By now you’re probably thinking ‘what day is it?’ (If the memes circulating social media are anything to go by).

But this might be next level confused. At least he’s not in lockdown.

🔥 Monitor mistakes a garden hose for a snake 🔥 from NatureIsFuckingLit

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

 

1. Gigantic infrastructure spending post-COVID could boost metals demand

Everyone remembers the insane levels of cash being thrown around to try and rein in the GFC.

And, just as back then, governments and central banks are rolling out the dollar, dollar bills.

But the question is: how will this money be spent?

Reuben Adams recaps what we know so far. And it looks as if infrastructure could again be the big focus. Good news for metals demand.

 

2. StockTalk: Ed-tech experts discuss the sector’s COVID-19 induced boom

Our new vids are definitely a great way to pass the time in lockdown, especially if you don’t like reading!

This week’s StockTalk looks at the COVID-19 induced ed-tech boom.

Populating the experts panel this week is Adam Brimo, founder and CEO of OpenLearning (ASX:OLL), Rob Graham, managing director of Schrole Group (ASX:SCL) and Tom Richardson, CEO of Janison Education Group (ASX:JAN).

Tune in to hear what the experts had to say.

 

3. Post-COVID-19 will be an ‘unprecedented opportunity’ for small cap food stocks

It depends on the industry as to who is getting pummelled by COVID-19 and who is cashing in, but what about once the virus has passed and life returns to normal?

The opportunities will emerge and for small cap food stocks, Asia will again open up and the cash will flow.

And one industry player reckons now is the time for those in the field to start preparing their attack plans.

Check out just which small caps could come out the other side victorious.

 

4. Trading Places: This shareholder invested $150k in Predictive Discovery and made $2m

Nothing like a multi-million-dollar payday to attract our readers’ attention.

Investors are flocking back to West African gold, and when you make some mighty nice shallow, thick, and high-grade hits just as Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI) did last week, everyone sits up and takes notice.

And Mauritius-domiciled drilling firm Capital Drilling turned a $150k investment into a $2m windfall.

Trading Places is our fortnightly recap of substantial holder movements among ASX small caps.

Check out who was buying and selling.

 

5. Stocks fly as a ‘nearology’ rush gets underway near Julimar, WA’s newest discovery

Investors love a good nearology story. And since Chalice Gold Mines’ (ASX:CHN) made a high-grade nickel-copper-palladium discovery in March at the greenfields Julimar project, about 60km from Perth in WA, small cap explorers have been keen to tell the world they are in the same area.

‘Nearology’ puts a spotlight on any explorer with ground close(ish) to a huge, company-making mineral discovery.

DevEx Resources (ASX:DEV) became the third listed explorer to either move into the area or announce work programs over the past few weeks.

Read all about it.

 

6. Can the ASX’s American frackers survive sub-$US20 oil?

This week has definitely been an interesting one, what with oil prices going negative!

Not something you would think could happen, but it did. Great news for fuel buyers, but very, very bad for those getting the stuff out of the ground and trying to sell it.

Rachel Williamson provided a very interesting insight into which of the ASX’s American frackers can survive these extremely low oil prices.

 

7. These 4 tech small caps have been big winners during COVID-19

The ASX tech sector has been savaged since COVID-19 began affecting local equity markets nearly two months ago.

But there have been a handful of companies making gains despite being unlikely beneficiaries of the pandemic.

Nick Sundich provides a rundown of these lucky few.

 

8. Markets have been on a rollercoaster, so we asked two investment pros: Where to next?

Sharemarkets globally have staged an impressive rebound into the first half of April.

But before you get too excited, two professional fund managers Sam Jacobs spoke to are adopting a cautious stance towards the short-term valuation outlook.

The rollercoaster ride leaves markets at an interesting juncture; valuations have rebounded, but real economic activity remains grounded across the globe.

Read what these fund managers had to say if you missed it.

 

9. Forget Iron Man, here are some other metals that are fighting for your health

We all know there is big demand for metals in things like mobile phones, buildings and cars, but healthcare has opened up another market for metals.

One company has started 3D printing anti-microbial copper onto metal surfaces.

Copper has good anti-microbial properties. So much so that researchers have discovered that it can in fact kill COVID-19 within minutes of the bug landing on it, whereas the disease can survive for days on surfaces like glass and stainless steel.

And gold is being used to help treat cancer.

Here’s the lowdown on how metals are being used in various forms in healthcare.

 

10. Barry FitzGerald: Investors pivot back to West African gold; these are the small caps to watch

With Predictive Discovery’s impressive find last week, it’s hardly surprising Garimpeiro’ columnist Barry FitzGerald’s yarn on West African gold explorers is in this week’s top 10.

What’s particularly interesting is that West African mine operators have had to deal with health crises before, so they are well versed in dealing with this latest pandemic.

Past experience in dealing with the A-Z of infectious diseases means that the exploration and production operations of ASX companies active in West Africa have by and large, shifted seamlessly in to operating in a COVID-19 world, writes Barry.

And obviously the gold price has played a much bigger part in the massive interest in the explorers in the space.

Barry runs through the candidates here.

 

Have a good weekend!