Each year, Sharesight looks back at the top 20 buy and sell trades made by Sharesight users throughout the year. Welcome to the 2023 edition of our ASX snapshot, where we explore the top trades users have made in stocks on the ASX this year, plus the market-moving news behind some of these stocks.

This year’s top trades were largely dominated by blue chip stocks and Vanguard ETFs.

Buy trades were strongly led by Vanguard’s Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS), followed by the ETF provider’s MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS). In terms of individual stocks, buy trades were led by Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS), which saw its share price swing wildly throughout the year, ultimately ending the year up almost 5% (as at the time of publishing). Sell trades were led by Woodside Energy (ASX: WDS), which saw its share price peak in Q3, followed by a steep decline in Q4, ending the year down almost 12%.

It was a themed year overall, with Sharesight users likely flocking to bank stocks due to their increased profitability amid 2023’s rising rate environment. At the same time, many users were opportunistic, taking advantage of price dips in mining stocks throughout the year.

Let’s look at the news behind some of the key stocks in this year’s snapshot:

Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS)

• February: Pilbara Minerals announces 989% profit surge
• March: Share price surges as lithium investor sentiment soars
• April: Share price rises following board’s approval of Pilgan Plant investment
• May: Pilbara shares rise on news of Allkem mega-merger with Livent
• June: Pilbara searches for partner to build AU$1 billion processing plant
• July: Share prices rises following update on mid-stream demonstration plant
• August: Reports 326% profit growth in FY23 results
• September: Pilbara Minerals now the most shorted stock on the ASX
• October: Falls short of market expectations in Q1 earnings results
• Decemnber: Pilbara short-selling hits a new high as analysts divided over stock’s future

BHP (ASX: BHP)

• January: BHP share price rises on strong Q2 results
• February: Profit falls 32% amid low iron ore prices
• March: Signs carbon capture pilot agreement with Chinese steelmaker
• April: BHP’s latest quarterly earnings fall slightly short of expectations
• May: BHP shares hit 6-month low amid plummeting iron ore prices
• June: Share price drops following news of carbon reduction plans
• July: BHP posts iron ore record but warns of uncertainty ahead to due to inflation and global economic volatility
• August: Profit drops 37%, fuelled by Chinese economic woes
• September: Receives council approval for 1,100-bed mining camp in Kalgoorlie-Boulder
• November: BHP share price up 10% in a month
• December: Share price plummets following BHPs decision not to acquire Broken Hill copper project

Woodside Energy (ASX: WDS)

• January: Woodside records highest-ever quarterly production
• February: Woodside profit hits record high due to BHP merger and soaring oil and gas prices
• March: Seeks shareholder approval for CEO bonus, pay rise for directors
• May: Shares rise as analysts declare Woodside will be largely unscathed by PRRT changes
• June: Shareholders back AU$10 billion Mexican oil project despite activist warnings
• July: Q2 revenue down almost 30% compared to Q1, fuelled by lower global commodity prices
• August: Woodside approved to develop Mexico’s Trion deepwater oil project
• October: Misses Q3 revenue estimate, narrows full-year production outlook
• November: Woodside blames poor customer uptake for slow progress on clean energy goals
• December: Woodside in preliminary talks with Santos over proposed merger

CSL (ASX: CSL)

• June: Share price drops 8% following profit guidance downgrade
• July: CSL shares drop as competitor delivers strong trial results
• September: CSL pens deal with UK government to produce flu vaccines
• October: Share price hits multi-year low
• December: Unions urge super funds to drop CSL shares

Macquarie Group (ASX: MQG)

• March: Announces investment in US fibre business Pavlov Media
• May: Macquarie announces record AU$5.2 billion profit
• September: Shares drop due to concerns over economic headwinds for asset management branch
• November: Macquarie Group purchases 15% stake in insurance platform The Envest Group

Westpac (ASX: WBC)

• January: Westpac share price up 20% in 6 months
• February: Share price drops following mixed quarterly results
• May: Westpac shares jump following announcement of AU$4 billion half-yearly profit
• August: Announces AU$1.8 billion quarterly profit; 10% down from first-half quarterly average
• September: ASIC sues Westpac over alleged failure on hardship notices; share price dips
• November: Share price rises on strong earnings, big dividend and AU$1.5 billion share buyback

ResMed (ASX: RMD)

• April: ResMed boosts revenue by 29%, aided by greater semiconductor supply
• August: Revenue grows 23% YoY to AU$1.1 billion
• September: ResMed short selling has increased by 500% since May
• October: Reports 16% revenue growth for Q1 FY24
• December: Share price rises following patent victory against NYU

ANZ (ASX: ANZ)

• February: ANZ shares fall following quarterly results
• April: Share price rises on news of potential Suncorp Bank takeover
• June: New report could convince ACCC to block ANZ-Suncorp deal
• July: ANZ share price drops following news of delayed merger with Suncorp
• November: ANZ posts record annual profit amid rising interest rates

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