Each week our High Voltage column wraps all the news driving ASX battery metals stocks with exposure to lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese and vanadium.

INDUSTRY FOCUS

VW – which has a very ambitious EV production timeline — has denied plans to buy Tesla.

Reuters’ columnist Liam Proud said the idea had logic, but it would only happen if Tesla’s finances weakened.

“It’s easy to see why (VW) would be interested,” Proud said.

“Electric batteries will be the most expensive part of future cars, and UBS analysts reckon Panasonic battery cells produced in Tesla’s gigafactory are 20 per cent cheaper than the next-cheapest option.

“Meanwhile (CEO Elon) Musk’s company makes its own computer chips and can tweak features like a car’s suspension remotely through software updates. (VW boss Herbert) Diess could leapfrog his rivals with technology like that.”

 

BYD and CATL announce big H1 profits

Reading the headlines you might assume that the EV space is crammed full of loss-making companies right now. So its nice to see the Warren Buffet-backed Chinese carmaker BYD post a 204 percent rise in first-half profit to $US205.29m ($303.4m).

BYD sold 145,653 full electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles between January and June, up 95 percent from a year earlier. It also sold 45 per cent fewer (82,419) internal combustion engine (ICE) models.

Chinese battery giant CATL also announced 130.8 percent profit growth to $US296m in the first half of 2019.

The company says that revenue from its lithium-ion battery business surged 135 percent to 16.9 billion yuan ($3.5 billion).

 

SMALL CAP SPOTLIGHT

Another bumpy week for most stocks, but there were some silver linings in the battery metals space.

The nickel price is hot, and so are some of these battery facing exploration plays.

Blackstone Minerals (ASX:BSX) was up 33 per cent after a maiden induced polarisation (IP) survey at the company’s Ta Khoa nickel-cobalt sulphide project in Vietnam opened up a whole new raft of targets.

The Ta Khoa project includes the Ban Phuc nickel mine, a underground mine which operated from 2013 to 2016 but is currently on care and maintenance.

Blackstone’s plan is to build out the nickel-cobalt resource before restarting production to capitalise on the looming EV-driven nickel boom.

 

The first three holes drilled by Pioneer Resources (ASX:PIO) at Dome North near Kalgoorlie have all hit mineralised pegmatite down dip from spodumene outcropping, which continued until the hole was terminated.

The Pioneer Dome sits along an increasingly important ‘lithium corridor’ which includes three lithium mines — Mt Marion, Bald Hill, and Ravensthorpe — as well as the emerging Buldania deposit owned by Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR).

Investors liked the news, sending the stock up 27 per cent for the week.

Even cobalt explorers are (finally) having a win after Glencore recently announced a major mine shutdown in the DRC.

 

NSW-based Cobalt Blue (ASX:COB) was up 16 per cent after expanding its exploration footprint in the Broken Hill district by over 50 per cent.

“The southern Curnamona Province is considered prospective for a number of cobalt bearing mineralisation styles,” chief executive Joe Kaderavek says.

“While Broken Hill has a long-dated history, we believe cobalt exploration across the region is in its infancy and are excited by the potential for resource growth.”

 

Other notable winners included Indiana Resources (ASX:IDA), Sayona Mining (ASX:SYA), Scandivanadium (ASX:SVD), Dark Horse Resources (ASX:DHR), Jervois Mining (ASX:JRV), Mali Lithium (ASX:MLL), Hawkstone Mining (ASX:HWK), and Infinity Lithium (ASX:INF).

Here’s a table of ASX battery metal stocks with exposure to lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese and vanadium>>>

Scroll or swipe to reveal table. Click headings to sort. Best viewed on a laptop:

Ticker Name Price [Monday intraday] Market Cap 1 Year Total Return % 1 Week Total Return %
CAZ CAZALY RESOURCES 0.048 $ 15,809,663.00 39 100
BSX BLACKSTONE MINERALS 0.14 $ 22,533,668.00 12 33
MEI METEORIC RESOURCES 0.05 $ 47,878,660.00 81 32
SEI SPECIALITY METALS INTERNATIONAL 0.038 $ 36,360,996.00 83 32
PIO PIONEER RESOURCES 0.018 $ 28,666,416.00 12 27
CHK COHIBA MINERALS 0.015 $ 9,969,214.00 114 25
SI6 SIX SIGMA METALS 0.005 $ 3,225,015.75 -38 25
MLS METALS AUSTRALIA 0.0025 $ 7,317,994.50 -38 25
CZN CORAZON MINING 0.0025 $ 4,076,721.50 -69 25
MTH MITHRIL RESOURCES 0.006 $ 2,534,335.25 -54 20
ARE ARGONAUT RESOURCES 0.006 $ 9,326,284.00 -77 20
TAR TARUGA MINERALS 0.025 $ 3,952,682.75 -80 17
COB COBALT BLUE 0.145 $ 21,735,866.00 -72 16
IDA INDIANA RESOURCES 0.024 $ 3,552,352.75 -52 14
CUL CULLEN RESOURCES 0.017 $ 2,880,902.00 -45 13
SYA SAYONA MINING 0.008 $ 16,648,177.00 -75 13
SVD SCANDIVANADIUM 0.01 $ 3,518,661.00 -61 11
DHR DARK HORSE RESOURCES 0.004 $ 10,460,545.00 -55 11
JRV JERVOIS MINING 0.225 $ 142,248,048.00 -38 10
MLL MALI LITHIUM 0.115 $ 30,418,664.00 -63 10
BAR BARRA RESOURCES 0.023 $ 12,394,487.00 -39 10
HWK HAWKSTONE MINING 0.014 $ 9,664,452.00 -52 8
PM1 PURE MINERALS 0.017 $ 7,388,180.00 31 6
INF INFINITY LITHIUM 0.075 $ 14,942,434.00 18 6
GPX GRAPHEX MINING 0.2 $ 20,129,042.00 -7 5
OMH OM HOLDINGS 0.65 $ 480,105,184.00 -50 5
NVA NOVA MINERALS 0.055 $ 50,849,380.00 129 4
N27 NORTHERN COBALT 0.028 $ 1,848,274.63 -77 4
LKE LAKE RESOURCES 0.06 $ 28,694,278.00 -35 3
GLN GALAN LITHIUM 0.16 $ 21,582,374.00 -41 3
GXY GALAXY RESOURCES 1.135 $ 493,257,504.00 -56 3
E25 ELEMENT 25 0.195 $ 17,921,918.00 0 3
SO4 SALT LAKE POTASH 0.77 $ 200,949,776.00 67 3
TNG TNG 0.089 $ 100,084,520.00 -25 2
FGR FIRST GRAPHENE 0.24 $ 113,930,528.00 45 2
ZNC ZENITH MINERALS 0.076 $ 16,196,717.00 -57 1
AGY ARGOSY MINERALS 0.092 $ 93,334,200.00 -62 0
AYR ALLOY RESOURCES 0.003 $ 3,386,555.25 -60 0
KDR KIDMAN RESOURCES 1.885 $ 765,067,072.00 69 0
NXE NEW ENERGY MINERALS 0.024 $ 3,669,490.50 -78 0
RNU RENASCOR RESOURCES 0.016 $ 18,454,790.00 -11 0
WKT WALKABOUT RESOURCES 0.24 $ 77,628,944.00 69 0
TON TRITON MINERALS 0.045 $ 40,794,080.00 -10 0
CXO CORE LITHIUM 0.039 $ 32,319,548.00 -13 0
RIE RIEDEL RESOURCES 0.012 $ 5,016,836.50 -60 0
PGM PLATINA RESOURCES 0.043 $ 11,357,428.00 -61 0
SUH SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE MINING 0.025 $ 2,211,736.75 -59 0
BDI BLINA MINERALS 0.001 $ 4,593,882.50 0 0
LRS LATIN RESOURCES 0.001 $ 3,892,466.50 -80 0
BKT BLACK ROCK MINING 0.068 $ 44,201,112.00 103 0
CLQ CLEAN TEQ 0.355 $ 276,190,272.00 -36 0
JMS JUPITER MINES 0.39 $ 764,006,528.00 39 0
DTM DART MINING 0.005 $ 5,086,880.50 -29 0
HXG HEXAGON RESOURCES 0.09 $ 26,260,506.00 -33 0
CZR COZIRON RESOURCES 0.009 $ 18,747,462.00 -36 0
VML VITAL METALS 0.01 $ 17,426,112.00 25 0
WCN WHITE CLIFF MINERALS 0.005 $ 2,351,749.50 -84 0
DEV DEVEX RESOURCES 0.075 $ 9,978,793.00 4 0
EMH EUROPEAN METALS 0.335 $ 44,725,880.00 -12 0
AUZ AUSTRALIAN MINES 0.023 $ 79,229,080.00 -69 0
HIP HIPO RESOURCES 0.008 $ 3,092,083.75 -58 0
ANW AUS TIN MINING 0.006 $ 15,509,807.00 -53 0
SYR SYRAH RESOURCES 0.6475 $ 289,362,080.00 -72 0
MRR MINREX RESOURCES 0.01 $ 958,777.25 -72 0
PUR PURSUIT MINERALS 0.009 $ 2,130,451.50 -88 0
CFE CAPE LAMBERT RESOURCES 0.006 $ 6,180,059.00 -76 0
ADV ARDIDEN 0.003 $ 5,071,560.50 -70 0
HGM HIGH GRADE METALS 0.008 $ 3,623,503.00 -73 0
CGM COUGAR METALS 0.001 $ 1,176,583.25 -75 0
KOR KORAB RESOURCES 0.022 $ 7,929,987.00 -4 0
HAV HAVILAH RESOURCES 0.14 $ 30,554,868.00 -26 0
HRZ HORIZON MINERALS 0.145 $ 62,056,404.00 -15 0
RMX RED MOUNTAIN MINING 0.0045 $ 3,890,184.00 -29 0
MLM METALLICA MINERALS 0.015 $ 4,860,711.00 -57 0
GBE GLOBE METALS AND MINING 0.016 $ 7,454,758.00 33 0
ARL ARDEA RESOURCES 0.49 $ 54,224,308.00 -37 0
TMT TECHNOLOGY METALS AUSTRALIA 0.185 $ 16,197,521.00 -72 0
MTC METALSTECH 0.02 $ 2,339,077.75 -79 0
BYH BRYAH RESOURCES 0.072 $ 4,592,916.50 -35 0
TKL TRAKA RESOURCES 0.01 $ 3,704,629.50 -64 0
ASN ANSON RESOURCES 0.035 $ 19,248,662.00 -67 0
MZN MARINDI METALS 0.001 $ 3,351,201.00 -87 0
RLC REEDY LAGOON 0.005 $ 2,011,358.50 -58 0
KTA KRAKATOA RESOURCES 0.022 $ 2,970,000.00 -19 0
MIN MINERAL RESOURCES 13.065 $ 2,526,163,712.00 -10 -1
BUX BUXTON RESOURCES 0.098 $ 13,469,488.00 -34 -1
SRK STRIKE RESOURCES 0.052 $ 8,690,982.00 -2 -2
AVZ AVZ MINERALS 0.049 $ 117,511,568.00 -49 -2
LI3 LITHIUM CONSOLIDATED 0.051 $ 4,834,009.00 -59 -2
VMC VENUS METALS 0.23 $ 26,230,898.00 64 -2
CHN CHALICE GOLD MINES 0.18 $ 47,961,924.00 61 -3
INR IONEER 0.155 $ 228,622,448.00 -56 -3
LCD LATITUDE CONSOLIDATED 0.0155 $ 4,265,274.50 -47 -3
GED GOLDEN DEEPS 0.026 $ 5,547,900.50 -4 -4
LIT LITHIUM AUSTRALIA 0.049 $ 26,179,320.00 -49 -4
DGR DGR GLOBAL 0.089 $ 54,573,188.00 2 -4
LTR LIONTOWN RESOURCES 0.098 $ 176,144,704.00 241 -5
TLG TALGA RESOURCES 0.41 $ 91,084,144.00 -23 -5
SVM SOVEREIGN METALS 0.096 $ 35,927,368.00 45 -5
LPI LITHIUM POWER INTERNATIONAL 0.4 $ 105,005,560.00 33 -5
MQR MARQUEE RESOURCES 0.095 $ 5,085,834.50 -58 -5
ORE OROCOBRE 2.19 $ 614,943,488.00 -42 -5
CLA CELSIUS RESOURCES 0.018 $ 13,629,925.00 -84 -5
KSN KINGSTON RESOURCES 0.018 $ 31,786,570.00 -17 -5
KAI KAIROS MINERALS 0.017 $ 14,488,638.00 -48 -6
NMT NEOMETALS 0.175 $ 92,554,496.00 -38 -6
MNS MAGNIS ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES 0.16 $ 100,837,440.00 -54 -6
FEL FE 0.014 $ 6,930,524.50 -35 -6
BPL BROKEN HILL PROSPECTING 0.027 $ 4,288,618.50 -59 -6
GME GME RESOURCES 0.056 $ 28,349,604.00 -41 -7
VRC VOLT RESOURCES 0.012 $ 22,475,702.00 -26 -7
POS POSEIDON NICKEL 0.04 $ 105,708,072.00 -15 -7
CRL COMET RESOURCES 0.026 $ 7,215,000.00 -30 -7
AJM ALTURA MINING 0.09 $ 209,291,632.00 -65 -7
EUC EUROPEAN COBALT 0.023 $ 19,042,434.00 -47 -7
PLL PIEDMONT LITHIUM 0.125 $ 101,922,544.00 -19 -7
THR THOR MINING 0.012 $ 9,859,762.00 -63 -8
NZC NZURI COPPER 0.295 $ 85,812,592.00 41 -8
AXE ARCHER EXPLORATION 0.115 $ 21,680,096.00 39 -8
WML WOOMERA MINING 0.023 $ 2,945,372.00 -73 -8
LPD LEPIDICO 0.022 $ 96,770,704.00 -11 -8
BOA BOADICEA RESOURCES 0.16 $ 8,455,228.00 45 -9
KNL KIBARAN RESOURCES 0.105 $ 30,725,202.00 -30 -9
CNJ CONICO 0.009 $ 3,843,982.25 -62 -9
BEM BLACKEARTH MINERALS 0.064 $ 5,480,925.00 -54 -10
VR8 VANADIUM RESOURCES 0.063 $ 22,184,028.00 -62 -10
4CE FORCE COMMODITIES 0.018 $ 8,930,786.00 -33 -10
AEE AURA ENERGY 0.009 $ 11,223,708.00 -59 -10
IEC INTRA ENERGY 0.009 $ 3,489,516.25 -25 -10
BSM BASS METALS 0.009 $ 25,288,872.00 -64 -10
HNR HANNANS 0.009 $ 17,891,590.00 -47 -10
PAN PANORAMIC RESOURCES 0.325 $ 179,914,304.00 -33 -11
MZZ MATADOR MINING 0.265 $ 26,130,104.00 -21 -12
JRL JINDALEE RESOURCES 0.3 $ 11,548,276.00 2 -12
AML AEON METALS 0.135 $ 97,740,112.00 -55 -12
MCT METALICITY 0.007 $ 4,370,957.50 -50 -13
PLS PILBARA MINERALS 0.35 $ 713,008,896.00 -53 -13
AMD ARROW MINERALS 0.012 $ 6,430,087.50 -43 -14
POW PROTEAN ENERGY 0.007 $ 1,868,623.50 -81 -14
SRN SUREFIRE RESOURCES 0.006 $ 3,018,921.75 -45 -14
NWC NEW WORLD COBALT 0.023 $ 16,986,726.00 -55 -15
PSC PROSPECT RESOURCES 0.145 $ 30,673,728.00 -50 -16
SBR SABRE RESOURCES 0.005 $ 2,376,918.25 -64 -17
LML LINCOLN MINERALS 0.005 $ 2,874,918.50 -75 -17
BAT BATTERY MINERALS 0.009 $ 11,862,824.00 -69 -18
PNN PEPINNINI LITHIUM 0.003 $ 2,476,023.50 -81 -20
AVL AUSTRALIAN VANADIUM 0.012 $ 21,712,282.00 -80 -21
AZI ALTA ZINC 0.002 $ 3,643,268.50 -69 -33
PSM PENINSULA MINES 0.002 $ 2,025,744.13 -75 -33
MTB MOUNT BURGESS MINING 0.002 $ 1,040,258.81 -71 -33
GPP GREENPOWER ENERGY 0.001 $ 2,002,245.25 -75 -50
Wordpress Table Plugin
At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While Blackstone Minerals is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this article.