Regarding the broader junior market, the AIM All-Share Index experienced a significant boost, climbing 1.75% in a week which was generally positive for the stock market.
Towards the end of the week, stock prices witnessed a surge, fueled by encouraging economic indicators coming from the United States.
The S&P Global’s preliminary composite PMI for the US increased to 52.3 from 50.9 in December, indicating accelerated growth, mainly attributed to the services sector.
In the UK, consumer confidence hit a two-year high, reflecting growing optimism about the economic outlook for the upcoming year.
Golden Metal Resources PLC (AIM: GMET, OTCQB: GMTLF) saw its shares soar by 54.45% this week following the announcement of significant discoveries of gold, silver, and copper at its Garfield project in Nevada. The company reported exceptionally high-grade findings in its update, including silver concentrations as high as 1,225 grams per tonne, along with 18.35g/t gold and 1.89% copper.
In other news, Beowulf Mining PLC (AIM: BEM) experienced a 69% surge in its share price after a favourable legal ruling related to its mining activities in northern Sweden. The contentious Kallak mine has been a subject of protest by the indigenous Sami people and climate activist Greta Thunberg, due to concerns over reindeer migration and environmental impact. Thunberg criticized Sweden’s stance on environmental and indigenous rights, while the Swedish government emphasized the country’s significant role in the mining industry.
Power Metal Resources PLC (AIM: POW) and Harvest Minerals Ltd (AIM: HMI, OTC: HMIFF) also witnessed notable gains, with their shares increasing by 21% and 19%, respectively.
In the creative industry, System1 Group‘s shares climbed 24% after the marketing firm announced successful deals with major brands, leading to an expectation-exceeding performance for the year. The company secured 60 new clients, including prominent names like Pfizer, Marks & Spencer, and Toyota, for its marketing effectiveness assessment tools.
Molecular Energies PLC (AIM: MEN, OTC: PPCGD) also saw a significant decline, with shares dropping to a record low after raising £500,000 through a heavily discounted share offering. The energy firm, previously known as President Energy, priced the new shares at 35p each, a steep discount from the previous day’s closing price, targeting both institutional and retail investors.
Active Energy Group PLC (AIM: AEG, OTCQB: ATGVF) faced challenges as its contractor for the CoalSwitch ‘black pellet’ biomass plant withdrew its commitment to future production, leading to legal actions by Active Energy. Despite CEO Michael Rowan’s attempts to reassure investors, the company’s shares plummeted by 73%.
Lastly, Coral Products PLC (AIM: CRU) experienced a 29% drop in share value after cancelling its interim dividend due to worsening trading conditions. The company acknowledged that annual revenues would fall short of the previous year’s £35.2 million, with reduced sales impacting profit margins.
Helium One Global Ltd (AIM: HE1, OTCQB: HLOGF) has made a promising discovery in its basement, in the most positive sense.
The company completed drilling the Itumbula West-1 well in Tanzania, reaching a depth of 961 meters. Remarkably, the well showed helium levels more than twenty times higher than normal background levels.
Chief Executive Lorna Blaisse expressed excitement, noting that the elevated helium levels were anticipated and consistently found up to the basement level.
Additionally, Helium One reported significantly higher hydrogen levels in the well, especially in the Lake Beds area, where they were over two thousand times the usual background levels.
The next critical phase involves wireline logs to determine which intervals will undergo testing and sampling for further analysis.
Contrasting with what was found in the basement, Helium One’s stock price soared, ending the week as a top performer on the AIM market, surging by 219.80% following the optimistic drilling report.
