Every week, we Fools like to look at both the ASX and international shares that Aussie investors have been buying recently. Using data from Commonwealth Bank of Australia's (ASX: CBA) CommSec platform (the most popular broker in Australia) we can get a fair idea of which shares have been of most interest to ASX investors.
My Fool colleague James Mickleboro has already covered the top ASX shares that Aussie investors were adding to their portfolios last week, but here are the most popular shares from beyond our shores that ASX investors were buying between 20-24 July.
The top international share: Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA)
Electric vehicle and battery manufacturer Tesla once again tops the list this week. Tesla shares have been on an extraordinary run over the past few years, and have gained around 250% in 2020 alone, so perhaps it's no surprise that Aussie investors are fighting to get a piece of the action (or just a piece of anything Tesla CEO Elon Musk owns). Tesla has also been making waves recently over the company's possible inclusion in the flagship American S&P 500 Index on the back of a positive earnings update last week.
2) Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)
Microsoft is more of a blue chip juggernaut these days with its market capitalisation of more than US$1.5 trillion, but that didn't stop Aussie investors adding this tech giant to their portfolios last week. Microsoft's low exposure to the coronavirus pandemic as well as its capital-light earnings model has brought a lot of additional investor interest this year. Its Azure cloud platform, as well as its new Teams software, are exciting growth areas.
3) Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)
Apple is a company that never really needs an introduction. It's iPhone product range is amongst the most popular and sought after products in the world. Not only does Apple have an additional range of top-notch products across its Mac and Accessories ranges, but its also been growing its Services range (which includes Apple Music, TV and News) at an impressive speed as well. With one of the most valuable brands on the planet, it's no surprise Aussie investors are keen to add this one to their portfolios as well.
4) Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)
If you think of one company that has benefitted the most from the coronavirus-induced lockdowns around the world, it's probably going to be this undisputed emperor of online retail. Amazon is one of the most dominant companies in the world, in my view. For one, it has the Amazon store, where you can buy almost any product you can think of, often at the cheapest price you can find. But the company also has its fingers in a baker's dozen of other pies too. It owns the audiobook site Audible, online pharmacy PillPack as well as the growing behemoth that is Amazon Web Services, just to name a few. It seems Aussies aren't turning a blind eye to all of this, despite Amazon's sky-high share price of over US$3,000.
5) Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA)
Lastly, we have biotech company Moderna. This company has been in the news recently as the company has made significant progress on a treatment for the coronavirus, which is now in Phase III trials over in the US. ASX investors might be chasing Moderna because they believe this company's COVID treatment will be successful or otherwise be jumping on this stock after it has appreciated by around 300% in 2020 so far. Either way, it was a share of interest for ASX investors last week.
Foolish takeaway
It's always interesting to see which international shares ASX investors have been interested in. There seems to be a healthy mix of blue chip shares like Apple and Microsoft, as well as some more speculative shares like Moderna and Tesla this week. It will be interesting to see how this list changes throughout the rest of the year, so stay tuned to the Fool for more updates next week!
