Over the past decade, the shortest month of the year has been marginally positive for local stocks, with the ASX 200 making gains six out of 11 Februarys since 2013.

That wasn’t the case in 2023, with benchmark index falling 2.9% over the reporting season to wipe out a chunk of January’s gains.

The Emerging Companies index (XEC) also suffered, down over 6%.

The local bourse followed the lead of Wall Street where investors, increasingly betting the Fed will hike rates higher for longer, sparked declines in all three major indexes.

Woes were compounded by a domestic earnings season in which companies across the spectrum were punished for missed guidance — a problem that could get worse as interest rate increases start to bite.

 

Here are the 50 best performing ASX stocks for February:

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CODE COMPANY LAST SHARE PRICE FEB RETURN % MARKET CAP
ECG Ecargo Hldg 0.054 260% $34,146,375
OXX Octanex 0.006 100% $1,553,866
RVS Revasum 0.270 93% $26,479,164
BLG Bluglass Limited 0.069 92% $91,089,515
LDR Lode Resources 0.235 88% $16,592,311
CXZ Connexion Telematics 0.018 80% $16,984,189
JXT Jaxsta 0.055 72% $19,525,547
PSC Prospect Res 0.195 70% $87,829,298
MTM Mt Monger Resources 0.145 69% $5,987,543
SLM Solis minerals 0.160 68% $7,444,552
BUX Buxton Resources 0.210 68% $35,008,553
SPA Spacetalk 0.052 68% $16,027,579
IHR intelliHR Limited 0.105 64% $36,549,045
AVH Avita Medical 4.040 62% $269,455,184
WBT Weebit Nano 7.640 61% $1,319,670,498
CBH Coolabah Metals 0.135 57% $5,062,500
RBX Resource B 0.140 56% $7,704,427
RMY RMA Global 0.140 56% $80,901,682
NVU Nanoveu Limited 0.017 55% $5,428,324
LDX Lumos Diagnostics 0.049 53% $12,445,063
FLX Felix Group 0.160 52% $25,075,154
KNB Koonenberry Gold 0.083 46% $6,287,785
NXL Nuix Limited 1.320 45% $401,403,214
ICE Icetana Limited 0.043 43% $8,670,786
BUY Bounty Oil & Gas NL 0.010 43% $13,019,759
ERG Eneco Refresh 0.020 43% $5,447,167
OM1 Omnia Metals Group 0.240 41% $7,263,101
PLG Pearl Gull Iron 0.045 41% $7,038,731
EQR Eq Resources Limited 0.063 40% $80,546,782
HTG Harvest Tech Grp 0.098 40% $57,419,694
BTN Butn Limited 0.195 39% $12,539,022
RVT Richmond Vanadium 0.390 39% $32,327,927
PEK Peak Rare Earths 0.610 39% $123,945,896
HSC HSC Technology Group 0.011 38% $24,515,033
ZEO Zeotech Limited 0.053 36% $78,753,872
ROC Rocketboots 0.135 35% $4,286,250
ADY Admiralty Resources. 0.008 33% $10,428,633
CCE Carnegie Cln Energy 0.002 33% $31,285,147
GTG Genetic Technologies 0.004 33% $34,624,974
RNX Renegade Exploration 0.008 33% $7,453,470
ROO Roots Sustainable 0.002 33% $2,078,439
SLB Stelar Metals 0.200 33% $7,663,500
VPR Volt Power Group 0.002 33% $21,432,416
YPB YPB Group 0.004 33% $1,219,638
BRL Bathurst Res . 1.085 33% $196,143,775
BOT Botanix Pharma 0.075 33% $90,248,561
MKL Mighty Kingdom 0.046 31% $16,310,980
EQN Equinox Resources 0.210 31% $9,450,000
ALM Alma Metals 0.013 30% $10,054,009
SKF Skyfii 0.078 30% $32,881,132
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eCargo Holdings (ASX:ECG) is a perpetual struggler, having only eked out one full year profit ($200,000 in 2021) since listing in 2014 at 40c per share.

In February, the China-focused ecommerce company surged 260% on no news — for a 500% gain year to date — and played a straight bat to the subsequent ASX speeding ticket.

It then released FY results 28 February which showed 43% growth in revenue to $23.5m and its second ever net profit of $890,000. So, there you go.

Surging semiconductor player BluGlass (ASX:BLG) received its first customer orders for commercial lasers during the month.

Two leading laser original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in the quantum and industrial robotics segments have ordered the company’s 405nm and 420nm 250mW single-mode gallium nitride (GaN) lasers, whatever they are.

Revenues from these initial low-volume orders are immaterial; however, once the lasers are qualified, BluGlass expects to secure recurring larger-volume orders from these customers.

“These orders are an important step towards commercial revenues and demonstrate demand for our lasers from key industry players in underserved wavelengths, flexible form factors, and semi-custom designs,” president Jim Haden said.

“As a result of this increased interest in our newly released products, we expect additional orders from potential customers and partners to be imminent.”

The company is one of just a handful of gallium nitride laser manufacturers globally, operating in a high-value, high-margin semiconductor sector – which it says is worth around US$2.5 billion.

Fellow semiconductor stock Weebit Nano (ASX:WBT) continued its upward march through $1.3bn market cap.

Since early October last year the stock has gained 300% — from $2 to ~$8 – prompting our own Emma Davies to ask: Could semiconductors stocks be the ‘comeback kings’ of 2023?

Meanwhile, explorer Lode Resources (ASX:LDR) entered low orbit (and then floated back down, slightly) on an outstanding silver drill hit – 116.1m at 1003g/t silver equivalent from 90m, including 3.1m at 3325g/t silver from 201m – at the historic Webbs Consol project in NSW.

That’s not true width but still very thick, very high grade, and not too deep, three basic criteria punters should look at when evaluating drill results.

 

Here are the 50 worst performing ASX stocks for February:

Scroll or swipe to reveal table. Click headings to sort.

CODE COMPANY LAST SHARE PRICE FEB LOSS % MARKET CAP
EX1 Exopharm Limited 0.016 -77% $2,515,385
TMZ Thomson Res 0.005 -75% $5,219,706
LAW Lawfinance 0.015 -72% $1,341,221
RGS Regeneus 0.012 -71% $3,677,243
AHQ Allegiance Coal 0.013 -67% $13,063,647
CLZ Classic Min 0.003 -67% $3,695,493
HIL Hills 0.018 -66% $4,175,739
ZEU Zeus Resources 0.017 -66% $7,451,100
LML Lincoln Minerals 0.024 -64% $13,799,608
FYI FYI Resources 0.070 -61% $25,275,914
AW1 American West Metals 0.048 -58% $7,556,212
PXX Polarx Limited 0.012 -56% $16,235,363
MBK Metal Bank 0.019 -53% $5,253,225
BMO Bastion Minerals 0.034 -51% $5,266,197
OLI Oliver'S Real Food 0.029 -51% $15,425,617
AQX Alice Queen 0.001 -50% $2,530,288
GLV Global Oil & Gas 0.001 -50% $6,857,615
KEY KEY Petroleum 0.001 -50% $1,967,928
SIH Sihayo Gold Limited 0.001 -50% $6,102,128
SIT Site Group Int 0.002 -50% $3,153,735
PLY Playside Studios 0.315 -50% $136,212,145
BOD BOD Science 0.062 -48% $9,952,897
M24 Mamba Exploration 0.120 -48% $7,622,917
NWM Norwest Minerals 0.035 -48% $7,329,544
KFM Kingfisher Mining 0.310 -47% $16,383,075
GPR Geopacific Resources 0.016 -47% $8,860,249
EMU EMU NL 0.003 -46% $2,061,804
CAV Carnavale Resources 0.003 -45% $8,200,655
TZL TZ Limited 0.052 -45% $12,248,946
GLL Galilee Energy 0.155 -45% $54,166,000
TGH Terragen 0.045 -44% $8,730,866
NGS NGS 0.027 -43% $4,004,301
RED Red 5 Limited 0.130 -42% $377,030,256
PNR Pantoro Limited 0.058 -42% $120,692,976
JRV Jervois Global 0.180 -42% $384,663,278
PVS Pivotal Systems 0.032 -42% $5,104,120
BME Blackmountainenergy 0.024 -42% $1,485,000
FIJ Fiji Kava Limited 0.007 -42% $2,551,355
CPH Creso Pharma 0.013 -41% $27,599,868
AHN Athena Resources 0.006 -40% $7,493,273
OAU Ora Gold Limited 0.003 -40% $2,952,694
AR3 Austrare 0.190 -40% $19,992,326
SBR Sabre Resources 0.029 -40% $9,619,044
NYM Narryermetalslimited 0.100 -39% $3,048,750
CY5 Cygnus Metals 0.290 -39% $57,001,006
TPW Temple & Webster 3.450 -39% $429,094,460
ARV Artemis Resources 0.016 -38% $22,262,694
GFN Gefen Int 0.040 -38% $2,996,406
MCM Mc Mining 0.225 -38% $89,478,358
HLF Halo Food Co. 0.018 -38% $6,813,086
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Cash-strapped biotech featherweight Exopharm (ASX:EX1) saw its shares crater following a bid to raise $2.1 million.

To stay afloat the company will seek to raise cash via a combo of $1.5m raise at 1c per share (an 85% discount to the Feb 7 price of 7c) and $600,000 convertible note (secured to the company’s IP, converting at a 20% discount to the entitlement issue price of 1c).

Similarly, silver explorer Thomson Resources (ASX:TMZ) plummeted after announcing plans to raise up to $1.74m at an almost 90% discount to the last share price. Unheard of.

TMZ executive chairman David Williams has also resigned “due to personal reasons”, effective immediately.

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