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The Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN) share price has returned from its trading halt with a bang on Tuesday.

In morning trade, the gold explorer’s shares are up 19% to $8.07.

Why is the Chalice Mining share price rocketing higher?

Investors have been bidding the Chalice Mining share price higher today after it released its maiden mineral resource estimate for the Gonneville deposit at the Julimar Project in Western Australia.

According to the release, the company has defined a tier-1 scale, pit-constrained maiden resource for Gonneville, which includes a mix of oxide, transitional and sulphide mineralisation.

The maiden indicated and inferred, pit constrained, mineral resource estimate is for 10Moz of palladium, platinum, and gold, 530kt of nickel, 330kt of copper and 53kt of cobalt.

This makes it the largest nickel sulphide discovery in over 20 years and the largest platinum-group elements (PGE) discovery in Australian history. Management believes that this establishes the foundation for a world-class green metals project.

What’s next?

Chalice advised that drilling is continuing at the ~1.9km x 0.9km deposit outside the maiden resource, with assays pending for ~160 drill holes and five rigs continuing to test for extensions of high-grade mineralisation.

Gonneville remains open at the Julimar State Forest boundary to the north, where approval to drill over a further ~10km of strike length is anticipated to be received shortly. The deposit also remains open beyond a depth of ~630m.

Also ongoing is its scoping study. That study is scoping the initial mine development options at Gonneville and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022.

“Major milestone”

Chalice’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Alex Dorsch, commented: “This is a major milestone for Chalice, coming just 18 months after our stunning first hole discovery at Julimar. Since then, we have completed more than 175,000m of diamond and RC drilling and now defined a genuine tier-1 scale deposit of critical minerals, with exceptional growth potential.”

“The Resource confirms that Gonneville is the largest nickel sulphide discovery globally in over two decades, and the largest PGE discovery in Australia’s history – a remarkable achievement considering that this is the first discovery in what we consider to be an entirely new district, Julimar, within a new nickel-copper-PGE province, the West Yilgarn.”

“Given its sheer scale, the attractive suite of six payable metals it contains and its premier location close to world-class infrastructure and services in Perth, Chalice clearly has the potential to become a leading global player in the green metals space.”

The Chalice Mining share price is now up almost 90% in 2021.

The post Why the Chalice Mining (ASX:CHN) share price is rocketing 19% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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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 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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It was a big night last night for the PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL) share price.

The United States-based payments giant released its results for the third quarter of 2021, which produced some mixed numbers. On the other hand, the company also announced it is partnering with Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) to offer its Venmo payment option at the online checkout.

Despite this news, the PayPal share price is trading 4.3% lower to US$229.42 a pop in after-hours trade.

Let’s take a look at the latest announcement.

One door closes, another one opens

A multi-decade partnership between PayPal and eBay Inc (NASDAQ: EBAY) has been coming to an end since the e-commerce platform failed to renew its agreement with the payment provider in 2018. According to its latest quarterly results, eBay now represents only 3% of the total payment volume for PayPal.

As the door closes on one e-commerce partnership, another has swung open. Favourably for PayPal shareholders, the company has moved up in the world in terms of partnership size. Today, the company announced the inking of a deal with the fifth-largest listed company in the world — Amazon.

Indeed, the new partnership will likely only increase PayPal’s already established ubiquity in the payments world. At the end of the third quarter, the company’s payment method was available across 75% of the top 1,500 North American and European retailers.

PayPal plans to launch its integration on Amazon in 2022, allowing customers to make purchases on the site using their Venmo accounts. Yet, the PayPal share price is down in after-hours trade today.

Commenting on the announcement, PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said:

This is obviously a very significant effort in our Venmo monetisation efforts. It marks the beginning of an exciting journey with Amazon, now that we’re no longer constrained by the contractual obligations of the eBay operating agreement.

PayPay share price in review

The last month has been a bumpy ride for the US payments company. On 20 October, the market reacted with increased selling pressure after rumours surfaced that PayPal might have been looking to acquire social media service, Pinterest Inc (NYSE: PINS).

However, this rumour was later dispelled by PayPal, stating it was not pursuing Pinterest “at this time”.

The PayPal share price is down 10% in the last month. As a result, the company is currently trading on price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 56 times.

The post PayPal strikes a deal with Amazon, what could this mean for the share price? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. 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 recommended Amazon and PayPal Holdings. 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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Shares in Australian gold mining magnate Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) are slipping into the red this morning following a company update.

Newcrest announced it has agreed to buy Canadian metals and mining company Pretium Resources.

The deal is an optional exchange of A$20.03 per share or 0.8084 Newcrest shares for each Pretium share held.

On an undiluted basis, this values Pretium at around $2.8 billion, a 23% premium to its current enterprise value of $2.3 billion.

Newcrest buys Pretium for immediate free cash flow

The Australian based gold miner is set to pay a 23% premium to Pretium’s closing share price on Monday, valuing the deal at almost $3 billion.

Newcrest already had a 4.8% stake in its Canadian counterpart, and following the acquisition, will now lay claim to the Brucejack operation in the ‘highly prospective’ Golden Triangle region of British Columbia.

The Brucecjack site was started in 2017 and is now one of the highest grade operating gold mines in the world, according to Newcrest.

It has an estimated gold production of 311 thousand ounces (Koz) per year at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of $743 per ounce, and a projected mine life of 13 years.

Pretium’s board has unanimously voted its shareholders to accept the deal, however to proceed, it must receive approval from 66.66% of all its shareholders.

Not only that, the transaction must still be approved by the Supreme Court of British Columbia and pass a number of stress tests under the Canadian legislature.

Pretium shareholders can elect to receive a cash offer of C$18.50 per share (A$20.030/share) or 0.8084 Newcrest shares for each Pretium share held.

Those shareholders who do not elect any option will be defaulted a C$9.25 per share in cash and an exchange ratio of 0.4042 in Newcrest shares.

According to Newcrest’s CEO Sandeep Biswas, the deal offers “immediate production, free cash flow and earnings diversification to Newcrest” and will fit ‘seamlessly’ into its current portfolio.

For instance, Newcrest sees an additional 300Koz per annum to its gold production to ‘well over 2Moz’ with the purchase. It also reckons the deal is accretive to its EBITDA and overall cash flow.

Completion of the transaction is targeted for Q1 of CY22 according to the release.

What is management saying?

Speaking on the announcement, Biswas said:

Following due diligence, we believe that as the owner and operator of Brucejack we can build on the strong foundations established by Pretivm and deliver significant additional shareholder value by leveraging our experience in operating epithermal gold mines and applying our exploration and innovation expertise to realise potential resource and reserve growth. Resource and reserve growth and our commitment to investing in the area will underpin the success and longevity of mining in the region for the benefit of the First Nations people, host communities, British Columbia and Canada.

Newcrest Mining share price snapshot

Newcrest and its share price have been swimming in a sea of red the last 12 months, having posted a loss of 21% in that time.

This year to date has been no different, with Newcrest shares sliding around 4.5% into the red at the time of writing since January 1.

Both of these results have lagged the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO)’s return of around 20% by a considerable amount.

The post Newcrest (ASX:NCM) share price slides 3% following Pretium acquisition appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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The author Zach Bristow has no positions 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 CEO of Brisbane-based Tritium has voiced her belief that electric vehicles (EVs) will soon be cheaper than internal combustion cars in the next 4 years. But ASX fans might be disappointed to learn the company producing EV charging stations isn’t listed on the ASX.

Tritium’s CEO Jane Hunter told the Australian Financial Review‘s Infrastructure Summit that the cost of EVs is largely dependent on the cost of batteries and the cost of batteries is dropping.

Additionally, according to reporting by The Australian, the Federal Government’s Future Fuels strategy – set to be released today – will herald the creation of a network of EV charging stations. In fact, it will reportedly see $250 million put towards the cause.

So, putting two and two together, Australia might see a boom in the number of new EVs hitting our streets soon. It follows we’ll also need plenty of EV charging stations.

While ASX investors won’t be buying shares in Tritium any time soon, there are a few companies working in the field that are listed – or approaching a listing – on the ASX.  

Let’s take a look at which ASX shares have exposure to EV charging stations.

ASX shares exposed to EV charging stations

Tritium isn’t expected to make a home on the ASX, but there are some stocks currently trading on the Aussie bourse with exposure to the charging station sector.

Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD)

The fuel retailer might not be the first ASX share market watchers think of when seeking stocks affiliated with EV charging. Though, the company is getting started in the space.

Ampol has recently partnered with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to build a network of EV fast-charging stations.

Under the partnership, Ampol will be equipping more than 100 of its service stations with EV charging stations.

The company is also collaborating with Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) to install Tesla Powerwall battery systems at some of its service stations in Adelaide.

Right now, the Ampol share price is $31.69, 0.35% lower than it was at the end of yesterday’s session.

Rectifier Technologies Limited (ASX: RFT)

This ASX-listed microcap is producing and selling EV charging stations.

The company has historically worked to create power conversion products. It currently produces a number of power modules suitable for EV charging.

However, it is in the process of releasing both an EV charger and a bi-directional EV charger.

Rectifier is having a great day on the ASX on Tuesday. At the time of writing, its share price is 4.6 cents, 28% higher than its previous close.

Honourable mention: Bell Resources

While still a way off ASX listing, Bell Resources operates Bell Hub, a company focused on building EV charging stations.

Bell Hub is planning to operate a network of “ultra-fast” charging stations, available for public use alongside car washing facilities.

The parent company also houses a green energy branch – focusing on solar – and a lithium-ion battery research and development branch.

According to Bell Resources’ website, the company is planning to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) on the ASX.

The post Tritium is making news again, but do any ASX shares have exposure to EV charging stations? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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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The James Hardie Industries Plc (ASX: JHX) share price is edging higher in early trading today. It is currently up 0.26% to $54.47, having earlier jumped to $55.27. This comes after the company released its results for the quarter ended 30 September 2021.

It was a record second quarter for the construction materials company, with a number of investment highlights to report.

Let’s get straight into it.

James Hardie share price rises on record quarterly results

Key takeouts from the quarter include:

• Global net sales increased 23% year on year to US$903.2 million, a record result;
• Adjusted net income up 29% from the year prior at US$154.9 million;
• North America fibre cement segment net sales also increased 23% to US$635.3 million;
• Europe building products sales increased to 104.5 million euros, also a 23% gain from the year prior;
• Net income guidance range raised by 2%–5% to a new spread of US$580 million to US$600 million; and
• FY22 first half ordinary dividend of US40 cents per share payable 17 December 2021.

What happened this quarter for James Hardie?

Building on positive momentum achieved earlier in the year, James Hardie came in with another strong result for the quarter.

A set of record results in net sales of US$903 million was carried through to the company’s bottom line, recognising net income growth of almost 30% to US$155 million.

Global adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) increased by 26% year on year to US$206 million. This was also a record.

From this result, operating cash flows came in at US$357.5 million, driven by the company’s LEAN manufacturing performance, alongside integrating its supply chain with customers.

The company also saw strengths across its various countries of operations. For instance, North American sales saw a record quarter with a corresponding 23% gain over Q2 FY21.

James Hardie attributes this to its “high-value product mix strategy” that resulted in a price/mix growth of more than 9% during the quarter.

Separately, net sales in its Asia Pacific fibre cement segment increased 15% to A$196.6 million, also a record result. This resulted in an adjusted EBIT margin of almost 31%.

Commenting on its sustainability initiatives, the company said environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) is a part of its strategy, and that it is woven into operations and its core strategy.

What is management saying?

Commenting on the quarter, James Hardie’s CEO Dr Jack Truong said:

We continue to make excellent progress on our stated global strategy. Our strong execution on this strategy is reflected in second quarter global price/mix growth of +9%, including North America price/mix growth of +9%, Europe price/mix growth of 8% and Asia Pacific price/mix growth of +4%. Our growth momentum in accelerating high value products penetration, which underpins price/mix, is the result of 1) enabling our customers to make more money by selling more James Hardie products and 2) marketing directly to the homeowners to create demand of our high value products through our customers.

What’s next for James Hardie and its share price?

The company updated its guidance for the fiscal year ending 31 March 2022. It now forecasts a net income range of US$580 million to US$600 million, up from a range of US$550–$590 million.

This guidance is subject to a number of risk factors, as alluded to by the company, including the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the past 12 months, the James Hardie share price has climbed 43%. It has also rallied 43% this year to date.

The post Record quarter: James Hardie (ASX: JHX) share price pops on 29% profit jump appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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The author Zach Bristow has no positions 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 iron ore price tumbled to a 17-month low, but the crash has ignited speculation that the commodity is close to bottoming.

That would be very welcomed news for ASX iron ore shares. The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price, Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price have been under pressure in the last four months.

It’s during that period that the steel-making ingredient dived from a record high of around US$220 to around US$94 a tonne.

Why the iron ore price could rebound

But a turnaround may be in sight with some experts pointing to China’s steel output. This is on track to meet and even exceed the government’s goal of capping 2021 steel production at 2020 levels.

The September figures are the silver-lining for the embattled iron ore price. The Australian Financial Review reported that steel production that month fell to levels below those mandated by China.

This means the commodity could rebound as soon as next month, according to Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) senior commodity strategist, Daniel Hynes.

ASX iron ore shares are steeling themselves

“China is on track to meet its target of holding this year’s steel production at 2021 levels, so steel output could start to rebound in December,” the AFR quoted Hynes as saying.

“This would flick China’s iron ore market balance from surplus to deficit in December, and provide a floor for prices.”

The Chinese government is trying to control pollution by curbing steel production in the country. This triggered the slide in the iron ore price.

When bad news can turn good

It never rains but pours. The weakness was then exacerbated by fears of a collapse in China’s housing construction market after China Evergrande Group struggled to pay creditors.

Evergrande is one of China’s largest property groups and there are signs that its rivals are facing similar financial strife.

Throw in harsh lockdowns in the Asian giant to deal with a new outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, and you can see why the Chinese economy is struggling. This has led to speculation that the Communist Party may need to stimulate its economy.

2022 outlook for the iron ore price

Government stimulus is usually a big positive for commodity prices, including the iron ore price. If this comes to pass, Chinese stimulus may hit the market roughly the same time as the US unleashes its US$1.2 trillion infrastructure spendathon.

Meanwhile, the iron ore price has another support from the supply side of the equation. Iron ore shipments from some of the world’s largest producers have fallen short of their mark.

This includes Vale SA (NYSE: VALE) and Rio Tinto. Not so good news for these iron ore miners, but good news for the wider industry.

Suddenly, the outlook for iron ore doesn’t look half as bleak.

The post Is the iron ore price set to rebound next month? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Limited, BHP Billiton Limited, Fortescue Metals Group Limited, and Rio Tinto Ltd. 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 National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) share price is pushing higher on Tuesday morning.

At the time of writing, the banking giant’s shares are up over 1% to $29.46.

This means the NAB share price is now up 28% in 2021.

Why is the NAB share price pushing higher?

Investors have been bidding the NAB share price higher today after it reported a significant jump in cash earnings in FY 2021.

According to the release, for the 12 months ended 30 September, NAB delivered a 76.8% increase in cash earnings to $6,558 million. Management revealed that this reflects notable items in the prior corresponding period that weren’t repeated in FY 2021 and a solid performance across much of the business.

In respect to the latter, NAB’s Personal Banking and New Zealand Banking segments were the highlights during the year. They delivered 14.4% and 18.7% increases in cash earnings, respectively. Both were driven by lower credit impairment charges and lending volume growth.

NAB’s biggest contributor to earnings is its Business & Private Banking segment. It delivered modest cash earnings growth of 0.3% to $2,480 million in FY 2021. This reflects lower credit impairment charges, which were partly offset by higher operating expenses.

One area of the business that took a bit of the shine off the result was its Corporate & Institutional Banking segment. Due to lower Markets income and higher credit impairment charges, it reported a 14.8% decline in cash earnings in FY 2021.

Outlook

Management provided the market with some commentary on its expectations for FY 2022.

It advised that competitive pressures are expected to continue in FY 2022, impacting housing lending margins. It also advised that the impact to its net interest margin from the low interest rate environment in is expected to be broadly neutral in FY 2022, before turning positive in FY 2023.

Finally, its lower funding costs and deposit mix are expected to be a moderating tailwind.

What are brokers saying about the result?

Despite the bank’s result falling short of Goldman Sachs’ estimates, the broker has seen enough to remain positive on the NAB share price.

It commented: “NAB reported 2H21 cash earnings (company basis) from continued operations of A$3,215mn, which was up 61.2% on pcp and slightly below (-0.7%) GSe, driven by lower-than-expected revenues (Markets and Treasury) and higher operating expenses, partially offset by outperformance on BDDs. As such 2H21 PPOP missed GSe by -3.9%.”

“Given good balance sheet momentum, driving 2H21 hoh revenue (ex-Markets and Treasury) growth of 2%, coupled with management expectations of broadly flat FY22E costs (GSe +0.4% on the FY21A base) and a better than expected 2H21 performance on capital and asset quality (impaireds, past dues, watch list loans, provisions), we see today’s result as supportive of our Buy (on CL) recommendation, and NAB remains our preferred exposure to the Australian banks,” Goldman concluded.

Goldman currently has a conviction buy rating and $30.84 target on the NAB share price.

The post NAB (ASX:NAB) share price lifts amid bumper $6.56 billion cash profit appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 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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While the Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price has fallen 5% in the past 5 days, its likely acquirer has been touting the magnitude of its potential.

As the US payment giant Square Inc (NYSE: SQ) moves closer to gobbling up Australia’s largest buy now, pay later (BNPL) provider, Square CEO Jack Dorsey has shared what the implementation could mean for the company.

Match made in heaven?

On Thursday last week, in an ASX announcement, Afterpay revealed a step forward in the company’s move to be acquired by Square. The release stated that Square shareholders had approved the issuing of Square Class A common stock to Afterpay shareholders — marking a major milestone in the deal process.

Since then, shares in Afterpay have been dragged lower in tandem with the value of Square. This followed the release of the US company’s third-quarter results the very next day. Unfortunately for shareholders, its revenue had missed analyst expectations.

However, the same day, Dorsey spoke on the impact the ASX-listed Afterpay could have on Square once the two companies are integrated. Namely, the additional edge gained from having access to both sellers and customers.

Here’s some of what Dorsey said:

We do believe that having both systems is our ultimate superpower and differentiator – having both ends of the counter, two different audiences, of sellers and individuals is really important.

It is the secret behind Afterpay as well, and probably represents our largest potential.

These comments come at a time when competition in the payments space is possibly fiercer than ever. For example, Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL) is not giving up the payments market share without a fight. Today, the US$270 billion company announced a partnership with Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) to integrate Venmo at the checkout.

Meanwhile, on Aussie shores, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) is upping its efforts in BNPL through its StepPay product. Australia’s largest bank announced it would pay merchants (rather than charge them) a 4% commission for sales using StepPay during the Christmas period.

Money by Afterpay, another ASX bank attack vector?

As the grey area between payment/tech giants and traditional banks widens, Aussie banks have begun seeing Square as a competitor. In Afterpay’s case, it is reportedly working on adding mortgages and other loans by partnering with Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC).

While some banks are going on the offence as Afterpay expands its Money by Afterpay product, others are partnering with it.

Nonetheless, Afterpay’s expansion into more financial products could offer Square a way of grabbing market share in personal finance.

The post Afterpay (ASX:APT) ‘represents our largest potential’: Jack Dorsey appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO and Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO and Square. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon and PayPal Holdings. 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.

What happened

Shares of Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: COIN) gained 40.4% in October, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The cryptocurrency broker followed along as many of its most popular digital tokens posted massive gains. For example, market-leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) gained 48.7% last month while blockchain-based smart contracts platform Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) posted a 51.4% return.

So what

Both Ethereum and Bitcoin are setting new all-time highs again after a dip in the crypto market that stretched from May to September. Cryptocurrencies are still extremely volatile but the market has taken many steps toward a calmer and more predictable future.

The market-boosting improvements include Bitcoin becoming an official currency of El Salvador, regulators in the U.S. and elsewhere considering how to build a regulatory framework around digital assets, and the launch of the first Bitcoin-centric exchange-traded fund. The ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (NYSEMKT: BITO) doesn’t own Bitcoin tokens directly, but holds positions in Bitcoin futures. The ETF has gained 7.7% since launching on Oct. 22.

As for Ethereum, that digital asset performed an important technical update to its blockchain network. An Ethereum futures ETF is coming soon and surging interest in Ethereum-based decentralized finance systems is driving a surge in real-world Ether transactions.

All of this is good news for Coinbase. The company charges a fee for every cryptocurrency transaction it manages, so rising trading volume is great news for the company’s top and bottom lines. Coinbase’s overall trading volume was above average in October and trending even higher in November, according to data from CoinGecko.

Now what

Coinbase’s future value depends on wider adoption of cryptocurrencies in general and rising crypto trading activity in the American market in particular. The company is set to report earnings on Tuesday evening, covering the third-quarter period that ended on Oct. 31.

If you’re interested in the cryptocurrency market but not ready to take direct positions in any of the individual digital coins, Coinbase can provide a safer middle ground. This stock doesn’t depend on the fortunes of any single cryptocurrency, but on the health of the crypto market as a whole. If some better idea comes along to overthrow Bitcoin or Ethereum, Coinbase will happily pocket the trading fees as investors move over to the hot new thing. The greatest risk for Coinbase shareholders — and I concede that it is a substantial risk — is that the company would suffer if the whole revolution of cryptocurrency and blockchain assets goes off the rails and never goes truly mainstream.

The gains of October balanced out Coinbase’s plunging share prices in the spring, and the stock now sees single-digit positive percentages for the first time since the initial public offering in April. Tuesday’s report is likely to spark a large price move in the stock, though the direction of that move remains to be seen. Cautious investors may want to wait for a price dip before taking a position in this richly valued stock, while growth-minded traders could argue that Coinbase might never be this affordable again. 

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

The post How the Coinbase share price rocketed 40% last month appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Anders Bylund owns shares of Bitcoin and Ethereum. 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.

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

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There are a certain group of ASX shares out there that are producing a mix of both dividends and growth.

Some businesses are known for paying a high dividend yield to investors, whilst others are growing quickly and re-investing a lot of that profit back into more growth.

But there could be some ASX shares that provide a useful mix of both dividends and capital growth.

Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW)

Brickworks is well known for manufacturing and supplying a numbers of building products in Australia and the US. In Australia it’s the market leader in bricks and has strong market positions in a number of other areas including roofing, masonry and precast.

In the US, the business has been expanding with acquisitions and it’s making them more efficient and profitable. It’s the market leader of bricks in the north east of the country. Brickworks recently acquired a brick distributor to increase its scale.

The business has two asset groups that are delivering fairly consistent asset value growth as well as cashflow growth which is funding the rising dividend.

Brickworks owns a substantial amount of shares of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL), which is a diversified investment conglomerate and Brickworks is benefiting from the long-term returns and growing dividend. Soul Patts is planning on becoming more diversified with its investments after the recent acquisition of Milton, giving it more financial firepower to go for different assets.

The other area of growth for the ASX share, that Brickworks has much more control over, is the industrial property trust joint venture with Goodman Group (ASX: GMG).

At the latest disclosure, the property trust had $2.7 billion of gross assets, with $2 billion being leased assets and another $).7 billion of development land. After including debt, Brickworks’ 50% share of net assets was valued at $911 million, up from $727 million in FY20.

These industrial properties are experiencing structural tailwinds, driven by industry trends towards online shopping. The trust also has a long pipeline of further development, with pre-committed developments to be completed over the next two years which is expected to drive an increase in leased asset value and rent of around 60%.

At the current Brickworks share price, it has a trailing grossed-up dividend yield of 3.7%. It hasn’t cut the dividend for over 40 years.

Premier Investments Limited (ASX: PMV)

Premier Investments is an ASX share with a diversified portfolio of retail brands and investments. Its brands include Smiggle, Peter Alexander, Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Portmans, Jacqui E and Dotti. Meanwhile, it has sizeable investments in Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG) and Myer Holdings Ltd (ASX: MYR).

The FY21 result demonstrated the overall resilience of the company’s brands to achieve growth.

Total retail sales increased 18.7% to $1.44 billion. Peter Alexander sales grew 34.7% to $388.2 million and the apparel brands saw sales growth of 25.3% to $841.6 million.

Online sales continue to grow faster than the overall business, at high profit margins. Online sales grew 36.4% to $300.7 million.

Whilst total sales grew 18.7%, the ASX share’s gross profit grew 25.1% year on year, underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) increased 88% to $351.9 million and statutory profit rose 97.3%. This demonstrated operating leverage for the business.

Smiggle is seeing a rebound as schools reopen, it’s seeing “strong” like for like growth where restrictions are eased.

In FY22, whilst lockdowns in Australia have hurt sales in the short-term, global online sales were up 44.6% in the first seven weeks. Its online business continues to see an EBIT profit margin that’s “significantly higher” than the store network.

In FY21, the board decided to grow the full year dividend by 14.3% to $0.80 per share. At the current Premier Investments share price, it has a grossed-up dividend yield of 3.5%.

The post 2 ASX shares that could be buys for both growth and dividends appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the Brickworks (ASX:BKW) share price falling today?
• 2 ASX dividend shares that could provide steady income in retirement
• Can the Brickworks (ASX:BKW) share price hit $30 by Christmas?
• 3 reasons why the Brickworks (ASX:BKW) share price could be a buy
• Could Brickworks (ASX:BKW) shares be a greener investment than first thought?

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison owns shares of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Brickworks and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Premier Investments Limited. 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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