Rise and Shine: Everything you need to know before the ASX opens

Hump day is upon us once more, and that means two things – we’re a few short hours away from the ASX opening for another round of frantic trading mayhem, and a few slightly longer hours away from some dope firing a nail gun through their foot on The Block.

While there’s no way of prepping yourself for the second of those stunning Wednesay highlights – because it’s unlikely to happen (but a man can dream…) – you can definitely start filling your noggin with important info before the ASX opens.

For starters, you should definitely read Josh Chiat’s not to be missed report on what Joe “Mr Lithium” Lowry had to say to the good folks at the Vertical Events New World Metals Conference in Melbourne, including his view that lithium oversupply is on the cards, but “I’ll be dead before it happens”.

His words, not mine… just in case “something weird” happens.

And Christian’s got Selfwealth’s list of the top ASX gainers for August, and why UBS says sell them. Sell them all.

Eddy, somewhat randomly, took a shine to Select Harvet’s presentation and went his own way to bring this lovely story about how almonds are made. And why you might like to look at some other agri stocks.

As always, there’s the fiddly bits of data that we all like to peer myopically at while stroking our beards and murmuring sagely – and here they are for today:

COMMODITY/FOREX/CRYPTO MARKET PRICES

Gold: US$1913.10 (-0.45%)

Silver: US$23.05 (-0.06%)

Nickel (3mth): US$19,865/t (-3.03%)

Copper (3mth): US$8,392.50/t (-0.11%)

Oil (WTI): US$88.84 (+1.78%)

Oil (Brent): US$92.04 (+1.55%)

Iron 62pc Fe: US$120.33/t (+1.78%)

AUD/USD: 0.6428 (+0.02%)

Bitcoin: US$25,994.27 (+3.26%)

WHAT GOT YOU TALKING

Apparently, Christian’s not a huge fan of Apple iPhones. Either that, or he’s jealous because his own phone still requires a crank handle and an even crankier switchboard operator. Anyway – he did a thing about Apple’s iPhone 15 launch, and it’s a corker. (The story, not the phone).

#Apple is looking a little iffy going into one of the biggest days of the pomaceous calendar – the ritualistic unveiling of Apple’s latest world-changing #iPhone. | #markets #stocks #shares #trading #investing #finance #business #money #tech #technology https://t.co/XvXQMP0BIH

— Stockhead (@StockheadAU) September 12, 2023

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
EDE	Eden Inv Ltd	0.003	50%	9,324,140	$6,727,274
AXP	AXP Energy Ltd	0.002	33%	3,315,000	$8,737,021
DXN	DXN Limited	0.002	33%	34,987,429	$2,585,010
KEY	KEY Petroleum	0.002	33%	20,440,488	$2,951,892
KNM	Kneomedia Limited	0.004	33%	1,600,000	$4,514,356
MTH	Mithril Resources	0.002	33%	1,500,050	$5,053,207
OMX	Orangeminerals	0.04	33%	42,290	$1,490,021
M2M	Mtmalcolmminesnl	0.033	32%	469,140	$2,558,588
CNW	Cirrus Net Hold Ltd	0.0535	30%	36,373,691	$38,130,262
CTQ	Careteq Limited	0.027	29%	1,422,799	$4,664,580
NVO	Novo Resources Corp	0.25	25%	2,243,889	$7,500,000
DCX	Discovex Res Ltd	0.0025	25%	1,000,000	$6,605,136
EMU	EMU NL	0.0025	25%	50,000	$2,900,043
ID8	Identitii Limited	0.016	23%	2,868,136	$4,505,988
SRT	Strata Investment	0.19	23%	62,000	$26,260,654
WCN	White Cliff Min Ltd	0.011	22%	5,499,526	$11,313,167
WGR	Westerngoldresources	0.039	22%	282,130	$3,255,032
MOB	Mobilicom Ltd	0.0085	21%	7,102,984	$9,286,737
KLI	Killiresources	0.064	21%	796,600	$3,157,478
DVL	Dorsavi Ltd	0.012	20%	248,333	$5,566,616
T92	Terrauraniumlimited	0.115	20%	660,001	$4,954,095
AKP	Audio Pixels Ltd	11.8	19%	5,071	$289,179,990
ACM	Aus Critical Mineral	0.425	18%	2,502,318	$10,703,250
CNQ	Clean Teq Water	0.41	17%	532,124	$20,256,803
AOA	Ausmon Resorces	0.0035	17%	1,100,000	$2,907,868

Yesterday’s Small Caps standouts were:

Debutant James Bay Minerals (ASX:JBY) has announced itself as a significant new name in lithium, rising strongly on its first day on the ASX and bringing with it one of the largest exploration portfolios in Canada’s prolific James Bay lithium district.

Totalling ~224km2, James Bay Minerals’ (ASX:JBY) Joule, Aero and Aqua properties are located in the ‘La Grande’ sub-province, along trend from the Corvette deposit, where Patriot Battery Metals (ASX:PMT) has an inferred MRE of 109.2Mt @ 1.42% Li2O and 160ppm Ta2O5.

The Troilus project is further to the south, only 5km north of Sayona Mining’s (ASX:SYA) Moblan lithium project and near Winsome Resources’ (ASX:WR1) Sirmac-Clappier project.

JBY also boasts an embarrassment of Aussie lithium royalty, including exec director Andrew Dornan (ex-Pilbara Minerals, Tianqi Lithium, Fortescue, and Rio), and Ontario-based non exec chair Gerard O’Donovan – also managing director of Battery Age Minerals and also ex-Pilbara, and former Nemaska director Judy Baker and Dean Ercegovic, founding director and CEO of lithium plant builder Primero Group.

Everyone loves a comeback story, and the COVID-era anti-bacteria maker Zoono Group (ASX:ZNO) pulled off a bit of a one, up 38%.

ZNO is a local biotech which makes and sells super-dooper, inhouse ‘scientifically-proven, environmentally-friendly anti-microbial solutions’ which come in the guise of various sprays, wipes and foams – suited for skin care, surface sanitizers, food wraps and the lot.

Anyway, the firm’s been cutting deep and targeting new markets. So despite posting a fine FY23 loss in its 4E report, it was much less than expected. They’ve got a few promising irons in the fire around the world, including trials with a major European supermarket chain focused on increasing the shelf life of fresh food and other products sold in its supermarkets are nearing completion, with expectations of product sales to that supermarket in Q4 this year. In store trials are now commencing.

Zoono’s also targeting the Early Childcare education sector in China. Trials have been arranged for 11 centres in Guangzhou through a group which runs more than 4,000 centres in China.

But it’s Nickelsearch (ASX:NIS), that continued to own Tuesday.

The nickel-now-lithium aspirant jumped on news of a collaboration with Allkem (ASX:AKE), owner and operator of the Mt Cattlin lithium mine, 10km from the Carlingup Nickel Project.

Under the terms Allkem will review the lithium-related data for Carlingup and advise on target generation and prioritisation.

“The arrangement is not yet at the level of a formal lithium joint venture and there is no guarantee that the technical collaboration will lead to a formal agreement in the future,” Nickelsearch says.

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
CLE	Cyclone Metals	0.001	-50%	1,014,094	$20,529,010
MEB	Medibio Limited	0.001	-50%	1,439,115	$12,201,488
ERD	Eroad Limited	0.695	-35%	172,494	$120,984,925
XTC	Xantippe Res Ltd	0.001	-33%	1,112,999	$26,292,008
OLI	Oliver'S Real Food	0.017	-26%	2,842,278	$10,136,834
MCT	Metalicity Limited	0.0015	-25%	33,340,250	$7,472,172
TYM	Tymlez Group	0.003	-25%	225,000	$4,952,781
MSG	Mcs Services Limited	0.018	-25%	409,800	$4,754,392
RCE	Recce Pharmaceutical	0.5	-23%	1,097,327	$115,865,302
TZL	TZ Limited	0.017	-23%	100	$5,648,679
KOB	Kobaresourceslimited	0.075	-21%	100,021	$10,014,583
MRI	Myrewardsinternation	0.012	-20%	628,088	$6,399,507
RMX	Red Mount Min Ltd	0.004	-20%	4,852,170	$12,621,755
FTC	Fintech Chain Ltd	0.013	-19%	170,266	$10,412,313
LBT	LBT Innovations	0.014	-18%	715,760	$6,030,144
NAG	Nagambie Resources	0.024	-17%	801,797	$16,870,063
CLU	Cluey Ltd	0.1	-17%	109,791	$24,193,628
ME1	Melodiol Glb Health	0.005	-17%	3,464,557	$17,683,922
ROG	Red Sky Energy.	0.005	-17%	979,965	$31,813,363
STP	Step One Limited	0.535	-16%	54,860	$118,617,786
GSM	Golden State Mining	0.037	-16%	2,323,458	$8,407,884
TOR	Torque Met	0.3	-15%	1,816,966	$34,448,148
WC8	Wildcat Resources	0.3	-15%	15,200,431	$236,294,235
AFL	Af Legal Group Ltd	0.165	-15%	58,514	$15,319,477
GHY	Gold Hydrogen	0.205	-15%	670,049	$13,661,526