23 March 2020 was a very special day on the ASX.
No, it wasn't my birthday (although it was awfully close).
It was the day that the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fell to 4,403 – which turned out to be its 2020 bottom (at least up till now).
Since that time, the ASX 200 has rallied 18.49% to close at 5,217 points as of yesterday.
Needless to say, it would have been a good day to buy ASX shares.
So here are 5 ASX shares I wish I had bought on that day:
CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)
CSL is the largest company on the ASX and trades for just over $300 on current prices. Yet, CSL shares were down to nearly $270 on 23 March. CSL is one of those shares that should be bought on all dips, if its share price history is anything to go by. It usually recovers quickly and goes on to make new highs.
Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)
I'm not a huge fan of the ASX banks right now, but Macquarie is no ordinary bank. It has a massive asset management business as well as a formidable investment banking division. MQG shares are currently just shy of $100, but on March 23, you could have picked up some for just $70.45. Anyone who did so would be sitting on a 38% gain today.
Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES)
This one's more about getting quality for a good price than a huge gain. Wesfarmers shares bottomed out at $29.75 on 23 March – a good 22% lower than today's share price. Wesfarmers owns a massive portfolio of retail brands, including Bunnings, Kmart, Officeworks and Target as well as many others. It also offers a 4.18% trailing dividend yield on current prices – which would have been north of 6% if you had netted some on that magical day.
Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)
Get ready for this one. Afterpay is a notoriously volatile share, and this reputation was not diminished by its March moves. This share was asking $27.15 at market close yesterday, but on 23 March, you could have netted yourself the same shares for just $8.01. Investors who bought then certainly wouldn't be paying for it later, with this buy representing a 239% gain today. In 1 month. Got FOMO yet?
WAM Research Ltd (ASX: WAX)
This one makes the list purely for dividend purposes. WAM Research shares are today asking $1.15 a share, which comes with a trailing, fully franked dividend yield of 8.48% based on its last annualised dividend of 9.8 cents per share. Not bad, right? Well, if you had netted some WAX shares on 23 March for 90 cents, you would have bagged yourself an investment yielding 10.89% (or 15.56% grossed-up). How's that for cash flow?
