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The AMP Limited (ASX: AMP) share price could face pressure this morning after it suffered a credit rating downgrade.

The embattled wealth manager announced after the market closed yesterday that Standard and Poor’s (S&P) cut its rating on the listed entity, AMP Group Holdings Limited and AMP Bank by one notch each.

The setback threatens to derail the bounce in the share price as AMP tries to recover from its cultural and governance scandal. Should investors be worried?

AMP share price pressured by governance concerns

The downgrade was made worse by comments from S&P on the reasons behind the downgrade. The agency said that recent developments made it think that AMP’s governance was not “as strong as we previously considered“, reported the Australian Financial Review.

The trigger for S&P was the string of quick exits by senior managers and last week’s strategic review of group assets. AMP’s newly installed chair Debra Hazelton overrode the group’s also relatively new chief executive Francesco De Ferrari’s turnaround strategy.

Talk about a tense work environment! This isn’t something that would inspire confidence at a time when AMP badly needs to get back on its feet.

Credit vs. equity risks

But this latest development has not derailed my “buy” thesis on the stock. There are a few reasons for this.

Firstly, S&P is a credit agency. They advise debt investors on how safe it is to lend money to a company and they way they analyse a corporation is different from the way equities analysts would.

Credit analysts are particularly focused on default risks and downside scenarios. They don’t care as much about how much profit growth is achievable or sum-of-parts valuations. They want to be assured that the company can pay their debts as opposed to how much money it can make.

What this means is that a ratings downgrade by S&P or other credit agencies is less correlated to share price performance than a downgrade coming from a broker, for instance.

Downgrade doesn’t reflect AMP valuation

I am not saying credit and equity aren’t linked, but credit ratings aren’t driven by how much potential upside or downside there is in a share price.

This takes me to the second point. The reason why I think the risk-reward is looking attractive for AMP is because I think there’s intrinsic value in the business.

Risk-reward still looking attractive

No one will argue there is significant execution risk in the business. Management will need to learn to sing from the same song sheet at a time when the future of 170-year plus institution is at stake.

But what brings me some comfort is the belief that if AMP was carved up and sold off in pieces, the sales will fetch a higher price than where the stock is currently trading.

This is good news for equity investors, but could be a real headache for credit investors.

More reading

• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Friday crash pulls ASX back below 6,000 points
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 next week
• These were the best performing ASX 200 shares last week
• Are IOOF shares in the buy zone today after the MLC acquisition?

Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of AMP Limited. Connect with me on Twitter @brenlau.

The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post Will the S&P downgrade derail the recovery in the AMP share price? appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing many students to online learning, now may be time to invest in ASX education shares.

An ABC News article recently shed light on the surging demand for academic tutors. In addition, the article touched on the inadequacy of some academic school curriculums.

Some ASX education shares could be poised to benefit from the surging demand for academic tutors and support services.  

What’s fuelling the demand for tutors?

According to the ABC article, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed glaring holes in Australia’s educational system.

With lessons moved online during the height of the pandemic, some parents were confronted by how far behind their children were with schoolwork.

In order to compensate, many parents have turned to tutoring services for additional educational resources. Some tutoring services have doubled the number of children on their books since the pandemic began.

The pandemic has also prompted a review of school curriculums.

The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority announced a review of the national prep to year 10 curriculum in June. The aim of the review is to streamline student workloads and lessons.

Given the weaknesses exposed in the education system, there are some companies listed on the ASX that could potentially help fill in the gaps.

Which ASX education shares could benefit?

3P Learning Ltd (ASX: 3PL) is an online education platform that offers a range of resources covering core subjects such as mathematics, spelling, literacy and science. 3P Learning’s platform currently boasts more than 5 million students from more than 17,000 schools around the world.

The company released its FY20 report last month and also revealed a takeover bid from United States-based IXL Learning. For FY20, 3P Learning recorded an 18% decline in underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $14.6 million. 

3P Learning cited an increase in sales and marketing expenditure in the Americas region for the lacklustre performance. Despite a weak financial performance, 3P Learning reported promising customer retention in the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa markets.

Kip McGrath Education Centres Limited (ASX: KME) is another company that could benefit. Kip McGrath provides tutoring to primary and secondary students for a wide range of core subjects. The company operates on a franchise business model with operations in Australia, the UK, South Africa and New Zealand.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak,  Kip McGrath provided 36,000 face to face lessons and 550 online lessons on a weekly basis. As a result of global lock-downs and social distancing measures, the company has expanded its online operations. In May, the company recorded a milestone of 20,000 online lessons while face-to-face tutoring dropped to 2,400 per week.

Kip McGrath has identified online tuition as a key market and growth opportunity that offers higher margins than traditional tutoring. As a result, the company completed a $5.9 million capital raise in June to accelerate the growth of its online platforms.

Foolish takeaway

The services provided by 3P Learning and Kip McGrath will not replace traditional teaching formats. However, they could become more popular as an auxiliary service. 

The convenience and high margins of online tutoring could also gain traction as they appeal to both customers and companies alike. The potential in this space has been reflected in the takeover offer for 3P Learning, with IXL’s slapping an enterprise value of $166.7 million on the company. 

In my opinion, auxiliary education providers like 3P Learning and Kip McrGath are poised to boom in 2020 and beyond. 

More reading

• 3P Learning share price explodes 22% on takeover bid

Motley Fool contributor Nikhil Gangaram has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post Is it time to invest in ASX education shares? appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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The world is getting older and quickly. The global population aged 65 and over is growing faster than all other age groups.

According to the WHO, by 2050, one in six people in the world will be over age 65 (16%), up from one in 11 in 2019 (9%).  

The stats are even higher in Europe and North America, where the WHO estimates that one in four people could be over 65 in 2050.

This is expected to lead to growing demand for healthcare services over the next three decades, which I feel bodes well for a number of companies in the sector.

In light of this, I think investing in the healthcare sector with a long term view could be a smart move.

But where should you invest your money? Here are two ASX healthcare shares that I think would be great long term options for investors:

iShares Global Healthcare ETF (ASX: IXJ)

If you’d like to invest in a wide range of healthcare shares then you might want to consider putting money into the iShares Global Healthcare fund. As its name implies, this exchange traded fund (ETF) gives investors exposure to many of the biggest healthcare companies across the globe. This includes the likes of  AstraZeneca, CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL), Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co, Sanofi, and United Health. Given the aforementioned ageing population tailwind, I believe these healthcare shares are collectively well-positioned for growth over the next decade. This could mean the iShares Global Healthcare ETF generates strong returns for investors.

Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC)

Another healthcare share that I think would be a fantastic long term option is Ramsay Health Care. As the global population ages, I expect demand for its sprawling global network of private hospitals to increase substantially. I believe this will put the company in a position to deliver solid earnings growth over the long term. Another positive is the company’s history of supporting its growth with acquisitions. I suspect this will remain the case over the next decade or two.

More reading

• 2 high quality ETFs for ASX investors to buy today
• Where to invest $10,000 into ASX shares
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Earnings drag ASX back to reality
• Ramsay Health Care share price pushes higher following FY 2020 results
• ETF provider VanEck to launch 4 new ASX ETFs

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Ramsay Health Care Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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It’s been a strong year for many ASX growth shares. Healthcare, gold and tech shares have performed strongly despite the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) slumping lower.

However, it’s hard to know what to buy in the current market. Looking ahead to 2021, here are a couple of top ASX growth shares I’d like to buy for my portfolio.

Polynovo and one more ASX growth share to buy

Let’s start with what I think the macro environment will look like early next year. I think we’ll see record low interest rates persist and government stimulus measures start to ease.

I expect the coronavirus pandemic will continue to weigh on markets in the first quarter of next year. Further market volatility will persist but I think the economy will still be in a holding pattern of sorts.

That leads me to my first ASX growth share to buy: Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV). Polynovo is a leading Aussie biotech company specialising in skin treatments through its synthetic polymer.

While tech shares are dominating right now, I think we could see biotech and healthcare surge higher next year.

Demand for services is high and patient numbers are slowly returning after falling away in early 2020. With Polynovo targeting more lucrative markets for its NovoSorb BTM product, I think next year’s earnings could be big.

That’s not to say that tech shares will underperform. I think the current mania has blown some valuations out of proportion to what these ASX growth shares are worth.

However, I think Aussie data centre operator Nextdc Ltd (ASX: NXT) is still a buy. The NextDC share price is trading at $11.28 per share and is near the top of its 52-week trading range.

But changing work dynamics and a move towards more work from home could be a good thing. That means demand for off-site secure data storage and security could surge.

Add to that the growing focus on cybersecurity threats to governments and corporations and I think the ASX growth share could be a buy.

Foolish takeaway

These are just a couple of the top ASX growth shares that I think could be in the buy zone in early 2021.

More reading

• A practical guide on how to invest in ASX shares
• Is the Mesoblast share price a bargain yet?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• ASX 200 rises 0.3%, CSL reveals COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing deals
• Broker picks best ASX small cap stocks to buy from the reporting season

Ken Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of POLYNOVO FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited (ASX: RBD) share price is one to watch today, after the Kiwi restaurant group reported a 42.9% slump in net profit.

What does Restaurant Brands do?

Restaurant Brands NZ operates the New Zealand outlets of KFC, Pizza Hut and Carl’s Junior. It also operates KFC in Australia and Taco Bell in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.

The Kiwi company has a market capitalisation of $1.1 billion but has limited liquidity given its tight shareholding.

Why is the Restaurant Brands share price on watch?

The Kiwi restaurant group reported half-year sales down NZ$59.2 million or 13.4% to NZ$383.4 million. Net profit after tax (NPAT) for the 6 months to 30 June 2020 (1H20) fell 42.9% lower to NZ$11.4 million.

That was largely thanks to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions in New Zealand, which forced the closure of many stores.

However, the US business performed well with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) climbing $2.2 million. That was thanks to strong Pizza Hut performance despite ongoing challenges.

Positively, the group reported second-quarter sales in the New Zealand market had largely returned to pre-COVID levels.

KFC and Carl’s Jr were touted as key performers in the New Zealand market while Taco Bell continues to track above expectations.

The group’s Pizza Hut sub-franchising process is continuing despite limited activity during the year.

The Restaurant Brands share price is one to watch after this morning’s result, which saw Australian store EBITDA fall 23.6% to A$11.3 million.

That softer earnings result reflected a lack of dine-in restaurants being open as well as the initial setup costs of operating Taco Bell. The group is looking to open more than 60 stores in Australia and New Zealand over the next 5 years.

In the US, Restaurant Brands saw strong results from its Hawaiian operations including growth in revenue, in-store EBITDA and EBIT in New Zealand dollar terms.

Dividend

The Restaurant Brands share price will be worth watching today after the board decided to not pay an interim dividend. That comes as the company looks to reinvest cash into the business for its extensive Taco Bell rollout.

Acquisitions

Restaurant Brands entered into a conditional agreement to acquire 70 stores in Southern California, USA for US$73 million in December 2019. That deal saw the company acquire 59 KFC stores and 11 combined KFC Taco Bell stores.

The group settled that transaction on 2 September 2020 in New Zealand with the US$80.7 million purchase price fully funded through debt drawdown on existing facilities.

FY21 outlook

The Restaurant Brands share price will be on watch this morning as investors digest the company’s results release.

The company reported sales have bounced back strongly with new store rollouts continuing to process in Australia and New Zealand.

However, Restaurant Brands was unable to provide specific FY21 guidance given the current uncertainty due to COVID-19.

More reading

• Why I would buy Appen and these ASX tech shares after the selloff
• A practical guide on how to invest in ASX shares
• Will the S&P downgrade derail the recovery in the AMP share price?
• Is it time to invest in ASX education shares?
• These ASX healthcare shares could be great long term options

Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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In 2020 the majority of companies on the Australian share market have been disrupted by the pandemic in some form.

But not all shares have. In fact, some have proven unstoppable this year and continue to deliver explosive growth.

The good news is that this strong form looks likely to continue post-crisis as well, which could make these unstoppable ASX shares great options for investors.

Here’s why I would invest $2,000 into them:

a2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M)

The first unstoppable ASX share to consider buying is a2 Milk Company. In FY 2020 this fresh milk and infant nutrition company delivered a 32.8% increase in revenue to NZ$1,730 million and a 34.1% lift in net profit after tax to NZ$385.8 million. This was driven largely by the strong demand for its infant formula in the China market. And while there are concerns over its high level of inventory and a possible short term sales slowdown due to the pulling forward of sales during the height of the pandemic, its long term outlook looks very positive. Especially given its modest market share in China. Management revealed that the company had just a 2% value share of the mother and baby store market in the country at the end of June.

Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)

Another unstoppable ASX share is Kogan. The ecommerce company has been an impressive performer this year and recently revealed a very strong full year result. In FY 2020, Kogan reported a 39.3% increase in gross sales to $768.9 million and a 57.6% increase in adjusted EBITDA to $49.7 million. This was driven by the accelerating shift to online shopping during the pandemic, which underpinned a 35.7% increase in active customers to 2,183,000. And with management confident that a retail revolution is taking place, I suspect there could be more of the same in the coming years. 

Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH)

A final unstoppable ASX share to buy is Pushpay. As with the others, the donor management system provider was in sensational form in FY 2020. It posted a ~1,500% increase in EBITDAF in FY 2020 thanks to strong demand for its platform, particularly during the the pandemic. The good news is that this strong form is expected to continue in FY 2021, with management providing guidance for EBITDAF of between US$48 million and US$52 million. This represents a 91.2% to 107% increase, respectively, year on year. Pleasingly, this is still only scratching at the surface of its sizeable market opportunity. Management is aiming to win a 50% share of the medium to large church market. This represents a massive US$1 billion revenue opportunity.

More reading

• Top ASX growth shares to buy in September 2020
• Invest like Warren Buffett and buy and hold these ASX shares
• These 2 ASX 200 shares could be the best value ideas
• Broker picks best ASX small cap stocks to buy from the reporting season
• New to investing? More ASX growth shares to buy now

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 Kogan.com ltd and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of A2 Milk. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Kogan.com ltd and PUSHPAY FPO NZX. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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It’s been a wild ride for the Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price in recent years.

While the company’s value has fluctuated, one thing that hasn’t changed is Telstra as a top ASX dividend share.

Times are tough right now and the August earnings season brought some interesting results. Amongst the chaos and the coronavirus pandemic weighing on profits, Telstra maintained its dividend.

However, investors weren’t impressed, with the Telstra share price falling 15% in the last month.

So, is it the Aussie telco a good buy for income or should you look elsewhere for yield in 2020?

Why the Telstra share price could be a good buy

It’s important to note that it wasn’t all good news from Telstra’s August earnings result.

Telstra reported a 9.7% decline in underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to $7.4 billion. That saw the company’s net profit fall 14.4% to $1.8 billion in a tough year for shareholders.

The $3.4 billion free cash flow figure was at the low end of guidance, which allowed Telstra to maintain its full-year dividend at 16 cents per share.

The NBN headwind is expected to continue in FY21 resulting in a forecast $700 million hit to underlying EBITDA. Income investors will be focused on whether or not Telstra can continue its impressing dividend-paying streak.

I think there are some big challenges but also exciting prospects for the future. That includes the fact that Telstra is shaping up as a real leader in the 5G network space.

Capitalising on 5G technologies could be the key to stabilising earnings and growing earnings into the future. Any further changes in work from home arrangements could also boost demand for network capabilities in regional areas and unlock future growth.

The Telstra share price climbed 1.4% higher yesterday and closed the day at $2.88 per share. That means the Aussie telco has a 3.5% dividend yield right now which is quite good in the current climate.

Foolish takeaway

I think income-seeking investors could do much worse than Telstra as a large-cap ASX share with solid earnings potential.

More reading

• 3 ASX shares for growth, income, and value investors to buy right now
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Friday crash pulls ASX back below 6,000 points
• Why I would buy Telstra and this high yield ASX dividend share
• 2 ASX dividend shares with yields over 5% today
• 2 fantastic ASX 50 shares I would buy today

Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Telstra Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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Luckily in this low interest rate environment, there are a good number of dividend shares on the ASX offering generous yields.

Two which I think are among the best options on the Australian share market right now are listed below. Here’s why I would buy them:

BWP Trust (ASX: BWP)

The first ASX dividend share to consider buying is BWP Trust. It is the largest owner of Bunnings properties in the Australian market with a total of 68 warehouses leased to the home improvement giant. Given the quality of Bunnings and its positive long term outlook, I think it is a great tenant to have. Particularly during the pandemic when many retailers are struggling but Bunnings continues to thrive.

It was thanks to Bunnings’ positive performance during the pandemic that BWP’s property valuations actually rose this year. In its FY 2020 full year results the company revealed a 24.4% increase in profit to $210.6 million including gains on investment properties. In light of this and its strong collections, BWP was able to increase its distribution in FY 2020. Looking ahead, the company expects pay shareholders a distribution in the region of 18.29 cents per unit in FY 2021. Based on the current BWP share price, this works out to be an attractive 4.6% yield.

Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF)

Another ASX dividend share I would buy is this agriculture-focused property group. Rural Funds is the owner of 61 properties across five agricultural sectors. These include almonds, cattle, cropping, vineyards, and macadamias properties. At the end of FY 2020, the company’s weighted average lease expiry (WALE) stood at a lengthy 10.9 years. Positively, these leases have a high weighting to blue chip customers. Approximately 78% of its revenue comes from corporate or listed tenants such as wine giant Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE).

As with BWP, Rural Funds has been able to continue its growth during the pandemic. It reported an 8% increase in property revenue to $72 million in FY 2020. Looking ahead, management reaffirmed its plan to grow its distribution by 4% in FY 2021 and intends to pay shareholders 11.28 cents per share. Based on the current Rural Funds share price, this works out to be a 5% yield.

More reading

• Bubs share price trading at a 5-month low. Is this a buying opportunity?
• New to investing? Here are 5 ASX dividend shares to buy now
• Forget Westpac’s term deposits and buy these ASX dividend shares
• 3 ASX shares every retiree should own
• How to earn a passive income of $50,000 with ASX dividend shares

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended RURALFUNDS STAPLED and Treasury Wine Estates Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Mesoblast Limited (ASX: MSB) share price slumped 5.45% lower yesterday, but is the ASX biotech share a bargain buy?

Why the Mesoblast share price is under pressure

Mesoblast led the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) losers on Monday as the Aussie biotech slumped to $4.68 per share.

That came as the company reported a sale from a key investor, M&G Investment Funds. M&G and its subsidiaries sold 5.1 million shares and reduced their voting power from 8.94% to 8.07%.

Investors were spooked by the sale and fears of potential profit-taking while the Mesoblast share price is elevated.

It’s been a string of good news for the Aussie biotech in recent weeks. The company posted a solid full-year result and received a key recommendation from the US Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee.

The company rounded out last week with some more good news related to coronavirus treatments. The group received ethics approval for Phase 3 COVID-19 trials using its remestemcel-L treatment.

The Mesoblast share price actually edged lower despite the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) recommending the continuation of phase 3 COVID-19 trials after the first interim analysis.

Is Mesoblast cheap enough to buy?

The Mesoblast share price is now down 11.2% in the last 5 days, which has caught my eye.

I fully expect the ASX biotech share to continue showing a lot of volatility. That’s just the nature of global share markets at the moment with investors unsure how to value future growth in the current environment.

However, I think those willing to take some risks could bank some upside with Mesoblast. A strong pipeline and promising phase 3 trials provide enough comfort that the Aussie company is still on the right track.

I still think it’s a speculative buy given that much of its $2.7 billion market capitalisation reflects future earnings. However, ASX dividend shares are also under pressure and I think the Mesoblast narrative is good for the long-term.

With a significant addressable market and some continuing volatility, I think Mesoblast could be worth a look.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• ASX 200 rises 0.3%, CSL reveals COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing deals
• Broker picks best ASX small cap stocks to buy from the reporting season
• Stay invested in 2020? This wealth manager says yes
• Why the Ramelius share price is leading the gold sector higher today

Motley Fool contributor Ken Hall has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post Is the Mesoblast share price a bargain yet? appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended its losing streak and pushed higher on Monday. The benchmark index rose 0.3% to 5,944.8 points.

Will the market be able to build on this on Tuesday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 futures pointing higher.

The ASX 200 index looks set to push higher again on Tuesday. According to the latest SPI futures, the benchmark index is expected rise 38 points or 0.65% at the open. This follows a very positive start to the week on European markets. The DAX rose 2% and the FTSE jumped 2.4% during overnight trade. Wall Street was closed for the Labor Day holiday.

Oil prices drop lower again.

Energy producers such as Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could come under pressure on Tuesday after oil prices dropped lower again. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price has fallen 1.8% to US$39.07 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has dropped 1.4% to US$42.05 a barrel. Oil prices dropped lower after Saudi Arabia made its deepest monthly price cuts for supply to Asia in five months.

Platinum update.

The Platinum Asset Management Ltd (ASX: PTM) share price will be on watch on Tuesday after the release of its funds under management update. According to the release, Platinum experienced net outflows of approximately $202 million during the month of August. This left the fund manager with a total of $21.7 billion of funds under management.

Gold price rises.

The shares of Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) will be on watch after the gold price rose slightly. According to CNBC, the spot gold price climbed slightly to US$1,934.60 an ounce. A stronger U.S. dollar has been weighing on the precious metal in recent days and holding it back.

More shares going ex-dividend.

Another group of shares are going ex-dividend this morning and could trade lower. This includes shipbuilder Austal Limited (ASX: ASB), steel producer BlueScope Steel Limited (ASX: BSL), lottery ticket seller Jumbo Interactive Ltd (ASX: JIN), and energy company Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG).

More reading

• 2 stellar mid cap ASX shares to buy in September
• ASX 200 rises 0.3%, CSL reveals COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing deals
• Broker picks best ASX small cap stocks to buy from the reporting season
• Leading brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today
• Stay invested in 2020? This wealth manager says yes

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 Jumbo Interactive Limited. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Austal Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Jumbo Interactive Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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