It’s the second day of gains for ASX small caps – and while modest, at least this time they’re slightly outperforming their larger peers.

The Small Ordinaries index was up 13.4 points, or 0.43 per cent, to 3,164.4 shortly after noon on Tuesday, while the All Ordinaries index was up just 0.36 per cent.

The index of Australia’s 101st to 300th biggest companies is still 9.1 points away from recovering from Friday’s selloff, however.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is meeting today and scheduled to announce a monetary policy decision at 2.30pm. It isn’t expected to change the cash rate — currently an ultra-low 0.1 per cent — but may tweak its bond-buying program, analysts say.

Sectors were mixed with energy down 1.2 per cent after oil prices fell, utilities and property also dipping and health care and consumer discretionary shares essentially flat. The other six sectors were up – tech the most, by 1.4 per cent.

Nursing home operators gained following the government’s announcement yesterday they would receive a total of $452 million in funding following the aged care royal commission. Regis Healthcare (ASX:REG) was up 3.0 per cent, Estia Health (ASX:EHE) up 1.9 per cent and Japara Healthcare (up 8.0 per cent

Atomo Diagnostics (ASX:AT1) was up 8.7 per cent to 25c after Bell Potter initiated coverage on the rapid diagnostic test kit company, rating it a speculative buy with a 60c price target.

Winners

Here are the best performing ASX stocks this morning.

Swipe or scroll to reveal the full table. Click headings to sort. Stocks highlighted in yellow have made market-moving announcements

CODE NAME PRICE % CHANGE VOLUME MARKET CAP
CAE Cannindah Resources 0.086 197 28420811 $ 8,306,894.76
MCX Mariner Corp 0.055 53 95483 $ 1,729,915.99
CLZ Classic Min 0.0015 50 31768000 $ 17,556,867.35
ARC Aust Rural Cap 0.26 49 228889 $ 2,265,592.00
PCL Pancontinental Oil 0.002 33 250000 $ 9,010,073.23
EPM Eclipse Metals 0.022 29 40156914 $ 29,919,266.71
GLE GLG Corp 0.47 27 222067 $ 27,417,000.00
MLS Metals Australia 0.0025 25 18717000 $ 8,381,807.15
TOU Tlou Energy 0.065 25 868630 $ 27,310,350.03
YRL Yandal Resources 0.49 23 1029190 $ 37,375,466.80
A1G African Gold . 0.23 21 1682774 $ 17,300,990.36
CL8 Carly Holdings 0.145 21 34379 $ 6,784,249.68
LTR Liontown Resources 0.515 17 7565011 $ 798,230,550.04
VXR Venturex Resources 0.42 17 4978873 $ 139,468,960.80
SIH Sihayo Gold 0.014 17 399833 $ 44,225,536.96
XST Xstate Resources 0.014 17 38033059 $ 32,275,050.19
BTR Brightstar Resources 0.05 16 70037 $ 18,909,282.85
RDS Redstone Resources 0.015 15 14983241 $ 9,346,987.82
EMV Emvision Medical 2.79 15 601248 $ 171,246,121.20
OPL Opyl 0.195 15 236916 $ 6,271,640.34
VAL Valor Resources 0.008 14 7412370 $ 19,836,819.93
SYA Sayona Mining 0.033 14 28878045 $ 108,448,761.02
MZZ Matador Mining 0.34 13 507107 $51,715,142.70
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Cannindah Resources (ASX:CAE) has been the biggest gainer, up 197 per cent to 8.6c, after announcing high-grade gold drilling results at its Piccadily Mining Lease in Queensland southwest of Townsville.

Australian Rural Capital (ASX:ARC) was up 49 per cent to 26c after the agricultural investment company announced it had completed a $388,000 placement to a sophisticated investor at 20c a share.

Eclipse Metals (ASX:EPM) was up 29 per cent to 2.2c after announcing laboratory assay tests on historic surface samples at its exploration license in southwestern Greenland had found strong rare earth mineralisation.

Losers

CODE NAME PRICE % CHANGE VOLUME MARKET CAP
RCP Redbank Copper 0.11 -19 2420460 $ 55,366,279.92
EN1 Engage:Bdr 0.005 -17 634000 $ 14,224,467.29
ROG Red Sky Energy. 0.0025 -17 6998865 $ 13,804,266.59
APV Appsvill 0.105 -16 981492 $ 10,361,255.00
LCY Legacy Iron Ore 0.016 -16 16918796 $ 118,697,531.82
BOC Bougainville Copper 0.36 -14 16000 $ 168,446,250.00
PIL Peppermint Inv 0.033 -13 57798379 $ 52,573,169.59
SOP Synertec Corporation 0.074 -13 82374 $ 23,875,518.17
CCE Carnegie Cln Energy 0.007 -13 45929963 $ 101,984,692.26
CUL Cullen Resources 0.021 -13 2052538 $ 7,198,023.77
JRL Jindalee Resources 1.55 -11 32599 $ 78,406,940.50
MCL Mighty Craft 0.31 -11 35039 $ 45,304,265.65
KGD Kula Gold 0.042 -11 50000 $ 7,322,864.70
MYG Mayfield Group 0.45 -10 800 $ 42,682,941.50
ARO Astro Resources NL 0.0045 -10 9683066 $ 14,978,465.06
AJL AJ Lucas Group 0.047 -10 19761788 $ 62,206,905.02
MBM Mobecom 0.038 -10 4432860 $ 23,441,631.78
ZGL Zicom Group 0.095 -10 150000 $ 22,799,781.90
IVT Inventis 0.01 -9 140000 $ 10,449,624.01
VR8 Vanadium Resources 0.041 -9 39655 $ 16,842,484.71
MLX Metals X 0.205 -9 1769273 $ 204,134,865.08
SNG Siren Gold 0.42 -9 55545 $ 27,850,554.64
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Legacy Iron Ore (ASX:LCY) was down 16 per cent to 1.6c after the WA iron ore explorer announced it had issued 157.5 million shares to sophisticated and exempt investors.

Cullen Resources (ASX:CUL) was down 13 per cent to 2.1c after an exploration update at its Wongan Hills Project in WA.