In August, there were plenty of good stories for investors to sink their teeth into, with 51 ASX-listed small cap stocks posting gains of 100 per cent or more.

Driven by juggernauts like Tesla and Apple, Wall Street enjoyed an extraordinary run — hitting several new highs and completely erasing its COVID-19 losses in the process.

In Australia, the benchmark ASX 200 Index gained a relatively subdued 2.2 per cent over the month. Yet the picture at the small end of the market was quite different.

The ASX Small Ords Index was up 7.5 per cent, while the Emerging Companies Index – which tracks microcap ASX stocks – did even better, rocketing 15.6 per cent.

Like July, our top 50 ASX small caps for August were a mixed bag.

Of course, gold, which easily pushed through the $US2,000/oz mark early in the month, was well represented.

But there were also a bunch of iron ore explorers, plant protein players, fintechs, and even a company spruiking a “disinfecting smart light”.

HERE’S THE TOP 50 SMALL CAPS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST >>>

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Ticker Name Price 31 August % Return Market Cap
FE8 FASTER ENTERPRISES 0.049 600 $ 5,433,385.00
SHK STONE RESOURCES AUSTRALIA 0.027 575 $ 22,573,450.00
HYD HYDRIX 0.410 426 $ 45,648,424.00
MTB MOUNT BURGESS MINING 0.010 400 $ 5,674,627.00
MGT MAGNETITE MINES 0.014 367 $ 31,654,578.00
IAM INTIGER GROUP 0.004 300 $ 7,744,547.50
CRO CIRRALTO 0.043 291 $ 67,483,920.00
ENX ENEGEX 0.065 281 $ 5,326,486.00
IHR INTELLIHR 0.260 271 $ 60,478,968.00
PKO PEAKO 0.037 270 $ 4,770,468.50
SUV SUVO STRATEGIC MINERALS 0.073 265 $ 38,362,080.00
BUD BUDDY TECHNOLOGIES 0.094 248 $ 244,506,640.00
HT8 HARRIS TECHNOLOGY GROUP 0.160 248 $ 37,919,276.00
FIJ FIJI KAVA 0.225 221 $ 23,110,524.00
ICN ICON ENERGY 0.025 212 $ 14,940,173.00
GWR GWR GROUP 0.240 200 $ 61,127,092.00
GLA GLADIATOR RESOURCES 0.003 200 $ 6,983,502.50
OAR OAKDALE RESOURCES 0.009 200 $ 13,439,704.00
ID8 IDENTITII 0.255 187 $ 27,804,588.00
WBT WEEBIT NANO 0.780 179 $ 81,986,208.00
RXH REWARDLE HOLDINGS 0.008 167 $ 4,210,572.00
WOA WIDE OPEN AGRICULTURE 1.170 166 $ 107,284,224.00
IXU IXUP 0.047 161 $ 20,946,974.00
MNB MINBOS RESOURCES 0.002 150 $ 14,136,403.00
CE1 CALIMA ENERGY 0.010 150 $ 21,674,742.00
ROO ROOTS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE 0.048 146 $ 16,214,843.00
SRK STRIKE RESOURCES 0.150 146 $ 31,070,140.00
PFT PURE FOODS TASMANIA 0.620 143 $ 30,392,652.00
ACS ACCENT RESOURCES 0.012 140 $ 2,172,002.75
ESH ESPORTS MOGUL 0.014 133 $ 28,602,928.00
ESR ESTRELLA RESOURCES 0.018 125 $ 10,973,660.00
8CO 8COMMON 0.160 122 $ 29,266,738.00
ENE ENEVIS 0.110 120 $ 10,990,837.00
MJC MEJORITY CAPITAL 0.067 116 $ 9,396,963.00
AQI ALICANTO MINERALS 0.170 113 $ 47,729,816.00
MNW MINT PAYMENTS 0.023 109 $ 26,081,340.00
FUN FUNTASTIC 0.046 109 $ 11,058,587.00
POS POSEIDON NICKEL 0.060 107 $ 158,562,112.00
ANA ANSILA ENERGY 0.035 106 $ 17,807,024.00
FEX FENIX RESOURCES 0.150 105 $ 53,581,060.00
CAQ CAQ HOLDINGS 0.016 100 $ 11,484,580.00
CAD CAENEUS MINERALS 0.010 100 $ 36,748,460.00
IVT INVENTIS 0.006 100 $ 5,621,195.00
ANL AMANI GOLD 0.002 100 $ 15,676,393.00
CFE CAPE LAMBERT RESOURCES 0.004 100 $ 7,226,815.50
MTH MITHRIL RESOURCES 0.048 100 $ 100,179,608.00
SI6 SIX SIGMA METALS 0.014 100 $ 14,711,439.00
EER EAST ENERGY RESOURCES 0.004 100 $ 12,803,948.00
AL3 AML3D 0.480 100 $ 63,535,760.00
EXR ELIXIR ENERGY 0.160 100 $ 110,654,528.00
BNO BIONOMICS 0.140 100 $ 87,725,416.00
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Pumping Iron

Iron ore prices haven’t missed a beat, continuing to trade above $US100 ($140) a tonne.

Late in the month spot prices were at their highest for seven years, with pure iron ore stock Fortescue Metals Group (ASX:FMG) hitting an all-time high of $19.45 a share.

This makes the next crop of aspiring producers look pretty attractive.

Studies show that selective mining of Magnetite Mines’ (ASX:MGT) 4-billion-tonne Razorback iron ore mine in South Australia could significantly boost the economics of the advanced project.

In WA, GWR (ASX:GWR) has secured mining approvals for its Wiluna West direct shipping ore (DSO) iron ore project, while Strike Resources (ASX:SRK) hit a key milestone with the execution of the Native Title agreement for its low cost Paulsens East development.

Meanwhile, Fenix Resources (ASX:FEX) completed a $15.5m cap raise and got the greenlight to mine its high-grade DSO project called Iron Ridge, also in WA.

These four stocks were up 367 per cent, 200 per cent, 146 per cent, and 105 per cent respectively over the month.

 

Mystery Meat

Plant-based meat represents a $US12.1bn industry. This will only continue to ‘grow’, says regenerative food and agriculture company Wide Open Agriculture (ASX:WOA).

The company is currently working on a lupin plant based protein project with Curtin University in WA and the CSIRO.

Roots (ASX:ROO), meanwhile, has established a plant-based meat department to pursue any opportunities presented in the “lucrative” market.

These stocks surged 166 per cent and 146 per cent respectively over the month.

 

… And the Rest

Buddy Technologies’ (ASX:BUD) LIFX brand announced the world’s first “disinfecting anti-bacterial smart light”, which it expects will be released to market in Q4.

New WA strategic minerals explorer Suvo (ASX:SUV) had a great first month on the ASX, up 265 per cent.

And Fiji Kava (ASX:FIJ) – which suffered a painful introduction to listed life in December 2018 – has won back the hearts of investors after inking a deal with vitamin giant Blackmores.