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West Australian
6 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Runners: I Synergy, ActiveEX, Vanadium Resources & Broken Hill Mines
Global trade tensions weighed heavily on the ASX this week, dragging the index down as the overbought banking sector cooled and the Commonwealth Bank relinquished its title as the world's priciest bank. United States President Donald Trump's threats to impose 30 per cent tariffs on imports again rattled markets, as an August 1 deadline loomed for negotiations that might allow some countries to avoid the levies. Stalled China-European Union trade talks addressing China's overproduction and trade imbalances added to the complex market equation. The consensus is that if global tariffs settle at 15 per cent, it's a pain we can live with. It was a different story for Aussie miners. Buoyed by China's steel supply reforms and proposed mega dams in Tibet, iron ore prices rose to a five-month high of $105 a tonne. Meanwhile, Dr Copper is well and truly back, with the red metal hitting all-time high prices this week of US$12,500 (A$19,000) per tonne. It was a bad week for green diversification, as BP joined a growing list of majors, including Origin Energy, Woodside and Fortescue, in scrapping green hydrogen projects in the Pilbara. With a project pegged at about $54 billion, BP cited a strategic shift back to its core oil and gas business, as fossil fuel demand forecasts continue to see longer tail time horizons for traditional fuels well beyond 2050. This week's Bulls N' Bears Runners reflect the market's mixed mood, with materials soaring and financials stumbling. A plucky AI minnow stole the show when it delivered a 10-bagger in under a week, leaving the ASX stunned. I SYNERGY LIMITED (ASX: IS3) Up 1200% (0.2c – 2.6c) Bulls N' Bears' Runner of the Week is AI-driven digital solutions company I Synergy Limited, which kicked off the week in a big way, with its share price shooting up 700 per cent by Tuesday - curiously on no news to the market. The surge earned management an accompanying 'please explain' from the ASX's autocrats. Intriguingly, the company was unable to quickly extinguish the 'please explain', instead pulling together an announcement about a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Treasure Global Inc. I Synergy said it was negotiating the sale and purchase of advanced AI-based graphics processing units from Treasure and potential joint initiatives to design, develop and deploy AI cloud infrastructure into Malaysia's booming digital economy. Treasure Global, a big NASDAQ-listed tech firm with expertise in e-commerce and AI solutions, makes a prime strategic partner to amplify I Synergy's ambitions in a region craving tech innovation. I Synergy insists they haven't yet reached an agreement, which the company believes could be worth about $600,000 over 12 months via multiple purchase orders. The news caused even more of a stir on Thursday as the stock flew up to a high of 2.6c per share, equating to a 1200 per cent gain on the week on more than one million in stock traded for the day. With AI infrastructure in high demand, this tiny digital dynamo could transform into a regional powerhouse, leaving its penny-stock roots in the dust. ACTIVE EX LIMITED (ASX: AIV) Up 357% (0.7c – 3.2c) Stealing silver on the Runners' list this week was dormant junior goldie ActiveEX Limited, which saw its share price shoot like a lightning bolt on Monday after the company unveiled a maiden mineral resource estimate at its historic Mt Hogan gold mine in northeast Queensland. The little-known Mt Hogan sits within the company's broader Gilverton gold project, which delivered a solid maiden resource of 8.5 million tonnes grading 1.13 grams per tonne (g/t) gold for a respectable 310,000 ounces. Gilverton has a very hot gold address. The world-class 3.5-million-ounce Kidston gold mine, just 50 kilometres northeast, is in the same geological terrain. Kidston churned out more than 1.5 million ounces of gold up to 1990. ActiveEX says its gold riches span an 8km mineralised trend along Mt Hogan granite, with historic drilling confirming it has shallow, high-grade potential. The company's stock opened slowly on Monday at just 1.2c a share, before cracking an intraday high of 3.2c, up some 357 per cent from last week's close of just 0.7c on $330,000 of stock traded. Before the day's share price increase, ActiveEX had a market cap of $1.5 million or about $4.8 per ounce equivalent, which makes for tough sledding in a $5000-an-ounce gold price environment. With two other historic gold centres, Josephine and Comstock, in its portfolio, this long-dormant junior looks ready to unearth a golden bonanza in Queensland's fast-ascending gold-rich terrain. VANADIUM RESOURCES LTD (ASX: VR8) Up 149% (2.05c – 5.1c) Taking out Bulls N' Bears bronze this week is regular Runners' list contender and minerals developer Vanadium Resources. The company shot out of a cannon on Tuesday, after locking in its binding offtake agreement to supply 100,000 tonnes per month of vanadium-rich magnetite direct shipping ore to metals trader China Precious Asia. Vanadium says it will supply 2.4 million tonnes of vanadium-rich magnetite to the heavyweight global metals trader from its world-class Steelpoortdrift vanadium project in South Africa, as soon as December this year. The company says its milestone offtake deal will allow it to establish early cash flows at the fully permitted Steelpoortdrift, a behemoth resource with 680Mt of ore at 0.70 per cent vanadium oxide, which is equivalent to 4.74Mt contained vanadium. Vanadium says China Precious Asia will load and collect the direct shipping ore. The agreement is subject to Vanadium appointing a suitable mining contractor and ensuring the DSO product meets agreed specifications. Management believes material positive operating cash flows can fast-track its development. Steelpoortdrift's vanadium-rich ore also brims with iron-rich magnetite, making it a dual-threat commodity for China's fast-returning steel market. The news sent Vanadium's share price soaring to a new high of 5.1c per share, up from a low of 2.05c at the end of last week, on more than 55 million pieces of paper traded on Tuesday alone. The company has since swiftly completed a $1.2 million capital raise as it seeks out profit-sharing deals and acquisitions to bolster its near-term game plan without derailing the direct shipping ore opportunity. Near-term cash would preserve Vanadium's flexibility to pursue full-scale development at the monster deposit as the iron-ore price begins to improve. Steelpoortdrift's high-grade, low-cost direct shipping option has reinvigorated the company as the former resources minnow vaults into the vanadium big league, potentially self-funding its own mine development. BROKEN HI LL MINES LTD (ASX: BHM) Up 145% (21c – 51.5c) Scooping up the final Runners' spot is a reborn Broken Hill Mining Limited, which re-listed on the ASX on Monday morning after raising $20 million to push forward two operating mines in one of Australia's most storied mining centres. The company unites two Broken Hill mines: Rasp and Pinnacles, which have a rich history dating back to 1883, when prospector Charles Rasp pegged the first block on what became the Broken Hill township. Initially mistaken for tin, his discovery revealed a rich silver vein, birthing BHP - now the world's richest mining company. Centuries later BHP has swapped its New South Wales' roots for Pilbara iron ore and Chilean copper. The original Rasp lode, however, continues to produce and Broken Hill Mines is cashing in on its enduring potential. Rasp hosts an impressive 10.1Mt resource grading 9.4 per cent zinc equivalent – comprising 5.7 per cent zinc, 3.2 per cent lead and 49g/t silver. It produced 25,000 tonnes annulally of zinc equivalent and $20 million in cash flow last year at just 40 per cent plant capacity. The company says its $20 million capital raising will help improve that 40 per cent, as an empty mill means lower efficiency and lower production. Pinnacles, on the other hand, is a high-grade, under-developed gem with a 6Mt resource grading 10.9 per cent zinc equivalent and stellar drill hits such as 8.9 metres at 36.3 per cent zinc equivalent from 11m. Broken Hill Mines says a 4000m drilling program at Pinnacles is underway, with assays pending from 3000m already drilled, aimed at expanding the resource ahead of eventual production. Silver's resurgence and the rebirth of one of Australia's great mining towns fuelled the market's excitement, sending the company's share price rocketing 145 per cent to 51.5c a share from last week's close of 21c. Between Rasp's operation and Pinnacles' shallow high-grade potential, the company looks poised to springboard its silver-lined jackpot back to some of its former glory. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
West Australian
27-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
ASX Runners of the Week: Ovanti, Olympio, Codeifai and Sunrise
A whole week without mentioning President Trump in our Runners column was never going to sit well with the leader of the free world, as he made his presence known in a week of turmoil to close out the financial year. Starting with a literal bang, 'the Don' began a war with Iran on Sunday morning, while simultaneously declaring that it was time for peace. The interesting tactic seemed to work by Tuesday, with a peace deal brokered between Iran, Israel and the United States. Peace didn't last very long, and neither did Trump's patience, with Israel and Iran back at it again and Donald seemingly losing his mind on social media. The global unrest resulted in markets remaining near all-time-highs - go figure - though 'peace' saw the oil price dive by nearly 15 per cent, with energy claiming the biggest losses on the index this week. Markets were up overall as consumers breathed a sigh of relief. Australia's inflation rate continues to cool, falling to 2.1 per cent over the year to May and reaching an underlying 2.4 per cent. US data was also predictably soft, signalling the lowest inflation rates we've experienced since the 2021 COVID lockdowns. With soft data, the chances of interest rate cuts in July are almost inevitable, causing the market to ramp up to finish the week, despite looming tariff deadlines awaiting Australian exporters in the new financial year. This week's Bulls N' Bears Runners list was an eclectic group of resources and technology hopefuls, with the top spot going to a fintech firecracker making the ultimate gear change and adding a seasoned buy now, pay later (BNPL) veteran to head up its US divisions. OVANTI LIMITED (ASX: OVT) Up 500% (0.2c – 1.2c) This week's Bulls N' Bears Runner of the Week is BNPL fintech Ovanti Limited, which shot out of a cannon on Wednesday by unveiling its new US leader - fintech heavyweight and former Zip Co maestro Peter Maher. The company says the incoming chief executive officer of its US BNPL division is set to spearhead its payments and embedded finance push into the States, as he did with multi-billion ASX blue-chipper Zip Co. With a resume also boasting senior roles at Capital One and HTLF Bank, Maher is no stranger to forging lucrative partnerships and navigating the regulatory jungle to seek a BNPL prize out of US consumerism. He will look to build on his predecessor at Ovanti and previous ZIP colleague Simon Keast's effort to turbocharge the company's US market expansion with an innovative BNPL product that 'empowers consumers with real-time affordability insights'. Maher was in charge when Zip skyrocketed to a $6.2 billion valuation in February 2021 after orchestrating a triumphant US invasion. As the company's senior director of high growth, he worked shoulder-to-shoulder with co-founder Larry Diamond to coordinate the company's masterstroke acquisition of QuadPay in 2020 to enter the US. Merchant deals with giants such as Webjet, Peloton and Amazon soon followed, fuelling Zip's US transaction volume to $2.8 billion in the 2021 financial year. Riding the wave of COVID stimulus and zero-rate money, Maher helped transform Zip from a local player into a transcontinental titan, setting the stage for Ovanti's push into the $122.3 billion US BNPL market. The market loved the news, just as it had done with Keast's appointment in October last year. Ovanti's share price shot to 0.8 cents on Wednesday, before the news spread far and wide on Thursday, when it peaked at 1.2c per share. This was a whopping 500 per cent rise on last week's close on nearly $10 million in stock traded. With Maher at the helm and Ovanti's sights set on cracking the US BNPL jackpot, this plucky fintech's shares might keep zipping along – that's if Maher's vision for AI-driven, consumer-centric payments can couple with his previous proven playbook of expansion at Zip. Up 255% (3.8c – 13.5c) Bulls N' Bears' second-place Runner of the Week is gold prospector Olympio Metals, which ignited a frenzy on Tuesday when it uncovered visible gold in quartz veining in the company's first drill hole at its recently acquired Bousquet gold project in Quebec, Canada. The gold specks came within a band of smoky quartz hosting five to seven per cent sulphide mineralisation across a 9-metre zone from 183m downhole at its Paquin prospect. The company says its drill hole also revealed additional quartz veining, sulphides and alteration stretching down to 286m, with the step-out hole pushing mineralisation west of prior high-grade intercepts, such as a stunning 9m at 16.96 grams per tonne (g/t). Olympio says three more holes are due to test Paquin's western reach and it expects assays for the current hole by mid-July. Bousquet sits astride the Cadillac Break, a legendary regional structure teeming with world-class gold deposits, with more than 110 million ounces to its name. Fortunately for Olympio, its Paquin, Amedee, Decoeur and Johannes prospects are all perched on this fabled fault, suggesting the first hole is not a fluke. It took a moment for the market to digest the upside of this Canadian explorer in a humming gold environment. The company's share price surged on just $150,000 worth of stock traded on Tuesday before things got humming on Wednesday as it hit a 13.5c high. This was up 255 per cent on last week's close. Bousquet commands a 10-kilometre stretch of the Cadillac Break just 15km west of the Bousquet Mining Camp, where heavyweights such as Agnico Eagle's 15-million-ounce La Ronde and Iamgold's 2.4-million-ounce Westwood reside. The company says its Paquin mineralisation echoes the nearby O'Brien project, which has one million ounces of gold and just 15km east. Paquin's visible gold in smoky quartz veins may be a telltale sign of high-grade riches. The company is also touting its infrastructure advantages in difficult-to-navigate Canadian terrain. Olympio's Dufay gold-copper project, 60km west, adds another 10km of Cadillac Break exposure, with drilling imminent on a high-potential porphyry gold-copper target, giving the company a commanding 20km stake in this golden corridor. If its maiden holes continue to turn up the goods, Olympio could unearth a game-changing discovery in a world-class region, that would have its current valuation of $10 million looking like an absolute steal. CODEIFAI LTD (ASX: CDE) Up 75% (4c – 7c) Bulls N' Bears Runner of the Week's bronze medal was nabbed by brand solutions technology group Codeifai Limited, which had no news to the market this week. The company's share price went on an absolute tear of unusual trading activity before the party was cut short by a trading halt on Friday pending the announcement of a potential acquisition. a level of knowledge around the apparent acquisition seems to have pushed the company's share price since early June. Codeifai released a corporate update after a few days of suspicious trading on June 6 that outlined the two companies in hot pursuit. Trust Codes Global is a New Zealand QR code powerhouse with a serialised platform rivalling Codeifai's ConnectQR, while Credissential Inc's QuantumAI Transfer is a Canadian quantum-secure payment and file transfer platform that could supercharge Codeifai's software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings with BNPL features. Codeifai recently pivoted to become a brand solutions specialist that develops and sells digital solutions using QR code technology through its SaaS offerings ConnectQR and ProtectCode. The company says its ConnectQR with AI-generated QR codes produce revenue 24/7 and seamlessly integrate with its own cloud-based platform. It has already generated millions of codes, and has apparently caught the eyes of global competitors. Since being hit with a speeding ticket from the ASX constabulary earlier this month, the company has surged 1000 per cent before finally putting an end to one of the worst-kept secret in market history. SUNRISE ENERGY METALS LTD (ASX: SRL) Up 65% (73c – 120.5c) This week's final Runners spot goes to critical minerals developer Sunrise Energy Metals, which sparked a market wildfire this week, surging on Tuesday, following a capital raise to an insider mining magnate last week. Then on Friday, it announced it had run into some high-grade scandium results at its Syerston scandium project in New South Wales. The inferno was ignited with Monday's news of a $6 million placement at 30c a share, with a 1-for-1 option at 40c, backed by mining titan and co-chairman Robert Friedland's Ivanhoe Capital Holdings. Ivanhoe committed $3 million to the raise with two further cornerstone investors, alongside a $1.5 million share purchase plan (SPP) with no doubt strong uptake. Some punters may have been kicking themselves for missing the early bird special, given shares hit $1.20 intraday by Friday, up an astonishing 300 per cent above the prescribed SPP price. The funds are set to supercharge an updated feasibility study and exploration at Syerston, where Friday's assays from 1997 drill pulps unveiled substantial intersections, including 6m running 553 parts per million (ppm) and 18m at 528ppm scandium in shallow laterite soils just begging for cost-efficient mining. The grades were well above the project's 390ppm scandium average within 60.3 million tonnes for 23,554t contained scandium. The company says its results confirm Syerston as a global scandium heavyweight. It has a 5000m drilling campaign targeting high-grade zones around a dunite intrusion and a feasibility study update due in the next quarter. Sunrise says it is perfectly positioned to supply a critical minerals market begging for new feed sources, following China's scandium export curbs on what amounts to about 90 per cent of global supply. With 99.999 per cent scandium oxide fetching $500,000 per kilogram - that's $500 million per tonne - and demand soaring for aerospace alloys and 5G semiconductors, this critical mineral isn't going to go away. If mid-July assays and offtake talks with alloy and chip makers pan out, Sunrise could be soon on its way to forging Australia's first standalone scandium mine. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
The Age
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
ASX Runners of the Week: XPON, Locksley, DY6 Metals & Arizona
We shouldn't have been surprised to see a modicum of profit-taking this week after last week's efforts, which saw the United States broad-ranging S&P 500 stock market index go up for nine days in a row to post its longest daily winning streak in 20 years, coupled with the ASX 200 index ending a 12-day winning streak. US economic data added a fresh twist to market jitters for the week, with first-quarter GDP dipping by 0.3 per cent - a headline drop that at first glance looked like a red flag. Scratch beneath the surface and a different story emerges. This wasn't about an economy slowing down - it was about businesses going into overdrive, racing to import a flood of goods before new US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs kick in. The result was a 50.9 per cent surge in imports that technically dragged GDP lower, thanks to how the number-crunchers calculate growth. Amazingly, for all the hand wringing and wailing that came off the back of Trump's 'liberation day' blockbuster tariff announcement at the start of last month, the key Australian index closed out the week at 8231. This was 285 points or 3.4 per cent higher than its close prior to the fateful announcement and the S&P is, by and large, unchanged. With a rollercoaster week came yet more glory for gold, which hit a high price of $3438 an ounce on Wednesday on the back of a resumption of hostilities between Pakistan and India - two nuclear powers with age-old claims on the disputed state of Kashmir. XPON TECHNOLOGIES GROUP LTD (ASX: XPN) up 400% (0.6c – 3.0c) This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Week is artificial intelligence and technology solutions provider XPON Technologies Group, which saw its share price rocket on Monday after it announced a binding agreement to snap up leading Australian digital marketing outfit Alpha Digital Design Consultants. XPON's acquisition of Alpha Digital, a long-term channel partner with a crack team of 25 digital marketing specialists, is a savvy attempt to supercharge its revenue growth. The deal is set to bring in an additional $4.6 million in revenue and a $0.7M EBITDA based on last year's financials - plus a cool $1M cash in the bank.
Sydney Morning Herald
09-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
ASX Runners of the Week: XPON, Locksley, DY6 Metals & Dateline
We shouldn't have been surprised to see a modicum of profit-taking this week after last week's efforts, which saw the United States broad-ranging S&P 500 stock market index go up for nine days in a row to post its longest daily winning streak in 20 years, coupled with the ASX 200 index ending a 12-day winning streak. US economic data added a fresh twist to market jitters for the week, with first-quarter GDP dipping by 0.3 per cent - a headline drop that at first glance looked like a red flag. Scratch beneath the surface and a different story emerges. This wasn't about an economy slowing down - it was about businesses going into overdrive, racing to import a flood of goods before new US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs kick in. The result was a 50.9 per cent surge in imports that technically dragged GDP lower, thanks to how the number-crunchers calculate growth. Amazingly, for all the hand wringing and wailing that came off the back of Trump's 'liberation day' blockbuster tariff announcement at the start of last month, the key Australian index closed out the week at 8231. This was 285 points or 3.4 per cent higher than its close prior to the fateful announcement and the S&P is, by and large, unchanged. With a rollercoaster week came yet more glory for gold, which hit a high price of $3438 an ounce on Wednesday on the back of a resumption of hostilities between Pakistan and India - two nuclear powers with age-old claims on the disputed state of Kashmir. XPON TECHNOLOGIES GROUP LTD (ASX: XPN) up 400% (0.6c – 3.0c) This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Week is artificial intelligence and technology solutions provider XPON Technologies Group, which saw its share price rocket on Monday after it announced a binding agreement to snap up leading Australian digital marketing outfit Alpha Digital Design Consultants. XPON's acquisition of Alpha Digital, a long-term channel partner with a crack team of 25 digital marketing specialists, is a savvy attempt to supercharge its revenue growth. The deal is set to bring in an additional $4.6 million in revenue and a $0.7M EBITDA based on last year's financials - plus a cool $1M cash in the bank.
Sydney Morning Herald
09-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
ASX Runners of the Week: XPON, Locksley, DY6 Metals & Arizona
We shouldn't have been surprised to see a modicum of profit-taking this week after last week's efforts, which saw the United States broad-ranging S&P 500 stock market index go up for nine days in a row to post its longest daily winning streak in 20 years, coupled with the ASX 200 index ending a 12-day winning streak. US economic data added a fresh twist to market jitters for the week, with first-quarter GDP dipping by 0.3 per cent - a headline drop that at first glance looked like a red flag. Scratch beneath the surface and a different story emerges. This wasn't about an economy slowing down - it was about businesses going into overdrive, racing to import a flood of goods before new US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs kick in. The result was a 50.9 per cent surge in imports that technically dragged GDP lower, thanks to how the number-crunchers calculate growth. Amazingly, for all the hand wringing and wailing that came off the back of Trump's 'liberation day' blockbuster tariff announcement at the start of last month, the key Australian index closed out the week at 8231. This was 285 points or 3.4 per cent higher than its close prior to the fateful announcement and the S&P is, by and large, unchanged. With a rollercoaster week came yet more glory for gold, which hit a high price of $3438 an ounce on Wednesday on the back of a resumption of hostilities between Pakistan and India - two nuclear powers with age-old claims on the disputed state of Kashmir. XPON TECHNOLOGIES GROUP LTD (ASX: XPN) up 400% (0.6c – 3.0c) This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Week is artificial intelligence and technology solutions provider XPON Technologies Group, which saw its share price rocket on Monday after it announced a binding agreement to snap up leading Australian digital marketing outfit Alpha Digital Design Consultants. XPON's acquisition of Alpha Digital, a long-term channel partner with a crack team of 25 digital marketing specialists, is a savvy attempt to supercharge its revenue growth. The deal is set to bring in an additional $4.6 million in revenue and a $0.7M EBITDA based on last year's financials - plus a cool $1M cash in the bank.
