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

On Stockhead today, 10 cheap copper stocks ready for the run, and China’s got a sub-$10k EV.

But first, the day ahead.

MARKET CALENDAR: THURSDAY

The February labour force survey is released today, with Commonwealth Bank boffins predicting the creation of 45,000 jobs for the month.

“The unemployment rate could ease from near two-year highs of 4.1 per cent to 4.0 per cent with the labour force participation rate at all-time highs of 66.8 per cent,” it says.

Trading updates are also due from construction stock Brickworks (ASX:BKW) and pharmacy operator Sigma Healthcare (ASX:SIG).

COMMODITY/FOREX/CRYPTO MARKET PRICES

Gold: US$2,154.62/oz (-0.12%)

Silver: US$24.84/oz (-0.26%)

Nickel (3mth): US$17,395/t (-2.67%)

Copper (3mth): US$8,976.50/t (-1.24%)

Oil (WTI): US$82.10 (-0.75%)

Oil (Brent): US$86.89 (-0.59%)

Iron 62pc Fe: US$108.50/t (+3.83%)

AUD/USD: 0.6523 (-0.08%)

Bitcoin: US$63,063 (-1.07%)

TRADING HALTS

These stocks went into trading halts yesterday and are expected out in the coming days:

Opyl (ASX:OPL) – receipt of a non-binding offer to acquire the Opin business from the company

Pentanet (ASX: 5GG) – capital raising

Askari Metals (ASX:AS2) – capital raising

Red Mountain Mining (ASX:RMX) – capital raising

WHAT GOT YOU TALKING YESTERDAY?

Are manganese prices about to get a much-needed boost?

Manganese Macro #ASX S32‘s Groote Eylandt port was damaged the other day and manganese mining has stopped. We don’t know for how long. There are sufficient stockpiles for a few weeks in China, but longer delays will create significant manganese shortages. Manganese prices are…

— Euroz Hartleys (@EurozHartleys) March 20, 2024

Meanwhile, uranium ….

#Uranium price retreat an “attractive entry point” for investors says Sprott. https://t.co/oDiEKnYW9i

— Stockhead (@StockheadAU) March 20, 2024

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Also, be sure to check Stockhead at preopen each day for ‘Market Highlights and 5 ASX Small Caps to Watch’, and 10.40am for our daily ‘10 at 10’ column — a live summary of winners & losers at the opening bell.

YESTERDAY’S SMALL CAP LEADERS

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

Code	Company	Price	%	Volume	Market Cap
RIL	Redivium Limited	0.005	67%	12,195,807	$8,192,564
ADS	Adslot Ltd	0.003	50%	3,000,000	$6,448,991
LRD	Lord Resources	0.076	49%	25,840,382	$1,893,738
LIO	Lion Energy Limited	0.036	44%	30,604,108	$10,924,444
PLG	Pearl Gull Iron	0.034	36%	285,984	$5,113,545
SRX	Sierra Rutile	0.105	35%	9,253,036	$33,090,443
SOV	Sovereign Cloud Holdings	0.044	34%	110,936	$11,126,776
AVE	Avecho Biotech Ltd	0.004	33%	12,908,653	$9,507,891
AVD	Avada Group Limited	0.65	31%	135,165	$42,042,837
BEO	Beonic Ltd	0.026	30%	214,805	$8,489,899
SCN	Scorpion Minerals	0.039	30%	3,358,893	$12,283,686
PBL	Parabellum Resources	0.069	28%	79,199	$3,364,200
COD	Coda Minerals Ltd	0.14	27%	175,151	$15,660,851
DME	Dome Gold Mines Ltd	0.19	27%	457	$54,682,304
KNB	Koonenberry Gold	0.03	25%	16,700	$3,305,075
ECT	Env Clean Tech Ltd	0.005	25%	221,245	$11,457,242
SGC	Sacgasco Ltd	0.01	25%	1,069,605	$6,237,497
PEK	Peak Rare Earths Ltd	0.23	24%	1,829,578	$49,199,226
1AI	Algorae Pharma	0.011	22%	889,391	$14,952,172
MXO	Motio Ltd	0.028	22%	40,000	$6,168,562
ASM	Ausstrat Materials	1.19	20%	745,489	$165,124,062
AQX	Alice Queen Ltd	0.006	20%	1,425,872	$3,454,921
BLZ	Blaze Minerals Ltd	0.006	20%	58,262	$3,142,791
GTI	Gratifii	0.006	20%	1,162,240	$6,846,113
ABE	Australian Bond Exchange	0.025	19%	59,388	$2,366,030

An unexceptional MinRes (ASX:MIN) farm-in deal was enough to power tightly held, $2m capped lithium explorer Lord Resources’ (ASX:LRD) to a strong daily gain.

If the deal goes ahead, serial lithium acquirer MIN will spend $1m on exploration to get an initial 40% of the early stage Horse Rocks project, near its 66Mt Mt Marion mine in WA.

Lion Energy (ASX:LIO) has development approval for its hydrogen generation and refuelling hub project at the Port of Brisbane, with construction to kick off Q2 this year.

The hub will initially focus on supplying hydrogen to domestic public bus fleets, truck fleets, and fuel cell gensets for the construction and mining industry.

Rare earths hopeful Peak Rare Earths (ASX:PEK) drilled into high grade fluorspar at its Ngualla project in Tanzania.

Fluorspar is mainly used in steel, iron, and aluminium production; refrigeration and air conditioning; fluorochemicals; nuclear uranium fuel; and oil refining.

Parabellum Resources (ASX:PBL) hit high-grade near-surface nickel-cobalt in drilling at the Miandetta-Redlands prospect in NSW.

And shareholders of troubled Iluka (ASX:ILU) mineral sands spinout Sierra Rutile (ASX:SRX) have been thrown a lifeline in the form of an unsolicited takeover offer.

PRM Services wants to acquire all SRX shares it does not own at a price of A$0.095 cash per share, which represents a 21.79% premium to the closing price of SRX shares on 19 March.

SRX – which has plummeted 56% in the last 12 months — says ‘take no action’ for the time being.

YESTERDAY’S SMALL CAP LAGGARDS

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

Code	Company	Price	%	Volume	Market Cap
CLZDC	Classic Minerals	0.014	-72%	14,665,728	$12,890,085
AXP	AXP Energy Ltd	0.001	-50%	662,170	$11,649,361
AYM	Australia United Min	0.002	-33%	300,000	$5,527,732
JPR	Jupiter Energy	0.016	-27%	203,462	$28,020,348
GMN	Gold Mountain Ltd	0.003	-25%	10,596,184	$9,111,514
LNU	Linius Tech Limited	0.0015	-25%	35,000	$10,393,481
CLV	Clover Corporation	0.62	-23%	738,958	$134,434,470
PLC	Premier1 Lithium Ltd	0.028	-22%	320,000	$6,284,667
S66	Star Combo	0.12	-20%	4,467	$20,262,447
ATH	Alterity Therap Ltd	0.004	-20%	5,464,074	$26,190,089
ALA	Arovella Therapeutic	0.125	-19%	8,034,951	$143,399,217
HPC	The Hydration Company	0.013	-19%	180,000	$4,242,269
CG1	Carbonxt Group	0.072	-18%	325,633	$28,593,105
EQN	Equinox Resources	0.175	-17%	728,368	$21,246,751
GSM	Golden State Mining	0.01	-17%	210,029	$3,352,448
IVX	Invion Ltd	0.005	-17%	21,043	$38,547,193
NGS	NGS Ltd	0.01	-17%	561,591	$3,014,729
TIG	Tigers Realm Coal	0.005	-17%	84,169	$78,400,214
BM8	Battery Age Minerals	0.105	-16%	1,293,028	$11,470,040
AMM	Armada Metals	0.016	-16%	10,000	$3,952,000
ABX	ABX Group Limited	0.056	-15%	427,575	$16,502,661
OMX	Orange Minerals	0.023	-15%	100,000	$2,315,255
HHR	Hartshead Resources	0.006	-14%	3,887,947	$19,660,775
MOZ	Mosaic Brands Ltd	0.12	-14%	255,297	$24,990,902

Sales revenue plummeted 39% to $27.3m in the half year ending 31 January, says infant formula stock Clover Corp (ASX:CLV).

It blames declining global birth rates, a shift in Chinese manufacturing preferences towards algae DHA over fish DHA, and intensified competition in a shrinking market for continued sluggish demand.

Orange Minerals (ASX:OMX) drilled a bunch of dusters in a phase one 1000m program at the Eastern Gold Fields project.

Cancer fighter Arovella Therapeutics (ASX:ALA) says the partnership to combine its ALA‐101 platform and Imugene’s (ASX:IMU) onCARlytics platform has ended “with immediate effect”.