ASX

Highlights Australian share market is likely to start the week on a muted note. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open 94 ...

US equities were under pressure after data showed that monthly inflation surged by the most since 2005 while US consumer spending increased more than expected in March amid strong demand for services. Emerging market stocks rose 2.08%. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones fell 2.8%, the S&P 500 dipped 3.6%, and the NASDAQ ended 4.2% lower. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones fell 2.8%, the S&P 500 dipped 3.6%, and the NASDAQ ended 4.2% lower. Gold prices gave up some gains after earlier rallying as much as 1.3% when the dollar retreated, and the precious metal was set to end the month lower on bets of aggressive Fed policy tightening. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open 94 points or 1.25% lower on Monday. On Friday, the ASX 200 charged 1.05% higher to 7,435 points. Oil prices fell on Friday, reversing late in the volatile session, pulled downward by the US heating oil contract that plummeted by more than 20% at one point on the day of its expiration. The dollar index fell 0.415%, with the euro up 0.47% to US$1.0543. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open 94 points or 1.25% lower. As per a Reuters poll, the RBA will raise rates for the first time in more than a decade on Tuesday and join a long list of central banks now expected to tighten policy at a much faster pace than previously thought. The Australian share market is likely to start the week on a muted note following weak closing by US stocks on Friday. Investors are pricing in an interest rate hike by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), in line with its global peers to tame surging inflation but consequently sparking sell-off in equities on growth concerns. Australian share market is likely to start the week on a muted note.

Stockhead goes even more national, gold experts buying the wonky selloff, and why gas price concerns are overcooked.

This was part of a broader 77m intersection grading ~3g/t from 116m. Oil (Brent): $US109.40 (+1.68%) Oil (WTI): $US104.130 (-1.19%) Copper (3mth): $US9,821/t (-2.24%) Kuniko (ASX:KNI) – capital raising Metalicity (ASX:MCT) – capital raising

The S&P/ASX 200 (INDEXASX:XJO) is expected to open lower this morning after US stock markets ended the week on a sour note.

Meanwhile, tech, materials and energy all dropped by more than 1%. Retailer City Chic Ltd ( ASX: CCX) topped the market adding 12.8%, with EML Payments Ltd ( ASX: EML) and Life360 Inc ( ASX:360) down 42% and 24% each. The Kogan share price fell by more than 13% on Friday and is now down more than 50% for the year. Shares in Kogan.com Ltd ( ASX: KGN) were smashed by another weak update, with the company reporting an 11% fall in gross profit for the quarter as sales fell by 3.8% to just $262 million. Earnings remain the primary driver with Origin Energy Ltd ( ASX: ORG) adding 1.9% after management confirmed that revenue from the APLNG production asset had doubled for the year to date to $6.5 billion, with both volumes and prices increasing. The domestic market continues to outperform our global peers, with the S&P/ASX 200 ( ASX: XJO) gaining 1.1% on Friday, but still finishing the week 0.5% lower.

Australian shares have opened lower as investors price in a rate hike by the central bank, moving in tandem with its global peers to tame surging inflation ...

On the last trading day of April, the global index was on course for its biggest monthly decline since March 2020. Amazon shares closed down 14 per cent after the e-commerce giant delivered a disappointing quarter and outlook late Thursday as it was swamped by higher costs to run its warehouses and deliver packages to customers. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 938.99 points, or 2.77 per cent, to 32,977.4, the S&P 500 lost 155.58 points, or 3.63 per cent, to 4,131.92, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 536.89 points, or 4.17 per cent, to 12,334.64. AGL Energy was down 0.4 per cent on news that it trimmed its profit forecast for fiscal 2022, due to a hit from the shutdown of a unit at its Loy Yang A power station in Victoria after an electrical fault with a generator. However, Qantas jumped 3.6 per cent, to $5.80, after announcing that it expected to return to profitability in financial year 2023-24, and launching its direct routes from Sydney to London and New York from 2025. Xero dropped 4.9 per cent, to $91.56, while Tyro was down 3.6 per cent, to $1.21.

These two ASX lithium shares are rated as buys by investment experts. One of those lithium miners is Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS).

The ASX lithium share said that Olaroz stage 2 reached 77% construction completion with first production expected to commence in the second half of the calendar year. Pond construction at Sal de Vida stage 1 started in January and first production is expected in the second half of 2023. In the three months to March 2022, Mt Cattlin produced 48,562 dmt of spodumene concentrate, generating revenue of US$143.8 million. It generated operating flow of $113.9 million and it’s investing in projects to capture more of the lithium value chain. The company also said there was a “strong sales price dynamic” during the three months to March 2022. Experts are liking the look of some ASX lithium shares.

A brief examination of ASX penny stocks, their advantages and drawbacks, and a rundown of the 10 best penny stocks to watch in Australia this year.

And ASX penny stocks offer retail investors the ability to buy large numbers of shares for relatively little money. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Of course, this elevates the risk-reward ratio even higher, as some are now available at a discount compared to relative risk. International market titans Apple and Amazon also once qualified as penny stocks for the investors with the foresight and luck to invest early. For this reason, an ASX penny stock must have a solid investment case that remains strong regardless of volatile share price movement. And psychologically, investors must also be confident that others will hold their shares, as it only takes relatively few sellers to depress a penny stock’s share price. In addition, penny stocks are often loss-making, using any money available to invest in growth. However, it’s important to beware of the echo chamber of success. ASX penny stocks are often thinly traded. Its CompleteScan technology is embedded inside a partner’s app and utilises the phone’s sensors and cameras to scan the body. Its share price is up 1,000% over the past five years, as demand for the metal that powers nuclear stations continues to surge. The penny stock recently bought out fellow lender SocietyOne for $132 million.

MoneyTalks is Stockhead's regular recap of the ASX stocks, sectors and trends that fund managers and analysts are looking at right now.

They’ve got a lot of room for error,” he said. Bosio also likes Matador, but he is not a shareholder. “Majors are looking for quality ounces that they can exploit quickly, they can put it through their mill and get into production quickly. “Grade is always key,” he said. MoneyTalks is Stockhead’s regular recap of the ASX stocks, sectors and trends that fund managers and analysts are looking at right now. “They’ve got a really exciting exploration program in Newfoundland, which is probably regarded as one of the most exciting gold provinces in the world.” “Those assets are no longer meaningful or of a size that would move the needle for Northern Star – but those same assets in Black Cat can be company-makers,” Bosio says. “The company is currently in the process of securing approvals from the New South Wales government to develop the Roswell and San Antonio deposits [at Tomingley],” he says. Tier 1 deposits are very difficult to find. “If you look at the macro picture there’s a lot of those factors present at the moment, and I feel that the underlying key demand for the metal continues to be very, very strong,” he says. “Another example would be Gold Road Resources (ASX:GOR) entering into an acquisition of DGO Gold (ASX:DGO) and the reason for that, many believe, is the fact that DGO Gold is a 14% shareholder of De Grey (ASX:DEG),” he says. “In relation to the gold market, what we are seeing is only the producers or those that are close to production and moving towards cash-flow positive, are benefiting from the higher gold price.”

These two ASX tech shares have been rated as buys by brokers, including Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) which is buy-rated by Morgan Stanley.

And it expects underlying EBITDA to be a loss of between US$32 million to US$38million. Life360 is accelerating the integration of Tile and Jiobit (tracking devices) to deliver targeted sustainable cash flow by late 2023. Its distribution centre is located in one of the areas of Sydney that saw the most restrictive lockdowns. Monthly active users increased 36% year on year to 38.3 million, an 8% increase quarter on quarter. In 2022, the tech company expects its core Life360 subscription revenue to rise more than 50%. It expects consolidated revenue to be in a range of between US$245 million to US$275 million. Annualised monthly revenue has increased to US$166.1 million.

These are two ASX dividend shares that experts love and think could offer attractive income, including Inghams Group Ltd (ASX: ING).

They offer a relatively high earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margin compared to the rest of the business. Online sales are another area of potential profit growth for the business. Experts have rated the two ASX dividend shares in this article as a buy. Inghams has dealt with “significant” cost pressures with overtime, transport, and compliance costs. Inghams has faced COVID-19 impacts, like many other businesses. The company’s shares are currently rated as a buy by the broker Credit Suisse, with a price target of $4.05. In FY23, the broker is expecting Inghams to pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 8.6%.

Stockhead's Top 10 at 10, published at 10.30am, highlights the best (and worst) performing ASX stocks in morning trade using live data.

Stocks highlighted in yellow have made market-moving announcements (click headings to sort). Stocks highlighted in yellow have made market-moving announcements (click headings to sort). News

Antipa Minerals (ASX:AZY) increases the gold resource at its Minyari Dome Project in Western Australia by 250 per cent.

The scoping study is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2022. The company said it believes there is strong potential to continue to grow the resource through both extensional and greenfields drilling. - The company says it believes there is strong potential to continue to grow the resource through both extensional and greenfields drilling

Australian shares fell across the board on Monday, tracking a sell-off on Wall Street with investors bracing for what would be the RBA's first cash rate ...

Evolution Mining shed 2.2 per cent to $3.96. Total transaction value for January-March rose 60 per cent to $419 million from the year-earlier period. NAB and Commonwealth Bank both dropped about 0.9 per cent, but ANZ and Westpac ended the session unchanged. Shares in Xero skidded 6.6 per cent to $90 after touching its lowest level since August 2020. Mining giants were mixed, with Rio Tinto gaining 0.7 per cent to $113.59. BHP and Fortescue Metals ended the session flat. Meanwhile, bond traders are no longer certain of an increase on Tuesday, factoring in a bigger chance the RBA may wait for additional economic data as the minutes of the April policy meeting indicated last month. All 11 sectors on the S&P/ASX 200 fell. Helloworld Travel also had a good day, rising 2.7 per cent to $2.73 on improving travel demand following border reopenings. Also undermining sentiment were concerns about slowing growth in China, Australia’s key trade partner. Biotech Imugene was the biggest index laggard with a 13.7 per cent drop to 19¢ after announcing the termination of its supply agreement with pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. But they are fully priced for a 0.4 percentage point increase in June, and are wagering on a series of rapid increases taking the cash rate to 2.5 per cent by year-end. They are now implying a 73 per cent chance of a lift to 0.25 per cent.

ASX 200 closed 1.27% lower in a Tech-led rout · All 11 sectors were in the red ahead of the RBA meeting tomorrow · Property prices in Sydney and Melbourne have ...

Aussie Broadband (ASX:ABB) sank 25% today after a guidance downgrade. According to the latest data, Australia’s two biggest property markets, Sydney and Melbourne, have experienced decline in prices during the month. Swipe or scroll to reveal the full table.

ASX investors were back-pedalling from the get-go on Monday after a brutal sell-off on Wall Street knocked tech shares sharply lower.

Shares in the national carrier ended 2.9 per cent higher at $5.76 and dragged travel broker Flight Centre 1.8 per cent higher to $22.99, Helloworld 2.6 per cent higher to $2.73, and Webjet up 1.2 per cent to $6.10. There was a 2.7 per cent decline for mall owner Scentre Group to $2.91, a 1.7 per cent loss for Mirvac to $2.38, a 2.1 per cent decline for Vicinity Centres to $1.835, and a 1.4 per cent fall for Stockland to $4.10. Healthcare shares fared little better, with CSL down 1 per cent to $270.45, Sonic Healthcare dropping 1.9 per cent to $36.02, Cochlear 2.2 per cent lower at $226.57, and Resmed 1.4 per cent down at $28.73. Altium dropped 4.4 per cent to $31.43, EML Payments was 3.8 per cent lower at $1.54, Tyro Payments shed 5.6 per cent to $1.185, and Megaport lost 5.5 per cent to $8.20. Tech stocks were predictably smashed, with Block Inc dropping 2.2 per cent to $142, Xero down 6.6 per cent to $90, Wisetech Global 7.3 per cent lower at $41.97, and Appen 4.5 per cent down at $6.36. Storage and warehousing company Goodman Group dropped 7.2 per cent to $22.26 and National Storage was 2.3 per cent lower at $2.55, while office landlords Dexus, GPT, and Charter Hall were also battered. Soft activity data in China released over the weekend due to Covid lockdowns knocked most mining stocks lower, although Rio Tinto managed a 0.7 per cent gain to $113.59. Governor Philip Lowe is at almost unbackable odds to pull the trigger and hike rates by 15 basis points to 0.25 per cent in order to help the economy get a handle on runaway consumer prices. The broader All Ordinaries lost 101.2 points, or 1.3 per cent, and settled at 7623.6, while the Aussie dollar had sagged to 70.47 US cents at the local close. Whether it was the weak Wall Street lead – or the prospect of rates being lifted from emergency settings – there was little joy to be had on the local sharemarket. The local index managed to trim its losses in the afternoon but still finished the day down 88 points, or 1.2 per cent, at 7347.0, with all sectors in the red. ASX investors were back-pedalling from the opening bell after US stocks plunged on Friday in anticipation of a 50 basis point rate rise from the US Fed in a couple of days.

INOVIQ (ASX:IIQ) has signed a master manufacturing deal with life science and diagnostic products supplier MP Biomedicals to manufacture the INOVIQ ...

Under today’s agreement, MP Biomedicals will produce theSubB2M protein in a high-quality current good manufacturing practice grade (cGMP) environment under an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) quality assurance program.MP Biomedicals will also ensure its production process is scalable enough to enable the continued supply of the SubB2M protein for INOVIQ’s in-development SubB2m-based diagnostic tests Specifically, the protein detects the Neu5Gc pan-cancer biomarker found in multiple human cancers, including breast and ovarian. - MP Biomedicals will also ensure its production process is scalable enough to enable the continued supply of the SubB2M protein for INOVIQ’s diagnostic tests

The ASX 200 is set to open much lower this morning, following a selloff on Wall Street on Friday. At 8am AEDT, the ASX 200 June futures contract is pointing ...

The agreement enables production of cGMP protein for commercial SubB2M tests, and represents a key milestone for the company. Inoviq has executed a Master Manufacturing Agreement with MP Biomedicals for production of the SubB2M protein for the company’s SubB2M-based tests. Damstra will collaborate with Barrick to define a “Global Learning and Training Management Template”. The Amazon stock price collapsed 14% on Friday. LGP has signed a three-year agreement for distribution of its branded oils and flower products to Sana Life Sciences, to be sold across the UK. LGP says the agreement represents an annual revenue opportunity of $1.44m, with first revenue expected in late Q2 or early Q3 calendar year 2022. Back home, all eyes will be on the RBA meeting on Tuesday. Experts expect the RBA to leave the cash rate unchanged at 0.1% this time, but will set the scene for a June rate hike.

The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished down 88 points, or 1.18 per cent, to 7,347 on Monday, while the All Ordinaries fell by 101.2 points, or 1.3 per cent, to ...

* The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished down 88 points, or 1.18 per cent, to close at 7,347 on Monday. * The All Ordinaries index dropped 101.2 points, or 1.31 per cent, to 7,724.8. The Australian dollar was buying 70.58 US cents, down from 71.56 US cents on Friday and close to a four-month low. Qantas was up 2.9 per cent to a two-month high of $5.76 after the flag carrier said it was seeing a "strong, sustained recovery in travel demand as Australia transitions to living with COVID" and it expects to return to profitability next fiscal year. Natural gas producers Beach Energy, Karoon Energy and Origin Energy rose between 0.9 and 1.5 per cent as the price of the commodity trades near a 14-year high following Russia halting deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria. Travel agent franchisor Helloworld Travel also noted the recovery in demand, announcing that bookings were up 60 per cent in the March quarter to $419 million, compared to the same time last year. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished down 88 points, or 1.18 per cent, to 7,347 on Monday, while the All Ordinaries fell by 101.2 points, or 1.3 per cent, to 7,623.6. While the internet provider simply narrowed its full-year earnings guidance to the lower range of previous forecasts, that was enough to cause a major sell-off, given its 138 per cent gain last year. Commonwealth Bank fell 0.9 per cent to $102.97 while ANZ and Westpac were flat, at $27.30 and $23.88, respectively, ahead of the release of their half-year results later this week. Xero fell 6.6 per cent to $90, its lowest close since August 2020, while Wisetech Global fell 7.3 per cent and Tyro Payments dropped 6.6 per cent. The market recovered somewhat in the afternoon after being down by as much as 1.8 per cent at lunchtime, possibly driven by unofficial figures from the Melbourne Institute showing inflation easing in April, which could reduce pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia to hike the cash rate on the eve of the federal election. Expectations for a rate hike on Tuesday have fallen, Daghlain said, with the market pricing in only about a 40 per cent chance of a rise.

The local bourse has closed lower across the board as the war in Ukraine and looming central bank rate hikes continue to weigh on the market.

* The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished down 88 points, or 1.18 per cent, to close at 7,347 on Monday. * The All Ordinaries index dropped 101.2 points, or 1.31 per cent, to 7,724.8. Qantas was up 2.9 per cent to a two-month high of $5.76 after the flag carrier said it was seeing a "strong, sustained recovery in travel demand as Australia transitions to living with COVID" and it expects to return to profitability next fiscal year. The Australian dollar was buying 70.58 US cents, down from 71.56 US cents on Friday and close to a four-month low. Natural gas producers Beach Energy, Karoon Energy and Origin Energy rose between 0.9 and 1.5 per cent as the price of the commodity trades near a 14-year high following Russia halting deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria. Travel agent franchisor Helloworld Travel also noted the recovery in demand, announcing that bookings were up 60 per cent in the March quarter to $419 million, compared to the same time last year. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished down 88 points, or 1.18 per cent, to 7,347 on Monday, while the All Ordinaries fell by 101.2 points, or 1.3 per cent, to 7,623.6. While the internet provider simply narrowed its full-year earnings guidance to the lower range of previous forecasts, that was enough to cause a major sell-off, given its 138 per cent gain last year. Commonwealth Bank fell 0.9 per cent to $102.97 while ANZ and Westpac were flat, at $27.30 and $23.88, respectively, ahead of the release of their half-year results later this week. Xero fell 6.6 per cent to $90, its lowest close since August 2020, while Wisetech Global fell 7.3 per cent and Tyro Payments dropped 6.6 per cent. The market recovered somewhat in the afternoon after being down by as much as 1.8 per cent at lunchtime, possibly driven by unofficial figures from the Melbourne Institute showing inflation easing in April, which could reduce pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia to hike the cash rate on the eve of the federal election. Expectations for a rate hike on Tuesday have fallen, Daghlain said, with the market pricing in only about a 40 per cent chance of a rise.

This is a most exciting time for the silica sands sector, and we look forward to bringing shareholders along this journey and building a...

In its pulverised form, ground silica is required in the production of fibreglass insulation and for reinforcing glass fibres. Glassmaking silica sand is the primary component of all types of standard and specialty glass. - Gavin Ball is a business manager who has over 30-years of hands-on skill and intellectual expertise in the start-up, commercial development, growth and ongoing management of businesses. Nick is currently working as a geology consultant and has been a founding director of the company since May 2020 - The Esperance Project's Pink Bark tenement is still in the early stages of silica sand exploration. - Exploration for silica sand on the Dune Buggy tenement of the Esperance Project is at a very early stage with no drilling yet undertaken.

After raising $5 million Allup Silica has listed on the ASX with a strategy of exploration and development targeting high-purity silica sand resources with ...

Allup has positioned itself to take advantage of the revolution and is eager to deliver. This is a most exciting time for the silica sands sector and we look forward to bringing shareholders along this journey and building a strong, safe and sustainable industrial minerals business. Non-Executive Director Campbell Smyth is a career professional in the provision of advice to fund management, capital markets and the corporate finance sector. Previous exploration and drilling at the prospect have revealed high-purity silica sands, in particular low-iron impurities that are a major problem with some other silica sands intended for high-value uses. After the IPO, directors will hold 44.3 per cent of Allup shares aligning their success to that of the company. Project economics are high on the agenda as befits a bulk commodity product with an early development ambition.

Exploration company Allup Silica (ASX: APS) has commenced trading on the Australian Stock Exchange following a fully subscribed $5 million initial public ...

Allup said its work at Sparkler would include ongoing exploration and an updating of the project’s mineral resource estimations to a higher level of JORC compliance. These include Sparkler and Antwalker, within the shire of Manjimup; Argyle, within the shire of Wyndham East Kimberley; and Esperance, within its own shire. The company issued 25 million shares at $0.20 each to a mix of institutional, sophisticated and retail investors and will use the funds to advance exploration and technical studies at its silica sands projects in Western Australia.

Its portfolio includes the Blackhawk polymetallic silver-gold epithermal discovery and the Blackhawk porphyry copper-gold discovery. SNG also has the Warrior, ...

The company designs and creates various templates for social media ads and marketing via their AI platform. The secret sauce? Oil (Brent): $US106.84 (-0.52%) Oil (WTI): $US104.45 (-0.25%) Nickel (3mth): $US32,500/t (-2.32%) some BNPLs won?

ASX 200 expected to fall again · Reserve Bank meeting · Oil prices rise · Gold price sinks · Woolworths sales update · Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right ...

The Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) share price will be one to watch today when the retail giant releases its third quarter sales update. This will be a year on year increase of 6.4%. “We expect the Australian and New Zealand foods division to report +4% and +5.5% comparable growth respectively and for BigW to see -6% decline in comparable sales,” it adds. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is down 2.6% to US$1,861.90 an ounce. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 0.65% to US$105.38.12 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has risen 0.65% to US$107.84 a barrel. Opinion is divided on what action the central bank will take, but many in the market believe it could make a 0.5% increase to the cash rate today. The Reserve Bank will be holding its most important cash rate meeting in years this afternoon.

Lithium carbonate price in China has increased by about 472% from a low last June to a record high on March 15 2022, according to Metal Inc data.

Critical Resources Ltd (ASX:CRR) received the green light for drilling at its Mavis Lake Lithium Project in Ontario, Canada during the March quarter, where the company has started 5,000 metres of diamond drilling targeted at known lithium pegmatites. European Lithium Ltd (ASX:EUR, OTCQB:EULIF) is planning to step-up activities at the Wolfsberg Project in Austria in a bid to increase the lithium resource base. The results from the drilling program are designed to be included in the ongoing DFS at the Paradox Project and continue the development of the project into a substantial lithium producing operation. Production from the Kachi Lithium Brine Project is targeted to commence in 2024 at an annual rate of 50,000 tonnes lithium carbonate. At Latin Resources Ltd (ASX:LRS)’s Salinas Lithium Project in Brazil, the company’s maiden diamond drilling program commenced during the March quarter with 14 holes planned for a total of 2,000 metres. Jindalee Resources Ltd (ASX:JRL)’s McDermitt Lithium Project is the second-largest lithium deposit in the US with a resource of 1.43 billion tonnes at 0.28% lithium oxide at a 1,000 ppm lithium cut-off for 10.1 million tonnes LCE Equivalent. During the quarter, Anson Resources Ltd (ASX:ASN) maintained its core focus on its resource expansion drilling programs, which are designed to deliver a significant resource upgrade at Paradox Lithium Project in Utah, USA. Infinity Lithium Corporation Ltd (ASX:INF) produced increased quantities of battery-grade lithium chemicals from the completion of metallurgical test-work at the San José Lithium Project in Spain. Core Lithium Ltd (ASX:CXO) was focused on a number of initiatives during the March quarter aimed at advancing the construction stage of its wholly-owned Finniss Lithium Project, near Darwin in the Northern Territory. Lithium Power International Ltd (ASX:LPI) completed the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) during the March 2022 quarter for its Maricunga Stage One Lithium Brine Project in northern Chile. The project has an NPV (leveraged basis) of US$1.425 billion (after-tax) at an 8% discount rate, providing an IRR of 39.6% and a two-year payback with a steady-state annual EBITDA of US$324 million. Prices for spodumene concentrate and lithium raw materials continued to surge in the March 2022 quarter, hitting record highs on the back of strong demand from the electric vehicle (EV) sector.

US stocks end higher after a volatile trading session, the Reserve Bank meets today to consider raising interest rates to curb surging inflation, ...

Westpac's Imre Speizer said in a research note that the bank predicted the RBA to raise interest rates today by 0.15 per cent to 0.25 per cent, which is also the market's forecast. Earlier in the session, Brent and West Texas Crude fell on the news that the European Commission may spare Hungary and Slovakia from a Russian oil embargo as it prepares to finalise its next round of sanctions on Russia. "The AGL Energy demerger is on track to be completed by the end of next month," the spokesperson said. The Australian dollar fell 0.2 per cent to 70.49 US cents, with the greenback approaching a 20-year high against a basket of currencies before the expected rate increase this week by the Fed. Official rates were slashed to a record low of 0.1 per cent in 2020 as an emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic. Yesterday, the ASX 200 index fell 1.2 per cent to 7,347. The Reserve Bank is tipped to raise interest rates later today for the first time in 11 years to curb surging inflation, which is running at an annual rate of 5.1 per cent. The Fed meets this week and is expected to raise interest rates by 50 basis points, to 0.75 per cent to 1 per cent, to tackle the strongest price rises in 40 years. The central bank last raised the official cash rate by 0.25 basis points (0.25 per cent) in November 2010, which took the OCR to 4.75 per cent. By the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3 per cent to 33,062, the S&P 500 gained nearly 0.6 per cent to 4,155, and the Nasdaq increased 1.6 per cent to 12,536. The benchmark S&P 500 rebounded after dropping to the lowest since May 2021, and the Nasdaq fell to the lowest since November 2020 during the session. - The Dow Jones index rose 0.3pc to 33,062, the S&P 500 rose nearly 0.6pc to 4,155, and the Nasdaq rose 1.6pc to 12,536

ASX pares losses to 0.1%, RBA rates decision looms, Woolies sales up 9.7%. By Colin Kruger. Updated ...

Charlton said an environment of quickening inflation is positive for Transurban’s revenue in the short to medium term because the company’s tolls are linked to inflation. Traffic in Australia returned to pre-Covid levels for the first time in the past two weeks, and volumes in the U.S. are just 10 per cent below, Charlton said in an interview on Bloomberg Television Tuesday. Transurban Group chief executive Scott Charlton said toll-road traffic has fully rebounded in Australia and is almost at normal levels in the U.S. as businesses and consumers emerge from the pandemic.

The S&P/ASX 200 (INDEXASX:XJO) put in a tough day on Monday as ASX travel shares, such as Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX:QAN) shares made headlines.

Also in the sector, Helloworld shares gained 2.6% to $2.73, while Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd ( ASX: FLT) added 1.8% to $22.99 and Webjet Limited ( ASX: WEB) rose 1.2%, to $6.10. Elsewhere, natural gas producers Beach Energy Limited ( ASX: BPT), Karoon Energy Ltd ( ASX: KAR) and Origin Energy Ltd ( ASX: ORG) were all up as gas prices surged to a 14-year high, following Russia stopping deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria. Qantas’ renewed confidence was backed by travel agency group Helloworld Travel Group Ltd ( ASX: HLO), which told the market that its bookings were up 60% in the March quarter from ayear ago, to $419 million. Qantas Airways Limited ( ASX: QAN) was up 2.9% to $5.76 after the national airline said it was seeing a “strong, sustained recovery in travel demand as Australia transitions to living with COVID” and that it expects to return to profitability next financial year. But the dubious honour of biggest loss in the ASX tech index was Aussie Broadband Ltd ( ASX: ABB), which plunged 28.1% to $4 after downgrading its full-year earnings guidance. WiseTech Global Ltd ( ASX: WTC) dropped 7.3% to $41.97, Xero Limited ( ASX: XRO) gave up 6.6% to $90 after touching its lowest level since August 2020, and Tyro Payments Ltd ( ASX: TYR) slid 5.6% to $1.19.

Brokers have rated two leading ASX shares as buys in May 2022, including the tech stock ELMO Software Ltd (ASX:ELO).

In the first six months of FY22, Capitol Health announced that revenue rose by 11.2% to $94.9 million. It’s also developing various synergies from the acquisition and opening of clinics. The company is looking to expand its network through both bolt-on acquisitions and the opening of greenfield/brownfield locations. The ASX share is currently rated as a buy by Ord Minnett with a price target of $0.44. That implies a possible upside of more than 30%. The Capitol Health share price has fallen by 17% since the start of 2022. Broker Morgan Stanley currently rates the ASX share as a buy with a price target of $7.80. That implies a possible rise of around 150% over the next year.

Stockhead's Top 10 at 10, published at 10.30am, highlights the best (and worst) performing ASX stocks in morning trade using live data.

Stocks highlighted in yellow have made market-moving announcements (click headings to sort). Stocks highlighted in yellow have made market-moving announcements (click headings to sort). Metalstech (ASX:MTC) hit an incredible 173.2m grading 3.27g/t gold and 11.8g/t silver in drilling at the ‘Sturec’ gold mine in Slovakia.