It’s been an emotional ride for fans of the ASX200 (XJO) which, alongside the Emerging Companies (XEC) index, (down 0.6%) gave up its early gains in a topsy-turvy Monday session.

Just after the close, the XJO was weepingly flat – well, up 0.094% if you’re trying to look at things in a positive light.

Ongoing market fears, likely over more hawkish tightening-talk out of the US Federal Reserve, has caused ripples of jitters and wobbles to spread across regional indices.

In opening trade, the Shanghai Composite Index lost 1%, the tech-laden Shenzhen Composite 1.5%, and in neighbouring Honkers, the Hang Seng Index dipped by over 1.2%

In Japan, the Nikkei and the broader Topix index were 0.5% lower.

Tech stocks remain the focus of selling and materials the buying – led by interest in new and rare earth metals and lots of lithium.

This morning, analysts at Macquarie released a very punchy take on the outlook for the Aussie names in the space:

“Our preference for Australian-based producers remains unchanged, with Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) our key pick, offering strong near-term production growth.

Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) remains one of our preferred stocks in the broader resources sector.

Allkem (ASX:AKE) offers unique exposure to both lithium brine in South America and spodumene production in Australia.

Our positive view on Iluka (ASX:ILU) is underpinned by strong zircon and pigment raw material demand ex China.

Lynas Corp (ASX:LYC ) is the largest rare earths producer outside of China with a full value chain.”

 

TODAY’S BIGGEST SMALL CAP WINNERS

(Stocks highlighted in yellow rose after making announcements during the trading day).

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Code Description Price % Volume
4DS 4Ds Memory Limited 0.1 47.1% 77,268,158
NTL New Talisman Gold 0.002 33.3% 986,236
IKW Ikwezi Mining Ltd 1.51 25.8% 15,453
CSE Copper Strike Ltd 0.125 25.0% 388,132
GTG Genetic Technologies 0.005 25.0% 161,388
MEB Medibio Limited 0.005 25.0% 200,200
KMT Kopore Metals Ltd 0.042 23.5% 13,020,265
CII CI Resources Limited 1.21 22.2% 25,923
RAP Resapp Health Ltd 0.11 22.2% 12,896,808
PNX PNX Metals Limited 0.006 20.0% 400,000
PHO Phosco Ltd 0.16 18.5% 2,446,894
RNO Rhinomed Ltd 0.24 17.9% 901,720
CGB Cann Global Limited 0.042 16.7% 1,694,476
CXU Cauldron Energy Ltd 0.021 16.7% 4,629,393
HHR Hartshead Resources 0.028 16.7% 9,572,693
SCT Scout Security Ltd 0.05 16.3% 498,365
AEV Avenira Limited 0.023 15.0% 43,041,235
SRZ Stellar Resources 0.032 14.3% 7,388,297
CAN Cann Group Ltd 0.4 14.3% 5,447,657
AMN Agrimin Ltd 0.53 14.0% 2,205,593
DRX Diatreme Resources 0.025 13.6% 5,010,421
VAN Vango Mining Ltd 0.042 13.5% 2,930,510
EMT Emetals Limited 0.017 13.3% 153,461
FRS Forrestania Resources 0.385 13.2% 267,708
AUA Audeara 0.1125 12.5% 54,757
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A cracking offtake agreement with none other than motoring giant Ford has Lake Resources (ASX:SLR ) up well over 10%. Now all of its clean Argentinian lithium has customers waiting. Tick.

And Bris Vegas-based health start-up ResApp’s (ASX:RAP) share price is up more than 22% to 11 cents after a lovely $100m takeover offer from global giant Pfizer.

Up into double digits is Ozz Resources (ASX:OZZ)has picked up some “compelling” ground prospective for rare earths in the goldfields region of WA.

The gold explorer calls the greenfields (unexplored) project at ‘Vickers Well’ “low risk, low-cost entry into rare earths” and the latest samples received from Vickers Well show elevated REE’s well above the regional averages generated from the total CSIRO data – often by factors of 5-10 times.

That’s significant, OZZ MD Jonathon Lea says:

“Vickers Well is a grassroots-generated project that demonstrates that OZZ is prepared to diversify from gold when a compelling project can be secured.”

There’s excitement in the copper space, and heaps over at Copper Strike (ASX:CSE) – it’s up 25% as the global copper supply crunch is not expected to get better anytime soon.

Last week members of the copper world gathered in Santiago for CRU’s 2022 World Copper Conference where mining consultancy group, CRU, highlighted the annual copper supply deficit will be 6Mt per annum for the next decade. This means around eight more Escondida Mines – a Rio Tinto and Japan-based JECO Corp JV – still might not fill the gap  of what’s needed in the immediate future.

CRU head of base metals supply Erik Heimlich said an investment of more than $100 billion is required if the world is going to meet demand requirements.

Last week, Copper Strike  announced that it was heading back to the market to raise over $1. million at an issue price of $0.09 (9 cents) per share, which comprised a single tranche placement of $1.1 million to an investor – with the aim of acquiring further copper assets.

And how could we possibly forget there’s over 40% more of the semiconductor tech company 4DS Memory (ASX:4DS) on Monday arvo –  after an operational update where the company flagged effective fixes in Q1 for trouble spots that had been holding up the development of its memory cell technology in the December quarter.

As a result of those upgrades, the company said it has “dramatically increased the likelihood that the Third Platform Lot will be successfully processed”, following a partial failure of the Second Platform Lot.

The Third Platform Lot was crucial for the final testing verification of 4DS’ memory cell technology, and the Third Platform Lot is “expected to reach the etch step in the next few weeks”.

 

TODAY’S BIGGEST SMALL CAP LOSERS

(Stocks highlighted in yellow fell after making announcements during the trading day).

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Code Company Price % Volume
ANW Aus Tin Mining 0.001 -50.0% 67,885,663
YPB YPB Group Ltd 0.001 -33.3% 1,000,000
ANL Amani Gold Ltd 0.0015 -25.0% 3,475,297
EVE EVE Health Group Ltd 0.0015 -25.0% 36,502,861
LAW Lawfinance Ltd 0.275 -24.7% 119,999
BAS Bass Oil Ltd 0.002 -20.0% 92,387,107
CCE Carnegie Cln Energy 0.002 -20.0% 5,301,746
NXM Nexus Minerals Ltd 0.355 -18.4% 12,347,339
AFW Applyflow Limited 0.0025 -16.7% 2,170,000
DCG Decmil Group Limited 0.1125 -16.7% 2,700,049
LNY Laneway Res Ltd 0.005 -16.7% 1,262,669
BIR BIR Financial Ltd 0.021 -16.0% 302,496
DM1 Desert Metals 0.32 -15.8% 1,297,237
PO3 Purifloh Ltd 0.66 -15.4% 50,487
AVW Avira Resources Ltd 0.006 -14.3% 3,477,720
GNM Great Northern 0.006 -14.3% 7,599,121
NHE Noble Helium 0.34 -13.9% 4,040,440
MEM Memphasys Ltd 0.063 -13.7% 937,426
VBS Vectus Biosystems 1.2 -13.7% 76,794
BRX Belararoxlimited 1.09 -13.5% 507,807
SHN Sunshine Gold Ltd 0.039 -13.3% 3,377,162
JNO Juno 0.13 -13.3% 28,285
RHY Rhythm Biosciences 1.44 -12.7% 716,755
GGX Gas2Grid Limited 0.0035 -12.5% 399,700
GMN Gold Mountain Ltd 0.007 -12.5% 23,739
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ANNOUNCEMENTS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Gas player TMK Energy (ASX:TMK) resumed trading at 1:30pm EST, after going into a halt following a 32% surge on April 6.

The company announced that it has intersected “44 metres of gassy coal in the upper coal seam in the first well (Snow Leopard – 1) of its high impact maiden drilling program”.

The drill program took place at TMK’s Gurvantes XXXV coal seam gas project, in the South Gobi Basin of Mongolia.

“Preliminary gas desorption results assessed over the weekend indicate high gas content and high gas saturation,” TMK said. The company will now carry out downhole geophysical surveys and a DST of the upper coal seam, after which “drilling will continue to target a second lower coal seam”.

Following last week’s bounce, shares in TMK fell by around 9% in afternoon Monday trade.

SME lender N1 Holdings (ASX:N1H), which has climbed strongly over the past year, released its quarterly 4C filing for March on Monday afternoon.

The company flagged another record quarter across its various business segments including SME lending, mortgage management (branded commercial and residential loans) and mortgage brokerage.

N1H booked net positive operating cash flows of $1.656m, on cash receipts of $3.897m. It finished the quarter with more than $12.5m in the bank.

And listed investment group Spheria Emerging Companies (ASX: SEC) has flagged a 2.5c dividend for the March quarter, which will be fully-franked.

The payment is “consistent with the intention to pay dividends on a quarterly basis, at a level of 1% of post-tax NTA at the end of each calendar quarter, subject to available profits, cash flow and franking credits”, SEC said.

 

TRADING HALTS

Aldoro Resources Limited (ASX: ARN) – capital raising

Scorpion Minerals Limited (ASX:SCN) – capital raising

Propell Holdings Limited (ASX:PHL) – capital raising

 Sunstone Metals Ltd (ASX: STM) – capital raising

Mithril Resources Limited (ASX:MTH)  – capital raising

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