Well, it hasn't exactly been a pleasant start to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX 200 shares.
At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has plunged by a nasty 1.42% and is back under 8,180 points after closing at 8,294.1 points last Friday.
However, this falling tide isn't lowering all ASX boats. In fact, we've seen no fewer than four ASX 200 shares hit new 52-week highs this Monday, despite the broader market's dive.
Here they are.
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Four ASX 200 shares smashing out new 52-week highs this Monday
First up, we have ASX 200 financial services share Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL). Insignia shares closed at $4.12 each last week. But those same shares opened at $4.18 this morning before rising as high as $4.25. That's Insignia's new 52-week high, and the highest the company has traded at since late 2021.
The reasons behind this market-defying rise are fairly clear-cut here. Insignia is currently caught in an ASX love triangle, with rival bids from CC Capital Partners and (just this morning) Bain Capital resulting in a race higher. At the moment, the bidding price is $4.30 per share, so it's not too surprising to see Insignia where it is right now.
Our next ASX 200 share worth a look at is gold miner Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX: GOR). Gold Road stock ended last week at $2.16 a share. This morning, those shares opened at $2.16 but rose up as high as $2.22 this afternoon. Not only is that a new 52-week high for Gold Road, but a new all-time record high.
Again, we don't have to look too far here – gold prices are once again on the march. As we covered this morning, Friday night trading saw the precious metal climb by 0.9% to US$2,715 an ounce.
Given the fresh lows of the Australian dollar today, this is particularly good news for ASX 200 gold shares like Gold Road. Thus, it's not a shock to see this company rise in value this Monday.
Two more stocks at new highs today
Also joining the exclusive club of gainers this Monday is ASX energy generator and retailer Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG). Origin shares closed last week at $11.08 each and opened at $11.03 this morning.
But it didn't take long for investors to push this company up to a new 52-week high of $11.23 just before lunchtime today. That's the highest Origin has traded at since way back in 2015.
This one is a little less clear. We haven't had any fresh ASX news out of Origin for months now. However, some ASX brokers, including UBS, have recently named Origin a buy. As we discussed earlier this month, UBS currently has a buy rating on this ASX 200 share, with a 12-month share price target of $11.75. It's possible that this optimism is driving other investors to buy Origin stock today.
Finally, ASX 200 lithium share Arcadium Lithium plc (ASX: LTM) has hit a new 52-week high this session. Arcadium shares hit a new 52-week high of $9.25 this morning after closing at $9.13 a share on Friday and opening at $9.17 this morning.
Again, it seems we have some M&A action to thank.
Last year, ASX 200 mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) agreed to purchase Arcadium in full for US$5.85 per share. Since this deal is denominated in US dollars, any falls in the Aussie dollar (as have happened in recent days) give shareholders a potential boost if the deal reaches the finishing line.
With the Aussie hitting a post-COVID low today of 61.37 US cents, this jump for Arcadium shares today is a predictable one.
