The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was down 2.7% for the month as investors grew nervous about the lofty valuations and the prospect of rising inflation and interest rates.

But paddling in a sea of red, Cyan Investment Management portfolio manager Dean Fergie managed to make some money over September.

"Happily the Cyan C3G Fund did not follow the broader market lower, finishing September with a monthly rise of 3.4% and taking the return for the first quarter of FY22 to 6.1% (all after fees)," he said in a memo to clients.

A major contributor to this result was a tidy profit from a pair of ASX shares that the fund only recently bought into.

ASX company that's the 'Uber for deliveries'

Fergie bought shares in Zoom2u Technologies Ltd (ASX: Z2U) during its initial public offering only a couple of months ago. That would have been at 20 cents a share.

Investors have gone nuts for the software-as-a-service provider since its 10 September ASX listing.

The stock ended September more than double its IPO price, gaining a whopping 147%.

According to Fergie, Zoom2U is "a technology-driven gig economy courier platform" that is "analogous to Uber, but for deliveries".

"Prior to listing, Z2U heralded major corporate clients such as DHL, Nespresso, and Pact Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: PGH)," he said.

"But shortly after its IPO the company announced a number of new client contracts with Bing Lee, A-Mart Furniture, and Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)."

The fund manager thought there were 3 reasons for the bullishness of Zoom2U shares.

"The market was no doubt beginning to appreciate the material tailwinds the business is enjoying due to the extended lockdowns in VIC and NSW, competitor StarTrack's industrial action, and the mounting pressures on the Australia Post system," he said.

"[This] is driving a huge increase in parcel volumes and is likely to result in a significant increase in Zoom2U's FY22 revenues."

A rejuvenated small cap?

Shareholders of little-known market research data provider Pureprofile Ltd (ASX: PPL) have had a torrid time since listing 6 years ago.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the stock had lost more than 81% of its value since its July 2015 debut.

But Pureprofile shares completely woke up in September, kicking up 106%.

Fergie bought the stock in July.

"The company had been completely out of favour since it listed," said Fergie.

"But a recent change in management, reduction in debt, a partnership with Flybuys and a return to profitability, along with some targeted investor marketing, has seen the market embrace the stock."

The post 2 ASX shares that doubled our money in a month: expert appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Increasing your bank balance is a very respectable goal. Perhaps you want to start an emergency fund and boost it to $1,000.

Having extra cash when times are looking a bit more uncertain is very important.

Here are three ways you can boost the bank balance of your Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) or Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) savings account:

Sell items

We all have items that we bought a while ago and perhaps shouldn't have. Quite a few of these items can be worth something to someone else on Gumtree, eBay, a Facebook buy/sell page or even in a garage sale.

Clothes, musical instruments, games, good condition baby items (eg a pram), quality furniture and so on could all be worth selling. My household has probably sold over $1,500 worth of items over the past few years.

Work on a pay rise

Full-time employment is most people's main source of income. Although wage increases are fairly limited these days, it is definitely possible to get pay rises.

The data suggests that switching jobs to a competing company is the best way to get a pay increase. But, apart from that, if you can show to your employer that you have been performing well and the industry average pay for your experience is a bit higher, you may be able to negotiate a pay rise.

Another way to get a pay rise is to undertake further education. In some professions, it could just be the case of getting an additional qualification to improve your worth to your employer.

Whatever you do, you have to believe that you are worth a bit more than your current pay packet and negotiate for it.

Get a side hustle

Unless you're already studying further education in your spare time, I think it could be a good idea to get a side hustle – preferably one you enjoy, then it won't really feel like a second job.

It could be as simple as doing quick online surveys through a business like Pureprofile Ltd (ASX: PPL) to make a few dollars whilst watching TV.

My own side hustle was writing Fool articles until I made the move to do it full-time.

Whether it's working at a café, a bit of Uber driving or whatever else, doing something on the side is good to boost your cash balance.

The post 3 ways to boost your bank balance appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Pureprofile is a company which connects businesses and customers. It conducts surveys of its members on new products, movie trailers or anything else that a business wants an opinion or reaction on.

The Acorns app allows users to invest their change into shares through a variety of exchange-traded funds. The platform has 240,000 accounts in Australia and plans to launch a superannuation product this year.

The announced partnership will give Acorns' 240,000 users the chance to become Pureprofile members and monetise their personal profiles.

As of today, Pureprofile's Australian users can redeem the cash they have earned from surveys into their Acorns investment account. Later in the year Pureprofile surveys will be made available on the Acorns platform.

Pureprofile CEO, Nic Jones, said "In today's marketplace, the power is increasingly shifting from brands to the consumer. In order for brands to engage and retain customers, reliable data is more and more critical. Data becomes the new currency, and consumers are leveraging this to their advantage in a Me2B ("me-to-business") marketplace, also known as the Personal Information Economy."

Foolish takeaway

The market didn't seem that impressed by the announcement, with the Pureprofile share price unmoved today. I think this is a very interesting move by Pureprofile and could lead to a boost in user numbers. It's hard to say if the current share price is an opportunity because it has been dropping for a very long time.

The post Investment app Acorns teams up with Pureprofile Ltd appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

There are dozens of different things that an investor can look at, so it's hard to know exactly what to focus on. Obviously investors would hope that every statistic improves but these are the main four I will be looking at for all my investments:

Revenue growth

This seems fairly obvious, but it shouldn't be underestimated. Revenue growth shows the business still has more growth potential (no matter how big it is).

If a business is growing revenue at inflation levels or slower, that isn't a good sign for future market-beating returns.

Improving margins

Businesses usually report several different margins. The gross margin, the net profit after tax (NPAT) margin and the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin all reveal slightly different things and are all important.

The bigger a business gets the higher its margins should go. If the margins aren't getting bigger then there should be a good explanation, hopefully it's because of some short-term expenditure that will increase long-term returns.

Earnings per share

Everything a business does, whether increasing revenue or decreasing costs, should flow through to reflect in growth of earnings per share.

If a business has issued more shares to dilute current shareholders the earnings per share figure will be affected. That's why I think it's the best statistic to measure profit growth.

Dividend growth

Assuming the business has grown and the earnings per share has increased then I'd like to see shareholders rewarded with a higher dividend.

Even if the dividend growth is less than the earnings per share growth it's a good way to reward the long-term shareholders and not the ones trading in and out of shares regularly.

Foolish takeaway

I think there's a lot to gain by just looking at the above four statistics. Debt and cash flow changes are also good to monitor too.

It doesn't matter if you're a shareholder in large caps like Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) or small businesses like National Veterinary Care Ltd (ASX: NVL) and Pureprofile Ltd (ASX: PPL), it's important to know which direction your businesses are heading.

The post The 4 things I am looking for this earnings season appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Small caps may be a little riskier or more volatile than blue chips but I think they are well worth the risk. Here are three of my favourite small caps at the current prices:

1300 Smiles Limited (ASX: ONT)

This is one of the largest dentist businesses in Australia. It has created a successful business of acquiring dentists and adding them to its network.

1300 Smiles has also come up with a clever strategy of creating recurring revenue and potential for more earnings on top of that. It has a $1 a day plan for clients who wish to sign up for affordable annual care.

The business may not have as defensive earnings as Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC) but it still has quite defensive earnings.

1300 Smiles is currently trading at 23x FY16's earnings with a grossed-up dividend yield of 4.45%.

Pureprofile Limited (ASX: PPL)

Pureprofile is an up and coming market research company providing important information for businesses. Users are paid to take surveys on various topics, then Pureprofile presents this information to the business for its management to decide what to do with that information.

Data on customers is becoming increasingly important in this era to understand what consumers think and like or don't like. A business will get to learn if it's onto a winner (or loser) with its latest product or advert based on the research responses.

Pureprofile isn't yet making a profit or paying a dividend.

Capilano Honey Ltd (ASX: CZZ)

Capilano is the ASX-listed Australian honey producer. The share price has seen tough times over the last year going from $22.55 to a low of $13.93. However, the shares have buzzed higher and it has recovered up to $16.77.

I wouldn't allocate a large portion of my capital to Capilano but it could be a good way to diversify your portfolio

Capilano is currently trading at 15x FY16's earnings with a grossed-up dividend yield of 3.41%.

Foolish takeaway

I think all three of these small caps could beat the market quite easily over the next five years. Of the above three, Pureprofile is my favourite due to its industry-leading operations but the other two are attractive because they already pay dividends.

The post 3 small caps that should be on your watchlist appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Freelancer Ltd (ASX: FLN)

Freelancer is the owner of one of the largest freelancer websites in the world. It connects people offering projects with freelancers to do the work.

As work becomes increasingly digital it allows work to be carried out for a cheaper price. Freelancer is experiencing tremendous growth in jobs and users, it could become one of Australia's future blue chips.

Capitol Health Ltd (ASX: CAJ)

Capitol Health has made a remarkable recovery since 16 November 2016, with its share price up 140%.

The business is a leading provider of diagnostic imaging services, it could grow earnings over the long-term as Australia's ageing demographics continue to play out.

Pureprofile Ltd (ASX: PPL)

Pureprofile is one of the largest online survey-based market research companies operating in Australia.

Understanding consumer habits is going to be increasingly important as businesses try to understand what customers like and what they are willing to spend money on.

Pureprofile recently announced a partnership with Branded Research Incorporated, which could grow earnings even faster in the future.

Paragon Care Ltd. (ASX: PGC)

Paragon is the distributor of various healthcare items and equipment used in places like hospitals and aged care facilities.

I expect there is going to be a large growth of items needed as the elderly segment of the population increases over time.

Foolish takeaway

All four of these companies are higher risk than most of the ones I usually write about. Healthcare is normally a safer choice, so Capitol Health and Paragon should be decent ways to gain more exposure to this growing sector.

For investors willing to hold for the long-term, Freelancer is by far my favourite as it is likely to grow its profit quickly from now on. Pureprofile could also be a good, slower-growing option.

The post 4 shares under $1 worth a buy appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

However, they are businesses just like any other listed on the ASX. The key thing that sustainably drives shares prices up is revenue growth and profit growth.

I wrote an article a month ago warning how the pot stock share prices had gotten way out of hand considering how early in the process of establishing medicinal cannabis is in Australia.

Since that article:

Auscann Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: AC8) is down 25%

Creso Pharma Ltd (ASX: CPH) is down 30%

MGC Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: MXC) is down 17%

MMJ Phytotech Ltd (ASX: MMJ) is down 39%

Zelda Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: ZLD) is down 36%

I hope that the cannabis businesses do make a success of themselves, but investors have to be cautious about the price they pay for the earnings growth they are expecting. Otherwise, it is pure speculation which isn't a very good investment strategy and is just as likely to lose you a lot of capital.

I'd much rather invest in small speculative caps like National Veterinary Care Ltd (ASX: NVL), Fastbrick Robotics Ltd (ASX: FBR), Pureprofile Ltd (ASX: PPL) and SKY and Space Global Ltd (ASX: SAS) for long-term growth stories that could grow into large businesses.

Foolish takeaway

Pot stocks may yet recover and make some investors a quick buck. Personally, they don't appeal to me because their valuations are still high, they have no competitive advantage and they aren't making profits or paying dividends.

Instead, I'd rather get my investing highs from quality growth stocks like these three.

The post Pot stocks are not winning any brownie points appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The share prices of small caps have larger price swings up and down than large blue chips because of the small numbers of buyers & sellers and smaller number of shares being sold.

Here are three small caps I have my eye on that are trading at a low price:

Pureprofile Ltd (ASX: PPL)

Pureprofile is an internet based survey company with a market capitalisation of $41 million.

The idea behind Pureprofile is to create a large database of people which would be representative of the population. It offers its database to government bodies, businesses and charities to run a survey to see what they think of a new product, service, policy or anything else a survey can be about.

Pureprofile runs the survey and helps the entity understand the results. This can be a powerful method of market research when a business can make changes to an advertising campaign and ask the same people for their new perspective.

It operates in Australia, Europe and North America and is expanding all three operations.

Pureprofile isn't yet making a statutory profit and doesn't pay a dividend, however it made a pro forma profit of $1.6 million after excluding acquisition costs in its results to 31 December 2016.

Freelancer Ltd (ASX: FLN)

Freelancer is one of the biggest online portals in the world connecting freelancers with employers offering projects for money. It currently has a market capitalisation of $404 million.

It has taken a while for the business to grow its number of users and presence. It has to generate a lot of revenue to make up for the amount it is spending on advertising and research & development, so it is now just reaching profitability.

In its full-year results to 31 December 2016 it revealed that operating net profit after tax was $0.1 million, which excludes share based payments.

This means that most of the future revenue (with a gross profit margin of 87%) should fall to the company's bottom line and the profit should grow at a quick rate from now on.

Freelancer isn't yet making a statutory profit or paying a dividend.

Buymyplace Ltd (ASX: BMP)

Buymyplace is an internet-based company that allows people to sell their property without needing an agent. It currently has a market capitalisation of $11 million.

Selling through a traditional agent can cost many thousands of dollars and some vendors would prefer to keep as much of the sale price as they can.

Buymyplace reported that its revenue for the six months to 31 December 2016 grew by 129% compared to the prior corresponding period. It isn't yet making a profit or paying a dividend.

Foolish takeaway

I like the idea of all three of the above businesses. Buymyplace may be a little too speculative at this stage, but Freelancer could turn into a future blue chip of Australia, whilst Pureprofile's underlying business is already profitable.

At the current prices, Freelancer would be my favourite to buy of the three.

For much more reliable growth than small caps, you should check out our favourite three growth stocks of 2017.

The post 3 small caps trading at attractive prices appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

One company that has grown is Altium Limited (ASX: ALU). It started off as a small company but has now grown to over $1 billion in size.

Here are four companies that have huge potential to grow significantly over the next few years:

National Veterinary Care Ltd (ASX: NVL)

National Veterinary Care is quickly ramping up the number of vet clinics in its portfolio. The veterinary sector is a huge yet fragmented market which provides many opportunities for management to find acquisition targets.

Considering Greencross Limited (ASX: GXL) is its only other listed competitor, I think National Veterinary Care is likely to achieve good growth, particularly as it's only valued at around 25x FY17's estimated earnings and is expected to soon pay a dividend.

Afterpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: AFY)

Afterpay is fuelling the 'buy now, pay later' approach favoured by millennials.

It's growing momentum, with its management revealing another big retailer has signed up almost every quarter. For example, two of its latest customers include Wesfarmers Limited's (ASX: WES) Officeworks and Myer Holdings Ltd (ASX: MYR).

Afterpay isn't yet making a net profit or paying a dividend.

Fastbrick Robotics Ltd (ASX: FBR)

Fastbrick Robotics is the most speculative on this list. It is developing a robot that can do the bricklaying work of a team of labourers in a fraction of the time. This could revolutionise the construction industry and make building properties a much quicker process.

Fastbrick Robotics isn't yet making a profit or paying a dividend.

Pureprofile Ltd (ASX: PPL)

Pureprofile is a survey & marketing company that links consumers and businesses. It seeks to learn about customers' habits through a variety of means and then interpret that data for business management. This is important in an ever-changing consumer market.

It has a presence in Australia, Europe and North America, and is rapidly increasing its reach.

Pureprofile isn't yet making a net profit or paying a dividend.

Foolish takeaway

I think all four of these businesses have a good chance of outperforming the market over the coming years, particularly National Vet Care and Afterpay.

The post 4 small caps with HUGE potential appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.