Rise and Shine: Everything you need to know before the ASX opens

Here’s everything you need to know before the ASX opens today.

Pic via Getty Images

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Wednesday, September 18, 2024 – an important date in the history of news journalism.

That’s because it was on this day in 1851 that The New York Times was first published, selling for $0.02 per copy – a princely sum in the mid-1800s.

That price has since skyrocketed to $2.50 a copy – an increase of 12,400%. Sheesh, what a time to be alive.

Luckily for you, you won’t have to sell one of your vital organs in order to get your hands on good pre-market info today.

That’s because – as always – we’ve worked super-hard to gather together lots of fiddly little things below, so you don’t need to go ferreting all over the internet for your ASX info this morning.

COMMODITY/FOREX/CRYPTO MARKET PRICES

Gold: US$2,584.20 (+0.02%)

Silver: US$30.79 (+0.14%)

Nickel (3mth): US$16,324/t (+2.48%)

Copper (3mth): US$9.264/t (+2.03%)

Zinc: US$2,967/t (+0.73%)

Oil (WTI): US$70.72 (+0.89%)

Oil (Brent): US$73.16 (+0.57%)

Iron 62pc Fe: US$92.45/t (+1.33%)

AUD/USD: 0.6758 (+0.10%)

Bitcoin: US$58,485.50 (+0.51%)

WHAT GOT YOU TALKING

Antimony. Everyone’s going mad for it, and there’s another big find behind one of yesterday’s big Resources gains. Read all about it here:

Another big move into antimony was again behind today's top small cap resources gain. Read all about it in our Resources Top 5 wrap. https://t.co/Pl0pP1bwII

— Stockhead (@StockheadAU) September 17, 2024

YESTERDAY’S ASX SMALL CAP LEADERS

Here are the best performing ASX small cap stocks:

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

Code	Name	Price	% Change	Volume	Market Cap
RML	Resolution Minerals	0.002	100%	250,000	$1,610,022
OCT	Octava Minerals	0.093	94%	17,353,441	$2,151,001
LSR	Lodestar Minerals	0.002	50%	9,106	$3,372,329
RNE	Renu Energy Ltd	0.002	50%	3,250,000	$764,134
BTH	Bigtincan Hldgs Ltd	0.160	33%	5,970,298	$98,601,112
PGO	Pacgold	0.115	28%	488,100	$7,573,090
SLB	Stelarmetalslimited	0.095	25%	1,717,238	$4,830,402
AAU	Antilles Gold Ltd	0.005	25%	16,452,649	$5,845,711
AJX	Alexium Int Group	0.010	25%	764,058	$12,496,468
AOA	Ausmon Resorces	0.003	25%	850,000	$2,117,999
DMG	Dragon Mountain Gold	0.005	25%	300,000	$1,578,687
PUA	Peak Minerals Ltd	0.003	25%	1,163,953	$2,969,290
NVA	Nova Minerals Ltd	0.185	23%	503,037	$36,533,532
OPL	Opyl Limited	0.017	21%	163,767	$2,390,005
AUK	Aumake Limited	0.006	20%	818,881	$9,641,205
SFG	Seafarms Group Ltd	0.003	20%	85,000	$12,091,498
LYN	Lycaonresources	0.340	19%	1,172,968	$15,100,675
PVT	Pivotal Metals Ltd	0.013	18%	2,977,565	$7,745,301
CND	Condor Energy Ltd	0.033	18%	825,207	$16,277,343
SKY	SKY Metals Ltd	0.040	18%	1,490,905	$20,044,808
IBX	Imagion Biosys Ltd	0.027	17%	15,000	$819,871
TRM	Truscott Mining Corp	0.070	17%	665,000	$10,979,914
CRI	Criticalim	0.014	17%	4,995,410	$32,049,609
DGR	DGR Global Ltd	0.014	17%	341,696	$12,524,322

Yesterday’s Small Cap Winners included:

Platinum Asset Management (ASX:PTM) jumped 10% after announcing that Regal Partners, led by Phil King, has proposed a buyout offer.  If the deal proceeds, Platinum shareholders will receive 0.274 Regal shares per Platinum share and an additional 24¢ dividend from the company’s cash reserves.

The Western Australian Government has given Chalice Mining (ASX:CHN)’s Gonneville Project Strategic Project status. This means the project will receive additional support and streamlined approvals, making it easier to move forward. Located 70km northeast of Perth, the Gonneville Project aims to produce key minerals like nickel, copper, and cobalt. This designation highlights the project’s importance for the state’s economic growth and energy transition goals.

Pacific Smiles (ASX:PSQ) was up 6% after Genesis Capital’s Beam Dental Bid proposed an off-market takeover of Pacific for $1.90 per share, in cash, stock, or a combination.  Pacific Smiles’ board said it will review the offer and provide a formal recommendation to shareholders, who should await further details in the Target’s Statement before deciding on the offer.

Octava Minerals (ASX:OCT) was flying after the company announced that historical drilling from 2015/16 at its Discovery project in WA had returned significant levels of antimony, with the best of the drill results offering 3m @ 6.83% Sb from 21m including 1m @ 13.6% Sb from 22m, and 7m @ 3.27% Sb from 12m including 1m @ 11.5% from 18m.

Bigtincan (ASX:BTH) was up on news that the company has received a revised non-binding proposal from Vector Capital Management, at an offer price of $0.20 per share. Vector points out that the offer is unconditional, does not have a financing contingency and is subject only to legal due diligence and entering into binding long form documents, and Bigtincan’s board is currently weighing up its options.

Stelar Metals (ASX:SLB) was up on news of rock chip samples from its Lone Pine copper prospect, 7.5 kilometres west of the Baratta Copper Mine on the western flank of the doubly plunging Bibliando Dome. Preliminary results include rock chip assays up to 12.7% copper, with 7 of the 8 samples collected assaying over 5% copper.

Critica – formerly known as Venture Minerals (ASX:VMS) – was rising on news that regional, reconnaissance-style drilling has identified broad zones of high-grade, rare earth mineralisation, 40 kilometres to the east of the company’s flagship Jupiter Project. The results include significant values of Dysprosium and Terbium, with intercepts up to 8m @ 4,256ppm TREO occurring within broader zones of rare earth mineralisation at the site.

Petratherm (ASX:PTR) was up on news it has received firm commitments to raise $1.6M by way of a placement of new shares with funds to be used to expedite exploration on the Company’s Muckanippie Titanium Project. Drilling of the high priority Rosewood and Claypan Prospects for titanium rich heavy mineral sands scheduled to start from the second week of October, and a share purchase plan of up to $1 million will be offered to eligible retail shareholders on the same pricing terms as the placement.

Earlier, Lincoln Minerals (ASX:LML) was gaining on news that a recent field sampling program at the Company’s 100%-owned Eridani uranium project, located around an abandoned quarry site, shut down by the South Australian Government in 1944 due to the presence of high radioactivity in surface geology. Surface pXRF sampling has returned results up to 9250ppm uranium at the site, with lab assays due back in October.

Bastion Minerals (ASX:BMO) is resampling historical drill samples from the ICE prospect, which currently boasts an “historical, foreign non-JORC resource” of 4.56Mt @1.48% Cu in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The company says that the core is “in good condition and is laid out on site in an orderly manner … Reviewing and re-assaying the core is an important step towards defining a JORC-compliant resource for the project.”

TRADING HALTS

Star Minerals (ASX:SMS) – pending an announcement in relation to an acquisition.

Andean Silver (ASX:ASL) –  pending the release of an announcement regarding a capital raising.

Iltani Resources (ASX:ILT) – pending an announcement in relation to a material capital raising.

At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

Originally published as Rise and Shine: Everything you need to know before the ASX opens