It has been quite the year for the ASX share market in 2021, with more than 150 initial public offerings (IPOs), bountiful dividend payouts, a boom in mergers and acquisitions, and a flurry of high-flying 'green shares'. It was exciting for ASX market writers, too! Ultimately it was you — our readers — who decided what the big news this year would be.
We've compiled some of our most popular articles among readers this year to reflect on what captivated investors in 2021.
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Is Fortescue Future Industries listed on the ASX?
In October, Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) revealed its new green hydrogen subsidiary, Fortescue Future Industries (FFI). Considering the excitement around green energy alternatives, investors were flocking to find out how they could get hold of some FFI.
As we covered, the subsidiary is not a directly listed ASX share. However, owning shares in the $59 billion iron ore mining parent company can give investors some indirect exposure to the Fortescue Future Industries business.
The Fortescue Metals share price has gained 28.9% since announcing its hydrogen venture.
3 top ASX dividend shares to buy for 2021 and beyond
It looks like investors made a New Year's resolution to increase their passive income in 2021. One of our most popular articles all year was published in January. It laid out 3 ASX dividend shares offering a reasonable yield. Maybe its popularity shouldn't be a surprise given the low interest rate environment.
Nonetheless, the companies were Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL), and Washington H. Soul Pattinson & Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL). Updating for present-day figures, these ASX shares are offering trailing dividend yields of 3.87%, 3.45%, and 2.06% respectively.
5 lithium shares that are fast-charging up in 2021
Following an 8-fold increase in the share price of US electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) in 2020, attention quickly turned to the companies whose materials are expected to be highly sought-after in the EV era. As a result, ASX lithium shares sprung to life.
In our January coverage, we took a closer look under the hood of 5 ASX-listed lithium suppliers. Most of these companies went on to outperform the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this year.
These are the top performing lithium stocks in 2021 so far
Clearly, the appetite for ASX lithium shares was large throughout this year. The interest in the electrifying sector carried through to our article in March summarising the top performing ASX lithium shares in 2021 up to that point in time.
Remarkably, all 5 of the companies covered had posted gains of more than 150% between January and March alone. That is equivalent to a compound return of more than 35% each month for the first 3 months of 2021. For reference, the ASX share taking the crown was Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE), which is now up 1,087% year-to-date.
Is Canva coming to the ASX?
Last, but not least, our readers were incredibly curious to know if Canva was coming to the ASX. The graphic design platform garnered the interest of many ASX shares investors as it rapidly ascended from its US$6 billion valuation in 2020. By April 2021, the Sydney-based company had reached a valuation of US$15 billion after raising another US$71 million in funding.
Yet, here we are at the end of 2021 and Canva has not shown any intention of becoming an ASX share.
However, the company has since gone on to raise more capital privately. By September, it had reached a monumental US$40 billion valuation.
