Last Orders: ASX falls 0.1 per cent despite Airtasker debut

The ASX finished the day slightly down despite Airtasker’s (ASX:ART) positive debut.

The Aussie tech icon finished the day up over 60 per cent.

However, the broader ASX sector finished the day down with the ASX 200 falling 0.11 per cent to 6,745 and the ASX Emerging Companies Index fell 0.24 per cent to 2,032.

Sectors in the green included utilities and healthcare while energy was the biggest laggard.

Turning to individual stocks, today’s biggest winner was graphite producer Bass Metals (ASX:BSM). It joined the European Battery Alliance (EBA) – a group of battery material, technology and financing space established by the European Commission.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chemical maker Hydrocarbon Dynamics (ASX:HCD) was awarded a field trial with an unnamed oil and gas producer in the Cooper Basin. The trial will use its oil treatment product to see if it can mitigate negative impacts that winter temperatures have on crude oil processing.

ICSGlobal (ASX:ICS) received $22.9 million from the sale of its UK medical billing business MBC. It has promised to make a return to its shareholders but says it has confirm how the transaction will be treated for tax purposes.

Additive manufacturing company K-Tig (ASX:KTG) signed an MOU with Korean military manufacturer Hanwha Defence. The pair of companies propose to work together to develop automated welding procedures to manufacture components of Land 8116 and Land 400 Phase 3 vehicles – both of which have been purchased by the Australian army.

Oliver’s Real Foods (ASX:OLI) unveiled plans to restructure the business following the recent board overhaul which saw founder Jason Gunn depart. The plan will see Oliver’s retail convenience and stores and franchises businesses distinct and cost cutting measures will be implemented at both.

Software stock Spectr (ASX:SP3) revealed its February revenue figures which were the strongest in the company’s history at $471,000. The company also revealed it had signed another sales contract for its beach protection systems.