Sharesight20 top 20 trades in ASX stocks for 2020
Each year, Sharesight20 looks back at the top 20 buy and sell trades made by Sharesight users throughout the year. Welcome to the 2020 edition of the Sharesight20ASX snapshot, where we explore the top trades users have made in stocks on the ASX this year, plus the market-moving news behind these stocks.
Sharesight20 top 20 ASX stocks traded in 2020
This yearly Sharesight20ASX snapshot saw the rise of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) stocks Afterpay (ASX: APT) and Zip Co (ASX: Z1P), both of which were bolstered by the growing adoption of BNPL methods driven by Australia’s economic downturn and a shift to online shopping amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditional blue chip stocks such as the big four banks were also heavily traded by Sharesight users, in a tumultuous year for the firms that resulted in massive fines, plummeting share prices and COVID-related losses.
Overall, it was a challenging year for the ASX, with steep losses during the height of Australia’s lockdown in March. Share prices have since recovered however, with the index trending towards pre-pandemic levels.
Let’s look at the news behind the key stocks in this year’s snapshot:
Zip Co (ASX: Z1P)
January: Zip Co shares surge following strongest earnings report yet
February: Afterpay sales double while Zip suffers growing losses
June: Zip shares skyrocket by 44% following US expansion news
July: Zip acquires US-based QuadPay as part of global expansion strategy
August: Zip has a record-breaking Q4
October: Expands coverage with Tap & Zip; Visa integration
November: Zip shares rise following announcement of strong FY21 growth figures
December: Zip raises $120 million for overseas expansion
Afterpay (ASX: APT)
January: Afterpay rival Klarna launches in Australia
March: Afterpay shares plummet, losing all gains since mid-2018
May: Tencent buys 5% stake in Afterpay; share price surges
July: Afterpay records highest ever quarterly earnings as COVID shutdown encourages online shopping
August: Afterpay lands $80 million European expansion deal
September: Share prices sink as Paypal announces BNPL offering, Pay in 4
October: Afterpay enters partnership with Westpac, giving users access to banking services
December: RBA rules merchants using BNPL cannot pass fees onto customers
National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB)
April: NAB seeks $3.5 billion investment from shareholders; reports 51% decrease in half-year profit
August: Q3 results better than expected for NAB
October: NAB to add 500 jobs to cope with influx of financial hardship claims
December: NAB survey shows consumer confidence back to pre-COVID levels
Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA)
May: CBA reserves $1.5 billion to account for COVID-related payment defaults
June: CBA share price lags compared to the rest of the Big Four
August: CBA dividend payout better than expected despite profit loss
September: CBA announces new no-interest credit card to compete with BNPL
November: CBA shares skyrocket throughout November as investors turn to value stocks
Westpac (ASX: WBC)
February: Westpac warns more lawsuits and investigations to be expected
May: Westpac defers dividend due to pandemic, bad loans
September: Westpac hit with $1.3b money laundering fine; biggest fine in Australian corporate history
November: Profit drops by two-thirds due to recession and money laundering fine
December: Westpac vows to bring back proper dividends in 2021
CSL (ASX: CSL)
July: CSL initiates US Coronavirus vaccine trial
September: CSL struggling due to COVID-related plasma shortages
October: CSL finalises deal to produce 51 million doses of potential COVID-19 vaccine
November: CSL starts manufacturing COVID vaccine, preparing for immediate release
December: Coronavirus vaccine by UQ and CSL abandoned due to false-positive HIV response
Qantas Airways (ASX: QAN)
February: Qantas cuts Asian flights; predicts Coronavirus could cost $150m
June: Qantas to cut 6,000 jobs due to Coronavirus
August: Qantas suffers $2 billion loss due to pandemic
November: Qantas CEO declares COVID vaccine mandatory for international travellers
December: Sydney flights cut as new Coronavirus outbreak causes border closures
Webjet (ASX: WEB)
March: Webjet withdraws profit guidance due to COVID-19 uncertainty
April: Webjet launches $346m capital raise to stay afloat during COVID; ends up raising too much money
September: Webjet CEO sells more than 50% of his shares for $21.2 million
Woodside Petroleum (ASX: WPL)
January: Woodside approved for $6 billion Senegal project
July: Woodside puts projects on hold due to struggling oil market
September: Trouble for Woodside as LNG prices slashed
October: Woodside reports 43% drop in Q3 revenue due to COVID-induced oil price cuts
December: Woodside CEO announces 2021 retirement
Macquarie Group (ASX: MQG)
April: Macquarie pays $3b for 88% stake in data centre operator AirTrunk
September: Half-year earnings plummet due to COVID
December: Macquarie acquires US asset management firm for $2.3b
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