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The Quickfee Ltd (ASX: QFE) share price has had another challenging trading session, falling 8%. Shareholders have been selling down the financial technology company’s shares following the release of its Q3 FY21 business update.

As a result of the selloff, the Quickfee share price closed at 31 cents per share. Let’s take a look at what was influencing the price action today.

Competing narratives

Despite some impressive growth metrics from the third quarter for Quickfee, they aren’t consistent across all operations. The company tends to separate its operations into Australia and United States. From here, we can see two different stories being played out.

For the 9 months year to date, Quickfee reported 509 active merchants using the US platform. This compares to 327 for the same period in FY20. Meanwhile, active merchants shrank from 473 to 461 in Australia in the same comparison.

Similarly, active customers in the US increased to 126,000 from 91,000, while Australian active customers retraced to 24,000 from 30,000. Quickfee attributes this to the government stimulus measures in Australia, reducing the demand for lending locally. Evidently, this impact has flowed onto the Quickfee share price. 

However, the company noted March was the strongest lending month thus far for this financial year – hinting at a potential recovery.

Instalment offering and e-invoicing

Quickfee also updated shareholders on its progress with its instalments offering. The company is continuing to gain traction in Australia and the US. 531 merchants had signed up for the product by 31 March 2021. Once again, the US beat out Australia on metric – with 69.7% of those signed up from the US.

Furthermore, lending volumes for the instalment product remain nascent as the company executes its go-to-market strategy. Quickfee’s approach is to continue targeting its focused customer base of accounting and law customers.

Lastly, plans are on track for the launch of ConnectAR by the end of Q4 FY21. ConnectAR is an e-invoicing tool that Quickfee expects will assist in cementing its relationship with customers.

Quickfee share price quickly

The Quickfee share price has been caught in a persistent downtrend since August last year. Since then, the share price has gradually eroded 60%. 

However, in terms of returns for the last year – things aren’t as bad. Bouncing back from the COVID-19 suppression, the Quickfee share price has returned nearly 35% in the past year.

More reading

• These high yield ASX dividend shares are rated as buys
• Why brokers think these 3 top performing ASX 200 shares can beat the market
• 2 buy-rated ASX growth shares for your portfolio
• 3 exciting small cap ASX shares to watch
• ‘Worst performer’: ASX bank shuts 146 branches since COVID

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler 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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With low interest rates likely to be here to stay for some time to come, it certainly is a difficult time for income investors.

But don’t worry, because there are plenty of ASX dividend shares that can help you overcome low rates. Two that are highly rated are listed below:

Aventus Group (ASX: AVN)

The first ASX dividend share to consider buying is Aventus. It is a leading Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) focused on large format retail properties.

While many retail landlords have struggled over the last 12 months, Aventus has continued its positive form. For example, in February the company released its half year results and revealed that its occupancy rate was 98.5% and centre traffic grew by 8% over the prior corresponding period. That period was before anyone had even heard of COVID-19.

One broker that is positive on the company is Goldman Sachs. It currently has a buy rating and $3.06 price target on its shares.

Furthermore, based on the current Aventus share price of $2.82, the broker estimates that its shares offer yields of 5.9% and 6.6%, respectively, over the next two years.

Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL)

Another ASX dividend share to consider is Super Retail. It is the company behind retail brands BCF, Macpac, Rebel, and Super Cheap Auto.

Like Aventus, it has been a positive performer during the pandemic. For example, in February Super Retail released its half year results and revealed a 23% increase in sales to $1.78 billion and a 139% increase in underlying net profit after tax to $177.1 million. Key drivers of this stellar profit growth were strong like for likes sales, online sales, and margin expansion.

Goldman Sachs is also a fan of Super Retail and has a buy rating and $15.00 price target on its shares. It is expecting the company to have a strong second half and to reward shareholders with a special dividend.

Goldman is forecasting an 81 cents per share fully franked dividend including the special dividend. Based on the latest Super Retail share price, this represents a 6.6% yield.

More reading

• 2 high-yield ASX dividend shares rated as buys
• 2 ASX dividend shares to buy for income today
• 2 blue chip ASX dividend shares to buy
• 2 high yield ASX dividend shares rated as buys
• 2 ASX dividend shares rated as strong buys by brokers

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Super Retail Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended AVENTUS RE UNIT. 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 ASX 200 is within an arms reach of its pre-COVID highs. As ASX 200 shares continue to grind higher, here are the ones that brokers think can outperform the market.

ASX 200 shares that could beat the market

1. Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) 

Positive automotive data such as used car sales and increased driving as well as hygiene concerns on public transport has helped fuel a bullish run for ASX-listed automotive shares such as Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP), ARB Corporation Limited (ASX: ARB) and Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL).

On Monday, Morgan Stanley, Morgans and UBS released positive notes for Eagers shares with a respective overweight, add and buy rating. The brokers highlight a positive first-quarter update from last week, observing continued demand for vehicles and supply tightness. The average target price between the three brokers is $17.10. 

Credit Suisse was the only neutral rated broker, citing that its strong start to 2021 does not necessarily note any change in confidence in the medium to long term.

Eagers Automotive shares have surged 4.57% on Monday to a high of $16.25. 

2. BlueScope Steel Limited (ASX: BSL) 

BlueScope has continued to build momentum in its earnings across all key business segments. The company has seen strong volumes and improving steel spreads in its largest steel-making business in Australia, while other regions including the United States, India, China and New Zealand continue to record strong earnings improvements. 

This translated to $530.6 million in underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) in the first half, up 78% on 1H20 and double that of 2H20. 

Credit Suisse is bullish on BlueScope shares with an outperform rating and $22.50 target price. The broker increased its FY21-22 operating income forecasts by 7-8% based on higher steel spreads in Australia and the US. 

The BlueScope share price closed today at $21.40, up 2.2%.

3. Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) 

Hub24 continues to disrupt the investment and superannuation portfolio administration space, growing its market share from 1.6% to 2.3% in the first half. The company has a two-year compound annual growth rate of 48% for platform funds under management, maintaining its position as second for annual net inflows amongst competitors. 

Citi is forecasting net inflows of $1.9 billion in the third quarter, up 39% on the previous corresponding period. The broker believes Hub24 could overtake NetWealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL). 

The broker rates Hub24 shares as a buy with a $26.00 target price. Hub24 shares are currently fetching $24.28.

More reading

• Why Eagers Auto, Orocobre, Sims, & Titomic shares are storming higher
• Top broker picks ASX shares next in line for a profit upgrade
• 2 ASX tech shares rated as buys by brokers
• The Eagers (ASX:APE) share price is near all-time highs
• Why Eagers Auto, Mayne Pharma, Monadelphous, & Newcrest are pushing higher

Kerry Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Hub24 Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Bapcor. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Netwealth. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended ARB Limited and Hub24 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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Looking for a growth share or two to buy this month? Then you might want to check out the two listed below.

Here’s why these growth shares could be in the buy zone right now:

Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN)

Nanosonics is a healthcare technology company with a focus on infection control. 

The company currently derives all of its revenue from its trophon EPR disinfection system for ultrasound probes. This technology is regarded as the best in its class and has been consistently winning market share in the United States and globally over the last decade.

So much so, every day an estimated 80,000 patients are protected from the risk of cross contamination because the ultrasound probe has been high-level disinfected with trophon.

Pleasingly, the company is aiming to expand its portfolio in the coming years with the launch of new products targeting unmet needs. If these are even half as successful as the trophon system, then the future will be very bright for Nanosonics.

UBS currently has a buy rating and $7.00 price target on its shares

Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

Another ASX growth share to consider buying is Temple & Webster. It is one of Australia’s leading online retailers with a focus on furniture and homewares.

It has been growing at a rapid rate in recent years and appears well-placed to continue this trend for the foreseeable future. Particularly given the shift to online shopping, which is still largely in its infancy for furniture and homewares.

In fact, in February Goldman Sachs suggested that the company could grow its sales at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42% and EBITDA by a CAGR of 66% between FY 2020 and FY 2023.

In light of this, it will come as no surprise to learn that the broker put a buy rating and $12.35 price target on its shares.

It commented: “We remain attracted to the structural tailwind of online commerce penetration and note that TPW has a leading position within its category which itself has a significant room for further online commerce growth. This should deliver well above market revenue growth and solid operating leverage over our forecast period.”

More reading

• These are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX
• 2 highly rated ASX growth shares to buy
• 2 quality ASX shares to buy and hold for a very long time
• Are you buying the companies of the past, or the future?
• These are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX

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 Nanosonics Limited and Temple & Webster Group Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nanosonics Limited and Temple & Webster Group 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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At the small end of the Australian share market, there are a number of companies with the potential to grow materially in the future.

Three that investors might want to get better acquainted with are listed below. Here’s what you need to know about them:

Bigtincan Holdings Ltd (ASX: BTH)

The first small cap to watch is Bigtincan. It is a provider of enterprise mobility software to sales and service organisations. This platform allows users to increase sales win rates, reduce expenditures, and improve customer satisfaction through improved mobile worker productivity.

The company has been a strong performer so far in FY 2021. As a result, management advised that is on course achieve the top end of its annualised recurring revenue (ARR) guidance range of $49 million to $53 million this year. This will be a 48% increase on FY 2020’s ARR of $35.8 million.

PlaySide Studios Limited (ASX: PLY)

Another small cap ASX share to look at is PlaySide Studios. It is one of the largest independent video game developers in Australia. The company has a growing portfolio of developed games, including ones based on its own original intellectual property and those of Hollywood studios such as Disney.

During the first half of FY 2021, PlaySide reported record first half sales revenue of $5 million. This was up 63% on the prior corresponding period. This is still only a very small slice of its global market opportunity.

Pointerra Ltd (ASX: 3DP)

Another small cap to look at is Pointerra. It is a leading provider of a cloud-based solution for managing 3D point clouds and datasets. Its technology solves problems in the digital asset management workflows and allows 3D datasets to be used without the need for performance computing.

Management estimates that it has a global market opportunity worth an enormous $500 billion annually. This gives Pointerra a very long runway for growth over the 2020s and beyond.

More reading

• 3 exciting small cap ASX shares to watch closely
• 2 quality small cap ASX shares rated as buys
• Looking for the next Afterpay and Zip? Try these small cap ASX shares
• These ASX tech shares are all trading near their lowest prices in months
• 2 excellent ASX mid cap shares to buy

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 recommends BIGTINCAN FPO. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Pointerra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BIGTINCAN FPO and Pointerra 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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Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) is reportedly shutting 15 more branches, taking the closure count to a whopping 146 in just over a year.

According to the Finance Sector Union (FSU), the big bank will permanently close 9 branches in NSW, 2 in Victoria, and 4 in Western Australia over June, September and October.

“ANZ takes the cake as the worst performer when it comes to deserting communities around Australia,” said FSU national secretary Julia Angrisano.

“This is a bank which lives up to the banking Royal Commission’s description of banking as being driven by greed and short-term gain.”

Angrisano added that during the COVID-19 downturn, the federal government supported the big banks to protect the national economy.

“So in our view, banks have an obligation to continue to provide a service to the community,” she said.

“But ANZ doesn’t understand that basic principle. ANZ is obsessed with putting profits before people.”

ANZ retail managing director Katherine Bray told The Motley Fool that customers continued to shift from physical branches to online and telephone banking.

“This has been one of the biggest changes across the industry and the broader economy in recent years as people go online for everyday things such as grocery shopping, watching a film or doing their tax return,” she said.

“Last year alone, 70% of our customers preferred digital banking options and many of our few remaining passbook-only customers have been choosing to use debit cards for the first time.”

Only 12% of customers attended branches last year, according to Bray, meaning ANZ was completing just one transaction per customer per month in person.

The ANZ share price was up 0.59% trading at $28.99 near the close of trade on Monday afternoon. It was almost half that a year ago, trading at $16.15.

Thousands impacted by latest round of closures

Angrisano claimed the latest 15 closures, which are all in regional and rural areas, would impact “thousands of customers” who would now have to travel long distances for alternatives.

“How long can Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg ignore the damage being done to regional Australia by the big four banks, which simply don’t care about the people and businesses they are deserting?”

The FSU also claims 54 ANZ staff would be laid off. 

They will miss out on the bank’s COVID-enhanced redundancy package, which guaranteed a minimum 9 months of redundancy pay, as that program ended on 1 April.

“That was a program which recognised that bank workers could face difficulty securing a new job because of COVID. In our view, nothing has changed and with the vaccination program still to be rolled out [while] the pandemic continues to affect the numbers of jobs on offer,” said Angrisano.

“If you live and work in a regional town, your opportunities for redeployment are virtually nil.”

ANZ would try to retain as many staff as possible, according to Bray.

“Of our employees that were working in a branch that closed last year, we were able to find new roles or redeployment opportunities for nearly all of them that wanted to stay with ANZ, including at remote locations,” she said.

“For all employees who leave, we provide access to unlimited career coaching and outplacement support as well as access to our career training fund. Where people face financial hardship after leaving ANZ, we will provide access to our Past Employee Care Fund to support them.”

Shift to online banking

When explaining branch closures, ANZ and other banks always claim its customers now prefer to do their banking online.

Angrisano disagreed, claiming it’s the banks that are driving the push to online, rather than the other way round.

“We know the community is not ready for managing their finances online because one third of bank customers either don’t have a computer, do not have sufficient skills or are not interested in taking up online banking,” she said.

“Bank staff have been pressured by the use of ‘targets’ to move customers online. And in each of the banks, limits have been imposed on the number of over-the-counter transactions.”

Bray said ANZ has been proactively training customers to assist them with branch-free banking.

“Our dedicated customer team has proactively called thousands of elderly and vulnerable customers help them navigate the ANZ App and assist them with other options – including using other major bank and Armaguard ATMs for free to withdraw cash.”

More reading

• The Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price is the best performing of the big four banks in 2021
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX 200 hits new post-COVID high
• Which big 4 ASX bank is going to pay the biggest dividend in FY21?
• Why NAB (ASX:NAB) shares could take off: fundie
• Can the ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price go even higher?

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo 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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Us Aussies love our food. So, it makes sense these 2 food shares have been relishing their time on the ASX, each reaching 52 week highs today.

Investors who got on board these tasty ASX shares this time last year will be rejoicing.

Let’s take a look at the year that’s been for these 2 ASX food shares.

Costa Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: CGC)

The Costa Group share price was minimally impacted by last year’s recession, having had a rotten performance through 2019. But, it seemed to be recovering nicely. Today, it’s trading at its highest share price on the ASX in 52 weeks.

Costa Group is an Australian horticultural company. It grows, packs and markets fresh fruit and vegetables.

This time last year, the Costa Group share price was $2.87. Since then, it’s gained a whopping 66.5% and shares in the company are trading for $4.78.  

The last 12 months have been good to Costa Group. The company released stellar half year results, signed a lease implementation deed with Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, and brought on a new CEO.

Costa Group has a market capitalisation of around $1.9 billion, with approximately 400 million shares outstanding.

Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA)

Bega Cheese has had a good 52 weeks on the ASX, with today marking its highest share price since 2018.

At the time of writing, shares in the company are going for $6.52. This time last year, its shares were swapping hands for $5.21. That’s an increase of 25% over the last 12 months.

Over the last year, Bega has acquired Lion Dairy & Drinks and won a lawsuit over Fonterra to use its brand on Vegemite and peanut butter.

At this point in time, Bega is only 15% lower than its all-time highest closing price. Meaning, all eyes will be on the company over the next few months to see if its share price continues to grow.

Bega has a market capitalisation of around $1.9 billion, with approximately 302 million shares outstanding.

More reading

• Why the Vitalharvest (ASX:VTH) share price is up 21% in 2021
• 2 quality ASX shares rated as top buys by brokers
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• ASX 200 up 0.45%: Premier Investments results, Xero acquisition, Computershare halted

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended COSTA GRP FPO. 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 Zenith Minerals Ltd (ASX: ZNC) share price is on an absolute tear. At the time of writing, the lithium miner is trading for 20 cents per share. It is down on today’s intraday (and 1-year) high of 21.5 cents a share — which marked a 66% gain — but is still 50% higher than the previous day’s close.

The positive price movement comes as the company announced “high-grade” zinc-lead discoveries at one of its mining projects.

By contrast, the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up 0.19%.

Let’s take a closer look at today’s announcement and how it might be affecting the Zenith share price.

What’s up with the Zenith share price?

In conjunction with Rumble Resources Ltd (ASX: RTR), Zenith announced promising zinc-lead results from two drill holes at the Chinook Prospect joint-venture in Western Australia. Zenith has a 25% stake at the site.

The two drill hole results are as follows:

1. a 34m wide ore that is 4.22% zinc and lead from 66m depth, including 17m that is 6.5% zinc and lead.
2. a 21m wide ore that is 4.3% zinc and lead from 61m depth.

From these results, Zenith stated the site has the potential to be at “the upper end of the existing Exploration Target.”

The Rumble Resources and Zenith share price surges look to be a vote of confidence by investors in this latest announcement.

Management commentary

Speaking on today’s news, Zenith Chair Peter Bird said:

These initial results from the Earaheedy JV Property appear to be exceptional, as announced by Joint Venture Partner Rumble Resources it is the intention that Rumble will aggressively progress the exploration activities on the property in an attempt to validate the Exploration Target estimate. Although at an early stage of investigation we are beginning to demonstrate that this project could be of very significant scale.

He added:

We will continue to be very supportive of these activities. Zenith retains a 25% Free Carried Interest in the Joint Venture to the point of Bankable Feasibility completion. In addition, both parties hold a Pre-Emptive Right over the counterparty’s respective equity stakes. Earaheedy is shaping up as a very exciting proposition for both parties.

Zenith share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, the Zenith share price has increased by 300%. Today’s closing price is the highest the company’s shares have achieved since July 2018.

Zenith has a market capitalisation of $50 million.

More reading

• Why the Rumble Resources (ASX:RTR) share price is rocketing 90% today
• Why the Rumble Resources (ASX:RTR) share price is surging 28% today

Motley Fool contributor Marc Sidarous 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 CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) share price has continued to trade sideways despite the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) running around 6% higher year to date. 

The ASX 200 is now within 2% of its pre-COVID high, but the CSL share price needs to add another 25% to be in a similar position. After what seemed like strong half-year results back in February, what’s next for the CSL share price? 

CSL share price impacted by plasma collections

Plasma is an essential raw material for CSL Behring’s immunoglobulins, which generated US$4,256 million of the group’s US$5,739 million revenue in the first half of FY21.

The pandemic has adversely affected plasma collections, with December 2020 collection volumes representing ~80% of December 2019 volumes. Plasma collections are arguably a factor that could sink or swim the CSL share price in the near term. 

The looming shortage has even seen the company turn to the public for ideas on how to get the community to step up plasma donations. CSL is offering $40,000 and mentorship as a reward for the winning idea. 

What does the broker say?

A note from Macquarie on 26 March observed that foot traffic across approximately 100 of CSL’s US-based plasma collection centres had fallen below levels recorded in July-December 2020. 

In this note, the broker acknowledged that seasonality tended to play a role in the weakness experienced across late February and early March. Often associated with the timing of annual tax returns.

Moving through this period, the broker expected collections to improve from mid-March through to June. With these assumptions in mind, it retained a neutral rating for the CSL share price with a $288 target price. 

On Monday, Macquarie provided an update highlighting that collection centre foot traffic had yet to show a sustained improvement. The broker observes that foot traffic within the centres had eased in April after declines from mid-March. 

Without the anticipated improvement in plasma collections, Macquarie now expects lower immunoglobulin related revenue growth in FY22. 

The broker retained its neutral rating and lowered its target price from $288 to $282.50. This represents an upside of 5%, but the pressure is on the CSL to lift its plasma collections. 

More reading

• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX 200 hits new post-COVID high
• 2 five-star stocks to buy
• Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to sell next week
• This ASX telco and bank will go gangbusters: fundie
• ASX 200 rises above 7,000, Resolute Mining soars, Galaxy jumps

Kerry Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL 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.

The post Why the CSL (ASX:CSL) share price might be headed for more trouble appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Keen investors will monitor the share prices for a batch of ASX-listed companies on Monday after a two-way travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand started operating.

The agreement between the two countries took effect late Sunday night AEST. This means travellers from either side no longer have to undergo mandatory COVID-19 quarantine in either country.

Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) and its budget brand Jetstar on Monday resumed all of its pre-COVID flights to New Zealand, plus a new route between the Gold Coast and Auckland.

“Quarantine-free travel has been almost 400 days in the making,” said Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce at Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD).

“Reopening these flights across the Tasman is a very important milestone in the recovery from the pandemic for Australia and New Zealand but also aviation and tourism.”

Joyce added the bubble is also a boon for family and friends reuniting after more than a year apart.

“It means we’ll be able to get more planes back in the sky and more of our people back to work,” he said.

“New Zealand was Australia’s second biggest source of international visitors before the pandemic. Today, it’s about to go straight to number one.”

Oddly, Qantas shares were down 1.54% on Monday afternoon, to trade at $5.10. But that’s still 64% up on its 52-week low of $3.12.

Sydney Airport stocks also dipped, trading at $6.08, which is 0.49% down on Monday.

Meanwhile, Air New Zealand Limited (ASX: AIZ) shares were faring much better, up 1.12% to trade at $1.80 on Monday afternoon. 

Auckland International Airport Limited (ASX: AIA) stocks were also flying high, soaring more than 4% to trade at $7.73.

Air New Zealand stated earlier this month that trans-Tasman travel accounted for about 20% of the company’s pre-pandemic revenue.

The Kiwi carrier resumed flights to 9 Australian destinations on Monday, with capacity at 70% of pre-coronavirus levels.

Joyce said New Zealand flights have been popular since the bubble was announced on 6 April.

“We’ve seen strong demand since the bubble was announced, with tens of thousands of bookings made in the first few days. We’ve also added more flights to Queenstown to meet expected demand during the peak ski season.”

What if there’s a COVID breakout somewhere in Australia or NZ?

With many people still shy about committing to a trans-Tasman trip due to the unpredictability of border closures, tourism companies have sought to provide flexible terms.

Qantas, for example, is offering unlimited zero-fee date changes for bookings made before 31 July for travel on or before 22 February 2022.

Budget brand Jetstar is allowing passengers to purchase an add-on to their tickets that would allow them to cancel for any reason.

Gold frequent flyers and Qantas Club members are also allowed into the First Class lounges in Sydney and Melbourne temporarily.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern indicated earlier this month that any border restrictions might come on a state-by-state basis, depending on the severity of the outbreak.

More reading

• Airbnb predicts huge rebound, ASX travel shares in the hot seat
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: ASX 200 hits new post-COVID high
• Why brokers are bullish on the Qantas (ASX:QAN) share price
• Can the Flight Centre (ASX:FLT) share price continue to rise?
• Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy now

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo owns shares of Qantas Airways Limited and Sydney Airport 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 Bruce Jackson.

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