Brought to you by COW AND BEAR
Andrew Todd
And the rollercoaster continues for the ASX.
The powerful Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, addressed our nation this week to celebrate his purchase of two more days of oil (200 million liters or 1.25 million barrels), expressing his sincere desire to secure the future of our country, one day at a time.
In an extremely rare event, the ASX has officially broken away from the S&P500, which is now at its all-time highs.
Unfortunately, it’s hard not to be pessimistic right now, especially when most of those around the oil market are far from glass half-full.
Just last Friday, the world was jubilant when Iran’s foreign minister declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open”, sending Brent crude plunging more than 10 percent to around $90 a barrel as aid continued to hit farmers and industries.
Within hours, Iran had reversed course and attacked an Indian oil tanker. The new week began with the US seizing at least two Iranian oil tankers, and Iran taking control of two cargo ships in Hormuz, in an unending “ceasefire”.
To close the week, Brent oil prices are at their highest, now at $105 a barrel, tied only with lithium as the only two sectors showing any green on the ASX.
US sanctions on Iranian oil mean more oil is trapped in the Gulf, as US President Trump seeks to increase Iran’s oil reserves.
Less than 2 months after the war, the world has lost about 87.5 billion liters, or 550 million barrels, of Gulf crude – about 2 percent of last year’s global output and about 300 times the amount of oil Albanese “gained”.
But in the West, life goes on and the pain is still minimal. Sure, gasoline is more expensive, but most households can still afford to drive. The trucks keep rolling and the food is still on the shelves.
But that encouraging picture is dangerously misleading. The last oil tankers to pass through Hormuz before the conflict have just arrived at their destinations in Asia and the United States, meaning the blockade is easing and something more important can now be broken than bent. The consequences for an unprepared nation can be dire.
To make matters worse at home, Cochlear shares tumbled this week after a big earnings downgrade signaled weak demand for implants and reset expectations. The company has now joined the beleaguered biotech pile across the ASX as 2026’s latest victim.
Back to our Runners of the Week, a positive piece about all the good things happening in the markets…. Fortunately for a few non-oil and gas commodities, most stocks were on the rise for the week, with the top spot being taken by new player Brazil’s Lithium.
SOLIS MINERALS LTD (ASX: SLM)
Up to 210% (3.1c – 9.6c)
This week’s Bulls N’ Bears Runner of the Week is expected to be Solis Lithium Mining, after it announced the acquisition of a Brazilian lithium project from mining goliath Rio Tinto, located in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil. The project is part of a large 93,000-hectare exploration package adjacent to PLS Group’s $19 billion Colina lithium project, placing Solis at a proven location for spodumene discoveries.
For a bit of context, PLS acquired ownership of Colina through its recent purchase of Aussie junior Latin Resources for a reported $560 million purse – a further endorsement of the mining area, even if I do say so myself.
Proving that success often runs in the family, Solis brings back an old band from his last successful project. Executives Chris Gale, Tony Greenaway and Mitch Thomas join the crew to deliver another major exploration breakthrough, following their hard-earned win at Latin Resources.
Minas Gerais is Brazil’s mining capital, and Solis’ new holding sits directly across the valley from the impressive 77.7 million tonne Colina resource, with high grades of 1.24 percent lithium.
By acquiring the project for a bargain price of just US$500,000, with Rio Tinto retaining 1.75 percent of the smelter’s royalty, Solis appears to be grabbing a low-cost entry into the world-class arena.
Rio Tinto’s landmark work included drilling, soil sampling and rock sampling at various target locations, providing Solis with a large collection of early stage development data.
As a big vote of confidence, the company has entered into a partnership agreement with PLS, which already owns a 5.1 percent interest in Solis. This agreement gives PLS the right to participate in any future transaction involving planning on the same terms as any other proposed company.
The company is fully funded for an initial drilling push of 2000 meters at its priority targets of Mandacaru and Campo Grande.
The question now remains: Can a fresh-faced Solis copy the Latin playbook and become the next Brazilian Lithium to be plucked off the board in a smart takeover?
ADISYN LTD (ASX: AI1)
Up to 143% (6.8c – 16.5c)
Semiconductor technology maker Adisyn is the cash winner for the week after the company raised cash following a successful demonstration of graphene layer conduction technology on a 1cm by 1cm coupon. Adisyn’s technology is looking to revolutionize the semiconductor world by solving the challenges facing traditional copper interconnects in advanced chips.
As copper connectors become smaller and smaller in place of more powerful chips, issues arise including increased resistance, heat generation and power loss.
The old Moore’s Law has long held that the number of transistors on a chip and, in addition, the computing power or memory density, double approximately every two years, often enabling more capacity in the same physical space or in a smaller space.
Unfortunately, despite pushing this theory to its limits, humans are reaching a point where copper can become a hindrance.
Enter graphene. The Adisyn method uses the Atomic Layer Deposition, or “ALD”, technique. This week’s highlight involved independent validation of low-temperature ALD deposition of a carbon layer on copper at temperatures below 300°C.
Importantly, the deposition temperature was below the semiconductor temperature limit of 450°C, an important capability for integration into existing manufacturing processes. This success led to $20 billion fund manager Regal Fund Management joining the party, setting up a $14 million institutional foundation for Adisyn.
The money is now earmarked for the company’s next phase of its semiconductor strategy, business partnerships, and development, as it advances its potentially world-changing technology.
333D LTD (ASX: T3D)
Up to 96% (2.8c – 5.5c)
Taking the bronze is 333D Limited, which, believe it or not, is a 3D printing company operating a digital platform for clinical diagnostic data.
The company’s shares more than doubled on Wednesday to 5.5 cents after its quarterly report highlighted strong operating cash flow and earnings momentum.
333D Limited operates a platform that captures, manages and monetizes medical image data (DICOM) and 3D visualization datasets, aligning it at the intersection of healthcare, AI-driven analytics and digital infrastructure.
It’s a business built around transforming medical imaging into structured, actionable – and potentially commercial – data resources.
In particular, this is a name that has seen a lot of quick cash volatility in the past. In August last year, the shares performed impressively, from around 0.7c to as high as 29c in the space of a week, underscoring how quickly this corner of the market can be driven when interest turns.
This week, 333D said it had generated $231,702 in cash receipts from customers during the quarter, and a positive cash flow of $71,505, representing a significant gain from last quarter’s net income of $99,180.
333D says it has used its non-destructive intellectual property (NFT IP) for everything from chest x-rays to MRIs.
Radiological images are very similar to NFT – in that the images contain data that is unique to that image.
The company’s in-house design and engineering team also works closely with customers to provide high-performance 3D printing solutions.
A clear example of this came through a client’s request for a light horse, specially designed for racehorses. The finished product was made using a high-strength scandium alloy, weighing 47 grams less than a standard shoe. The horse went on to win his next race.
NOVIQTECH LTD (ASX: NVQ)
Up to 72% (1.8c – 3.1c)
Completing our Operators is the sustainability and logistics service company, Noviqtech. Its subsidiary, Coralia, has entered into a strategic agreement with Pure Data Centers Group’s subsidiary, A Healthier Earth (AHE), to evaluate the decarbonisation and construction of a facility at its Great Barrier Reef baychar project in North Queensland.
Biochar is a charcoal-like material made by heating organic waste such as wood chips, crop residues or manure in a low-oxygen environment, a process called pyrolysis.
The project plans to convert 2 million tonnes of agricultural waste and tree weeds into 550,000 tonnes of high-quality biochar over its lifetime.
The program will assess the economic viability of AHE to obtain long-term credit reduction for at least 70 percent of the total biocarbon sequestration project credits.
NoviqTech said the partnership has entered the market during a “supercycle” in demand for high-integrity biochar carbon removal, driven by data centers and AI. Technology-based removals, such as biochar, trade at a premium for the material, and high-quality credit prices are currently up to $220 per tonne.
The ink was barely dry before Coralia struck another partnership, this time with Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology, to develop the use of biochar in low-carbon concrete for the data center industry.
Phase 1 of the collaboration will test whether biochar made from Chinese apple trees can be effectively used in low-carbon concrete applications and landscaping, with Swinburne leading the technical validation of performance and durability as well as environmental impact.
At its core, the project seeks market share in cement, an industry responsible for about 8 percent of global production. At the same time, it is poised for increased demand for data center construction, with Australia expected to need billions of dollars in new infrastructure before 2030.
Is your ASX listed company doing something interesting? Address: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
