Sharesight20 top 20 trades on ASX – August 2020

Disclaimer: The below article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a product recommendation, or taxation or financial advice and should not be relied upon as such. Always check with your financial adviser or accountant to obtain the correct advice for your situation.

Welcome to the August 2020 edition of the Sharesight20ASX monthly trading snapshot, where we look at the top 20 trades Sharesight users made on the ASX during the month.

Sharesight20 top 20 ASX trades August 2020

In August’s Sharesight20ASX snapshot, Mesoblast (ASX: MSB) dominates the list of buy and sell trades, as investors cash in on the hype around the company’s ongoing clinical trials. Interest in the buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) sector also continues from last month, as main players Afterpay (ASX: APT) and Zip Co (ASX: Z1P) make big moves towards international expansion.

Let’s look at the news behind some of the key stocks in this month’s snapshot:

Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB)

• Share prices soar as Mesoblast progresses on Covid-19 vaccine and stem cell treatment

• ASX propped up by Mesoblast share price gains

• Business booming for Mesoblast during Covid-19

• Mesoblast share price drops after FDA reports released on stem cell therapy

Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)

• Afterpay lands $80 million European expansion deal

• Afterpay breaks records as demand for BNPL market share grows

• Klarna to rival Afterpay in the US market

• Afterpay doubles expected earnings

• Australians swapping credit cards for BNPL apps

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)

• Bosch pens materials handling deal with CSL

• CSL predicts weak FY21 performance

• CSL increases dividend price

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P)

• Shareholders to vote on Zip Co’s acquisition of QuadPay

• Zip Co has a record-breaking Q4

• Zip Co targeting US growth

• ‘BNPL bubble’ not a concern, says Zip Co

Telstra (ASX: TLS)

• Telstra appoints Expert360 founder as director

• Telstra dividend up in the air

• FY20 profits see 14% drop

• Telstra invests $1B in new tech stack

Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA)

• CBA dividend payout better than expected despite profit loss

• CBA served with class action; accused of insurance rort

• Big pay rise for CBA executives despite falling FY20 profits

• CBA temporarily closes 114 branches Australia-wide due to Covid-19 downturn

Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN)

• Kogan profits surge 56% as shoppers turn online

• Founders sell $163 million worth of shares

• Kogan joins JB Hi-Fi as best-faring Australian retailers amid Covid-19 downturn

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)

• More Westpac money laundering and counter-terrorism breaches discovered

ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD)

• ResMed optimistic on future post-Covid-19

• ResMed posts strong Q4 results

• ResMed joins list of Covid-boosted businesses

National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB)

• Q3 results better than expected for NAB

• Thousands of NAB jobs on the line amid company restructure

• NAB slashes branch hours in regional towns

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