On Stockhead today, Morgans explains why smaller miners have underperformed their larger counterparts and how now could be a good time to buy; we reveal the top 50 small cap miners and explorers for June; and big super funds are ramping up private investments.

But first:

The day ahead

Australia will get an important economic data update with the release of May retail sales (11:30am eastern time), while US markets will be closed for the Independence Day holiday.

Company news

The following companies are scheduled to come out of a trading halt or voluntary suspension over the next 48 hours:

Thursday:

Kalamazoo Resources (ASX:KZR) – capital raising
Titomic (ASX:TTT) – capital raising
IODM (ASX:IOD) – capital raising

Friday:

Pushpay Holdings (ASX:PPH) – bookbuild
Nuheara (ASX:NUH) – capital raising
Silver Mines (ASX:SVL) – capital raising

Markets

Gold: $US1406.63 ($2,014.03) -0.95%

Silver: $US15.25 -0.55%

Oil (Brent): $US66.37 +1.88%

Oil (WTI): $US59.27 +2.44%

Coal: $US69.50 -0.57%

Iron ore 62pc fe: $US107.93 -0.97%

AUD/USD: $US0.6984 +0.33%

What got you talking yesterday

Over on the Stockhead Facebook chat page, Nick Sundich wrote a good outlook piece, asking whether the ASX can repeat its strong performance in the second half of the year.

In response, group member Harry Sight offered a succinct, one-word reply:

“Unlikely,” he said.

Duly noted, Harry.

And these were the five most-discussed stocks on trading gossip forum HotCopper at close on Wednesday, July 3:

Yesterday’s winners

Silver Chef (ASX:SIV) topped the pops, posting a gain of 129 per cent after announcing it is the subject of a takeover offer from a consortium of investors led by Next Capital Pty Ltd.

Here are the best performing ASX small cap stocks for Wednesday, July 3:

Ticker Name Price % Chg Volume Market Cap
SIV Silver Chef Ltd 0.71 +129.03% 1.6M $27.9M
EER East Energy Resources Ltd 0.004 +100.00% 43.1k $12.8M
FRX Flexiroam Ltd 0.02 +63.64% 93.2k $4.4M
RIM Rimfire Pacific Mining NL 0.004 +60.00% 916.5k $4.3M
CYQ Cycliq Group Ltd 0.0015 +50.00% 2.5M $1.5M
FAM Family Insights Group Ltd 0.0015 +50.00% 287.7k $3.8M
LRS Latin Resources Ltd 0.0015 +50.00% 17.9M $5.8M
MDI Middle Island Resources Ltd 0.006 +50.00% 5.6M $6.3M
QGL Quantum Graphite Ltd 0.003 +50.00% 300.0k $23.0M
TRL Tanga Resources Ltd 0.003 +50.00% 45.0M $3.8M
IBX Imagion Biosystems Ltd 0.02 +43.75% 5.0k $7.4M
CMM Capricorn Metals Ltd 0.12 +36.36% 43.4M $112.4M
CAD Caeneus Minerals Ltd 0.002 +33.33% 2.2M $4.3M
CIO Connected IO Ltd 0.004 +33.33% 61.4M $7.3M
KEY Key Petroleum Ltd 0.004 +33.33% 650.0k $6.2M
RLC Reedy Lagoon Corp Ltd 0.004 +33.33% 389.2k $1.6M
VAR Variscan Mines Ltd 0.002 +33.33% 500.0k $2.5M
VIC Victory Mines Ltd 0.002 +33.33% 1.5M $2.7M
FNT Frontier Resources Ltd 0.02 +28.57% 3.5M $8.8M
UUV UUV Aquabotix Ltd 0.009 +28.57% 25.6M $2.9M
VKA Viking Mines Ltd 0.014 +27.27% 778.1k $4.4M

Yesterday’s losers

Here are the worst performing ASX small cap stocks for Wednesday, July 3:

Ticker Company Price ($) % Chg Volume Market Cap
DDD 3D Resources Ltd 0.001 -50.00% $1.1M 120.0k
DRE Dreadnought Resources Ltd 0.003 -25.00% $3.5M 108.6k
AUH AustChina Holdings Ltd 0.003 -25.00% $3.3M 200.0k
TPC TPC Consolidated Ltd 0.3 -25.00% $3.4M 83.7k
MAG Magmatic Resources Ltd 0.01 -22.22% $1.6M 366.1k
TSC Twenty Seven Co Ltd 0.002 -20.00% $2.0M 13.7M
NWE Norwest Energy NL 0.002 -20.00% $6.8M 262.5k
NOR Norwood Systems Ltd 0.004 -20.00% $8.3M 9.7M
DTM Dart Mining NL 0.004 -20.00% $4.0M 643.0k
BOC Bougainville Copper Ltd 0.1 -18.33% $39.3M 132.7k
RCO Royalco Resources Ltd 0.19 -17.39% $10.0M 10.0k
SER Strategic Energy Resources Ltd 0.005 -16.67% $4.5M 3.3M
QFY Quantify Technology Holdings 0.005 -16.67% $5.7M 15.9M
PPY Papyrus Australia Ltd 0.005 -16.67% $1.2M 10.0k
SDA SpeedCast International Ltd 1.72 -16.50% $412.4M 28.6M
TYM Tymlez Group Ltd 0.13 -16.13% $17.0M 64.0k
AIS Aeris Resources Ltd 0.05 -15.52% $22.3M 5.1M
NSB NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals 0.35 -15.48% $26.1M 17.7M
NVU Nanoveu Ltd 0.04 -15.38% $5.8M 206.4k