The S&P/ASX200 is trading about 0.5% lower on the last day of December, but it’s been a good week to close out 2021.

The benchmark is about 0.75% up on last week, while against the calendar according to the Julians, the top 200 index will end 2021 around 2% off of its 52-week high and some 14% ahead of this time last year.

Last fall of the year, first of the week

Overnight US markets once again fell off their – latest and final – record high of 2021, but it’s been the only real wobble in a week of solid trade as investors look to finalise happy positions ahead of a shiny new, possibly Omicronic new year. 

The Dow Jones shed 91 points or 0.3% – its first retreat in seven days – the S&P 500 lost 0.3% and the Nasdaq fell by 25 points or 0.2%.

European share markets ended firmer despite the bombshell news Spanish inflation is at 22-year highs – it’s big in Barcelona –  Pan-European STOXX 600 rose by 0.2%, as did the German Dax and the UK FTSE.        

 Global oil prices also rose by up to 0.6% ahead of an OPEC+ meet next week (Jan. 4) to make a call on whether to increase output – this, just as Reuters reports China is slashing some 2022 import quotas by as much as 11%. 

Iron ore fell by US80 cents or 0.7% to US$117.25 a tonne on Thursday, while Gold futures rose 0.5% on to US$1,814.10 an ounce.

A golden year?

Gold obsessive, Barry Dawes, executive chairman at Martin Place Securities, is calling 2021, “a year to forget.” But he assures, “2022 will be one to talk about for many years to come… a great year for gold and gold stocks.”

Dawes says Aussie goldies which can display, “increasing production, rising resources, good earnings and cashflows and rising dividends are supercheap.”

2021: The Year of IPO’ing Dangerously

Stockhead’s Nick Sundich just tested positive to OmnIPOtence, officially making him ground zero for the almost 200 newly-listed companies on the local bourse over 2021.

At this stage the only symptom appears to be fatigue.

A taste of Nick’s latest IPO data:

  • Aussie IPOs gained an average 14% in 2021, down from an average 42% gain in 2020.

 

  • There was a total 180 IPOs, that’s half again more than the previous two years combined

 

  • Despite coming home with a wet sail in 2020, the ASX listed just over 110 new companies

 

  •  2021 saw a record number of stocks with a market capitalisation of $1 billion,

 

  • One stock has more than tripled since listing

 

  • Almost 20 are up 100% or more (there were 12 last year)

 

ASX SMALL CAP WINNERS:

Here are the best performing ASX small cap stocks for December 27 – 31:

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

Code Company Price % 1 week Market Cap $
MRR Minrex Resources Ltd 0.049 133.3% $ 23,959,869.26
PBX Pacific Bauxite Ltd 0.003 50.0% $ 1,189,842.10
NPM Newpeak Metals 0.0015 50.0% $ 11,137,027.65
TUA Tuas Limited 2.15 41.4% $ 899,983,500.74
SE1 Sensera Ltd 0.018 38.5% $ 7,865,932.42
ASO Aston Minerals Ltd 0.15 36.4% $ 143,129,614.35
PRO Prophecy Internation 1.63 33.6% $ 117,009,585.06
PCK Painchek Ltd 0.06 33.3% $ 71,303,702.34
IDT IDT Australia Ltd 0.52 33.3% $ 128,325,190.95
CAQ CAQ Holdings Ltd 0.021 31.3% $ 15,073,511.90
JDR Jadar Resources 0.064 30.6% $ 53,878,547.97
DTI DTI Group Ltd 0.03 30.4% $ 13,399,069.23
MTC Metalstech Ltd 0.33 29.4% $ 58,332,606.50
TGA Thorn Group Limited 0.275 27.9% $ 91,770,923.70
FFX Firefinch Ltd 0.81 25.6% $ 811,237,149.72
HIO Hawsons Iron Ltd 0.125 25.0% $ 85,806,354.00
GED Golden Deeps 0.015 25.0% $ 10,861,920.16
PCL Pancontinental Energ 0.0025 25.0% $ 14,068,445.62
AO1 Assetowl Limited 0.005 25.0% $ 4,081,025.53
TMK Tamaska Oil Gas Ltd 0.01 25.0% $ 8,865,000.00
TPS Threat Protect Ltd 0.005 25.0% $ 33,251,966.28
AGN Argenica 0.685 24.5% $ 32,348,438.63
DVPDB Develop Global Ltd 3.58 23.4% $ 494,541,252.16
TYM Tymlez Group 0.037 23.3% $ 33,552,951.78
G88 Golden Mile Res Ltd 0.056 21.7% $ 9,406,008.04
WEC White Energy Company 0.145 20.8% $ 112,299,414.26
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In case you missed it this week on Stockhead,

Look, when it comes to winners there’s only one name demanding total attention to close out the year, let alone the week.

CARNABY RESOURCES (ASX:CNB)

In the run up to 2022, Carnaby Resources (ASX:CNB) has dominated attention in the sweetest spot of all – the gold-copper-lithium space.

Nil Desperandum: better than a cure for baldness

In December, CNB hit visible copper at ‘Nil Desperandum,’ part of Mt Isa’s ‘Greater Duchess’ copper-gold project, where Stockhead’s Reuben Adams says  a ‘tremendously large’ Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) system may be skulking, as seen in previous mega hits like BHP’s Olympic Dam mine or its more recent Oak Dam discovery.

READING WHILE BEING SHOUTED AT*

This week CNB got so excited about a major copper discovery it sent out a statement beginning:  “MAJOR COPPER DISCOVERY.”**

The glamour result being 41m at 4.1% copper, including 9m at a champagne-popping 10.3% copper.

December also saw Carnaby fall upon a ‘significant lithium soil anomaly’ at Big Hill, about ~70km from the world class ‘Pilgangoora’ (ASX:PLS) and ‘Wodgina’ (ASX:MIN) mines in WA’s Pilbara.

*Emphasis is mine.
**Emphasis is theirs.

Open wide, stat

First pass drill testing is being planned “as soon as practicable.”

A bunch more drilling assays are in the post and exploration “is being rapidly escalated,” 

The $140m market cap stock is up around 120% for the week and circa 450% for December.

ASX SMALL CAP LOSERS:

Here are the best performing ASX small cap stocks for November 29 – December 03 [intraday]:

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

Code Company Price % 1 week Market Cap $
TOM Tomizone Limited 0.002 -33.3% $ 850,401.35
FGL Frugl Group Limited 0.02 -31.0% $ 3,600,000.00
LVE Love Group Global 0.1 -28.6% $ 4,053,416.90
VR1 Vection Technologies 0.175 -28.6% $ 197,984,615.86
9SP 9 Spokes Int Limited 0.01 -28.6% $ 14,933,372.33
LBY Laybuy Group Holding 0.22 -27.9% $ 55,981,684.22
TEG Triangle Energy Ltd 0.013 -27.8% $ 13,979,016.17
HVM Happy Valley 0.06 -27.7% $ 10,291,385.22
BBL Brisbane Broncos 0.51 -26.1% $ 44,118,283.95
BKY Berkeley Energia Ltd 0.175 -25.5% $ 82,472,392.28
ANL Amani Gold Ltd 0.0015 -25.0% $ 32,813,346.16
PCH Property Connect 0.0015 -25.0% $ 1,028,795.21
VIC Victory Mines Ltd 0.0015 -25.0% $ 13,176,505.54
WOO Wooboard Tech Ltd 0.0015 -25.0% $ 7,644,325.48
TLG Talga Group Ltd 1.415 -23.1% $ 425,062,804.01
FBR FBR Ltd 0.041 -22.6% $ 90,469,947.77
DTC Damstra Holdings 0.4 -22.3% $ 79,525,252.00
PNN PepinNini Minerals 0.45 -21.7% $ 23,096,499.75
BRB Breaker Res NL 0.3 -21.1% $ 94,493,869.41
MI6 Minerals260Limited 0.555 -20.7% $ 121,000,000.00
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Taking a wee tumble as Omicron goes about its business and traders take profits is last week’s strong performing, Finexia Financial Group (ASX:FNX) which,  just three months since launching its accommodation income fund, delivered a maiden distribution to shareholders.

FNX says most its mainly Queensland-based businesses retain a solid pipeline of bookings.

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