It’s the end of what feels like a very long week, with investors no doubt fervently wishing for a reprieve from the broader market performance over the past couple of days.

The good news is that “anything’s possible”, but the bad news is that “lots of happy things are highly improbable”, given the precarious sense of self-preservation that Wall Street’s showing the world.

It’s too early to tell what local markets will do when the bell rings at 10:00am – but it’s a very safe bet that you’re going to want to be well-informed before that occurs.

To that end, our journos have been running the laptops until they’re red hot, so that you’ve got something to read while the rest of your body deals with the kind of brutal assault that only breakfast can deliver.

Included on the list this morning are some well-chosen words from industry veteran and Oracle of Rocks, Guy Le Page – who, if the legends are true, is the only living human to successfully detect a heartbeat, simply by having his finger on the pulse of Australia’s resources industry.

Josh Chiat’s delivered an eye-opening report, from his recent “absolutely not a junket but Noosa’s nice hey” trip to Noosa to attend the recent Market Insights Series Luncheon, and Bevis “I hate toy dogs” Yeo’s regular wrap up of everything gassy is sure to delight audiences both young and old.

And, as always, to get your day started off on the right foot, below you will find the data and digits and other fine things you should probably get your head around before things kick off at 10:00am.

 

COMMODITY/FOREX/CRYPTO MARKET PRICES

Gold: US$1,933.85 (+0.01%)

Silver: US$23.56 (-0.73%)

Nickel (3mth): US$21,700/t (+0.65%)

Copper (3mth): US$8,639/t (+1.52%)

Oil (WTI): US$81.55 (+2.59%)

Oil (Brent): US$85.28 (+2.50%)

Iron 62pc Fe: US$104.26/t (-2.93%)

AUD/USD: 0.6552  (+0.2%)

Bitcoin: US$29,284 (+0.7%)

 

WHAT GOT YOU TALKING

Victoria’s headed for Gold Rush 2: Goldie Boogaloo, writes our very own Nadine McGrath.

 

 

YESTERDAY’S ASX SMALL CAP LEADERS

Here are the best performing ASX small cap stocks:

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

Code Company Price % Volume Market Cap
LLI Loyal Lithium Ltd 0.55 72% 11,117,395 $21,596,800
EEL Enrg Elements Ltd 0.005 67% 24,700,054 $3,027,703
CCE Carnegie Cln Energy 0.0015 50% 1,829,995 $15,642,574
CLE Cyclone Metals 0.0015 50% 1,743,472 $10,264,505
FGL Frugl Group Limited 0.016 45% 1,106,889 $10,516,682
W2V Way2Vatltd 0.022 38% 3,767,573 $10,045,964
BNZ Benzmining 0.55 38% 1,139,880 $43,969,990
OKJ Oakajee Corp Ltd 0.02 33% 25,000 $1,371,690
ECG Ecargo Hldg 0.05 28% 270,665 $23,994,750
EQN Equinoxresources 0.15 25% 382,507 $5,400,000
HYD Hydrix Limited 0.037 23% 585,451 $7,626,565
TMB Tambourahmetals 0.32 22% 1,575,593 $11,095,666
PAM Pan Asia Metals 0.28 22% 227,568 $35,825,130
BXN Bioxyne Ltd 0.018 20% 5,000 $28,524,681
S3N Sensore Ltd 0.3 20% 29,850 $7,989,433
LML Lincoln Minerals 0.006 20% 1,073,196 $7,103,559
CUS Coppersearchlimited 0.31 19% 141,520 $13,726,673
DC2 Dctwo 0.027 17% 85,563 $3,006,470
MZZ Matador Mining Ltd 0.07 17% 313,686 $18,921,542
AJL AJ Lucas Group 0.014 17% 270,879 $16,508,756
AVM Advance Metals Ltd 0.007 17% 40,204,184 $3,531,352
HLX Helix Resources 0.007 17% 9,567,778 $13,938,875
MEL Metgasco Ltd 0.014 17% 121,783 $12,766,641
SRZ Stellar Resources 0.014 17% 1,090,215 $12,071,571
ASQ Australian Silica 0.072 16% 347,446 $17,462,943
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Yesterday’s Small Caps standouts were:

Loyal Lithium (ASX:LLI) was the small caps leader yesterday, relisting after a four-month trading halt and bearing news it has initiated a comprehensive exploration program at its recently acquired Hidden Lake project in lithium-rich Canada.

The Hidden Lake project is in the emerging Yellowknife Lithium Belt in the glacial, northwest part of the country.

Some 315 untested individual pegmatite outcrops have been identified via high-resolution satellite imagery.

These, Loyal Lithium noted, are in addition to four other main spodumene-rich dykes, which have a drill and channel tested cumulative strike length of 2,250m and remain open along strike and depth.

Advance Metals (ASX:AVM) climbed on confirmation of high-grade copper potential at the Augustus project in Arizona. The company reports that XRF sample results demonstrated copper grades as high as 20.47% Cu.

A large area for potential copper ore has been identified through drone-supported ground surveys, geological field reconnaissance, satellite analysis, and geochemical surveys.

Meanwhile, Stellar Resources (ASX:SRZ) had some copper-based news of its own, intersecting a broad copper-bearing stockwork zone at the North Scamander prospect in northeast Tasmania.

Lovely spot, that. Good bream fishin’.

The discovery confirms the presence of a significant hydrothermal system at depth under the site’s historic drilling locations.

 

YESTERDAY’S ASX SMALL CAP LAGGARDS

Here are the worst performing ASX small cap stocks:

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

Code Company Price % Volume Market Cap
SVR Solvar Limited 1.12 -36% 10,960,652 $362,952,249
AXP AXP Energy Ltd 0.001 -33% 10,968,261 $8,737,021
MTL Mantle Minerals Ltd 0.001 -33% 323,750 $9,221,169
AYM Australia United Min 0.003 -25% 547,872 $7,370,310
KPO Kalina Power Limited 0.007 -22% 5,281 $13,636,762
ERW Errawarra Resources 0.081 -18% 1,401,839 $5,989,896
BOD BOD Science Ltd 0.09 -18% 476,711 $16,843,364
CTQ Careteq Limited 0.025 -17% 602,583 $3,604,246
KGD Kula Gold Limited 0.015 -17% 253,614 $6,717,815
ZMM Zimi Ltd 0.025 -17% 1,215,458 $3,344,847
MXC Mgc Pharmaceuticals 0.0025 -17% 2,289,998 $11,677,079
SGC Sacgasco Ltd 0.005 -17% 302,454 $4,641,496
TMX Terrain Minerals 0.005 -17% 327,372 $6,499,196
VMM Viridismining 0.455 -16% 912,040 $16,852,859
BSN Basinenergylimited 0.11 -15% 3,140 $7,803,901
AIS Aeris Resources Ltd 0.23 -15% 23,390,318 $186,555,311
ADY Admiralty Resources. 0.006 -14% 55,165 $9,125,054
RIM Rimfire Pacific 0.006 -14% 500,000 $14,036,713
BCT Bluechiip Limited 0.019 -14% 605,970 $15,700,750
VAR Variscan Mines Ltd 0.013 -13% 27,705 $5,070,054
RXM Rex Minerals Limited 0.2175 -13% 6,073,046 $148,196,897
BIR BIR Financial Ltd 0.068 -13% 357 $22,353,699
CAZ Cazaly Resources 0.034 -13% 481,800 $14,661,561
ELE Elmore Ltd 0.007 -13% 1,728,166 $11,195,071
KTA Krakatoa Resources 0.028 -13% 3,718,801 $13,644,051
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TRADING HALTS

Felix Group (ASX:FLX) – Capital raising.

Titan Minerals (ASX:TTM) – Capital raising.

Orange Minerals (ASX:OMX) – Pending news of an acquisition.

Cosol (ASX:COS) – Capital raising.

Alicanto Minerals (ASX:AQI) – Capital raising.

Mont Royal Resources (ASX:MRZ) – Capital Raising.

Poseidon Nickel (ASX:POS) – Capital raising.

Advent Health (ASX:AH1) – An announcement is coming regarding a material licence transaction.