23 March 2020.
That's the day the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) found its bottom for the year so far. On that fateful day, the ASX 200 descended below 4,500 points before finishing the day at 4,546. That's a long way from the levels we see today (even after the savage sell-off). But this dip was so quick if you blinked, you probably would have missed it. The next trading day, shares were back up and the rest is, as they say, history.
But sometimes history repeats itself – or at least rhymes.
So if we do see an ASX 200 back at the levels we saw on 23 March, I will be buying shares, no question. But which ones? Well, these 3 are on my wishlist for the prices they were offering 2½ months ago.
Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT)
Afterpay hit the unbelievable share price of $8.90 on 23 March – a lightyear away from its current share price of over $50. Yep, that's right, anyone who won the lottery by buying Afterpay on this date would be sitting on an almost 500% gain today. That's not bad for a couple of months' work. I think this company is one of the most exciting and disruptive companies on the ASX (and maybe even in the world). If the Afterpay share price got back to single digits, I wouldn't hesitate to back up the truck.
WAM Research Limited (ASX: WAX)
I love locking in a solid dividend yield, and WAM Research is known for exactly that. On current prices, this company is offering a hefty 7% dividend yield, complete with full franking credits. However, WAM Research dipped to around 94 cents per share on 23 March – which would have enabled a lucky investor to lock in the far more preferable yield of 10.4%. That's a yield I couldn't say no to, and so WAM Research shares will be at the top of my watchlist if the ASX dips once again.
Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM)
Newcrest is the ASX's largest gold miner and a great way to get some indirect exposure to gold through ASX shares in my view. I think there is a strong bull case for the yellow metal over the coming years. With central banks around the world lowering rates to zero and printing massive amounts of money to counter the economic effects of the coronavirus, I think there will be a high demand for tangible (and unprintable) assets like gold in the years to come.
On 23 March, Newcrest shares dipped down to $21.06. Given that they're over $30 today, I think it would have been a great move to pick up some Newcrest shares then. It's a mistake I won't make again if the ASX gets back to 23 March levels.
