10 hours ago
Resources Top 5: Kaili's insane 8000pc Monday burst blows eyebrows clean off ASX heads
A highly unusual trading day for KLR raised more than a few eyebrows
MTB is picking up two advanced, high-grade gold projects in WA
BCN has returned 10 metres at 69.9g/t gold, including 1m at 593g/t, from Iguana deposit
Your standout small cap resources stocks for Monday, August 18, 2025
Kaili Resources (ASX:KLR)
A highly unusual trading day, to say the least, for Kaili Resources raised more than a few eyebrows, prompting two trading pauses and a price query from the ASX.
At one stage on Monday KLR burst 8000% up the charts, an explosion worthy of a memecoin.
After the largely unnoticed junior received approval from South Australia's mining regulator on Friday, August 15, for drilling of its rare earths projects across Lameroo, Karte and Coodalya on the Limestone Coast in the state's southeast and closed at 3.6c, the price hit a staggering $3.18 today.
A pause in trading around midday AEST did little to halt the trend as the price continued to soar. This was followed by a response to an ASX price query just after 2pm AEST and another price halt just before the close at $1.08, with shares having dumped 66% of their value from their heady mid-afternoon peak.
Late in the day the company fell by around 194% to close at $1.08, which still represented a 2900% increase on the previous close. Less than 2 million shares changed hands, with around $1.8m bucks traded. That's well beyond the paltry 15,858 average over the past four weeks.
In response to questions from Stockhead about the highly unusual trading pattern, the ASX said:
'ASX is aware of the trading in Kaili Resources (ASX:KLR). ASX monitors trading on a real time basis throughout the day to identify abnormal trading.
'KLR was issued with a price query and two trading pauses were implemented during the day.' Good enough, we guess, nothing to see here.
It marked a temporary windfall for the company's returning chairman Jianzhong Yang, who emerged with over 60% of the company according to a substantial shareholder notice ahead of his reappointment this month.
At one point his ~88m shares were worth over $280m. Their value tumbled to $96m by the time the second halt was called. Rough.
The only news of late with any market moving potential came last week, when Kaili Resources announced approval to drill some rare earth prospects in South Australia.
And the curiosity piled up further with another explorer at the same Liverpool Street address, Ausmon Resources (ASX:AOA), halted after a 150% pop of its own. Pedestian, by today's standards.
While the increases were staggering to say the least, another company with REE interests in the same region also pumped higher, somewhat more mildly.
Australian Rare Earths (ASX:AR3), which has the advanced Koppamurra REE project in the SA southeast, lifted 14.29% to 16c.
At Koppamurra AR3 has outlined a JORC 2012 resource of 236Mt at 748ppm total rare earth oxides.
Mount Burgess Mining (ASX:MTB)
After striking binding deals to pick up two advanced, high-grade gold projects in WA, with standout drill results including 6m at 64g/t gold, Mount Burgess Mining (ASX:MTB) doubled to a 12-month high of 1.2c.
The acquisitions with Metal Hawk (ASX:MHK) and Falcon Metals (ASX:FAL) bring these companies in as major MTB shareholders, with the former also taking a board seat.
The Viking gold project is a high-grade gold opportunity 30km east of Norseman in the Albany-Fraser Province with previous intersections including:
6m at 64 g/t Au from 50m;
4m at 15.4 g/t from 40m;
3m at 8.2 g/t from 43m; and
6m at 5.1 g/t from 141m.
The Blair North Project is only 25km east of Kalgoorlie in the Eastern Goldfields and is surrounded by established operations and gold deposits.
Recent drilling results include:
5.9m at 6.7 g/t Au from 244.4m;
2.5m at 7.4 g/t from 255.4m;
2m at 2.5 g/t Au from 105m; and
6m at 1.6g/t Au from 40m.
Drilling approvals are underway, with work expected to kick off in Q4 2025, backed by an oversubscribed $900,000 placement to sophisticated investors at an issue price of 0.7c per share, representing an 18.5% premium to the 10-day VWAP.
These projects give the company significant exposure to the strong gold sector, offering substantial exploration upside and setting a clear path forward as an active gold explorer.
'We are delighted to have secured these two exciting West Australian gold projects. We believe this a great result for MTB shareholders as we look forward to realising the potential of these highly prospective and underexplored tenement packages,' MTB executive chairman Steve Lennon said.
'Commencing gold exploration on these projects will be the company's immediate focus as we endeavour to get on the ground and start work as soon as possible.
'The acquisitions are consistent with the company's three-pillar strategic plan released on June 16, 2025, in which the board committed to advancing Kihabe–Nxuu while building the project pipeline through targeted acquisitions and partnerships.
'Today's transactions implement Pillar 3 (Project Pipeline Growth).'
Beacon Minerals (ASX:BCN)
An impressive 10 metres at 69.9 g/t gold, including 1m at 593 g/t, from Iguana deposit of the Lady Ida project WNW of Kalgoorlie has seen Beacon Minerals (ASX:BCN) reach $2.90, a high of almost 18 years and an increase of 70.1% on the previous close, before closing at $2.30.
The results are from the second batch of assays in a stage 2 grade control drilling program, which has identified multiple high-grade zones.
Other strong results:
19m at 8.6g/t Au from 16m, including 1m at 28.6g/t from 17m and 1m at 51.2g/t from 24m;
7m at 6.3g/t from 42m, including 1m at 33.5g/t from 47 metres; and 4m at 10.3g/t from 17m, including 1m at 32.50g/t from 19.
'These are fantastic results from the first 116 holes with four intercepts greater than 100 g/t, 17 intercepts greater than 20 g/t and 107 intercepts greater than 5 g/t,' executive chairman and MD Graham McGarry said.
'Therefore, our confidence and excitement at Iguana continues to grow as we prepare for first production early next year.'
Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG)
Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG) increased 17.2% to 11c on volume of more than 69m after acquiring 20 patented mining claims in Utah's Antimony Canyon.
These new claims, which expand and enhance TMG's Antimony Canyon project and include full surface rights, come as the company seeks to tap into US government and Department of Defense interest in domestic antimony production.
The patented claims protect Trigg from federal land policy changes and give it full freedom to design, construct and position processing facilities, waste storage and other infrastructure.
Trigg acquired the new claims in return for US$1.9m, payable in staged tranches.
They cover about 375 acres, expanding the existing Antimony Canyon project.
Trigg Minerals managing director Andre Booyzen said taking ownership of the 20 new mining claims was a transformative step.
'We now control not only the mineral rights but also the land surface, giving us the ability to advance exploration and development without the delays and allow the company to aggressively pursue its near-term pilot-scale mining ambitions,' he said.
Sunrise Energy Metals (ASX:SRL)
Positive newsflow in the past few months from the Syerston scandium project in Central West NSW has seen Sunrise Energy Metals (ASX:SRL) attract attention with shares lifting 28.31% to $1.70, a high of two years.
While there has been no material news this month for SRL, which has Ivanhoe Mines doyen and mining billionaire Robert Friedland as its non-executive co-chair, the company is well placed to serve growing Western demand for the critical metal.
The Syerston project hosts one of the world's largest and highest-grade scandium deposits.
A feasibility study was completed in August 2016, supported by extensive piloting, metallurgical test work and engineering and this is being updated.
Positive results of up to 16m at 869ppm Sc from 6m late last month point to more potential.
'The continuity of high-grade scandium mineralisation from this step-out campaign, which remains open in multiple directions, will allow us to target flexible, low-cost mining operations within multiple areas of our Mining Lease,' SRL MD Sam Riggall said.
