November.

Making today’s freeze more interesting is just how unusual it is. BrainChip hasn’t entered a trading halt since December 2020.

The company broke that trading halt by announcing NASA had placed an order for its Akida Early Access Evaluation Kit. Additionally, the company had penned an intellectual property licence.

The BrainChip share price surged 57% on the back of the announcements.

It goes without saying that plenty of eyes will be watching BrainChip this week in anticipation of what could be big news.

Right now, BrainChip’s shares are trading for 43% more than they were at the start of 2021.

The post Why is the BrainChip (ASX:BRN) share price having a freeze today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• BrainChip (ASX: BRN) share price rockets 16% on Megachips deal
• Why BrainChip, HT&E, Platinum, and Whitehaven Coal are dropping
• Why the BrainChip (ASX:BRN) share price is sinking 9% today
• Up 42% in a month: What’s the go with the Brainchip (ASX:BRN) share price?
• Why Brainchip, Chalice, Life360, and PointsBet shares are surging higher

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 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 Bruce Jackson.

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Many of Australia’s top brokers have been busy adjusting their financial models again, leading to the release of a large number of broker notes this week.

Three ASX shares brokers have named as buys this week are listed below. Here’s why they are bullish on them:

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

According to a note out of Morgans, its analysts have retained their add rating but trimmed their price target on this mining giant’s shares to $45.70. This follows the announcement of a binding agreement to merge its petroleum assets with Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL). As well as being positive on the merger, Morgans likes BHP due to its attractive combination of upside sensitivity, balance sheet strength, and resilient dividend profile. The BHP share price is trading at $38.49 this afternoon.

Life360 Inc (ASX: 360)

A note out of Morgan Stanley reveals that its analysts have retained their overweight rating and increased their price target on this app maker’s shares to $16.50. The broker notes that Life360 is acquiring personal items tracking company Tile for US$205 million (A$282.8 million). The broker is positive on the deal and expects to widen its target market and offer further upsell opportunities. The Life360 share price was fetching $13.51 prior to its trading halt.

Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL)

Another note out of Morgans reveals that its analysts have retained their add rating and lifted their price target on this healthcare company’s shares to $47.05. This follows the recent release of a solid trading update for the first four months of FY 2022. In addition, the broker sees upside risk to COVID-19 testing demand in the northern hemisphere during the winter period. This could be a big positive for Sonic’s pathology operations. The Sonic share price is trading at $41.39 on Wednesday afternoon.

The post Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• These top brokers say the BHP (ASX:BHP) share price is a bargain buy
• BHP (ASX:BHP) share price jumps 4% on ‘global energy company’ deal
• Looking to invest in the electrification and battery theme? Here are 5 ASX shares to consider
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: BHP, Woodside rise, TechnologyOne falls
• Life360 (ASX:360) share price halted amid $280 million acquisition

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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Telstra Corporation Limited and Webjet Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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In early afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is fighting hard to stay in positive territory. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.15% to 7,420.9 points.

Four ASX shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are pushing higher:

Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB)

The Webjet share price is up almost 1.5% to $5.66 following the release of the online travel agent’s half year results. For the six months ended 30 September, Webjet experienced a significant improvement in booking volumes. This was particularly the case for its WebBeds business, which is now producing positive cash. This led to Webjet recording TTV of $663 million and revenue of $55.4 million for the period. This was more than double what it achieved in the first half of FY 2021.

Whispir Ltd (ASX: WSP)

The Whispir share price has jumped 12% to $2.35. Investors have been buying the cloud-based communications platform provider’s shares after it upgraded its guidance for FY 2022. Whispir now expects its revenue to be in the range of $64 million to $68 million in FY 2022. This represents a year on year increase of between 34% and 42%. Its prior guidance was for revenue in the range of $57.2 million to $60.2 million.

Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)

The Whitehaven Coal share price is up almost 3% to $2.57. This may have been driven by a rise in coal prices. According to CommSec, the thermal coal price rose 1.9% or US$3.00 to US$157 per tonne overnight.

Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL)

The Woodside share price is up 2.5% to $22.97. Investors have been buying this energy producer’s shares after several brokers responded positively to its update on plans to merge with the petroleum assets of BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP). UBS, for example, has retained its buy rating and lifted its price target on the company’s shares to $28.30.

The post Why Webjet, Whispir, Whitehaven Coal, and Woodside shares are pushing higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Biden taps oil reserve. What could this mean for ASX oil shares?
• These top brokers say the BHP (ASX:BHP) share price is a bargain buy
• Why is the Whispir (ASX:WSP) share price rocketing 14% higher?
• Webjet (ASX:WEB) share price on watch after reporting huge first half growth
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday

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. owns shares of and has recommended Whispir Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Webjet Ltd. and Whispir Ltd. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Anson Resources Ltd (ASX: ASN) share price is climbing today following plans to accelerate the company’s lithium production plant.

Earlier, Anson shares were up more than 7%. But at the time of writing, they have given up some of those gains and are now fetching for 14.5 cents, up 3.57% This means that its shares have now risen by almost 63% in a month alone, reflecting positive investor sentiment.

Anson progresses Paradox Lithium-Bromine Project

Investors are driving up the Anson share price after digesting the company’s latest release this morning.

According to its update, Anson has called upon leading global engineering solutions company, Worley Ltd(ASX: WOR) to perform a detailed feasibility study (DFS) for the development of the lithium production plant.

Worley has been busy in the background, conducting engineering studies on Anson’s behalf for the Paradox Lithium-Bromine Project. Once the DFS is completed, this will give a final total-installed cost estimate to advance to the construction phase.

Anson noted that the rapid increase in works is due to the strong lithium price over the past year. Currently, the price for lithium carbonate is fetching for 197,500 Chinese yuan (A$42,777) per tonne. This represents a 367% increase from November 2020.

Additionally, the company stated that the lithium production process has also improved economically by using alternative direct lithium extraction. Thus, enabling Anson to focus on a stand-alone lithium plant at the first stage of the project.

The DFS will include the drilling results from the two production wells and two re-entry exploration wells, scheduled for Q1 2022. The data is expected to expand the JORC Resource estimate, giving a clearer indication of potential production capacity.

The engineering study is due to be finalised in the second quarter of 2022.

Anson executive chair and CEO, Bruce Richardson commented:

Anson is very pleased to work with Worley on the engineering for its planned lithium plant at a time when demand for lithium is strong as reflected in healthy prices.

Worley provides a strong in-country team in the USA, coupled with global expertise in the development of lithium projects. The commencement of the Detailed Feasibility Study follows extensive test work and the production of EV battery grade products utilising the Direct Lithium Extraction process.

About the Anson share price

Over the last 12 months, the Anson share price has accelerated to post a gain of 353%. Year-to-date, its share price performance is just as impressive, up 400%.

Since hitting a 52-week high of 17.5 cents in the last week, Anson shares have retreated for the time being.

Based on today’s price, Anson presides a market capitalisation of roughly $148.10 million, with approximately 1.02 billion shares outstanding.

The post Anson Resources (ASX:ASN) share price leaps 4% on lithium project update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Biden taps oil reserve. What could this mean for ASX oil shares?
• Own WAM Capital (ASX:WAM) shares? Here’s what the company has planned for 2022
• A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price dips on news of a second class action
• Is the bull market in high-growth Nasdaq stocks over?
• The 4DS Memory (ASX:4DS) share price is halted. Here’s what you need to know

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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 Bruce Jackson.

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Oil prices are a funny thing. No matter what happens with ‘back gold’, you always have a group cheering it on, and a group decrying it.

Think about it, if oil prices go up, investors in oil companies rejoice at the higher margins their companies are making, which of course eventually leads to higher profits and (usually) dividends. At the same time, every motorist, transport company, and farmer feels the pinch of higher petrol and diesel fuel prices. If oil prices go down, this situation is reversed.

In other words, there’s never just a winner when it comes to oil prices. And in recent times, we have seen the oil price climb to new multi-year highs above US$80 a barrel. That’s why it’s been far more expensive to fill up your car in recent weeks, in case you were wondering.

So that’s why we should all pay attention to some fresh news out today that may have far-reaching consequences for the global energy market. According to a press release out of the White House overnight, US President Joe Biden has approved the release of 50 million barrels of oil from the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

US government floods market with oil

The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a government stockpile of oil that is designed as an emergency cache in case of a sudden supply shock or similar event. It was created in the aftermath of the oil shocks of the 1970s and is designed to hold a total of 714 million barrels of oil.  As of 19 November, it held approximately 604.5 million barrels of oil in reserve, so Biden’s release of 50 million barrels will make but a small dent.

The release comes after the OPEC group of petroleum exporting countries has been refusing in recent times to release more oil supplies in the wake of a global economic recovery.

Here’s some of what the White House said on why this directive has been given:

Today, the President is announcing that the Department of Energy will make available releases of 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower prices for Americans and address the mismatch between demand exiting the pandemic and supply…

This release will be taken in parallel with other major energy-consuming nations including China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom. This culminates weeks of consultations with countries around the world, and we are already seeing the effect of this work on oil prices. Over the last several weeks as reports of this work became public, oil prices are down nearly 10 per cent.

So clearly the intention here is to lower global oil prices.

What has this done for ASX energy shares?

You would think this would have a clear impact on ASX energy and oil shares like Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX: WPL), Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH) And Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT). So how have these companies reacted to this news today?

Well, the Woodside share price is up today, by 2.23% at $22.95 a share no less. Oil Search shares are also rising, up 0.95% at $4.24 a share. And Beach shares aren’t missing out on the party either. They’re up 3.36% at $1.29 a share.

This rise in ASX oil shares could be due to the fact that global oil prices actually increased overnight. Brent was up around 1% at US$79.70 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up around 1% as well at US$76.75.

According to a report in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) today, this could be due to expectations of an even larger release being let down. The report quotes Amrita Sen, co-founder of consultant Energy Aspects Ltd. in London, who said that “this is a hugely political move, and the Asian countries are adding only small, largely symbolic amounts”.

Bob McNally, president of consultant Rapidan Energy Group, was also quoted as saying. “If it comes to a test of wills and capabilities between a handful of strategic oil reserve holders led by the US and OPEC+, the market would probably bet on the latter prevailing.”

As the dust settles from all of these machinations, it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same when it comes to black gold.

The post Biden taps oil reserve. What could this mean for ASX oil shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• BHP (ASX:BHP) share price jumps 4% on ‘global energy company’ deal
• Woodside (ASX:WPL) share price climbing as megadeals signed off
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: BHP, Woodside rise, TechnologyOne falls

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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 Bruce Jackson.

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Owners of WAM Capital Limited (ASX: WAM) shares probably want to know what the listed investment company (LIC) has got planned for FY22.

WAM Capital is one of the ASX’s largest LICs. It held its annual general meeting (AGM) yesterday. It gave a FY22 update and also told investors about its outlook for the rest of the financial year.

WAM Capital FY22 update

Chair of WAM Capital, Geoff Wilson, said that the LIC has achieved a solid start to FY22.

The investment company’s portfolio has outperformed the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Accumulation Index by 3%, increasing by 5.2% in the four months to 31 October 2021. Mr Wilson attributed this outperformance to its continued focus on undervalued growth companies where there is a potential catalyst to boost the business.

At 31 October 2021, the company had 19.9 cents per share available in its profit reserve to pay dividends. That profit reserve is after the recent FY21 final fully franked dividend payment of 7.75 cents per share on 29 October 2021. That essentially means that WAM Capital has at least the next two half-yearly dividends accounted for in its profit reserve.

Geoff Wilson said it was pleasing to be able to maintain the fully franked dividend for WAM Capital during a time when companies have reduced dividends.

Acquisition activity

The LIC is currently looking to acquire PM Capital Asian Opportunities Fund Ltd (ASX: PAF), with the offer being one new WAM Capital share for every 1.99 shares that PM Capital Asian Opportunities Fund shareholders have.

The new shares offered will benefit WAM Capital shareholders because these shares are being offered at a premium to the underlying net tangible assets (NTA), which adds to WAM Capital’s pre-tax NTA.

In October 2021, WAM Capital also bought an unlisted investment company which had net assets of $36.3 million. This was paid for with 16,6678217 new WAM Capital shares being issued. Again, existing WAM Capital shareholders benefit from new shares being issued at a premium to the NTA.

On a pre-tax NTA basis, the purchase price paid was approximately $32.9 million, representing a return on investment of approximately 10% on the transaction. It also added $3.9 million of franking credits, which equates to a fully franked dividend of 1 cent per share for shareholders. The unlisted company also funded the costs of the transaction and legal fees.

WAM Capital’s board said it looks forward to engaging in these transactions that present similar characteristics and benefits to all shareholders.

WAM Capital’s outlook

The fund manager noted that share markets continue to rise thanks to record low interest rates and an anticipated rebound in economic growth. The market has switched between favouring lockdown beneficiaries to ASX shares that benefit from the reopening on the economy.

The macroeconomic environment, especially the monetary policy of central banks, continues to be a key thought for markets and WAM expects this to continue.

WAM said that it adjusted the portfolio to take advantage of these conditions, rotating towards cyclical names benefiting from strong levels of consumers sentiment coming out of lockdown restrictions including tourism, traditional media, financials and construction.

Current focus of the WAM Capital portfolio

In FY22, WAM has positioned the portfolio towards companies that can generate “strong” top line organic growth, regardless of the economic outlook.

The fund manager is positive on the medium-term economic and earnings outlook, despite the COVID headwinds.

But the investment team continue to stick to the tried and tested investment strategy – investing in undervalued growth companies with a clear catalyst for a share price re-rating.

The post Own WAM Capital (ASX:WAM) shares? Here’s what the company has planned for 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why is the WAM Capital (ASX:WAM) share price in focus today?

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 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 Bruce Jackson.

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The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price is in the red today after the company announced it’s been hit with a second class action.

Shine Lawyers is taking the company to the Supreme Court of Victoria on claims similar to those filed by Slater and Gordon Lawyers last month.

At the time of writing, the A2 Milk share price is $6.30, 0.16% lower than its previous close.

Let’s take a look at the new court case facing the embattled company.

A2 Milk share price lower on class action news

The A2 Milk share price is struggling as the company is hit with its second class action in as many months.

The latest case claims the company should have updated the market on the extent of pandemic-induced and, allegedly, company-exacerbated disruptions sooner.

Shine Lawyers alleges A2 Milk breached its continuous disclosure obligations and failed to properly disclose trade plans. It is claiming such conduct was misleading and deceptive.

It states A2 Milk should have known the extent of the impact COVID-19 and other disruptions had to its trade before 19 August 2020 ­­– the day the company released its financial year 2020 (FY20) results and FY21 guidance.

According to Shine Lawyers, “A2M was, or ought to have been, aware that their FY21 guidance, and subsequent representations, did not adequately take into account a number of factors known to A2M which ultimately impacted the company’s financial performance, resulting in a 62% drop in market value in FY21”.

These factors are said to include a drop in diagou, or reseller, sales. The plaintiff states the drop was also partly due to A2 Milk marketing its infant products directly to the Chinese market.

The move allegedly undercut its daigou sales. Therefore, it potentially decreased demand for direct orders and, as a result, cross border e-commerce channel business.

The A2 Milk share price started FY21 trading at $18.72. Over the following 12 months, it fell to just $6.

The class action is open to investors who bought A2 Milk shares between 19 August 2020 and 7 May 2021.

A2 Milk downgraded its guidance for FY21 4 times between the release of its FY20 results and 10 May 2021.

The post A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price dips on news of a second class action appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• What brokers are saying about A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) and Hipages (ASX:HPG)
• I just bought 2 ASX shares everyone else is selling: expert
• Crying over the A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price? Here’s what management is planning
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• The A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price has fallen 46% so far in 2021. Here’s why

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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended A2 Milk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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

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

Stock markets have turned volatile during the Thanksgiving holiday week, and that’s created a rift on Wall Street. Although some major benchmarks are holding up well, the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) has been down fairly sharply for two days in a row. Just before noon ET on Tuesday, the Nasdaq was down more than 1%, bringing its two-day drop to more than 350 points.

Looking more closely within the Nasdaq, many of the up-and-coming high-growth companies that have performed so well over the past couple of years are coming under substantial pressure, with outsized declines that seem out of proportion to any fundamental news. Yet investors in those stocks have seen firsthand just how volatile they can be in producing massive returns, so it’s only natural that the inevitable pullbacks these stocks experience will also be gut-wrenching in their magnitude.

Yet it’s also human nature to wonder if perhaps the bull market in these high-growth Nasdaq stocks might finally have come to an end.

A tough day for big growth

Many promising companies on the Nasdaq saw their shares hit an air pocket Tuesday. Monday afternoon’s earnings results from Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ: ZM) sent that stock down 18%, falling below the $200 per-share mark for the first time since the first half of 2020. Zoom shares are now off more than 60% from their all-time highs.

Even without news directly affecting companies, many of Zoom’s high-growth peers took considerable hits, as well. Among them:

• Cybersecurity-specialist CrowdStrike Holdings (NASDAQ: CRWD) was down more than 5% Tuesday morning, bringing its losses over the past month to nearly 20%.
• Fintech-disruptor Upstart Holdings (NASDAQ: UPST) was down about 8%, sending its stock down 43% since late October.
• Delivery-specialist DoorDash (NYSE: DASH) gave up 9%, giving back all of its gains from the past couple of weeks and then some.
• Interactive fitness company Peloton Interactive (NASDAQ: PTON) fell another 6%, hitting a new 18-month low, down more than 75% from its highest levels less than a year ago.

Even some stocks that have held up well until now found themselves on the list of losers, including cloud-specialist DigitalOcean Holdings (NYSE: DOCN) falling 6% and Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG) moving lower by 3%.

Why it’s premature to call the end of the bull market

The challenge in investing in high-growth stocks is that investors always face difficulties deciding when a bull market has come to an end. When a stock generates 100%, 200%, or even 500% returns in a short period of time, even a pullback of 30%, 40%, or 50% can represent merely a correction in a longer-term upward trajectory. Selling out after those pullbacks because you think greater declines are coming has often proved to be the worst possible move you could make.

Moreover, the current level of volatility in high-growth stocks should not take anyone by surprise. By their nature, high-growth stocks are more susceptible to big market swings because most of their potential is in the future and therefore subject to greater uncertainty. This can lead to painful losses, but it’s also the source of the outsized gains seen over the past 18 months for many of these stocks.

Focus on fundamentals

The smart move for long-term investors is to keep your eyes squarely on the business prospects for the companies whose stock you own. Some companies do see fundamental challenges that change the investing proposition and make them less attractive. In that case, considering a sale can be the right move.

More often than not, though, share-price moves are noise with little relation to the fundamental factors that make them promising businesses. The more you can tune out distractions and stay focused on business success, the more likely it is that you’ll boost your long-term investment performance. 

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

The post Is the bull market in high-growth Nasdaq stocks over? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Why has the BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX:HACK) share price leapt 7% in a month?

Dan Caplinger owns shares of Datadog, Peloton Interactive, and Zoom Video Communications. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. and Zoom Video Communications. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Peloton Interactive. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Zoom Video Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price is frozen again after entering a trading halt yesterday.

Shares in the semiconductor developer have gone back into a halt after having resumed trade earlier this month following a nearly two-month trading suspension.

So why has 4DS Memory jumped back into a trading halt?

What’s going on with the 4DS Memory share price?

Planning for a share placement

Investors might be wondering what is going on with the 4DS Memory share price as it sits motionless at 5.9 cents today. Yesterday morning, the company entered the halt as it plans to make an announcement on a proposed capital raising.

According to the release, the proposed raising will be comprised of a placement and share purchase plan. However, until the company provides its pending announcement, there is little more known on the specifics.

The company’s last capital raise was successfully conducted across June and July of last year. Back then, 4DS Memory managed to raise $4.5 million via a placement of 100 million shares at 4.5 cents a pop. In addition, an oversubscribed share purchase plan resulted in another $3.1 million of capital.

At the end of 30 September 2021, $2.86 million of cash on hand was held by the ReRAM memory developer.

Furthermore, the expected capital raising comes after the company recently provided a technical update. As a consequence of the details shared in this update, 4DS Memory noted delays to its original timeline. Considering the chipmaker is not yet profitable, this would mean more cash needed to sustain continued development.

What’s next?

The trading halt is to remain in place until either the company makes its announcement or Thursday 25 November, whichever comes first.

Once the announcement is made, shareholders will have a clearer idea of how much capital the company is aiming to raise. Investors will also be looking to see at what share price 4DS Memory will attempt to raise the additional funds.

The post The 4DS Memory (ASX:4DS) share price is halted. Here’s what you need to know appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 4DS Memory (ASX:4DS) share price crashes 46% amid technical stumble
• What’s going on with the 4DS Memory (ASX:4DS) share price?

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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 Bruce Jackson.

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Some of the companies that were the most devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic were those in the services sector.

Social restrictions were especially rough for ASX shares of businesses that rely on a physical presence to deliver their services.

But as the Australian population moves towards a 90% full vaccination rate, these companies are set to make a roaring comeback.

Wilson Asset Management analysts recently named 2 such ASX shares in that position:

No shortage of mining clients for this ASX company

Laboratory testing, inspection and certification services provider ALS Ltd (ASX: ALQ) has seen its shares rally more than 40% over the year… until last week.

The stock has dropped almost 9% since 15 November, which could make it a bargain.

Wilson senior investment analyst Shaun Weick certainly rates it as a current “strong buy”, with many of its clients in the minerals sector.

“The backdrop for commodity exploration remains very strong. The company’s increasing capacity by 15%,” he told a WAM YouTube video.

“You’re seeing price increases go through and you’re also seeing mix evolve towards junior miners.”

Weick added that his team thinks ALS’ operating leverage is underappreciated.

“We also think the peers are providing a good read through on the life sciences side, which will also benefit from bolt-on [acquisitions].”

The WAM team is not the only one high on ALS. According to CMC Markets, 9 of 15 analysts rate the stock as a strong or moderate buy, with 5 recommending it as a “hold”.

Overseas pickup a great omen for Australian market

International student placement provider IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) has seen its shares rally more than 84% this year so far.

But Weick is expecting even further growth, with the industry already seeing “a very strong bounce back” as border restrictions melt away in the UK and Canada.

“We think [that] presents a very strong lead indicator as we look into Australia, where hopefully into calendar year 2022, our borders will be reopened and you’ll see significant intakes of students.”

IDP also has a division that conducts International English Language Testing System (IELTS) testing.

To complement this, IDP earlier this year acquired a testing business in India, which was bought for cheap in Weick’s opinion.

“Going forward, we think there’s still significant consolidation to play out here in terms of the global distribution of testing. We think this one’s a buy.”

Morgan Stanley analysts agree with WAM, labelling IDP shares as “overweight” with a $40.20 price target. The stock was trading at $37.33 on Wednesday morning.

The post 2 services ASX shares to buy right now: experts appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Idp Education Pty 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 Bruce Jackson.

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