On Stockhead today, The Compleat Guide to ASX Battery Metals Stocks with Automaker Deals, where have all the IPOs gone, and all the data drops before Easter.

But first, the day ahead.

 

TRADING HALTS

The following stocks went into trading halts Friday and are expected out in the coming days:

Olympio Metals (ASX:OLY) – potential farm out

Meteoric Resources (ASX:MEI) – transaction to dispose Juruena gold project

Hartshead Resources (ASX:HHR) – potential farm out

Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals (ASX:PAR) –  To analyse biomarker, structural and clinical data relating to its phase 2 PARA_008 clinical trial

Aston Minerals (ASX:ASO) – executive and management team appointments

Aura Energy (ASX:AEE) – recent decisions by the Swedish Government

 

COMMODITY/FOREX/CRYPTO MARKET PRICES

Gold: $US1,969.17 (-0.56%)

Silver: $US24.08 (+0.88%)

Nickel (3mth): $US23,199/t (-2.29%)

Copper (3mth): $US9001.00/t (-0.02%)

Oil (WTI): $US75.67 (+1.75%)

Oil (Brent): $US79.95 (+1.72%)

Iron 62pc Fe: $US127/t (0.79%)

AUD/USD: 0.65685 (-0.33%)

Bitcoin: $US28,383 (-0.03%)

 

WHAT GOT YOU TALKING OVER THE WEEKEND?

Don’t be fooled by the headline — this story is just as much, if not more, about gold than silver.

With Citi upgrading its 0-3 month and 6–12-month gold price target to $US2,100/oz and $US2,300/oz respectively, Garimpeiro has his eye on Southern Cross (ASX:SXG); a cashed up and tightly held stock with a big maiden resource in the works.

But yes, we will also keep tabs on popular silver project developer Adriatic Metals (ASX:ADT) whose Vares project – fully funded to production — has a redic AISC of US$7.30 silver eq/oz.

You can read our January feature on ADT here.

Keep up to date with Stockhead coverage or you’ll miss gold like that EVERY DAY. Follow our Twitter page.

For all you crypto lovers Stockhead’s Coinhead Facebook group is the place to share your views, insights, tips and ideas.

Also, be sure to check in preopen each day for ‘Market highlights and 5 ASX small caps to watch’, and 10.30am for our daily ‘10 at 10’ column — a live summary of winners & losers at the opening bell.

 

LAST WEEK’S ASX SMALL CAP LEADERS

Here are the BEST performing ASX small cap stocks from 27-31 Mar:

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

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Not a small cap, but worth a mention: Liontown (ASX:LTR) rejected a takeover offer from lithium giant Albemarle valuing the mine developer at $2.50 per share – a big premium to the last closing price of $1.54/sh.

Ablemarle, which has built a ~2.2% stake on-market, previously offered $2.35 per share on 3 March 2023, and $2.20 per share on 20 October 2022.

“In coming to its decision, the Liontown board noted the opportunistic timing of Albemarle’s indicative proposal, coinciding with recent softness in companies exposed to the lithium sector and the pre-production status of the Kathleen Valley project.”

The news also lit a rocket under the entire ASX lithium sector.

Gold explorer Sihayo Gold (ASX:SIH) pulled up a bunch of thick, high grade hits at the Sihayo Starter project in North Sumatra, Indonesia, including a remarkable 50m @ 7.75g/t Au from 215m (including 22m @ 13.14g/t Au from 228m).

“We believe the Sihayo gold deposit, which appears to be strengthening in both grade and thickness at depth, is analogous to the multi-million ounce Cortez Hills gold deposit in Nevada,” executive chairman Colin Moorhead said.

“With these latest intercepts, we believe there is strong potential to grow the resource and further strengthen the case for an independent underground operation at Sihayo.”

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) released a new version of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology which, for the first time, include bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS).

Biotech ImpediMed (ASX:IPD) has the only FDA-cleared BIS technology for the assessment of lymphoedema, a side effect of cancer treatment.

(You can read more about ImpediMed here in ScoPo’s Power Plays.)

Spain lithium play Infinity Lithium (ASX:INF)  received a key exploration permit (PESE) over the flagship ‘San Jose’ project.

Short term rental stock Alloggio Group (ASX:ALO) recommended an all cash takeover deal at 30c per share — a 57.9% premium to the closing price of ALO shares of $0.19 on 24 March.

Explorer Mamba Exploration (ASX:M24) hit wide zones of clay rare earths in 20 of 22 drill holes at its Hyden project in the WA wheatbelt.

Highlights include 54m at 758ppm from surface to end of hole.

Fourteen of the holes end in mineralisation, suggesting “that there is potential for not only clay hosted mineralisation, but also bedrock mineralisation in the area”, M24 says.

And United Malt (ASX:UMG) received an all cash takeover bid valuing the company at $5 per share, a 45% premium to the last closing price.

UMG entered into an indicative proposal with Malteries Soufflet after previously rebuffing offers on 16 December 2022 for $4.15 in cash per share; on 6 February 2023, for $4.50 in cash per share; and on 8 March 2023, for $4.90 in cash per share.

 

LAST WEEK’S ASX SMALL CAP LAGGARDS

Here are the WORST performing ASX small cap stocks from 27-31 Mar:

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

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Besieged Jervois Mining (ASX:JRV)  suspended final construction at Idaho Cobalt Operations (ICO) in the US due to continuing low cobalt prices and inflationary impacts on construction costs.

Having already spent US$130m, JRV expects to complete construction and commission ICO when cobalt prices recover.

The $120m capped stock is now down an astonishing 93% on a peak price of 98c in April last year.

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