A ‘ghost ship’ has finally washed ashore in Ireland after drifting the world’s oceans for over a year.

Built in 1976, the MV Alta finally kicked the bucket in 2018. After being towed back to port it was somehow hijacked, disappearing until a Royal Navy ice patrol ship spotted it in August last year.

The MV Alta was floating ‘dead in the water’ and apparently unmanned, they say.

“Apparently”.

Local Irish authorities are warning punters to stay away from the wreck, ostensibly because it is “located on a dangerous and inaccessible stretch of coastline and is in an unstable condition”. Yeah right.

Onto local markets, and the ASX200 and Small Ords Indexes have softened 0.6 per cent and 0.19 per cent respectively in early trade.

Yesterday, European share markets hit record highs after the Chinese made moves to limit the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak through tax and fee cuts.

The proposed stimulus measures also pushed oil, iron ore, and base metals prices higher.

 

WINNERS

Here are the best performing ASX small cap stocks at 12pm Tuesday February 18:

Swipe or scroll to reveal the full table. Click headings to sort.

CODE NAME PRICE % CHANGE MARKET CAP
FOD Food Revolution Group 0.08 +45.61% $60.1M
NWM Norwest Minerals 0.16 +40.91% $13.0M
CWL Chant West 0.1 +40.85% $12.4M
LRS Latin Resources 0.004 +33.33% $1.4M
YPB YPB Group 0.004 +33.33% $6.8M
VAL Valor Resources 0.0025 +25.00% $4.8M
AEI Aeris Environmental 0.63 +24.51% $136.9M
A1G African Gold 0.16 +23.08% $9.3M
MRQ MRG Metals 0.012 +20.00% $12.7M
CTO Citigold Corp 0.006 +20.00% $14.5M
MDI Middle Island Resources 0.006 +20.00% $8.2M
KIN Kin Mining 0.06 +19.61% $34.8M
AQI Alicanto Minerals 0.08 +18.31% $17.6M
ANA Ansila Energy 0.013 +18.18% $6.6M
LER Leaf Resources 0.03 +18.18% $8.5M
ZNO Zoono Group 2.28 +17.83% $370.7M
BSR Bassari Resources 0.014 +16.67% $35.8M
CIO Connected IO 0.0035 +16.67% $8.4M
PNX PNX METALS 0.007 +16.67% $17.0M
BNL Big Star Energy 0.007 +16.67% $5.1M
JPR Jupiter Energy 0.007 +16.67% $1.1M
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Food Revolution Group (ASX:FOD) is hoping to sell its beverages into China, but with the world’s #2 economy in a coronavirus-led lockdown most exporters have struggled.

However, hand sanitiser makers like Zoono (ASX:ZNO) (which was also up +17 per cent this morning) are apparently raking in the bucks so Food Revolution has now pivoted to germ fighting — and immediately surged +45 per cent in morning trade.

Gold explorer Norwest Minerals (ASX:NWM) jumped +45 per cent after uncovering high grades up to 29.3 grams per tonne (g/t) underneath some old open pits at its Bulgera project.

The results of this maiden drilling program speak for themselves, chief exec Charles Schaus says.

“The positive economics of mining multiple, shallow dipping gold lodes has the potential to develop into a win-win situation for Norwest and those operating hungry mills in the area,” he says.

And MRG Metals (ASX:MRQ) was up 20 per cent after completing an early stage drilling program that highlights the size of its Koko Massava heavy mineral sands project in Mozambique.

 

LOSERS

Here are the worst performing ASX small cap stocks at 12pm Tuesday February 18:

Swipe or scroll to reveal the full table. Click headings to sort.

CODE NAME PRICE % CHANGE MARKET CAP
RIM Rimfire Pacific Mining 0.002 -33.33% $3.0M
PCL Pancontinental Oil & Gas 0.001 -33.33% $5.4M
IKW Ikwezi Mining 0.002 -33.33% $8.1M
CSD Consolidated Tin Mines 0.14 -30.00% $92.4M
ADV Ardiden 0.003 -25.00% $5.4M
TMZ Thomson Resources 0.02 -23.33% $2.7M
NSX NSX 0.1 -20.83% $18.5M
SWM Seven West Media 0.22 -17.31% $330.7M
LI3 Lithium Consolidated 0.02 -17.24% $3.5M
KMT Kopore Metals 0.005 -16.67% $3.2M
RFN Reffind 0.0025 -16.67% $2.1M
AFR African Energy Resources 0.03 -15.79% $19.9M
ALU Altium 36.15 -15.20% $4.7B
PUR Pursuit Minerals 0.006 -14.29% $2.0M
CXU Cauldron Energy 0.012 -14.29% $4.1M
ESH Esports Mogul 0.007 -12.50% $14.2M
SLC Superloop 0.75 -11.76% $268.9M
CL1 Class 1.84 -11.35% $224.6M
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At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While Norwest Minerals is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this article.