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The Brainchip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) share price is pushing higher again on Wednesday.

In afternoon trade, the semiconductor company’s shares are up 2% to 73 cents.

This means the Brainchip share price is now up 17% since this time last week.

Why is the Brainchip share price surging?

Investors appear to have been scrambling to buy the company’s shares this week following the circulation of a press release.

Brainchip let investors know via a press release that it has become a member of the Intel Foundry Services (IFS) ecosystem alliance.

The release notes that partners in this alliance collaborate with IFS to enable designers to access intellectual property (IP) which supports their design needs and project schedule.

Furthermore, it highlights that building upon Intel’s advanced technology, the IP portfolios of IFS Accelerator include all the essential IP blocks needed for modern Systems-On-Chip (SoC), such as standard cell libraries, embedded memories, general purpose I/Os, analog IP, and interface IP.

Brainchip’s chief development officer, Anil Mankar, commented:

We are proud to partner with Intel as part of its IFS Accelerator – IP Alliance. The combination of BrainChip’s Akida IP and Intel’s leading technology helps ensure that customers looking to implement edge AI acceleration and learning have the tools and resources to accelerate their success.

Intel didn’t comment on Brainchip’s entry into the program.

What’s next?

The jury is still out on whether Brainchip will ever successfully commercialise its technology.

But given this alliance, other recent agreements, management’s bullish rhetoric, and its lofty market capitalisation, the market will no doubt be expecting Brainchip to start delivering some very big sales in 2023.

Failure to do so could be bad news for the Brainchip share price.

The post Why has the BrainChip share price rocketed 17% in 4 days? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Lithium, miners, and tech shares, oh my! Here’s where Aussies put their ASX money in 2022
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Why is the BrainChip share price crumbling 7% on Wednesday?
• Why Beach, Bellevue Gold, Block, and Brainchip shares are dropping

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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This year has been a rollercoaster for fans of ASX shares. Many were likely both overjoyed and blindsided by much of what went down in 2022.

Cast your mind back to the start of this year. If you’re anything like me, you were probably focused on rising inflation, COVID-19’s Omicron variant, and Block Inc (ASX: SQ2)’s acquisition of former market darling Afterpay.

Who would have predicted the Reserve Bank of Australia would embark on its fastest series of rate hikes in decades, dragging tech shares down, and Russia would invade Ukraine, sending energy commodity prices soaring?

But ASX investors didn’t shy away from the chaos. Instead, they turned to mining, technology, and lithium shares. That’s according to new data from trading and superannuation platform Superhero.

Here are the five S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares that have proven the platform’s most popular Aussie stocks of 2022.

ASX investors flocked to these 5 shares in 2022

2022 was a volatile year for markets around the globe, with the ASX coming out better than most. The ASX 200 has slumped 5% since the start of 2022 while the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has tumbled 7%.

But Aussie investors didn’t let the downturn dent their confidence. Around 70% of all trades on Superhero between 1 January and 30 November were buys. And which ASX stock saw the lion’s share of trades?

It was none other than Northern Territory-based lithium developer Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO).

This year saw the company working on its Finniss Lithium Project. It’s expected to begin shipping lithium concentrate in early 2023. The Core Lithium share price has gained 83% year to date to trade at $1.15 today.

Interestingly, Core Lithium was the most popular ASX share in all states and territories except Tasmania. The island state instead favourited Lithium Energy Ltd (ASX: LEL).

Coming in second best on the platform were Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares.

The lithium producer posted its maiden profit in financial year 2022 and expects to offer its maiden dividend this fiscal year. The Pilbara Minerals share price has gained 28% this year to reach $4.52.

The third most popular share on Superhero in 2022 was iron ore favourite Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG). The stock has traded flat this year amid falling iron ore prices, reaching $19.93 today.

In fourth place was tech share and ASX 200 newbie BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN). The company works in neuromorphic computing – a branch of artificial intelligence.

Interestingly, the BrainChip share price has tumbled 7% this year to trade at 73 cents today. Though, it’s worth noting it has outperformed many of its peers – the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) has plunged 32% year to date.

Finally, Superhero’s fifth most popular ASX share of 2022 is none other than mining giant BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP). Shares in the iron ore goliath have lifted 8% so far this year to reach $45.83 right now.

The post Lithium, miners, and tech shares, oh my! Here’s where Aussies put their ASX money in 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why has the BrainChip share price rocketed 17% in 4 days?
• BHP shares: 2 reasons to buy, and 2 to sell
• Why did the BHP share price get hammered on Tuesday?
• Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Tuesday
• 2 ASX 200 dividend heavyweights to buy and hold until you retire

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) share price has dropped into the red, down 0.18% at lunchtime.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) iron ore miner closed yesterday trading for $114.10 with shares currently trading for $114.30.

The dip comes despite the iron ore price holding steady overnight, trading at just over US$110 per tonne.

So, why is the Rio Tinto share price wallowing today?

What are ASX 200 investors considering?

The Rio Tinto share price looks to be facing some headwinds on two fronts.

First, the miner’s stock has received downgrades from several major brokers.

JP Morgan is among those, as the broker downgraded a range of iron ore miners.

Rio Tinto saw its rating cut to underweight from neutral.

Commenting on the re-rating, JP Morgan analyst Lyndon Fagan said (courtesy of The Australian):

China reopening, whilst a clear positive for the space, now looks to be priced into many stocks already. China’s reopening appears to be a reality, but sentiment-wise, it’s also the consensus thinking.

Fatigue on this trade for the miners could start to set in soon, given strong recent performance. Many stocks have overshot on the upside, and the market could pivot back to global recession concerns in early 2023 or begin to worry about an interrupted/less aggressive China reopening.

The Rio Tinto share price also faces some pressure from UBS. The broker cut Rio stock to a sell rating, saying many ASX miners have seen their share prices rise faster than fundamentals dictate.

Those gains have come on the back of China’s reopening from three years of zero COVID policies. That’s seen iron ore price charge from US$82 per tonne in early November to today’s US$110 per tonne.

But UBS noted that iron ore stocks have “moved too far and too fast as the macro backdrop remains fragile, iron ore fundamentals weak and the stocks expensive at normalised commodity prices”.

What else is pressuring the Rio Tinto share price?

Just as Rio Tinto shares were boosted by investor hopes of increased iron ore demand from China as the nation reopens, the miner looks to now be under pressure amid concerns that China’s economy is due for the slowest growth in half a century.

Indeed, according to a Bloomberg economists survey, the Chinese economy is expected to grow only 3.2% this year.

The economists surveyed predict a large contraction in retail sales, slowing factory output and investment, and rising unemployment. That data should be released tomorrow.

Atop the slowing growth, there likely are also some market jitters around the rapid spread of COVID through China’s major cities, including Beijing. The surge in infections has triggered Chinese officials to delay the Central Economic Work Conference, which was meant to start this week.

Rio Tinto share price snapshot

As you can see in the chart below, the Rio Tinto share price remains a strong outperformer over the past 12 months, up 16%. Longer-term, shares are up 61% over five years.

The post Why is the Rio Tinto share price wallowing on Wednesday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why is the Fortescue share price tanking on Tuesday?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday
• Rio Tinto share price falls despite Turquoise Hill takeover progress
• Could the VAS ETF outperform the BHP share price in 2023?
• Here’s how I’d invest $20,000 in ASX 200 shares for a 7% dividend yield

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) share price has returned from its trading halt with a bang.

At one stage today, the gold miner’s shares were up over 25% to 81.7 cents.

The St Barbara share price has since pulled back a touch but remains up 18% at 76.7 cents.

The company’s long-suffering shareholders will certainly be pleased with this given the dreadful year they have had.

You only need to look at the chart below to see how poor the St Barbara share price has performed in 2022.

Why is the St Barbara share price racing higher today?

Investors have been scrambling to buy shares today in response to the announcement of plans to merge with Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD).

As covered here, the two gold miners plan to merge their operations in the Leonara District of Western Australia to form Hoover House.

Hoover House will comprise:

• 7Moz mineral resources
• 2Moz ore reserves
• Fully funded “capital-light” base case production target +300koz per annum (almost double St Barbara’s Leonara production target)

Demerger plans

St Barbara also revealed that it plans to spin off its non-Leonara assets and list them separately on the Australian share market as Phoenician Metals.

Management advised that Phoenician Metals will be focused on realising the long-term value of a portfolio including the Atlantic (Canada) and Simberi (Papua New Guinea) operations, which have 6.2Moz mineral resources and 3.7Moz ore reserves.

Phoenician Metals will also have a portfolio of St Barbara royalties, $34 million in listed ASX investments, and $85 million cash.

If everything goes to plan, St Barbara shareholders will receive an in-specie distribution of shares in Phoenician Metals.

The gold miner’s chair, Tim Netscher, is “confident that this unique transaction will deliver significant value for all shareholders.” Based on the St Barbara share price performance today, the market appears to agree with this view.

The post ASX 200 gold share St Barbara returns with a bang, up 25% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• 2 ASX 300 gold shares just upgraded by brokers
• St Barbara share price halted amid major gold merger plans with Genesis Minerals
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• 3 ASX gold shares rocketing higher on Thursday

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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It’s been another good start for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) so far this Wednesday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has gained another 0.3%, building on yesterday’s strong showing to climb to around 7,226 points. But the same can’t be said for the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price.

Westpac shares seem to have gotten out on the wrong side of the bed this morning. The ASX 200 bank share opened at $23.75 a share this morning after closing at $23.66 yesterday. At present, the Westpac share price is down by 1% at $23.42 each.

So what’s going on with Westpac today that’s leading the ASX 200 bank to lose so convincingly to the broader market?

Well, we have had some big news out of the bank this morning that could explain investors’ pessimism. You see, Westpac held its annual general meeting today. Although the tone of the AGM was generally upbeat, it did have some big moments.

Westpac chair to retire

The first was the announcement that Westpac chair John McFarlane intends to retire following Westpac’s 2023 AGM.

Here’s what McFarlane had to say on his retirement this morning:

Given the progress in turning around your company – I have advised the Board that I intend to retire at the conclusion of the 2023 AGM in December of next year. 

This delivers on my commitment to shareholders when I first took on the role in 2020 to create a leaner, more agile, and better performing Company. 

In addition to this news, Westpac CEO Peter King also sounded less optimistic about what the future holds for the Australian economy. Here’s what he said to investors about what the bank is expecting over the next 12 months:

There is no doubt that tighter monetary policy and slowing economic growth will impact some customers in the year ahead. We are prepared for this cycle given the quality of the loan portfolio and the strength of our balance sheet and provisioning…

We expect the combination of rising interest rates and the increase in cost of living to be felt more fully by consumers and businesses after Christmas. As I indicated earlier, we’re well placed to support customers through what will be a tougher period.

So hardly filling investors with confidence over what the next 12 months might bring. This could be what is weighing on investor sentiment this Wednesday.

Further, there has been a report of disruption at Westpac’s AGM.

Do shareholders get the last laugh?

According to a report in The Australian today, the AGM was “temporarily disrupted by a laughing protest” when McFarlane and King were outlining Westpac’s initiatives on climate change.

McFarlane was making remarks that outlined Westpac’s commitment to reducing emissions when some attendees reportedly started “breaking out with laughter”.

Some attendees were then “asked to leave” when they began laughing while King was addressing the same topic.

So all in all, it seems that perhaps a combination of these events may be leading investors to shun Westpac shares today.

At the current Westpac share price, this ASX 200 bank has a dividend yield of 5.33%.

The post Why is the Westpac share price wilting on Wednesday? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Analysts expect 6% yields from these ASX dividend shares in 2023
• Looking to buy Flight Centre shares? Here’s why this insider tips 2023 to be a big year for business
• Bought $1,000 of Telstra shares 10 years ago? Here’s how much dividend income you’ve received
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Westpac Banking. 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 infrastructure space is an interesting area of potential opportunities for investors to look at, according to a leading fund manager.

Businesses that generate “stable long-term cash flows” could help diversify returns – that’s the view of Blackrock’s global head of alternatives, infrastructure and real estate, Anne Valentine Andrews. She likes infrastructure assets even with risks such as “governments imposing artificial price caps amid political pressure”.

Infrastructure company earnings are “often less tied to economic cycles than corporate assets. Contracts can be long-term and span decades. And infrastructure assets can help hedge against inflation, with fixed costs and prices linked to inflation.”

How could infrastructure deliver growth?

Blackrock believes there are opportunities in the infrastructure space. Andrews said:

From roads to airports and energy infrastructure, those assets are essential to industry and households alike.

Infrastructure has the potential to benefit from increased demand for capital over the long-term, powered by structural trends such as the energy crunch and digitalisation.

The fund manager also pointed to how World Bank data suggests that there’s a gap of about $1.5 trillion between existing investments and what’s needed to meet global infrastructure demand over coming decades.

What ASX shares could benefit?

After Sydney Airport was taken over, there are fewer options to look at, but I’ll note a couple of investments that are available to investors.

Transurban Group (ASX: TCL) is a multi-country toll road operator, owner and developer. It has toll roads in Australia and North America. The business is seeing traffic recovering from COVID impacts and toll fees are increasing faster because they are linked to inflation, which is currently elevated. This in turn can boost the distribution to investors.

The business is also working on new toll roads, which can boost cash flow in future years.

Despite higher interest rates, the Transurban share price is up slightly in 2022.

Magellan Infrastructure Fund (Currency Hedged) (ASX: MICH) is a fund that invests in infrastructure shares around the world.

It’s invested in various infrastructure sectors like airports, communications, toll roads, rail, energy infrastructure,  gas utilities, transmission distribution, integrated power and water utilities.

The fund is geographically diverse, with 41% invested in the USA, 27% in Europe, 13% in Asia Pacific, 12% in the UK, 2% in Canada and 5% in cash.

In terms of the actual names, these were the biggest positions in the portfolio at the end of November 2022 (in alphabetical order): American Tower Corporation, Atlas Arteria Group (ASX: ALX), Ferrovial, National Grid, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Sempra Energy, Transurban, United Utilities Group Plc, Vinci and Xcel Energy.

It has been a rough time for infrastructure shares as rising interest rates affect valuations, but the Magellan Infrastructure Fund share price has been recovering in recent months as confidence returns.

The post Could this quiet pocket of the market be an ASX index outperformer through inflation? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Home grown: 3 ASX shares that could benefit from ‘de-globalisation’
• Buy these ASX shares for their dividends: analysts
• 5 ASX 200 shares Macquarie just recommended its clients buy
• Will ASX 200 shares bottom before the year is out? Here’s Macquarie’s ‘best guess’
• Here’s why the Transurban share price can ‘reap the benefits’: expert

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended American Tower. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended National Grid Plc. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Magellan Infrastructure Fund. 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 Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL) share price is edging higher in morning trade, up 0.8% after opening 0.2% lower.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) healthcare stock, Australia’s largest health insurer, closed yesterday trading for $2.97. Medibank shares are currently trading for $3 apiece.

While that’s no huge lift, the Medibank share price has managed a positive move this morning. That’s despite what looks to be the commencement of a class action lawsuit in regard to the massive 12 October data breach.

What’s happening with the data breach on the legal front?

As a quick recap, in October Russian-linked cybercriminals accessed the names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of 9.7 million current and former Medibank customers. They also hacked into the health claims data for some 480,000 customers.

The Medibank share price fell more than 20% over the following weeks in the wake of the cyberattack. The health insurer did not pay the ransom demands, and much of the stolen data was published on the dark web.

This morning the company reported that class action lawyers from Maurice Blackburn have lodged a representative complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commission (OAIC).

Medibank said that the OAIC has not yet been in contact about the complaint.

“The complaint includes allegations that Medibank has breached the Australian Privacy Principles and seeks compensation for individuals whose personal information was exposed as a consequence of the cybercrime,” the health insurer stated.

Medibank said it will continue to support its customers with the impact of the cybercrime through its previously announced Cyber Response Support Program. That program includes “mental health and wellbeing support, identity protection and financial hardship measures”.

The company also reiterated that it will continue to cooperate with the OAIC in this ongoing investigation.

Medibank share price snapshot

The Medibank share price remains down 15% since October’s massive data breach was revealed. As you can see in the chart below, shares are now down 13% year to date.

The post Medibank share price resilient as class action law suit hits appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Top ASX dividend shares to buy in December 2022
• Medibank share price slumps ahead of major shutdown and cybersecurity overhaul
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• 3 high-yielding ASX dividend shares near their 52-week lows
• Medibank share price lifts despite latest data dump to ‘dark web’

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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It certainly has been a good year for BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares.

As you can see below, the mining giant’s shares have been in fine form, rising 11% since this time last year despite demerging its petroleum assets to Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS).

Following this strong gain, investors may be wondering if it is too late to buy BHP shares. Is it?

Two reasons to buy BHP shares

One key reason why BHP shares could still be a buy is the potential yield on offer over the next 12 months.

For example, according to a recent note out of Macquarie, its analysts are expecting a fully franked $2.87 per share dividend in FY 2023. Based on the latest BHP share price of $45.86, this represents an attractive 6.2% dividend yield.

Another reason is the iron ore price. While BHP has a diverse portfolio of assets, it still generates a significant proportion of its earnings from the steel making ingredient. So, with the iron ore price trading around US$110 a tonne, the Big Australian is generating significant free cash flow at present.

Macquarie notes that if spot prices remain elevated for longer, then its estimates could prove conservative. This could ultimately mean that BHP’s dividend yield in FY 2023 is even larger than forecast.

The broker currently has an outperform rating and $50.00 price target on its shares.

Two reasons to sell

Not everyone is as positive on BHP shares as Macquarie.

For example, a number of brokers have recently downgraded the miner’s shares to the equivalent of hold ratings.

One even went a step further, downgrading its shares to a sell rating. That broker was UBS, which has put a sell rating and $40.00 price target on its shares.

The broker believes now is the time to sell after a strong rally recently. Particularly given the tough macro backdrop. It commented:

The macro backdrop is still fragile with global growth slowing and China’s reopening challenging in winter, iron ore fundamentals are still weak, and the stock is expensive at normalized commodity prices with free cash flow yield less than 5% at $80/ton iron ore and $180/ton met-coal.

Another reason that BHP shares could be a sell is the value on offer from other mining shares.

With many brokers saying that BHP share price has now peaked, they appear to believe that investors should be focusing on better value options in the sector.

For example, Morgans recently downgraded BHP to a hold rating and kept South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) on its best ideas list with an add rating and $5.30 price target. This implies potential upside of 30% for investors over the next 12 months.

That’s food for thought for investors.

The post BHP shares: 2 reasons to buy, and 2 to sell appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Why did the BHP share price get hammered on Tuesday?
• 2 ASX 200 dividend heavyweights to buy and hold until you retire
• Why is the Fortescue share price tanking on Tuesday?
• Is now really the time to buy ASX 200 shares?
• Top ASX dividend shares to buy in December 2022

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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Investing in shares can be an incredibly lucrative path to wealth. Apart from property, there has been no asset class capable of delivering top-tier returns to investors over a long period of time.

But investing in shares is also a risky business. Doing it the wrong way can destroy an investor’s capital. So if you want to invest in shares, you need to be able to answer this one question: ‘Am I a long-term investor?’

At its core, buying a share means you are buying an ownership stake in a business. You aren’t trading a ticker code, you’re investing in a company.

The legendary investor Warren Buffett once said that “If you aren’t willing to own a stock for 10 years, don’t even think about owning it for 10 minutes”.

He also said, “the most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect”.

It’s a long-term attitude that Buffett is talking about here.

Successful ASX share investors focus on the long term

Making money from ASX shares requires an investor to ignore what the market is doing on a day-to-day, or month-to-month basis.

Shares are volatile, and the market is temperamental If you’re the kind of investor who gets spooked and sells out when your shares fall in value. It will be very hard to make money over the long term.

Buffett famously likes to ‘be greedy when others are fearful’, and he has not become a multi-billionaire by following the crowd.

This is the attitude that leads to long-term wealth creation from the share market. Remember, just leaving your cash in an ASX shares index fund has historically gotten investors around an 8% annual return over the past 20 years.

If you want that kind of return, all you have to do is buy your index fund and leave it alone. That way, you can harness the power of compound interest in all of its glory.

Yet many retail investors don’t even achieve those kinds of returns. The best way to kneecap your gains is by trying to time the markets by jumping in and out of shares.

Look at most successful share market investors, and you’ll see that the vast majority follow the rules that Buffett has set down over his very long and profitable career. So if you don’t have a long-term mindset, ASX shares are probably not the best path for you to take.

The post Don’t invest in ASX shares unless you can answer this question appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Prediction: 2 ASX shares I think could soar 1,000% in the next 10 years
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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) share price is trading lower on Wednesday.

In morning trade, the banking giant’s shares are down 0.35% to $30.68.

Though, there’s a couple of reasons that shareholders won’t be too disappointed with this.

The first is that despite today’s decline, as you can see below, the NAB share price is still up 8% over the last 12 months.

This compares favourably to the the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which is down 2% over the same period.

NAB dividend

Another reason shareholders won’t be too downhearted today is the NAB dividend.

Last month, NAB released its full year results for the 12 months ended 30 September and reported cash earnings of $7,104 million. This represents an increase of 8.3% year over year.

Management advised that this reflects strong earnings growth from its Business & Private Banking and Corporate & Institutional Banking businesses, which offset an earnings decline from the Personal Banking business.

This robust performance allowed the NAB board to declare a fully franked final dividend of 78 cents per share, which was an increase of 16.4% over last year’s final dividend. This took NAB’s full year dividend to a fully franked 151 cents per share.

The good news for shareholders is that NAB’s fully franked final dividend of 78 cents per share should be hitting their bank accounts today. (Unless they chose to take advantage of the bank’s dividend reinvestment program.)

Should you buy shares?

Despite smashing the market this year, Goldman Sachs still sees plenty of upside ahead for the NAB share price. It currently has a buy rating and $35.41 price target on its shares.

This implies potential upside of 15.4% for investors over the next 12 months.

As for dividends, Goldman expects the NAB dividend to increase to 173 cents per share in FY 2023. This will mean a generous 5.6% fully franked yield, stretching the total potential return to 21%.

The post The NAB dividend is being dished out today. Here’s the lowdown appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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More reading

• Could the VAS ETF outperform the BHP share price in 2023?
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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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