The terrorist disruptions to cargo shipping in the Red Sea is taking a toll on both the cost of goods sold and freight time, with the route responsible for some $60 billion in Australian imports each year. The disruptions contribute to inflation and cost of living problems.

Geopolitical tensions affecting international trade can introduce volatility and uncertainty into the ASX, influencing investor behaviour through fluctuating commodity prices, currency exchange rates, and government policies. Uncertainty around the volatility of the situation scares many share market investors.

What happens over there matters over here.

The simmering Middle East tensions and Russia’s ongoing attack on Ukraine have seen gold back in the spotlight. Central banks around the world have been stockpiling the alloy as a hedge against inflation, and as conflicts yield that uncertainty.

Prices for the precious metal were up 6.26 per cent in 2023.

Meanwhile, critical minerals including copper, are also in demand for different reasons, they’re vital to the global green energy transition. According to McKinsey, global electrification is expected to increase annual copper demand to 36.6 million tonnes.

One tonne of copper brings functionality to about 40 cars, powers 100,000 mobile phones, enables operations in 400 computers and distributes electricity to up to 30 homes.

Solar power systems also contain 5.5 tonnes of copper per megawatt of capacity.

Interestingly though, nickel, which is also used in EVs, is having a dreadful price run, leading to the shutdown of a number of mining operations in Australia in the past few weeks.

But let’s head back to the Middle East, which is the source of 32.8 per cent of the world’s oil and 29.1 per cent of the global gas supplies, according to The Australian Institute of International Affairs.

These supply figures are likely to drop this year with Saudi Arabia’s commitment to decreasing oil production for its “Vision 2030” – a focus more on renewable energy investments.

The drop in oil production output, which began toward the end of last year, has seen the global price of oil inflate 30 per cent as of September 2023, purely due to supply and demand dynamics, according to Forbes.

In 2021, Saudi’s government increased its capacity to generate renewable energy by 21 per cent, and just this month it announced the Kingdom was doubling its estimate of the country’s mineral wealth to US$2.5 trillion (A$3.8 trillion). That’s what’s really interesting here.

If these economies tilt away from oil, what have they got? Well it would seem, quite a lot.

With the move to renewables and the threat of escalating tensions, the Middle East is keen to build its stake in other markets for other commodities.  

There are Australian Stock Exchange companies developing projects in the Middle East, attracted by the region’s notable mining achievements in recent years.

The Middle East is home to resources vital to global economies, including phosphates, potash, limestone, marble, kaolin and salt, as well as fertilisers.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is Australia’s largest trade and investment partner in the Middle East. In 2022, the two-way goods and services trade between the UAE and Australia amounted to $9.3 billion, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It’s rich in gold and diamonds.

The GolGohar Iron Ore Mine in Iran, owned by local company Golgohar Mining and Industria, achieved an estimated production of 24.169 million tonnes of iron ore in 2020.

Saudi Arabian stock-exchange-listed company, Ma’aden, has an extensive portfolio of critical minerals and boasts a strong market cap of $A69.7 billion, thanks partly to the Saudi Government’s 50 per cent stake in the company.

It’s the largest and fastest-growing mining company in the world and the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia home to around $1.3 trillion worth of unexplored mineral assets.

Saudi Arabia has abundant precious metals including gold and silver, along with crucial industrial metals such as aluminium, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, tantalum and chromium.

Jordan is aiming to become a major global supplier of minerals for renewable energy technologies like solar panels and wind turbines, with significant deposits of phosphate and rare earth minerals. ASX-listed base metals, gold and copper explorer, Metal Bank (ASX:MBK), has its focus there.

Oman also has a long list including copper, gold, chromium, iron, gypsum, clay, silica, and kaolin.

Middle Eastern Senior Research Analyst from financial service Equiti, Farah Mourad, spoke to The Market Online on the potential of investing in the Middle East.

“While some, like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, heavily depend on energy exports, others, such as Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon, are depending on tourism, financial services, and other high-stakes sectors. It’s a financial landscape with various players,” she said.

Ms Mourad said non-oil trade in the region had surged, with Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ triggering a plus-330 per cent surge in foreign direct investment.

Governments were keen to attract businesses to return to the Middle East, with programs including Saudi Arabia’s Regional Headquarters program and the Gulf Cooperation Council which offered friendlier tax laws and a dynamic regulatory landscape.

“Traditional western allies are no longer the only main partners, ‘rivals’ like Russia and China are also maintaining and growing their relationships and trades with the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council),” Ms Mourad said.

So how can investors capitalise on the advantages the region has to offer?

Metal Bank has projects across North Queensland, Western Australia and Jordan in the Middle East, with a strong focus on copper.

Last July, the company entered the Middle East via two agreements with the Jordan Ministry for Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR), granting it exploratory rights for two areas called Malaqa and Wadi Araba.

Metal Bank secured first-mover advantages on these mining concessions, which intersected copper mineralisation throughout the December 2023 quarter.

Recently, the company reported that it had extended its outcropping copper oxide zone to more than 800 metres in strike at a prospect in its Malaqa project.

Channel sampling in the area returned results of 26 metres at 0.79 per cent copper and six metres at 0.97 per cent copper, with encouraging outcrop rock chip results.

Exploratory drilling remains a top priority for this area, with copper grades hitting up to 4.35 per cent.

MKB reported it was working with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to secure an Exploration Agreement over this area.

The International Monetary Fund forecasts robust GDP growth of six per cent in the Middle East, significantly surpassing the one per cent growth forecast for ‘advanced’ economies, including Australia.

What’s more, successful investors in the region have witnessed impressive returns from top-performing funds over the last five years.

Ms Mourad said investing is always a mix of risk and opportunity, and the Middle East offers another opportunity for increasing diversity in an investment portfolio. It is a region with significant commodities and proximity to wider world markets.

The National Anti-Scam Centre warns Aussies to be wary of investment scams disguised as romantic connections.

In 2023, Aussies reported 484 romance-baiting investment scams to Scamwatch, amounting to $40 million in losses.

“Online dating and social media connection is a common way to meet new people, but it also presents an opportunity for scammers to deceive people and take advantage of their trust,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.

“We are urging people to not take financial or investment advice from someone they have only met online. Even if you think you know who you are messaging, remember that it could be a scammer on the other side of the screen.”

According to Big Four bank NAB, internal data collected on love scams last year increased by 29 per cent.

In the next few weeks, NAB plans to introduce payment alerts to digital banking to help customers spot potential romance scam red flags.

“A 65-year-old customer came into a Sydney branch recently wanting to transfer more than $1 million across three accounts for his ‘fiancée’, later revealed to be a scammer,” A NAB employee said.

The National Anti-Scam Centre and Federal Police are collaborating to combat these scams.

Romance scams particularly affect older Australians and diverse communities, with reports to Scamwatch showing these demographics accounted for more than 30 per cent ($12 million) of total losses last year.

Australians aged over 55 years old suffered the largest heartbreak from romance scams online in 2023.

“These scammers will spend weeks, even months, messaging their victim, making them feel like they’ve formed a genuine connection before shifting the conversation to investment or cryptocurrency opportunities,” Ms Lowe said.

“Ultimately, these ‘opportunities’ turn out to be investment scams, leaving the victim not only broken-hearted but out of pocket by significant amounts of money.”

So, how does the love scam hustle work, you ask?

Picture this: You match, you chat, you fall in love – or so you think.

Online love scams often start on dating apps or websites, with some scammers initiating contact through social media.

That’s when the scammer drops the investment bomb, promising crypto-riches and moonlit profits.

Victims may initially see returns, but soon realise they need to keep investing to access their funds. Eventually, the scammer disappears or demands more money.

Look out for pressure to move conversations to encrypted platforms like Google Hangouts or WhatsApp, as well as promises of quick wealth through investments.

Be cautious of requests for money transfers and always verify investment opportunities independently. Remember, genuine relationships shouldn’t involve financial transactions or pressure to invest.

Don’t forget to protect your heart and your wallet this Valentine’s Day, because, in the game of love and scams, it’s better to be safe than swindled!

The approval marks a step forward for exploration and development on the ground and allows perforation and isolation of individual lithium-rich reservoirs, which are crucial when targeting high-grade lithium.

According to the company, the use of existing oil and gas wellbores can be highly cost-effective when compared to the drilling of a new well.

Mandrake imminently awaits its potential JORC results from direct lithium extraction (DLE), which will help to prioritise exploration targets for future field operations.

As of December 2023, Mandrake is fully funded up to $15.3 million and has detailed workplaces set out for each well that include engineering and sampling programs.

Mandrake intends to begin its field operations following the imminent publication of a JORC-compliant lithium exploration target for its Utah project and the DLE results.

DLE testing results are pending from two independent DLE providers seeking to produce lithium hydroxide directly from brine derived from the Utah project.

MAN shares last traded at 4.3 cents.

The binding off-take agreement is for 10,000 tonnes of high-performance synthetic graphite anode material from Novnix’s Riverside facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Novonix’s Riverside facility will become the first large-scale production site dedicated to high-performance synthetic graphite for the battery sector in North America.

As a leading battery cell provider, Panasonic is working to expand its production of EV batteries in North America to meet increased demand while also increasing the percentage of materials procured locally.

Panasonic intends to use the materials across its multiple US plants from 2025 to 2028. During the term, if additional volumes are requested by Panasonic, NVX said it would “use its best effort” to deliver the increased volumes.

Historically, NVX and Panasonic Energy began working together on product sampling and testing after signing a memorandum of understanding with subsidiary, Sanyo Electric back in 2019.

“Off-take agreements with high-quality partners such as Panasonic Energy solidify NOVONIX’s position as a leader in onshoring the supply chain of synthetic graphite and accelerating the adoption of clean energy in the industry,” NVX CEO Chris Burns said.

Production is expected to take off in late 2024, with plans to grow output to 20,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) to meet anticipated customer demand.

NVX shares were up 17.9 per cent, trading at 72.5 cents at 11:46 am AEDT.

The company’s underlying net profit guidance for the 2024 financial year has been increased to $385-400 million, a 26-31 per cent increase on FY23.

The upgrade reflects an eight per cent increase above the midpoint of the prior guidance of $355-375 million advised in August 2023.

First-half sales revenue increased 25 per cent to $1.11 million, carrying an underlying net profit of $192 million.

“Cochlear implant trading conditions have been strong across the first half, with units growing 14 per cent,” COH CEO President Dig Howitt said.

“We have maintained the market share gains made in FY23 and market growth has continued to be robust across both developed and emerging markets, as well as all age segments – children, adults and seniors.”

The key change to the company’s expectations means it has achieved 10-15 per cent growth in our cochlear implant units for FY24, compared to the high single-digit growth expected in August.

These results are based on management accounts, which means they are yet to be subject to an audit review and Board approval.

COH shares last traded at $305.93.

It’s the first clinical trial evaluating NK cell therapy in combination with the current standard of care for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients, which is Azacitidine and Venetoclax.

CHM 0201 represents a potentially leading-edge, clinically validated NK cell platform.

Results from the phase 1A clinical trial were released in March 2022, showcasing both safety and efficacy across blood cancers and solid tumours.

Leveraging the CHM 0201 platform, Chimeric has launched the development of innovative next-generation NK and CAR NK assets.

“We are very happy to report this progress in the ADVENT-AML clinical trial,” CHM Chief Medical Officer and Managing Director Jason B Litten said.

“The novel combination of CHM 0201 with the standard of care in AML treatment has the potential to transform frontline therapy and enhance outcomes for AML patients.”

CHM 0201 cells recently underwent manufacturing and release testing before commencing the trial.

Lead Principal Investigator, Abhishek Maiti MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Leukemia intends to enrol up to 20 patients with newly diagnosed AML who are not eligible for intensive chemotherapy or allogeneic stem cell transplant.

CHM shares were up eight per cent, trading at 2.7 cents at 1:19 pm AEDT.

In December 2023, Barton grew its Tunkillia resource to 1.38 million ounces gold.

Following up on this success, the company drilled an additional 3450 metres, with 700 metres focused on the targeted Area 51 satellite zone.

Today, Barton reported multiple intersections ranging from 20 to 50 metres wide.

Hole TKB175D encountered 44 metres at 1.81 grams per tonne (g/t) of gold from 64 metres depth.

This included a six-metre intersection of 5.85 g/t of gold from 69 metres and a high-grade zone of 19.95 g/t of gold over one metre from 80 metres depth.

Analysis is underway to convert Area 51 into a new JORC Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE).

“These results further validate the expansive potential of Tunkillia’s gold mineralisation, located ~4km northwest of the 223 Deposit area, Area 51 is the fifth new gold zone we have confirmed within this radius during the past two years,” BGD Managing Director Alex Scanlon said.

“Three of these have recently been converted to JORC Resources during December 2023, and we are now reviewing Area 51 for the same potential as we continue to build out the project’s mineralised footprint.”

Along with its activities at Area 51, Barton awaits additional assay results from its Tunkillia SE Offset target and its Tarcoola Perseverance open pit.

BGD shares last traded at 25 cents.

Three of these prospects have multiple walk-up drill targets, with some of the results including, 15 metres at 1.5 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 12 metres. This intersection included 6.7 g/t of gold over three metres.

In another hole, Dreadnought uncovered up to 7.1 g/t of gold across three metres from 26 metres.

Specifically, Dreadnought’s Honeymoon target showcases shallow historical workings with free gold in altered ultramafic rocks. Because of its high-grade potential, Dreadnought has listed this target as its top priority for drilling at Central Yilgarn.

“Our intensive review following the first-ever consolidation of four large and underexplored greenstone belts in the highly prolific Yilgarn Craton has yielded strong results,” DRE Managing Director Dean Tuck said.

“Other drill-ready targets include large anomalies at Viper, Leghorn and ChickenLittle, we are looking forward to advancing these targets in this high gold price environment.”

Activities at Central Yilgarn are set to commence in March 2024.

DRE shares last traded at 1.9 cents.

On top of that, some companies are already projecting higher payouts for 2024.

Knight Financial Advisor Jason Featherby believes the Meta announcement could pressure other large tech companies with significant cash reserves to follow suit – on US markets, anyway.

“Meta’s dividend means shareholders can now earn passive income while also participating in their growth and sends the message that, if growth continues, so too may dividend payments into the future,” he said.

Looking across Australian sectors in 2024, Mr Featherby highlighted how rising interest rates and higher commodity prices (should they continue) will likely affect shareholder payouts.

“Some sectors will certainly begin to feel the pressure placed on them by the 13 rate rises we have already seen,” he said.

“Expect some of our REIT and retail shares to struggle to hold their current dividends.”

Commercial real estate investment firm BWP Trust (ASX:BWP), at least, announced a 9-cent dividend payout to shareholders – bucking the trend in its sector.

Then there’s resources.

Rising iron ore prices results in higher capital for mining companies in that space, and dividends are more common in large-cap miners.

“A strengthening iron ore price is helping to bolster profits and therefore dividend-paying potential of our big miners such as BHP Group (ASX:BHP), Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) and Fortescue Metals (ASX:FMG),” Mr Featherby mentioned.

The insurance sector is also likely to feel any pressure that may emerge on companies to pay dividends (or increase them).

Insurance premiums have been rising in a fashion unstoppable since COVID.

“Higher interest rates may also benefit insurance companies, such as Insurance Australia Group (ASX:IAG) and QBE Insurance Group (ASX:QBE) who must invest in safe, and fixed income type investments,” Mr Featherby added.

“Higher premiums will also help, but some of our REITs may be forced to cut distributions as higher interest rates take their toll.”

Share buybacks, a common practice for companies to return excess cash to shareholders by buying back shares at an increased price, are now under scrutiny due to tax implications.

“I think this is now seen as a “tax loophole” and will be cut off to stop a tax-effective return of capital to shareholders under a strategy that has been pushed by institutional shareholders,” Mr Featherby said.

“[This is] including big superannuation funds, to maximise cashing in on franking credits and limiting their capital gains tax.”

In other arenas, buybacks are criticised for being a way that a company can artificially boost its share price.

Time will tell – and commodity price strength will likely have a lot to do with what we see coming from China this year.

Or India – Wall Street has started to abandon Hong Kong and Shanghai for Mumbai in recent weeks and months.

Last year’s drilling located promising mineralisation in the east zone of the U40 Fault target.

Initial analysis suggests the near-surface uranium mineralisation dips southward, with the deepest hole drilled so far intersecting five metres at 0.54 per cent uranium from 257 metres, including three metres at 0.82 per cent.

The finding confirms the persistence of uranium deposits extending below the unconformity and beyond previously explored depths, making it a primary focus for further investigation in 2024.

At Nabarlek North, all uranium discoveries lie between the overlying sandstone and underlying basement rock, indicating the presence of Nabarlek-type structures nearby.

“The receipt of laboratory assays reinforces the success of our 2023 drilling and underlines the growing scale of the exciting opportunity in front of us,” DEV Managing Director Brendan Bradley said.

“These drilling results continue to clarify the open-ended geological controls on the uranium mineralisation at U40.

“Knowing high-grade uranium mineralisation continues to be defined well below the traditional unconformity provides a major shift in exploration scale and will be an immediate priority for us when we resume drilling this year.”

DevEx remains dedicated to discovering substantial fault-hosted unconformity-type uranium deposits comparable to the nearby Jabiluka deposit or the renowned Ranger uranium mine, which produced 300 million pounds of uranium over 40 years.

DEV shares were up 13.5 per cent, trading at 29.5 cents at 1:54 pm AEDT.

The LCT program confirmed high recoveries from prior Li-Stream RPK process test work achieving up to 90 per cent lithium extraction.

This data will be used to further optimise the Li-Stream RPK process in its next development stage.

Led by the Infinity GreenTech Technical Advisory Committee, the LCT program validated “key parameters” essential for success, according to INF Chief Technical Officer and Committee Chair Jon Starink.

“The program confirmed the results of process simulations and validated key parameters underpinning the technical and commercial feasibility of extraction of lithium from the San José material and provides a solid foundation for further engineering towards a DFS and the pilot plant design,” he said.

Simulating the complete process, the test work included recycle streams to assess the stability of mass flows.

These results solidify the Li-Stream RPK process as the optimal technical option for lithium recovery at San José, from run-of-mine (ROM) material to the final product.

Looking ahead, the company is evaluating the next steps for establishing a demonstration plant to confirm the scalability of production at San José.

INF shares were up 7.14 per cent, trading at 7.5 cents at 12:47 pm AEDT.

The ASX continued along much the same line, to close down about 0.6 of a per cent.

Most of the sectors lost ground, with only energy powering up nearly half a per cent.

In this bulletin, we’ll look at Recce Pharmaceuticals, Altech Batteries, Haranga Resources, Sequoia Financial Group, BetMakers Technology and Arizona Lithium.

Anti-infective drug developer, Recce Pharmaceuticals (ASX:RCE) closed up 8.7 per cent after forging a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with PT Etana Biotechnologies, a leading biomedical organisation in Indonesia.

The agreement opens doors for its anti-infective to enter the Southeast Asian market as Etana will help advance the company’s late-stage clinical trials program, including through Government support.

The anti-infective is being trialled with patients suffering UTIs, diabetic foot problems and burns.

Recce closed trade at 50 cents.

Meanwhile, Altech Batteries (ASX:ATC) gained 5.5 per cent after reporting progress on its 60 kiloWatt per hour (kWh) CERENERGY grid storage battery prototypes.

Half the ceramic tubes required have been manufactured, and half the required battery cells have been assembled in Germany.

The final prototypes will be ready mid-this year and will be used to market the batteries to potential customers.

ATC closed the trading session at 5.7 cents.

Now, uranium has certainly been a top performer, even despite a pullback to $100 a pound at the weekend.

A company developing a project in that space is Haranga Resources (ASX:HAR) which today announced it had identified anomalies in weathered rock at two prospects within its project in Senegal, West Africa.

It’s completed 288 auger drill holes between 5 and 15 metres deep, with RC drilling to start again mid-this month.

After trading up throughout the day, HAR closed at 23 cents.

Financial services company, Sequoia Financial Group (ASX:SEQ) closed down 0.95 per cent after reporting it had launched legal proceedings against Tim McGowen, in relation to the acquisition of Informed Investor from Mr McGowen and others.

The company alleges Mr McGowen has breached various warranties and provisions of a share purchase deed from March last year, and is seeking damages in the order of $3.5 million in the Supreme Court of Victoria.

The company closed trade today at 52 cents.

Meanwhile, BetMakers Technology (ASX:BET) has lost 8.7 per cent despite announcing a 5-year partnership with a division of UK-based PA Media Group, PA Betting Services to launch a broadcast streaming and wagering platform.

Together they’ll launch The adVantage Platform to service global racing markets by the fourth quarter of 2024.

BET shares closed at 10.5 cents.

And, Arizona Lithium (ASX:AZL) is down close to five per cent after appointing a drilling contractor from Rhythm Engineering for its Prairie lithium brine project in

Saskatchewan, Canada. Field activities will begin next quarter.

The lithium price continues to struggle – the commodity is down nearly 80 per cent year on year.

AZL closed trade at 2 cents.

The welcomed rise follows a rough patch, with retail sales volumes dropping 0.1 per cent in September 2023 and 1.1 per cent in June 2023.

The good news? December saw a 0.3 per cent rise, representing a 0.8 per cent increase compared to December 2022.

However, a month-on-month decline of 2.7 per cent was recorded.

“Compared to the same time last year, retail prices rose 2.4 per cent, down considerably from the peak of 7.6 per cent in December quarter 2022,” ABS Head of Retail Statistics Ben Dorber said.

Increases in retail prices were seen mostly in non-food related industries, led by household goods retailing which grew 2.3 per cent, followed by other retailing which grew 0.4 per cent and department stores, increasing 0.2 per cent.

Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing was the only non-food industry to record a fall of 1.6 per cent.

Most states and territories recorded a rise in retail volumes, however, Victoria was the only state to record a fall of 0.5 per cent, while the Australian Capital Territory remained unchanged.

Oxford Economics Lead Economist Ben Udy said the December rise was in part due to solid population growth and the fact that headwinds on households seem to be approaching their peak.

“These headwinds, including the drag from high interest rates, falling real incomes and the growing tax burden will keep pressure on households over the first half of 2023, limiting growth in consumer spending,” he said

“Even so, we think per capita consumption is close to its trough and will begin rising in earnest from the second half of 2024 as inflation eases, interest rates fall and households receive a tax cut.

“Aggregate consumption is also set to be supported by strong population growth which we think will prevent aggregate retail sales volumes from falling further in 2024.”

And today, leading retailers Nick Scali (ASX:NCK) and Myer (ASX:MYR) have seen a spike in respective share prices on the release of 1H FY24 financial results.

Despite NCK reporting a 20.2 per cent drop in revenue compared to the PCP, the company did offer its shareholders a 35-cent dividend and exceed its net profit after tax guidance of $40-42 million to reach $43 million.

Meanwhile, Myer (ASX:MYR) posted an increase in sales for the period, matching its best first-half sales result on record.

That said, the company expects its 1H24 NPAT to be between $49 million-$53 million, which will be down on $65 million the prior year.

Group written sales orders increased 1.1 per cent compared to the prior corresponding period (pcp) to $212.7 million.

Group gross profit margin also improved to 65.6 per cent for the half, up 3.6 per cent compared to 1H FY23 and matching the 2H FY23 margin of 65.4 per cent.

Tight cost control and lower logistics costs led to operating expenses being $4.8 million lower than 1H FY23.

However, revenue and EBITDA both declined compared to the pcp, with revenue down 20.2 per cent and EBITDA down 19 per cent to $89.9 million.

The company maintained its fully franked interim dividend of 35 cents per share.

In the first half of 2024, Nick Scali opened a new, larger showroom in Payneham, South Australia, and converted its existing store to an additional clearance store.

Two new plush stores were opened in Helensvale, Queensland and Payneham, while one was closed for network optimisation.

Eleven plush showrooms were updated to the new company concept launched in December 2022, bringing the total to 20.

January 2024 saw sales orders increase by 3.6 per cent to $58.9 million compared to January 2023, with like-for-like (LFL) sales rising by 2.6 per cent.

NCK shares last traded at $14.14.

Last year, production commenced on two 60 kWh battery prototypes, a substantial upgrade from the initial 5 kWh and 10 kWh units.

Altech’s German Government partner, Fraunhofer IKTS’, initiated a pilot line in Hermsdorf, Germany, which underwent an extensive redesign to accommodate the manufacturing of these prototypes.

The company integrated innovative tools and machinery specifically tailored for 60 kWh battery cells so that each battery pack comprises 240 CERENERGY® cells, and each is rated at 2.5 Volts.

The batteries are organised into four rows of 12 cells stacked five modules high at 2.6 metres, boasting weatherproof and resilience properties.

Altech has received all the necessary prototype materials from suppliers and its ceramic tubing manufacturing is 50 per cent complete.

Two battery vacuum casings were delivered and are undergoing heat loss testing, with the final prototypes ready by mid-2024.

ATC shares were up 5.5 per cent, trading at 5.7 cents at 11:05 am AEDT.

Along with its joint venture partner, Al Hadeetha Resources, Alara introduced crushing waste rocks through its SAG mill, with load tests completed at 60 per cent capacity.

In the meantime, all plant equipment is now onsite and fully functioning as the team looks to ramp up processing by introducing copper ore.

AUQ Managing Director Atmavireshwar Sthapak said the milestone marked an “exciting time for Alara, Al Hadeetha and all its partners”.

“The Al Wash-hi Majaza project is transformational for our business and provides the base for sustainable growth in the Sultanate of Oman,” he said.

Alara previously endured a manufacturing error in December 2023, with its SAG mill high speed (HS) couplings during its dry commissioning phase. New sets of HS couplings were delivered and replaced in January 2024.

AUQ shares last traded at 3.4 cents.

The company’s subsidiary, Visage Imaging has launched its Visage Ease VP for Apple headsets, allowing consumers to examine diagnostic images in a virtual, spatial setting.

The Visage Ease VP includes all the proven functionality of PME’s Visage Ease™ software, except patients can view the images anywhere on the go through a virtual screen offering 4K resolution in each eye.

Hands and voice navigation also work to provide an end-user imaging experience that’s unlike any other application, according to Pro Medicus.

Tier one academic medical centre and Visage customer, UC San Diego Health, is the first health system to pilot the technology.

“Visage’s platform of enterprise imaging applications that support the Apple ecosystem are used by many of the world’s largest, most sophisticated healthcare organisations, and also integrated bi-directionally to the most widely used EHR,” Visage Co-Founder and Global Chief Technology Officer Malte Westerhoff said.

“With Visage Ease VP we can now extend our offering to immersive, spatial imaging which has the potential to open up a number of novel and exciting possibilities within both medical imaging and the wider healthcare space.”

The Visage Ease VP is the newest addition to the Visage Ease suite of native apps designed specifically for the Apple ecosystem. It joins Visage Ease (iOS/iPadOS) and Visage Ease Pro™ (iPadOS).

Additionally, Visage provides the highly regarded Visage 7 smart-client app for macOS, offering native, rapid, clinically robust, and highly interoperable access to enterprise imaging.

PME closed at $109.06.

The only sectors in the green are IT – which has been boosted by Nasdaq mega-caps – and healthcare, which is barely there.

While iron ore has shed 2.25 per cent, it’s still at US$130 a tonne in the wake of Chinese property developer Evergrande’s liquidation last week amid $300 billion in debts.

Silver Lake Resources (ASX:SLR) is down nearly 12.5 per cent, while Red 5 (ASX:RED) is up nearly 2.3 per cent after the companies announced their intentions to merge.

In this bulletin, we will cover Pro Medicus, Unith, Bioxyne and Deep Yellow.

But first, Silver Lake shareholders are set to receive 3.43 Red 5 shares for every Silver Lake share they hold, securing 48.3 per cent ownership.

The deal would see a company producing 445 thousand ounces of gold for the 2024 financial year, with 4 million ounces of ore reserve.

Healthcare informatics giant, Pro Medicus (ASX:PME) has jumped nearly 5 per cent after announcing its wholly-owned US subsidiary, Visage Imaging, is launching its Visage Ease VP product for Apple’s new spatial computing program and virtual reality ‘Vision Pro’ headset.

Visage Ease VP has been purpose-built for the Apple ecosystem and this move will allow analysis of diagnostic images in a virtual environment. 

PME shares have been trading at $109.81.

Meanwhile, AI digital avatar company, Unith (ASX:UNT) is raising $4.5 million to fund the company’s digital human rollout.

The small-cap disrupter has secured $2 million through a Placement and is raising a further $2.1 million via an Entitlement offer priced at 1.45 cents.

UNT shares have been trading at 1.7 cents today.

And medicinal company Bioxyne (ASX:BXN) has gained 50 per cent on market thanks to its subsidiary Breathe Life Sciences (BLS), securing a Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) license to manufacture cannabis, psilocybin and MDMA.

This year, Bioxyne plans to register the Psilocybin and MDMA capsules with the TGA for export to supply companies, universities, and clinical trials worldwide.

BXN shares have been trading at 1.4 cents.

Also today, uranium company Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL) has been trading down close to four per cent despite announcing it’s expanding drilling activities in Namibia, in a bid to bulk up its JORC resource.

Drilling will kick off later in the month at Tumas 3, with about 13,000 metres of RC drilling.

DYL shares have been trading at $1.61.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) GMP license covers two phases, allowing it to manufacture the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for MDMA and psilocybin and to prepare final doses in the form of capsules to supply to prescribers and clinical trials.

Breathe Life Sciences has been building its medical cannabis brand and distribution in Australia since 2022.

The company’s medical cannabis manufacturing license is the largest issued to date in terms of scope covering final product dose forms.

“This award demonstrates BLS commitment to the responsible manufacture of alternative medicines, which can provide solutions to mental health disorders resistant to current treatments,” BXN CEO Sam Watson said.

“BLS aims to be the leading supplier of Psilocybin and MDMA for clinical trials and authorised prescribers, focusing on partnerships with veteran groups, universities (in Australia and abroad), and trial sponsors.

“There is a significant market for these products worldwide which have the potential to plug the gap in existing treatment options.”

Bioxyne plans to register the Psilocybin and MDMA capsules on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods for export in 2024 to supply companies, universities, and clinical trials worldwide.

BXN shares were up 50 per cent, trading at 1.8 cents at 11:20 am AEDT.

With its launch slated for 2025, MOUSE is a classic-style first-person shooter game with a retro look inspired by 1930s cartoons.

“Having enjoyed the run-and-gun action and 1930s-inspired visuals of Cuphead back in 2017, we were instantly attracted to the broad consumer potential of MOUSE,” PLY CEO Gerry Sakkas said.

“Similar to our Dumb Ways to Die brand, we see a huge opportunity to use our experience growing a social media audience to build out the value of this IP as well as further anticipation for the game.”

As part of the collaboration, Playside has agreed to provide Fumi Games with development advances if it can reach the agreed-upon milestones, which are consistent with the benchmark requirements to launch the game.

PlaySide will have publishing and marketing rights to launch the game, While Fumi is set to receive a share of net revenue from the sales of the game.

Playside intends to cover the cost of milestone payments and marketing for the game, which it anticipates to be in the range of mid-single-digits, by utilising its existing cash reserves.

PLY shares were up 5.13 per cent, trading at 82 cents at 12:35 pm AEDT.