It has been a volatile day, but in late morning trade the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to start the month with a gain. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.2% to 6,805.4 points.
Four ASX shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are pushing higher:
AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP)
The AMP share price is up 4.5% to $1.32. This follows the announcement of the exit of its CEO Francesco De Ferrari. Mr De Ferrari will be replaced by Alexis George from Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ). Ms George is the Deputy CEO at ANZ and was previously the Group Executive Wealth Australia. She oversaw the sale of the latter business in 2018. The new CEO will join the company in the third quarter of 2021.
Boral Limited (ASX: BLD)
The Boral share price has jumped 6% to $5.82. This morning the building products company announced the completion of the sale of its 50% share in the USG Boral joint venture to Gebr Knauf KG. Boral has commanded a price of US$1.015 billion (A$1.33 billion) for the business. While some of the proceeds will be used to pay down debt, a good portion will go towards a share buyback for up to 10% of its issued capital.
Rhipe Ltd (ASX: RHP)
The Rhipe share price has surged 7% higher to $1.67. Investors have been buying the cloud and technology solutions provider's shares after it announced agreements to acquire EMT Distribution (Australia) and EMT Distribution (Singapore) for $11 million in cash. EMT is an Australian headquartered cyber security distribution specialist. It focuses on sourcing innovative security software vendors and working with channel partners to deliver both on-premise and cloud-based security solutions.
Zoono Group Ltd (ASX: ZNO)
The Zoono share price has rocketed 31% higher to 78.5 cents following the release of a company update. This morning the biotech company announced that its flagship product, Zoono Microbe Shield, has now been successfully tested against the Human Coronavirus 229E and now meets the US EPA Standard ASTM E1053.
