With so many quality shares to choose from on the local share market, it can be hard to decide which ones to invest in.
To help you on your way I thought I would attempt to narrow things down by picking out three blue chip shares which I think are in the buy zone today.
They are as follows:
BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP)
Although BHP Billiton is no longer the bargain buy it was at the start of December, I still believe it could be a market-beater in 2018 thanks to improving commodity prices. Oil, iron ore, and copper prices have all pushed notably higher since the start of the year. If prices remain at this level throughout 2018 then I feel BHP Billiton could deliver bumper earnings growth and another dividend increase. At present the mining giant's shares provide a trailing fully franked 3.4% dividend.
CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)
In my opinion CSL would have to be one of the best buy and hold investment options on the Australian share market. The strength of its core business and its soon to be profitable influenza business make it a must buy for me. Its shares may be a little on the expensive side, but I believe it is capable of delivering above-average earnings growth in the long-term that justifies this premium.
Premier Investments Limited (ASX: PMV)
Another long-term buy and hold investment option is this retail group thanks to its key Smiggle and Peter Alexander businesses. While I'm not a huge fan of all of its businesses, these two stars will soon make up the majority of its earnings. In fact, management is extremely bullish on the future of the Smiggle business in particular and expects the Smiggle brand to achieve annual sales in excess of $450 million by FY 2020. This is almost double the sales the brand generated in FY 2017.
