Tag: Motley Fool

  • Why the Galan Lithium (ASX:GLN) share price is up 50% in a month

    South32 share price

    Galan Lithium Ltd (ASX: GLN) shares have been soaring lately, surging by 50% over the past month.

    On 18 March, Galan Lithium entered a trading halt. At the time, the company’s shares were swapping hands at 47 cents each. By today’s market close, the Galan share price was trading at 73.5 cents after having risen 6.5% today.

    So, what’s been driving the Galan Lithium share price since 18 March? Let’s take a look.

    Lithium, lithium and more lithium

    Galan Lithium broke its trading halt on 22 March with exciting news, leading its share price to close 12.8% higher than the previous session.

    Just prior to the market’s open on 22 March, the company announced test results had found the brine evaporation process at its Hombre Muerto West (HMW) project was capable of producing 25% more lithium than was previously predicted.

    According to the release, HMW’s lithium chloride concentrate increased to 6% lithium. This represented a significant increase from the original measure of the process which found 4.8% lithium.

    HMW is located in Argentina, in the area known as the South America Lithium Triangle. The HMW project has a low carbon footprint with comparable results to other lithium miners in the area.

    Galan Lithium stated it’s still running tests to optimise lithium chloride solutions to deliver the best chemical solution in the shortest amount of time.

    What else has been happening for Galan?

    After the HMW news in March, we hadn’t heard anything more from Galan.

    That was until this morning when the company announced it had finished a review of historical CSIRO data and had found improved prospects at its Greenbushes South Lithium Project.

    A CSIRO study from 1987 defined geochemical anomalies with the laterite soils across the Greenbushes region. Galan Lithium stated this study confirms the feasibility to explore for a concealed deposit of mineralised Li-Sn-Ta pegmatites – a rock type that may host spodumene.

    Now, Galan is repeating some of the soil sampling done in the original study to validate the results and plan its next move at the project.

    The Greenbushes South Lithium Project is located around 3 kilometres south of the Greenbushes Lithium Mine. The Greenbushes Lithium Mine is the largest hard-rock lithium mine in the world.

    Galan Lithium share price snapshot

    Galan Lithium is having a cracking time on the ASX this year. At the time of writing, the company’s share price is around 90% higher than it was at the beginning of 2021.

    It’s also up by almost 360% over the last 12 months.

    The company has a market capitalisation of around $165 million, with approximately 240 million shares outstanding.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

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  • China’s dairy stocks rise: What does this mean for the A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) share price?

    pouring glass of milk from glass milk bottle

    The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price could be one to watch. In particular, as Chinese dairy companies stage a strong rally on Thursday. 

    Why the A2 Milk share price is on watch 

    In a paper released on Wednesday, the People’s Republic of China said that it should remove all birth control and encourage people to have more children. A number of China’s listed dairy companies have worked with ASX-listed dairy companies. 

    Beingmate for example, is one of the largest Chinese-owned companies in the infant nutrition industry. Its shares have climbed 10% today, but remain around all-time record lows.

    In late 2020, Bubs Australia Ltd (ASX: BUB) entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Beingmate to manufacture Bubs Goat Infant Formula made from 100 per cent Australian goat milk in China. Interestingly, Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund (ASX: FSF) also has a 2.82% shareholder in the company. 

    Elsewhere, shares such as Guangxi Royal Dairy, Lanzhou Zhuangyuan Pasture, and Xinjiang Tianrun Dairy have all opened higher on Thursday. 

    A potential turnaround in the share price 

    Bell Potter released a note on Monday, upgrading the A2 Milk share price to a buy with a $9.50 target price. The broker observes that the company is working through its excess stock and exports to China are picking up from December 2020 lows. It believes that these early signals could indicate that the recent downgrade cycle is reversing. 

    The report also highlighted A2’s expanding offline Chinese distribution. It believes that the company’s distribution points are looking to approach 30,000 in the March quarter and might mitigate the headwinds of declining China births, which is down 15% year-on-year in 2020.  

    Overall, Bell Potter is pointing to a recovery that’s in its very early stages. Investors likely want to see a material improvement in the company’s financial performance following back-to-back earnings downgrades. 

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

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    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 BUBS AUST FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended A2 Milk. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BUBS AUST 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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  • How pent-up demand could turbocharge ASX 200 energy shares

    oil and gas operations at sunset signifying senex share price

    S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) energy shares have come roaring back from their early pandemic lows.

    Battered by international and domestic travel restrictions, which sent crude oil prices plummeting into the basement in March and April last year, energy shares joined travel shares for the ignominious honour of posting some of the steepest falls on the ASX 200.

    You may recall that less than a year ago, on 27 April 2020, a barrel of Brent crude oil was worth US$19.99.

    Today that same barrel is selling for US$66.54. An increase of 232%.

    The bullish outlook for crude oil prices

    While COVID-19 remains a wild card in the outlook for crude oil demand and prices, a growing number of analysts, including JP Morgan, are bullish on the short-term outlook for oil.

    Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda Corp shares that outlook. Moya said (quoted by Bloomberg), “There’s going to be tremendous pent-up demand for crude. There are some areas that are seeing cases trend higher, but the restrictions are going to be short-lived as vaccines get distributed.”

    Bill O’Grady is the executive vice president at Confluence Investment Management in St. Louis. Commenting on his outlook for the crude market, O’Grady said, “There’s always bearish factors in any market, but now that we’ve broke out to the upside, it likely means we’re going to retest the old highs, if not go through them.”

    Two leading ASX 200 energy shares

    Two of the top oil and gas shares on the ASX 200 are Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL).

    At the current price of $7.18 per share, Santos has a market cap of $14.9 billion. The company trades on a price to earnings (P/E) ratio of 12.8 times. Up 2% in late afternoon trading today, the Santos share price is up 69% over the past 12 months. That compares to a gain of 30% on the ASX 200.

    Woodside, up just under 1% today, is trading for $24.36 per share, giving it a market cap of $23.5 billion. Woodside shares have gained 16% over the past 12 months and 6% year-to-date.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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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  • What Coinbase’s float means for the Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price

    A woman nervously crosses her fingers, indicating hope for positive share price movement

    While they may seem to be a world apart, Coinbase Global Inc‘s (NASDAQ: COIN) float on the Nasdaq Index may mean big things for the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price.

    Coinbase floated on the Nasdaq in the wee hours of 3am AEST this morning. While most of Australia was sleeping, the cryptocurrency trading app’s share price bombed. It started its trade at US$386.31, but by the time most of us woke up at 6am AEST, it was swapping hands for just US$328.28.

    Having said that, Coinbase’s US$385.31 opening price is much higher than Nasdaq’s reference price of US$250.

    But what does all this have to do with Australian banking giant Westpac? Let’s take a look.

    A friend of a friend…

    It was first suggested that Coinbase’s floating could contribute $500 million to Westbank’s coffers. Not a bad payday for the bank, which didn’t have to put in much effort to receive it.

    This is all because of an investment Westpac made into a capital fund by the name of Reinventure.

    You see, way back in 2015, Reinventure made an investment into the, now much discussed, Coinbase. Now, in 2021, it’s making a big profit off of that decision.

    What happened when Coinbase debuted?

    Due to the volatility of Coinbase’s first day trading on the Nasdaq index, its valuation has slipped lower than was expected. According to a report from Bloomberg, Coinbase’s opening share price gave the company a valuation of US$100 billion.

    At its intraday high (a whopping US$429.54), Coinbase had a valuation of US$112 billion. Unfortunately for Coinbase, Reinventure and Westpac (along with many others, I’m assuming), by the end of the day’s trade Coinbase was valued at around $86 billion.

    The Motley Fool Australia previously reported on the US$70 billion to US$100 billion estimation made of Coinbase’s valuation by the Australian Financial Review.  

    We reported that, if that were to be the case, Reinventure would come out with a profit of roughly $450 million from its $50 million investment.

    Not a bad payday for Reinventure, and of course, Westpac.

    Westpac share price snapshot

    Even after Coinbase’s exciting debut, the Westpac share price is sluggish on the ASX today.

    At the time of writing, shares in Westpac have lifted 0.63%, trading at $25.49.

    The banking giant has a market capitalisation of around $92.9 billion, with approximately 3.6 billion shares outstanding.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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.

    The post What Coinbase’s float means for the Westpac (ASX:WBC) share price appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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  • DDH1 (ASX:DDH) share price edges higher on credit facility

    Five stacked building blocks with green arrows, indicating rising inflation or share prices

    The DDH1 Limited (ASX: DDH) share price is on the rise following the approval of credit facility from Bankwest. In late-afternoon trade, the drilling company’s shares are fetching for $1.06, up 2.9%. At one stage, DDH1 shares reached an intraday high of $1.10, reflecting a record for the newly-listed company.

    Funding for growth

    The DDH1 share price entered new territory today after providing investors with a positive update.

    According to its release, DDH1 advised that it agreed to the terms with Bankwest to receive debt facilities of up to $60 million. Furthermore, the available funds consist of a $50 million revolving credit line and $10 million in asset finance.

    This follows the company’s previous announcement in its Initial Public Offering (IPO) prospectus to secure funding to drive future growth.

    DDH1 stated that the Bankwest debt facilities represent the sole significant credit line available for expanding its operations. In addition, it paves the way for another third-party, asset-backed finance if needed.

    The company is focused on executing its growth strategy in servicing increasing demand from its clients and winning new work. By the first half of FY22, DDH1 is planning to have 103 drill rigs in its arsenal, up from the current 97 to date. This will allow the company to expand operations and further enhance its market position as Australia’s leading mineral drilling contractor.

    The revolving credit facility has a 5-year term and can be used for a variety of purposes. This includes general corporate purposes including acquisitions, capital expenditure, and working capital. The $10 million asset finance is uncommitted and can only be used for equipment purchases.

    Management commentary

    DDH1 chief financial officer, Ben MacKinnon welcomed the approval of the credit facility, saying:

    We are delighted to have agreed on terms with Bankwest that provide DDH1 with funding to execute our strategic growth plan – at a time when there is increasing market demand in Australia for the high- quality services that we deliver.

    The support from Bankwest underscores DDH1’s standing as a financially responsible and disciplined mineral drilling sector operator and is built on our strong balance sheet, which had net cash of $3.3 million at 9 March 2021.

    Since the company’s inception in 2006, DDH1 has established a track record of executing its long-term vision alongside balancing short-term profitability and investment in growth, enabling us to remain consistently profitable while growing market share.

    DDH1 share price snapshot

    Since listing last month at an issue price of $1.10, the DDH1 share price has slightly lost over 2%. The company’s shares notably fell to a low of 81 cents that day, never reaching its issue price until today.

    On valuation grounds, DDH1 commands a market capitalisation of roughly $366.8 million, with 342.8 million shares on issue.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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.

    The post DDH1 (ASX:DDH) share price edges higher on credit facility appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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  • What’s going on with the Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) share price today?

    A young man pointing up looking amazed, indicating a surging share price movement for an ASX company

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having a pretty momentous day today. On the surface, the ASX 200’s 0.66% gain (at the time of writing) doesn’t look like much to write home about. But this gain means that the ASX’s flagship index is now at a post-COVID high. And we’ll only need another 1% or so to exceed the pre-COVID high on top of today’s levels from February 2020 as well. But one ASX blue chip is performing even better than the ASX 200 today. And that’s the Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price.

    While the ASX 200 is up 0.66%, Rio shares are up a decent 3.04% today to $117.80 a share. That’s still not quite at Rio’s all-time high of $130.30 that we saw back in late February. But it’s also a good 10% above where we saw Rio shares just a couple of weeks ago in late March.

    What’s more, Rio shareholders received their $5.17 per share dividend this morning. So it’s certainly been a good day to hold this ASX miner. 

    So what is driving Rio shares higher today?

    Rio shares: Paying the iron price

    We can almost certainly thank the twin pillars of Rio’s profitability the Aussie dollar and commodity prices for the appreciation we have seen today in the Rio share price. 

    Firstly, the Aussie dollar is now back above 77 US cents after spending most of the past month closer to 75 cents than 76. Since commodities are almost always priced in US dollars, a rising Aussie dollar makes it cheaper for Rio to sell its commodities in Australian dollar terms. And that is naturally positive for Rio shares.

    Secondly, commodity prices have been on a tear in recent weeks. Rio’s largest operations are in iron ore production. And iron ore is now back to sky-high levels above US$170 per tonne after dipping towards US$150 a few weeks ago. Additionally, copper prices are also at historical highs, as my Fool colleague reported earlier this week.

    What’s more, the rise of electric vehicles is tipped to push copper even higher over the coming years. Oil is also pushing higher this week with Brent crude is now above US$66 a barrel, whilst gold is holding steady at around US$1,740 an ounce.

    All of these factors are adding up to a perfect storm of sorts for the Rio Tinto share price today. Along with other ASX resources shares. And Rio shares’ trailing dividend yield of 5.22% probably isn’t hurting investor sentiment either.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen 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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  • 2 highly rated ASX growth shares to buy

    steps to picking asx shares represented by four lightbulbs drawn on chalk board

    Fortunately for growth investors, there are plenty of quality options for them on the Australian share market.

    Two options to consider buying are listed below. Here’s why they are highly rated:

    Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

    The first ASX growth share to look at is Megaport. It is a leading provider of elastic interconnection services globally. The company utilises software defined networking (SDN) to allow customers to rapidly connect their network to other services across the Megaport Network.

    This means that services can be directly controlled by customers via mobile devices, their computer, or its open API.

    The shift to the cloud has led to increasing demand for Megaport’s services. As a result, it now connects more than 2,050 customers in over 700 enabled data centres globally. This led to Megaport reporting Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) of $6.3 million at the end of December. This was up $1.7 million or 37% year on year.

    Goldman Sachs is confident in its growth outlook. The broker currently has a buy rating and $15.55 price target on its shares. This compares to the current Megaport share price of ~$12.25.

    Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW)

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

    Temple & Webster has been growing at a rapid rate over the last few years thanks to the shift to online shopping. And while its growth went into overdrive during the pandemic, management expects to remain a high growth company post-COVID.

    Especially given its expanding private label range and the low penetration of online furniture and homewares sales in comparison to other Western markets.

    Morgan Stanley is very positive on the company’s future. The broker currently has an overweight rating and $14.00 price target on its shares. This compares to the latest Temple & Webster share price of ~$10.37.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

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    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 MEGAPORT FPO. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Temple & Webster Group Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended MEGAPORT FPO 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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  • 2 high quality ASX shares for your retirement portfolio

    asx investor daydreaming about US shares

    If you’re looking for ways to boost your income in retirement, then you might want to look at the shares listed below.

    These high quality ASX shares could be great options for retirees. Here’s what you need to know about them:

    Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd (ASX: SYD)

    The first option to consider for a retirement portfolio is Sydney Airport.

    Although the last 12 months have been incredibly hard for the airport operator, things are starting to look a lot more positive now.

    With domestic tourism recovering and vaccines rolling out across the world, it may not be long until Sydney Airport’s terminals are packed full of passengers again.

    Goldman Sachs is a fan and believes it is worth being patient with the company. The broker currently has a buy rating and $6.73 price target on its shares.

    And while the broker is only expecting a very modest dividend in FY 2021, it expects a big increase next year. Goldman estimates that its shares currently offer yields of ~1.5% and ~4.4%, respectively, over the next two years.

    Transurban Group (ASX: TCL)

    Transurban is a leading toll road operator which owns a collection of important roads in Australia and North America. 

    While the pandemic led to a sharp drop in traffic volumes and hit the company hard, volumes are improving and will continue to do so over the next 12 months as vaccines roll out.

    In light of increasing traffic, the time-savings its roads offer, and their strong pricing power, Transurban appears to be well-placed for growth over the long term.

    One broker that sees a lot of value in the Transurban share price is Ord Minnett. Earlier this week the broker retained its buy rating and $16.00 price target on its shares.

    Ord Minnett is forecasting dividends of 37 cents per share in FY 2021 and 58 cents per share in FY 2022. Based on the latest Transurban share price, this equates to yields of 2.7% and 4.2%, respectively, over the next two years.

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    Returns As of 15th February 2021

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Transurban Group. 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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  • Zip (ASX:Z1P) eyes potential stock and crypto trading services

    The Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price has been making headlines following its solid third-quarter update and $400 million convertible notes offering. However, this subtle piece of news might have slipped through the cracks. 

    Zip to potentially offer stock and crypto trading 

    The Zip share price might be looking at another angle to drive growth outside of its core buy now pay later (BNPL) service offering.

    Zip co-founder Peter Gray said that the company was looking at offering stock and cryptocurrency trading on its existing app. The roll-out of trading services would likely occur via its US QuadPay business. This move aims at further engaging its younger users who make up a majority of its customer base.

    Zip could be looking to carve its own path instead of following rival Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) in traditional banking products. Afterpay has announced its plans to launch the Afterpay Money app in Q1 FY22. The app aims to compete as a primary money management app. It also comes complete with a linked debit card and classic banking features. 

    Trading is a hot space right now 

    The world of stock and cryptocurrency trading is on fire right now. 

    From a more traditional brokerage perspective, Australia’s low-cost online trading platform, SelfWealth Ltd (ASX: SWF) has been eyeing US share trading as its next avenue for growth. In the company’s recent quarterly update, its first full quarter of US trading saw 36,266 or 7% of total trades for the quarter. 

    The company was able to capitalise on the GameStop Corp (NYSE:GME) trading frenzy. In addition, proving itself as a reliable platform amidst platform issues and trading restrictions at competing providers. 

    On the smaller end of town, Doough Ltd (ASX: DOU) has also signalled its medium-term vision. This includes wealth management features in its app. In addition, it will also have wealth management and investing features. 

    Last night, Coinbase Global Inc (NASDAQ: COIN) officially listed on the NASDAQ. Coinbase’s initial public offering (IPO) price was set at US$250 per share, valuing the company at around US$65.3 billion. 

    Could this affect the Zip share price?

    The prospect of launching into stock and cryptocurrency trading services is speculative at this point in time. BNPL services with a focus on its core US business and international expansion will likely be at the top of the company’s priority list.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    *Returns as of February 15th 2021

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    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 ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T 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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  • Why the BHP (ASX:BHP) share price is surging today

    mining asx shares represented by miner writing report on clipboard

    The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price is climbing today. At the time of writing, shares in the resources giant were trading for $47.16 – up 2.5%. Similarly, competitor Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) is up 2.26% to $116.91. By comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is 0.3% higher.

    Neither BHP or Rio have made any significant announcements recently, so, what’s behind their relatively large gains today?

    The answer may lie deep underground, buried with copper.

    What’s up with the BHP share price today?

    The BHP share price is rising over and above the market index today. Without any recent announcements, the most likely explanation is optimism in the price of copper.

    The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reported recently BHP expects demand for copper to double over the next 30 years due to surging demand for renewable technology. Copper is vital in the development of green technology. For example, right now, demand for electric vehicles is surging and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

    Copper is currently trading for US $4.124 per pound on the commodities market. Its up 0.18% today and 17.53% since the beginning of the year. Its price is only slightly down from its 5-year high of around US $4.35 per pound at the end of February.

    The price of copper is usually correlated with the global economy. Many are tipping the world’s economy to strongly rebound from last year’s lows as vaccinations accelerate and we enter a post-COVID world. On top of this and the aforementioned growing demand for renewable energy, there are also some supply issues with copper.

    Chile and Peru are the two largest copper producing nations. Coronavirus restrictions in both countries saw mining operations slow down over the last year. In addition, growing support for left-wing politics in both nations is spooking more conservative market players, especially in relation to the mining industry.

    How about other ASX copper miners?

    The BHP share price is up because of high hopes for copper, but what about its competitors? Rio Tinto has already been mentioned and it is having a similarly good trading day.

    Smaller rival OZ Minerals Limited (ASX: OZL), with a market capitalisation of $8.1 billion, shares are up an almost identical 2.7%. Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) (market cap $1 billion) is up an impressive 5.11%. Canadian copper miner Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (ASX: C6C) is 4.06% higher.

    BHP share price snapshot

    Over the last 12 months, the BHP share price has increased 50.05%. Besides copper, iron ore is BHP’s other big money maker. A note out of Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) believes the share price will continue to go higher on increasing demand for the ferrous metal.

    BHP has a market capitalisation of $215.1 billion.

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    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.

    The post Why the BHP (ASX:BHP) share price is surging today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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