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

Good morning everyone, and welcome to 29 July, 2024 – an important date in the history of food and other made-up things.

It was on this day in 1586 that a fella called Sir Thomas Harriott changed Europe forever by introducing the potato – an edible, starchy tuber that has been blamed for the deaths of countless millions around the globe.

Harriott’s attempts to popularise the humble potato took a long time to gain significant traction and it wasn’t until England’s first newspaper was published in 1665 – giving local chip shop owners something to wrap their deep fried potatoes in – that they really took off.

Prior to that, English chippies were plucked fresh from the boiling oil and sold by the scalding handful.

Potatoes weren’t really noticed in Ireland until they “mysteriously” ran out of them, sparking a famine that English authorities to this day refer to as “an enduring mystery, impossible to solve” and the rest of  the world calls “a war crime”.

The French did what they do best, taking inspiration from woeful British cuisine and improving upon it, giving rise to French Fries.*

And Germany warmly embraced the potato, right up until her resignation from the position of Chancellor in December, 2021.

Luckily for you, there’s no need for you to introduce a life-changing source of starch and clogged arteries to an entire continent in order to get your hands of good pre-market info today.

That’s because – as always – I’ve worked super-hard to gather together lots of fiddly little things below, so you don’t need to go ferreting all over the internet for your ASX info this morning.

*Ed’s note: A point strongly disputed by the Belgians, who claim the invention. The cultural dispute became so engrossing both neighbours were too distracted to defend themselves against the Germans in 1940.

COMMODITY/FOREX/CRYPTO MARKET PRICES

Gold: US$2,3785.70/oz (+1.37%)

Silver: US$28.07/oz (+0.34%)

Nickel (3mth): US$15,871/t (-0.94%)

Copper (3mth): US$9,086/t (-0.39%)

Zinc: US$2,665/t (-0.60%)

Oil (WTI): US$76.44/bbl (-2.35%)

Oil (Brent): US$80.58/bbl (-2.17%)

Iron 62pc Fe: US$102.40/t (+2.49%)

AUD/USD: 0.6548 (+0.27%)

Bitcoin: US$67,560.10 (-0.50%)

WHAT GOT YOU TALKING

Even gambling companies are getting on board the ESG train? You can bet your bottom dollar they are…

For instance, Aristocrat Leisure ( #ASX : $ALL ), one of the world’s largest #gambling companies, hosted its inaugural ‘#ESG Day’ for institutional investors late last year. https://t.co/DDTM2B2MKf

— Stockhead (@StockheadAU) July 26, 2024

FRIDAY’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:

Friday’s Small Cap Winners included:

E79 Gold Mines’ (ASX:E79) initial reconnaissance sampling program at Mountain Home has returned some promising rock chip assays, with the company announcing it’s found samples clocking in at 28.9% Cu, 0.16 g/t Au, and 0.11% Cu, 11.75 g/t Au.

Argosy Minerals (ASX:AGY) was up Friday morning on the back of a positive quarterly report, with the company’s flagship Rincon lithium project getting EIA regulatory approval for development of a 10,000tpa LCE production operation expansion, and the company’s finances in good order as well.

Eastern Resources (ASX:EFE) was up on news that it has retained Nagom, an experienced lithium consultancy in Perth, to handle a fresh round of metallurgical testwork on samples taken from its Lepidolite Hill project, which has already returned some positive samples earlier in the year, including 13m at 1.47% Li2O from 19m.

And eMetals (ASX:EMT) has jumped Friday morning on news that it has inked a deal to buy 80% of the ordinary shares in Sifang, which is the 100% legal and beneficial owner of the Mubende Gold Project and four exploration license applications located in central Uganda.

NZ-based ikeGPS (ASX:IKE) climbed higher on Friday, after revealing that it has signed a contract for significant product expansion with a longstanding partner in the United States, which the company says should result in revenue of $19 million over the next 36 months.

Industrial Minerals (ASX:IND) was up on news that is has received results from High Purity Quartz Processing Testwork1 completed by North Carolina State University’s Mineral Research Laboratory, where a maiden sample from the Mukinbudin Project achieved >99.991% SiO2 from a simple processing flow sheet, which is a Good Thing.

And for Friday’s episode of “I think I need to re-read this, to make sure I’ve got the story right”, Dynamic Group (ASX:DDB) has revealed that it has received notice of an on-market takeover offer from Australian Meat Industry Superannuation – yeah, the butcher’s pension fund – with the latter offering $0.28 per share for the percentage of the company that it doesn’t already own.

FRIDAY’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:

TRADING HALTS 

Energy Resources of Australia (ASX:ERA) – pending an update in relation to the Jabiluka uranium lease renewal application. (Spoiler, it wasn’t renewed).

Aeon Metals (ASX:AML) – pending the release of an announcement in relation to the status of funding of the company’s operations.

Talga Group (ASX:TLG) – pending an announcement in relation to a capital raising.

Warriedar Resources (ASX:WA8) – the release by Warriedar of an announcement in relation to a capital raising.

Melodiol Global Health (ASX:ME1) – pending an announcement regarding a capital raising.

Triangle Energy (ASX:TEG) – pending an announcement relating to a proposed capital raise.

PVW Resources (ASX:PVW) –  pending the release of an announcement regarding a significant transaction for the acquisition of an REE project and associated funding via a placement.

Dotz Nano (ASX:DTZ) – pending the release of an announcement relating to a proposed equity capital raising.

Medical Developments International (ASX:MVP) – pending the release of an announcement about a potential capital raising.