Well it’s Friday the 13th, or as some people like to call it Black Friday, but this time instead of being on the lookout for shopping bargains you may well be watching out for black cats, ladders and broken mirrors.

Or you are doing none of those things and kicking back with a nice cold brewski as you endure this extreme Aussie heat.

Here’s what you might have missed on Stockhead this week, but everyone else didn’t, and liked the most.

 

1. Barry FitzGerald: Has Legend found another Nova?

This was a hotly anticipated piece of news – had Legend (ASX:LEG) discovered the next Nova?

Legend (70 per cent) and legendary “prospector’’ Mark Creasy (30 per cent, and a 26.8 per cent Legend shareholder) were widely tipped to have made a Nova-style nickel-copper discovery in the third hole drilled at their Area D prospect.

Legend shares were trading at 4.2c before the stock went into a trading halt back on November 28, and then suspension on December 2, pending the release of results from the hole.

And the news didn’t disappoint shareholders, with shares more than doubling after Legend revealed exactly what it was sitting on.

Read ‘Garimpeiro’s’ precursor to the big news.

 

2. Money Talks: These 3 pot stocks could profit as regulatory roadblocks crumble in 2020

The latest instalment of our much-loved Money Talks column hones in on poor battered cannabis stocks – a sector, believe it or not, that “has the potential to be a +$US200-billion-a-year market worldwide”, according to one expert.

Maxim Jacobs, managing partner at New York-based Edison Investment Research, says investors have had to reign in some unrealistic expectations this year, but he continues to view the cannabis sector as one to watch for 2020 for one main reason — positive regulatory changes.

He offers his top picks for cannabis in 2020.

 

3. Air pollution is expected to get worse, but these small caps are trying to help and they just might benefit

This aptly timed piece (given Sydney’s raging fires and severe smoke haze) looks at the impact rising incidences of air pollution will have on people’s health.

The World Health Organisation estimates 7 million people are killed annually by air pollution and nine out of 10 people globally breathe air with high levels of pollutants.

And where there’s health issues, there’s a company or five trying to find a product that can help.

Nick Sundich runs through just who is working in that space.

 

4. Gold: Here are Monday’s 3 biggest gold finds (so far)

Gold certainly hasn’t lost its sparkle as the year winds down.

It may have come back from its peak, but readers still very much want to know who is hunting for the next big gold find.

What better way to start your week than with the three biggest finds. If you missed it you can catch up here.

 

5. IPO Watch: Aerometrex closes 84pc higher on ASX entry; is 6th best debut in 2019

There have been plenty of IPOs in the latter part of 2019 and this week saw a whole bunch of new companies light up the boards.

Aerometrex (ASX:AMX) in particular had a stellar first day, securing its position as a top 5 IPO early on in the session before closing the day with an 84 per cent gain, making it the sixth best debut this year.

It trails only Osteopore (ASX:OSX), Invex Therapeutics (ASX:IVX), QuickFee (ASX:QFE), Amaero (ASX:3DA) and Splitit (ASX:SPT).

 

6. ASIC to keep hairy eyeball on mining IPOs and advisors

Everyone wants to know what the corporate regulator is up too. The latest is that it is looking into some dodgy dealings with respect to IPOs.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) looked at 17 companies worth a collective $300 billion on the ASX.

These companies were seeking capital injections of less than $20m at the time and represented 23.6 per cent of mining IPOs undertaken between 2016 and 2018.

After running an eye over 50,000 documents and interviewing 45 people, the watchdog highlighted a number of concerns.

You can read all about them here.

 

7. Gold: Drilling at Newcrest’s mammoth Haverion discovery is getting super close to Artemis’ project boundary

A major gold player drilling a big discovery right next door to a junior? Say no more.

Or it could just be the cat gif that got readers’ attention – but somehow, we don’t think it was just that.

Former conglomerate gold hopeful Artemis Resources (ASX:ARV) has identified seven “high priority” targets at the Armada project in the Paterson Province of WA – three of these are immediately north of the huge Havieron gold-copper discovery.

And who’s drilling Havieron right now? Only one of the world’s largest gold producers of course – Newcrest Mining (ASX:NCM) (in partnership with Greatland Gold obviously).

Interesting times…

 

8. Spies and corporate takeovers: what’s next for the China-Australia story?

Spies defecting, a foreign power secretly taking control of Australia via 5G, the stealthy infiltration of universities and CSIRO, a new arms race waged through cyber-warfare.

This is not a John Le Carre novel, these are the headlines shaping the narrative in Australia about China, as local security agencies convey deep anxiety about the ways in which the country’s largest trading partner is influencing events here.

But if there are sides, business would be in the other hemisphere, demanding greater cooperation and understanding.

So just what is happening on the Australia-China business front?

Rachel Williamson fills you in on everything you need to know.

 

9. Base Metals: Legend shares fly on Fraser Range nickel-copper discovery

But of course nobody wants just the prelude to a possible big mineral find, they also want to know whether all the speculation and excitement was on the money.

And gauging by shareholders’ response to Legend’s news, the excitement was warranted – albeit early days.

The grades may not have been as high as everyone expected but Legend reckons its Mawson, formerly Area D, prize has all the hallmarks of a big discovery like Nova.

Boss man Mark Wilson told Stockhead that the higher-grade mineralisation and the rock that it was in were similar to those at Nova.

Only time will tell if Mawson is in fact the next Nova.

 

10. Don’t put it all on black: the money managers’ warning for 2020

Not sure if our readers thought this was a gambling tip, but whatever gets hits right?

In recent years Christmas has been celebrated by an abundance of investment calls advising the ‘guns and canned food’ strategy: next year will be scary, batten down the hatches.

But after a year of superlative share market growth in an economy that, by any measure, is struggling for air, this year economists and the money people are divided over what the coming months will look like.

Check out what’s on the cards for 2020.

Have a good weekend!