It’s Friday — some of you are enjoying a long weekend already, some aren’t. Either way, our top 5 stories for the week will make your arvo a little bit better.

 

#1: Benchmark’s Simon Moores on identifying the bulls*&t in battery metals analysis

Nowadays, there’s more Price Reporting Agencies (or PRAs) covering the battery metals space than you can poke a stick at.

But in 2014 there was just one – Benchmark Minerals Intelligence.

Launched by experienced analyst Simon Moores, Benchmark remains the yardstick for everything lithium-ion battery to EV supply chain-related.

So, with so many PRA’s and analysts saying slightly different things — how do punters cut through the misinformation around battery metals demand and supply?

Stockhead spoke with Moores to find out.

(‘Aggressive but good’, he says – we’ll take it.)

 

#2 Perth Basin spotlight: Who’s pursuing the next big oil & gas hit?

The Basin is heating up.

The runaway success of Strike Energy (ASX:STX) and Warrego Energy’s (ASX:WGO) West Erregulla-2 well has placed the Perth Basin in the limelight.

Its prompting other companies to brush off their respective projects in the region. Which exploration plays are worth a punt? We find out.

 

#3 Shares in 3D body implant printer Osteopore up 300pc on ASX debut

Osteopore, which specialises in the production of 3D printed “bioresorbable” implants, raised $5.25m in its IPO offering 26.3 million shares at 20c a pop.

On Monday, those OSX shares opened at 63c, and hit as high as 80c.

Right now, the stock is selling for 98c – which gives the debutante a ~$100m marketcap. Whatta week.

 

#4 Money talks: The proper gold bull run ‘could be just around the corner’

Simon Popple of UK-based Brookville Capital reckons the precious metals run is just getting started.

He also likes the look of Silver Lake Resources (ASX:SLR), Chalice Gold Mines (ASX:CHN) and Evolution Mining (ASX:EVN).

 

#5 The Secret Broker: When WeWork becomes Don’t Work

In life, says our resident SB, there are a few Golden Rules to follow.

If you are a broker taking an IPO company chief exec and their prospectus out for a show ‘n tell to savvy investors the rule is this — if they push back on the valuation, don’t try and justify it.

Unfortunately, this Golden Rule and all sensible advice was again completely ignored when brokers tried to IPO WeWork at a valuation of U$67bn and collect U$200m in fees.

“WeWork is a company that just supplies serviced offices, has no technology, owns nothing but liabilities and they only came up with ‘We’ because of the ‘i’ in iPad and iPhone,” SB says.

“It only recently cancelled unlimited free beer for employees and had ambitions to open a serviced office on Mars.”

“The founder’s wife had people sacked for having ‘the wrong energy’ and a rogue umbrella managed to lock out office workers for two days after it jammed against a door.”

Total debacle. Read about it here and then have a top shelf weekend.

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