Happy Friday, although the mood is somewhat sullen on local markets with the ASX set to finish the week on a low note.

To kick off proceedings, scientists in Israel (with nothing better to do) have taught a goldfish how to drive.

The experiment involved the placing of a fish tank on top of a robotic platform on wheels, to gauge the fish’s capacity to navigate in different directions based on alternating sensor inputs.

The fish’s movements trigger the platform to move, and its job is to guide the platform through various obstacles.

Researchers said it took the goldfish around 10 days to learn how to navigate its platform to an end-target, with positive reinforcement in the form a food pellet for successful trips.

On markets today, there was less positive reinforcement following a wobbly session on Wall Street, as tech stocks sold off again as markets continue to assess the outlook for inflation and tighter monetary policy.

The ASX 200 was down by almost 1% in midday trade, with lesser falls at the smaller end of the market.

Financials and energy stocks underperformed, while large cap gold stocks stood out as one of the few sectors in positive territory amid a broader selloff.
 

ASX SMALL CAP WINNERS

Here are the best performing ASX small cap stocks for January 14 [intraday]:

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Code Company Price % Market Cap
ARL Ardea Resources Ltd 0.795 56% $70,803,411.69
NTL New Talisman Gold 0.0015 50% $3,127,225.36
BAS Bass Oil Ltd 0.002 33% $6,919,022.19
BRN Brainchip Ltd 1.825 30% $2,378,932,001.60
CPV Clearvue Technologie 0.46 28% $76,197,320.64
TNR Torian Resources Ltd 0.028 27% $23,980,926.05
MLS Metals Australia 0.0025 25% $10,477,114.72
PCL Pancontinental Energ 0.0025 25% $14,308,445.62
SRI Sipa Resources Ltd 0.056 24% $9,226,116.14
ZNC Zenith Minerals Ltd 0.355 22% $93,903,204.95
CAV Carnavale Resources 0.0085 21% $17,011,612.12
LCT Living Cell Tech. 0.006 20% $5,141,818.62
TOR Torque Met 0.245 20% $9,864,590.37
LEG Legend Mining 0.076 19% $176,328,686.14
WCN White Cliff Min Ltd 0.026 18% $13,050,320.78
BMM Balkanminingandmin 0.585 17% $16,375,000.00
ICN Icon Energy Limited 0.014 17% $9,057,086.88
GT1 Greentechnology 0.96 16% $87,980,000.00
ADD Adavale Resource Ltd 0.067 16% $20,359,111.22
HAV Havilah Resources 0.195 15% $52,667,148.69
KOR Korab Resources 0.063 15% $20,187,750.00
PAM Pan Asia Metals 0.615 14% $39,775,667.76
ADO Anteotech Ltd 0.29 14% $503,386,419.96
G1A Galena Mining 0.255 13% $107,191,204.43
IEC Intra Energy Corp 0.017 13% $6,838,239.53
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There was another resources moonshot in Friday trade, as Ardea Resources (ASX:ARL) went bang with a “massive high-grade” nickel sulphide discovery at its Emu Lake project in WA.

A follow-up drilling program will now be commissioned pending drill availability, with “significant scope to extend this nickel sulphide discovery and make additional discoveries”, said MD Andrew Penkethman.

Elsewhere, semiconductor technology company Brainchip (ASX:BRN) is going ballistic, up ~200% so far this year in a move which has taken its market cap to almost $2.4bn.

This morning the stock had capital markets news, announcing an update to its funding arrangement with California-based investor LDA Capital which will subscribe for 15m more BRN shares as part of a $50.3m put option deal the two sides agreed to in 2020.

Among stocks with news, Torian Resources (ASX:TNR) also stood out, after flagging that its Mt Stirling gold project in WA also looks to have significant Yttrium (pXRF) anomalies — “a key indicator of potential Rare Earth Minerals in Critical Metals exploration”, the company said.

ASX SMALL CAP LOSERS

Here are the worst performing ASX small cap stocks for January 14 [intraday]:

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Code Company Price % Market Cap
ALT Analytica Limited 0.002 -33% $13,841,403.39
DOR Doriemus PLC 0.115 -21% $17,451,635.23
RBR RBR Group Ltd 0.004 -20% $6,409,900.43
PDL Pendal Group Ltd 4.96 -16% $2,273,106,648.78
CCZ Castillo Copper Ltd 0.032 -16% $49,324,112.78
COY Coppermoly Limited 0.012 -14% $30,715,397.01
MTB Mount Burgess Mining 0.006 -14% $5,314,197.83
SHH Shree Minerals Ltd 0.013 -13% $15,948,553.38
IKW Ikwezi Mining Ltd 0.65 -12% $30,080,980.76
TI1 Tombador Iron 0.049 -11% $61,487,268.59
ATP Atlas Pearls Ltd 0.036 -10% $17,114,870.32
GTG Genetic Technologies 0.0045 -10% $46,169,825.72
TPW Temple & Webster Ltd 9.01 -10% $1,199,711,162.88
PNR Pantoro Limited 0.38 -10% $591,989,453.16
MRL Mayur Resources Ltd 0.195 -9% $50,605,992.01
TDO 3D Oil Limited 0.049 -9% $14,320,172.09
MEB Medibio Limited 0.005 -9% $11,335,781.18
FFF Forbidden Foods 0.2 -9% $17,302,405.12
BKY Berkeley Energia Ltd 0.26 -9% $127,052,063.78
AGE Alligator Energy 0.073 -9% $245,367,273.04
BIR BIR Financial Ltd 0.042 -9% $4,666,063.68
NMR Native Mineral Res 0.215 -9% $9,730,060.09
DEL Delorean Corporation 0.22 -8% $43,122,787.20
PYR Payright Limited 0.23 -8% $17,470,221.00
APT Afterpay Limited 69.95 -8% $22,603,672,093.23
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