Can the Murray cod finally hook Australia an aquaculture giant?
For a country that was built on the sheep's back, it is passing strange that there aren't any true agribusiness giants on the ASX. Treasury Wine Estates perhaps comes closest with its premium brand, Penfolds, although even that is increasingly produced in China and France.
There are plenty of contenders. The Australian Financial Review reported earlier this year that the billionaire behind medical imaging software business Pro Medicus had spent years buying up fish and oyster plays in the hope of recreating the success of the two big salmon producers – Huon Aquaculture and Tassal – once listed on the ASX and now in the hands of Brazil's JBS and Canada's Cooke Seafood respectively.
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Herald Sun
2 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Barry FitzGerald: Katanning ticks all the boxes for an Ausgold re-rate
'Garimpeiro' columnist Barry FitzGerald has covered the resources industry for 35 years. Now he's sharing the benefits of his experience with Stockhead readers. After its dramatic rise in the opening months of the year to record levels, the Aussie gold price has settled into a bit of a groove around the $5,200/oz level. Nothing wrong with that. It's a fantastic price and delivers fat margins to even our highest cost gold mines. And it is not to suggest that gold can't take off again and set new highs or fall significantly for that matter. The observation is that for the last six weeks or so the Aussie price has been as steady as it could be in these turbulent times. It means that share prices of ASX-listed gold producers and developers have also gone into a sideways trading pattern. Need to differentiate So more than has been the case in recent times when gold took off to record levels, the producers and developers now need to differentiate themselves from the pack with strong newsflow of the re-rating inducing type. It means that if the gold price continues to trade sideways, the stock involved has a reason to go higher. Alternatively, if the gold price heads south, the damage to the stock could be more limited than it would have been otherwise. Taking all that on board, Garimpeiro had a look at his calendar during the week to find which of the gold producers/developers have re-rating event(s) on the horizon. Ausgold stands out Ausgold (ASX:AUC) stood out for the pending release this month of a definitive feasibility study (DFS) into the development of its Katanning gold project, a three-hour drive from Perth in WA's southwest Yilgarn region. Katanning is one of the biggest undeveloped gold deposits in the country at 3.04 million ounces and has previously been scoped as having the potential to produce 136,000 ounces annually from open-cut ore sources for more than 10 years. All-in sustaining costs were put at $A1,549 and preproduction capital costs weighed in at just under $300m. But those are 2023 figures and things will have changed, including the reserve component of the resource thanks to infill drilling work. Gold prices have increased dramatically since those 2023 figures but so have construction costs. Having said that, the expectation is that the DFS will confirm Katanning as a very robust project with a super quick capex payback capability. Take that and the scale of the project – production in the early years will be higher still because initial higher grade ores - and Ausgold's $240 million market cap at 67c share looks to be on the mean side of things. The company has the lowest resource ounce valuation metric of its peer group for no apparent reason, except perhaps the project has been in the works since 2010 under Ausgold ownership. So the story of the resource growth since, and the pending release of the DFS leading into a development decision by year end, has been overlooked to a large degree by the market on a fatigue basis alone. Katanning momentum Momentum for Katanning is now the order of the day under John Dorward, Ausgold's executive chairman who arrived on the scene in May last year. A can-do sort of guy, Dorward was the former president and CEO of TSX-listed Roxgold, a West African gold group acquired by fellow Canadian Fortuna Silver Mines in an all-scrip deal worth $US884 million in 2021. Two weeks in the job at Ausgold and Dorward put Katanning on the development pathway by pulling in $38 million in equity, including $1m from his own pocket. That is being spent getting to the DFS stage and on a three-pronged strategy of establishing a bigger mining reserve component in the mineral resource estimate, extending the scale of the resource and making regional gold discoveries. Morgans' 94c target Morgans' veteran analyst Chris Brown has a 12-month price target on the stock of 94c. 'Our expectation is that delivery of a DFS broadly confirming or improving on the preliminary feasibility study, and employing a higher gold price, should prove positive for the share price,' Brown said. He also flagged that a final investment decision on a project development – expected by the end of the year - should also prove positive depending on the terms of the project's financing package. ''Our valuation will likely lift with the delivery of the DFS, and again when the final investment decision is taken,'' Brown said. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the columnist and do not represent the views of Stockhead. Stockhead does not provide, endorse or otherwise assume responsibility for any financial product advice contained in this article. Originally published as Barry FitzGerald: Katanning ticks all the boxes for an Ausgold re-rate
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Barry FitzGerald: Katanning ticks all the boxes for an Ausgold re-rate
'Garimpeiro' columnist Barry FitzGerald has covered the resources industry for 35 years. Now he's sharing the benefits of his experience with Stockhead readers. After its dramatic rise in the opening months of the year to record levels, the Aussie gold price has settled into a bit of a groove around the $5,200/oz level. Nothing wrong with that. It's a fantastic price and delivers fat margins to even our highest cost gold mines. And it is not to suggest that gold can't take off again and set new highs or fall significantly for that matter. The observation is that for the last six weeks or so the Aussie price has been as steady as it could be in these turbulent times. It means that share prices of ASX-listed gold producers and developers have also gone into a sideways trading pattern. Need to differentiate So more than has been the case in recent times when gold took off to record levels, the producers and developers now need to differentiate themselves from the pack with strong newsflow of the re-rating inducing type. It means that if the gold price continues to trade sideways, the stock involved has a reason to go higher. Alternatively, if the gold price heads south, the damage to the stock could be more limited than it would have been otherwise. Taking all that on board, Garimpeiro had a look at his calendar during the week to find which of the gold producers/developers have re-rating event(s) on the horizon. Ausgold stands out Ausgold (ASX:AUC) stood out for the pending release this month of a definitive feasibility study (DFS) into the development of its Katanning gold project, a three-hour drive from Perth in WA's southwest Yilgarn region. Katanning is one of the biggest undeveloped gold deposits in the country at 3.04 million ounces and has previously been scoped as having the potential to produce 136,000 ounces annually from open-cut ore sources for more than 10 years. All-in sustaining costs were put at $A1,549 and preproduction capital costs weighed in at just under $300m. But those are 2023 figures and things will have changed, including the reserve component of the resource thanks to infill drilling work. Gold prices have increased dramatically since those 2023 figures but so have construction costs. Having said that, the expectation is that the DFS will confirm Katanning as a very robust project with a super quick capex payback capability. Take that and the scale of the project – production in the early years will be higher still because initial higher grade ores - and Ausgold's $240 million market cap at 67c share looks to be on the mean side of things. The company has the lowest resource ounce valuation metric of its peer group for no apparent reason, except perhaps the project has been in the works since 2010 under Ausgold ownership. So the story of the resource growth since, and the pending release of the DFS leading into a development decision by year end, has been overlooked to a large degree by the market on a fatigue basis alone. Katanning momentum Momentum for Katanning is now the order of the day under John Dorward, Ausgold's executive chairman who arrived on the scene in May last year. A can-do sort of guy, Dorward was the former president and CEO of TSX-listed Roxgold, a West African gold group acquired by fellow Canadian Fortuna Silver Mines in an all-scrip deal worth $US884 million in 2021. Two weeks in the job at Ausgold and Dorward put Katanning on the development pathway by pulling in $38 million in equity, including $1m from his own pocket. That is being spent getting to the DFS stage and on a three-pronged strategy of establishing a bigger mining reserve component in the mineral resource estimate, extending the scale of the resource and making regional gold discoveries. Morgans' 94c target Morgans' veteran analyst Chris Brown has a 12-month price target on the stock of 94c. 'Our expectation is that delivery of a DFS broadly confirming or improving on the preliminary feasibility study, and employing a higher gold price, should prove positive for the share price,' Brown said. He also flagged that a final investment decision on a project development – expected by the end of the year - should also prove positive depending on the terms of the project's financing package. ''Our valuation will likely lift with the delivery of the DFS, and again when the final investment decision is taken,'' Brown said. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the columnist and do not represent the views of Stockhead. Stockhead does not provide, endorse or otherwise assume responsibility for any financial product advice contained in this article.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Australian shares retreat from highs for second time
The Australian share market has slipped after again approaching its best-ever close, fading ahead of key US economic data and a long weekend in most Australian states. The S&P/ASX200 traded a tight range on Friday to finish 23.2 points lower, down 0.27 per cent to 8,515.7, as the broader All Ordinaries slipped 26.7 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8,741.9. The top 200 gained roughly one per cent for the week but failed to hold above its record close of 8,555.8 for a second straight day, as investors took profits ahead of a trading break on Monday and two potentially volatile US sessions before the next ASX open. With the local bourse so close to its record, some investors were asking if they were looking at a high-water mark, Moomoo market strategist Jessica Amir said. "With US debt concerns getting louder, investors are questioning whether markets could be due for a haircut," she told AAP. "But I think that'll be tested tonight when we get US jobs data, and if it really is weaker than expected then that will smash sentiment." Nine of 11 local sectors finished lower but energy shares offered some relief, up 0.7 per cent as hopes of resumed US-China trade talks pushed oil prices higher. Brent crude prices are up more than 3.5 per cent for the week, to $US64.86 a barrel, after a phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping raised hopes for global growth and crude demand from the world's two largest economies. Financials weighed on the bourse, down 0.4 per cent as investors took profits on the banks. CBA was the big four's worst performer on Friday, fading 0.8 per cent after hitting a fresh peak of $182 on Thursday. Zooming out, the sector was up 1.9 per cent for the week and holding above its record close in February. Liquidity rotation from the banks and glimmers of global trade hopes helped push BHP and Fortescue higher, but it was not enough to stop the materials sector from slipping 0.1 per cent after a 1.4 per cent gain for the week. The brighter trade horizon weighed on critical minerals miners after China's export controls pushed them higher on Thursday, leaving Pilbara Minerals (down 5.2 per cent) and Iluka Resources (down 3.8 per cent) among the top 200's worst performers on Friday. Goldminers were a mixed bag all week, as the precious metal continued to chop within a range, with futures at $US3,384 ($A5,210) an ounce. Cryptocurrency Bitcoin slipped almost five per cent overnight but has recovered some of its losses to trade about $US103,200 ($A158,860), with no fundamental catalyst behind the dip, trading platform OKX's Australian boss Kate Cooper said. "The modest 5.6 per cent dip in the global cryptocurrency market cap today reflects broader market volatility, as participants react to the European Central Bank's downward revision of inflation expectations and reassess growth prospects," she said. Qantas was among the ASX's best-performing large cap stocks, up 3.5 per cent to $10.76 as competitor Virgin Australia confirmed it would relist on the ASX on June 24 with an expected market cap of $2.3 billion. Gold explorer and developer Ora Banda took the wooden spoon, down 14 per cent after a production update failed to shine. The Australian dollar is buying 64.97 US cents, roughly on par with Thursday at 5pm, but at the upper end of its recent range against the greenback. ON THE ASX: * The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished Friday 23.2 points lower, down 0.27 per cent to 8,515.7 * The broader All Ordinaries fell 26.7 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8,741.9 CURRENCY SNAPSHOT: One Australian dollar buys: * 64.97 US cents, from 64.96 US cents on Thursday at 5pm * 93.56 Japanese yen, from 93.03 Japanese yen * 56.81 Euro cents, from 56.93 Euro cents * 47.95 British pence, from 47.95 pence * 107.58 NZ cents, from 107.70 NZ cents The Australian share market has slipped after again approaching its best-ever close, fading ahead of key US economic data and a long weekend in most Australian states. The S&P/ASX200 traded a tight range on Friday to finish 23.2 points lower, down 0.27 per cent to 8,515.7, as the broader All Ordinaries slipped 26.7 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8,741.9. The top 200 gained roughly one per cent for the week but failed to hold above its record close of 8,555.8 for a second straight day, as investors took profits ahead of a trading break on Monday and two potentially volatile US sessions before the next ASX open. With the local bourse so close to its record, some investors were asking if they were looking at a high-water mark, Moomoo market strategist Jessica Amir said. "With US debt concerns getting louder, investors are questioning whether markets could be due for a haircut," she told AAP. "But I think that'll be tested tonight when we get US jobs data, and if it really is weaker than expected then that will smash sentiment." Nine of 11 local sectors finished lower but energy shares offered some relief, up 0.7 per cent as hopes of resumed US-China trade talks pushed oil prices higher. Brent crude prices are up more than 3.5 per cent for the week, to $US64.86 a barrel, after a phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping raised hopes for global growth and crude demand from the world's two largest economies. Financials weighed on the bourse, down 0.4 per cent as investors took profits on the banks. CBA was the big four's worst performer on Friday, fading 0.8 per cent after hitting a fresh peak of $182 on Thursday. Zooming out, the sector was up 1.9 per cent for the week and holding above its record close in February. Liquidity rotation from the banks and glimmers of global trade hopes helped push BHP and Fortescue higher, but it was not enough to stop the materials sector from slipping 0.1 per cent after a 1.4 per cent gain for the week. The brighter trade horizon weighed on critical minerals miners after China's export controls pushed them higher on Thursday, leaving Pilbara Minerals (down 5.2 per cent) and Iluka Resources (down 3.8 per cent) among the top 200's worst performers on Friday. Goldminers were a mixed bag all week, as the precious metal continued to chop within a range, with futures at $US3,384 ($A5,210) an ounce. Cryptocurrency Bitcoin slipped almost five per cent overnight but has recovered some of its losses to trade about $US103,200 ($A158,860), with no fundamental catalyst behind the dip, trading platform OKX's Australian boss Kate Cooper said. "The modest 5.6 per cent dip in the global cryptocurrency market cap today reflects broader market volatility, as participants react to the European Central Bank's downward revision of inflation expectations and reassess growth prospects," she said. Qantas was among the ASX's best-performing large cap stocks, up 3.5 per cent to $10.76 as competitor Virgin Australia confirmed it would relist on the ASX on June 24 with an expected market cap of $2.3 billion. Gold explorer and developer Ora Banda took the wooden spoon, down 14 per cent after a production update failed to shine. The Australian dollar is buying 64.97 US cents, roughly on par with Thursday at 5pm, but at the upper end of its recent range against the greenback. ON THE ASX: * The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished Friday 23.2 points lower, down 0.27 per cent to 8,515.7 * The broader All Ordinaries fell 26.7 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8,741.9 CURRENCY SNAPSHOT: One Australian dollar buys: * 64.97 US cents, from 64.96 US cents on Thursday at 5pm * 93.56 Japanese yen, from 93.03 Japanese yen * 56.81 Euro cents, from 56.93 Euro cents * 47.95 British pence, from 47.95 pence * 107.58 NZ cents, from 107.70 NZ cents The Australian share market has slipped after again approaching its best-ever close, fading ahead of key US economic data and a long weekend in most Australian states. The S&P/ASX200 traded a tight range on Friday to finish 23.2 points lower, down 0.27 per cent to 8,515.7, as the broader All Ordinaries slipped 26.7 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8,741.9. The top 200 gained roughly one per cent for the week but failed to hold above its record close of 8,555.8 for a second straight day, as investors took profits ahead of a trading break on Monday and two potentially volatile US sessions before the next ASX open. With the local bourse so close to its record, some investors were asking if they were looking at a high-water mark, Moomoo market strategist Jessica Amir said. "With US debt concerns getting louder, investors are questioning whether markets could be due for a haircut," she told AAP. "But I think that'll be tested tonight when we get US jobs data, and if it really is weaker than expected then that will smash sentiment." Nine of 11 local sectors finished lower but energy shares offered some relief, up 0.7 per cent as hopes of resumed US-China trade talks pushed oil prices higher. Brent crude prices are up more than 3.5 per cent for the week, to $US64.86 a barrel, after a phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping raised hopes for global growth and crude demand from the world's two largest economies. Financials weighed on the bourse, down 0.4 per cent as investors took profits on the banks. CBA was the big four's worst performer on Friday, fading 0.8 per cent after hitting a fresh peak of $182 on Thursday. Zooming out, the sector was up 1.9 per cent for the week and holding above its record close in February. Liquidity rotation from the banks and glimmers of global trade hopes helped push BHP and Fortescue higher, but it was not enough to stop the materials sector from slipping 0.1 per cent after a 1.4 per cent gain for the week. The brighter trade horizon weighed on critical minerals miners after China's export controls pushed them higher on Thursday, leaving Pilbara Minerals (down 5.2 per cent) and Iluka Resources (down 3.8 per cent) among the top 200's worst performers on Friday. Goldminers were a mixed bag all week, as the precious metal continued to chop within a range, with futures at $US3,384 ($A5,210) an ounce. Cryptocurrency Bitcoin slipped almost five per cent overnight but has recovered some of its losses to trade about $US103,200 ($A158,860), with no fundamental catalyst behind the dip, trading platform OKX's Australian boss Kate Cooper said. "The modest 5.6 per cent dip in the global cryptocurrency market cap today reflects broader market volatility, as participants react to the European Central Bank's downward revision of inflation expectations and reassess growth prospects," she said. Qantas was among the ASX's best-performing large cap stocks, up 3.5 per cent to $10.76 as competitor Virgin Australia confirmed it would relist on the ASX on June 24 with an expected market cap of $2.3 billion. Gold explorer and developer Ora Banda took the wooden spoon, down 14 per cent after a production update failed to shine. The Australian dollar is buying 64.97 US cents, roughly on par with Thursday at 5pm, but at the upper end of its recent range against the greenback. ON THE ASX: * The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished Friday 23.2 points lower, down 0.27 per cent to 8,515.7 * The broader All Ordinaries fell 26.7 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8,741.9 CURRENCY SNAPSHOT: One Australian dollar buys: * 64.97 US cents, from 64.96 US cents on Thursday at 5pm * 93.56 Japanese yen, from 93.03 Japanese yen * 56.81 Euro cents, from 56.93 Euro cents * 47.95 British pence, from 47.95 pence * 107.58 NZ cents, from 107.70 NZ cents The Australian share market has slipped after again approaching its best-ever close, fading ahead of key US economic data and a long weekend in most Australian states. The S&P/ASX200 traded a tight range on Friday to finish 23.2 points lower, down 0.27 per cent to 8,515.7, as the broader All Ordinaries slipped 26.7 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8,741.9. The top 200 gained roughly one per cent for the week but failed to hold above its record close of 8,555.8 for a second straight day, as investors took profits ahead of a trading break on Monday and two potentially volatile US sessions before the next ASX open. With the local bourse so close to its record, some investors were asking if they were looking at a high-water mark, Moomoo market strategist Jessica Amir said. "With US debt concerns getting louder, investors are questioning whether markets could be due for a haircut," she told AAP. "But I think that'll be tested tonight when we get US jobs data, and if it really is weaker than expected then that will smash sentiment." Nine of 11 local sectors finished lower but energy shares offered some relief, up 0.7 per cent as hopes of resumed US-China trade talks pushed oil prices higher. Brent crude prices are up more than 3.5 per cent for the week, to $US64.86 a barrel, after a phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping raised hopes for global growth and crude demand from the world's two largest economies. Financials weighed on the bourse, down 0.4 per cent as investors took profits on the banks. CBA was the big four's worst performer on Friday, fading 0.8 per cent after hitting a fresh peak of $182 on Thursday. Zooming out, the sector was up 1.9 per cent for the week and holding above its record close in February. Liquidity rotation from the banks and glimmers of global trade hopes helped push BHP and Fortescue higher, but it was not enough to stop the materials sector from slipping 0.1 per cent after a 1.4 per cent gain for the week. The brighter trade horizon weighed on critical minerals miners after China's export controls pushed them higher on Thursday, leaving Pilbara Minerals (down 5.2 per cent) and Iluka Resources (down 3.8 per cent) among the top 200's worst performers on Friday. Goldminers were a mixed bag all week, as the precious metal continued to chop within a range, with futures at $US3,384 ($A5,210) an ounce. Cryptocurrency Bitcoin slipped almost five per cent overnight but has recovered some of its losses to trade about $US103,200 ($A158,860), with no fundamental catalyst behind the dip, trading platform OKX's Australian boss Kate Cooper said. "The modest 5.6 per cent dip in the global cryptocurrency market cap today reflects broader market volatility, as participants react to the European Central Bank's downward revision of inflation expectations and reassess growth prospects," she said. Qantas was among the ASX's best-performing large cap stocks, up 3.5 per cent to $10.76 as competitor Virgin Australia confirmed it would relist on the ASX on June 24 with an expected market cap of $2.3 billion. Gold explorer and developer Ora Banda took the wooden spoon, down 14 per cent after a production update failed to shine. The Australian dollar is buying 64.97 US cents, roughly on par with Thursday at 5pm, but at the upper end of its recent range against the greenback. ON THE ASX: * The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index finished Friday 23.2 points lower, down 0.27 per cent to 8,515.7 * The broader All Ordinaries fell 26.7 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8,741.9 CURRENCY SNAPSHOT: One Australian dollar buys: * 64.97 US cents, from 64.96 US cents on Thursday at 5pm * 93.56 Japanese yen, from 93.03 Japanese yen * 56.81 Euro cents, from 56.93 Euro cents * 47.95 British pence, from 47.95 pence * 107.58 NZ cents, from 107.70 NZ cents
