CLOSING BELL: Big effort but little reward as miners, tech drag the ASX up +0.28pc

Despite a push from the miners and techies, the benchmark added just 0.28pc today.

Pic: Getty Images.

The ASX 200 benchmark struggled to make any headway on Wednesday, despite from solid gains among a handful of small caps, and a relatively strong performance from the Materials, Energy and Infotech sectors.

• Materials, Energy and Infotech dominate a sluggish day on Wednesday
• Booktopia collapses with a grim outlook for a final chapter ahead
• Some standout performances among the small caps, but who won?

By the close of play, the benchmark was at around +0.28%, thanks largely to a big push among the miners, following a modest rally on Wall Street overnight with a sluggish showing of its own.

By the end of the day, the sectors looked like this:

Chart via Marketindex.com.au

And the ASX indices looked like this:

Chart via Marketindex.com.au

The headline news of the day includes the implosion of online bookseller Booktopia, which announced that the administrators have been called in to try and manage the collapse.

"The administrators are undertaking an urgent assessment of Booktopia's business while options for its sale and/or recapitalization are explored," McGrathNicol Restructuring said in an announcement.

It’s been a rough ride for the bookseller, which debuted in 2020 and was at one point trading just one cent shy of $3 per share – it’s slid from that high point to the last trading price of $0.045 per share, and trading is suspended while the administrators do their thing.

And elsewhere in the Business World, the ACCC has given a hefty $50 million bailout for Armaguard the green light, with the funds coming from the Australian Banking Association (ABA), banks and retailers.

It remains unclear whether Armaguard is going to have to go business to business to collect the funds in cash, but it would at the very least give the company something to do while it figures out a future in an increasingly cash-shy future.

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	Company	Price	% Change	Volume	Market Cap
VML	Vital Metals Limited	0.004	100.00	19,912,213	$11,790,134
WTM	Waratah Minerals Ltd	0.245	96.00	9,898,784	$22,420,562
MMM	Marley Spoon Se	0.038	90.00	559,351	$2,354,488
LSR	Lodestar Minerals	0.0015	50.00	5,402,017	$2,023,397
MTL	Mantle Minerals Ltd	0.003	50.00	87,273	$12,394,892
NES	Nelson Resources.	0.003	50.00	300,084	$1,227,189
TD1	Tali Digital Limited	0.0015	50.00	180,000	$3,295,156
TX3	Trinex Minerals Ltd	0.003	50.00	1,049,743	$3,657,305
AI1	Adisyn Ltd	0.03	42.86	2,385,207	$3,887,772
AL3	Aml3D	0.135	37.76	19,745,034	$36,955,705
LNU	Linius Tech Limited	0.002	33.33	2,225,000	$8,320,111
ODE	Odessa Minerals Ltd	0.004	33.33	960,003	$3,129,848
RDS	Redstone Resources	0.004	33.33	1,000,000	$3,238,825
TMX	Terrain Minerals	0.004	33.33	129,300	$4,295,012
TTI	Traffic Technologies	0.004	33.33	166,183	$2,918,656
VPR	Voltgroupltd	0.002	33.33	950,000	$16,074,312
YAR	Yari Minerals Ltd	0.004	33.33	100,123	$1,447,073
FCT	Firstwave Cloud Tech	0.017	30.77	795,495	$22,230,252
PFE	Panteraminerals	0.039	30.00	2,440,680	$10,864,245
TG6	Tgmetalslimited	0.225	22%	203,346	$13,154,895
CL8	Carly Holdings Ltd	0.017	21%	323,123	$3,757,185
TSO	Tesoro Gold Ltd	0.034	21%	3,081,191	$34,428,260
BEO	Beonic Ltd	0.029	21%	209,228	$11,716,060
AHK	Ark Mines Limited	0.18	20%	649,521	$8,316,962

Waratah Minerals (ASX:WTM) was out in front on Wednesday morning, thanks to a fresh set of results from a further six drill holes from the on-going RC drill program at the company’s Spur gold-copper project, with the highlight result coming in at 89m at 1.73g/t Au, 0.08% Cu from 115m inc. 57m at 2.50g/t Au, 0.11% Cu from 115m.

Melodiol Global Health (ASX:ME1) was up earlier on Wednesday after issuing a trading update, showing that Q2 2024 unaudited revenues have come in at a total of $4.8 million, which represents a 9% increase on Q1 2024 revenue of $4.4 million. The uptick brings the company’s H1 2024 unaudited revenues to $9.2 million, a 31% increase on H1 2023 of $7.0 million.

The Calmer Co (ASX:CCO) has also issued some updated sales results, showing that its eCommerce sales have increased by $2,500, to over $18,500 per day in June, showing month on month growth over the full financial year of FY24.

The company says that sales via eCommerce channels grew at an average of 17% monthly over the full FY24 year, with an aggregate annual growth rate of 540%

And Prodigy Gold (ASX:PRX) has released an updated Mineral Resource Estimate for its Tregony gold deposit, which now sits at 0.46Mt at 1.6g/t Au for 23,000oz indicated, 1.10Mt at 1.2g/t Au for 41,000oz inferred for a total MRE of 1.56Mt at 1.3g/t Au for 64,000oz.

ASX SMALL CAP LAGGARDS

Here are the least best performing ASX small cap stocks:

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

Code	Company	Price	% Change	Volume	Market Cap
FMR	FMR Resources Ltd	20.5	-48.75	704,014	$7,965,129
IS3	I Synergy Group Ltd	0.5	-37.50	11,177,945	$2,832,643
HCD	Hydrocarbon Dynamic	0.2	-33.33	3,390,824	$2,425,747
HLX	Helix Resources	0.2	-33.33	21,923,867	$9,792,581
TKL	Traka Resources	0.1	-33.33	30,000	$2,625,988
APL	Associate Global	10	-25.93	84,010	$7,626,478
ICG	Inca Minerals Ltd	0.6	-25.00	4,191,699	$6,437,911
MKL	Mighty Kingdom Ltd	0.3	-25.00	339,000	$12,863,772
RLC	Reedy Lagoon Corp.	0.3	-25.00	32,779	$2,478,163
SFG	Seafarms Group Ltd	0.3	-25.00	644,828	$19,346,397
TMK	TMK Energy Limited	0.3	-25.00	10,208,978	$27,686,448
WML	Woomera Mining Ltd	0.3	-25.00	900,000	$4,872,556
NPM	Newpeak Metals	1.8	-25.00	234,910	$2,966,842
OVT	Ovanti Limited	1.2	-20.00	4,021,377	$17,037,382
AEV	Avenira Limited	0.4	-20.00	4,395,000	$11,745,170
BYH	Bryah Resources Ltd	0.4	-20.00	3,847,301	$2,177,268
HOR	Horseshoe Metals Ltd	0.8	-20.00	2,388,906	$6,495,787
CHN	Chalice Mining Ltd	122	-19.47	23,389,094	$589,279,406
CL8	Carly Holdings Ltd	1.4	-17.65	134,292	$4,562,297
SBR	Sabre Resources	1.4	-17.65	314,032	$6,362,453

TRADING HALTS

Trigg Mining (ASX:TMG) – pending an announcement regarding a capital raising.

MRG Metals (ASX:MRQ) – pending the release of an announcement to the market in relation to a capital raising.

Peak Minerals (ASX:PUA) – pending an announcement regarding a proposed acquisition and capital raising.

Strategic Elements (ASX:SOR) – pending an announcement in relation to a potential capital raising.

ICYMI – PM EDITION

BPM Minerals (ASX:BPM) is acquiring the 494km2 Durack project in WA, which hosts high-grade rare earth elements along with accessory zircon and titanium.

GTI Energy (ASX:GTR) is all set to start a fully funded Q3 drill program designed to expand and upgrade existing uranium resources at its Lo Herma project in Wyoming.

Leeuwin Metals (ASX:LM1) has started summer field work at its Cross Lake lithium project in Canada’s Manitoba province to build on last year’s work, which confirmed the presence of high-grade spodumene over a 4.7km corridor.

Miramar Resources’ (ASX:M2R) induced polarisation survey has outlined a potential extension to Northern Star’s 8 Mile Dam deposit that is shallower than expected. Drill testing of this 8-Mile target is planned after maiden Bangemall nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE drilling is completed.

Ora Banda Mining (ASX:OBM) has upgraded resources at the Sand King deposit by 176% to 306,000oz of gold, increasing the likelihood that it will be the second underground mine at its Davyhurst project after Riverina.

Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) has increased its stake in Sovereign Metals (ASX:SVM) to 19.76% after spending $18.5m to exercise options. This increases its exposure to the giant Kasiya graphite deposit in Malawi that has a resource of 1.8Bt at 1% rutile and 1.4% graphite.

Sun Silver (ASX:SS1) has put the finishing touches on its 7500m infill and extensional drilling program that will focus on a recently defined high-grade target zone at its Maverick Springs gold-silver project.

Terra Metals’ (ASX:TM1) drilling has more than doubled the strike of ‘Bushveld-like’ copper-PGE reefs at its Dante Reefs discovery in WA’s Musgrave province to over 9km.

Viridis Mining & Minerals (ASX:VMM) has expanded its Colossus REE project in Brazil following the grant of pivotal mining and exploration licences. This includes the Cupim South mining licence where drilling had returned results of up to 10,980ppm TREO.

At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While BPM Minerals, GTI Energy, Leeuwin Metals, Miramar Resources, Ora Banda Mining, Sovereign Metals, Sun Silver, Terra Metals, Calmer Co, Melodiol and Viridis Mining & Minerals are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article.

Originally published as CLOSING BELL: Big effort but little reward as miners, tech drag the ASX up +0.28pc