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The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price kicked up a notch in October, nearing its 52-week high of $320.42. While the global biotech didn’t release any market-sensitive news, investors appeared to be buying the company’s shares.

They gained around 4% during October to end the month at $300.49.

At the time of writing, the CSL share price is $310.93, up 0.03% on the day. This means its shares are around 3% off breaking a new 52-week high and are up around 8% over the last month.

How did CSL fare last month?

During early October, CSL released the commentary around its annual general meeting (AGM).

Almost all of the information had already been divulged in previous market updates such as its full-year results in August. However, it didn’t stop investors pushing up the CSL share price on the day to $292.68, a gain of 1.80%.

The surge came despite the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) falling 0.26% to 7,280 points on the day.

CSL noted that it sees the current FY22 financial year as a transitional one. The board is confident the company can return to sustainable growth in the next 24 months. It has several major expansion projects underway along with developing its R&D pipeline products.

Nonetheless, there is still a strong demand for its portfolio of therapies and vaccines, which have offset plasma collection headwinds.

Plasma levels for FY21 were down about 20% on the previous year and these were collected at a higher cost per litre. This came from additional PPE and cleaning requirements, social distancing and labour costs as well as higher compensation paid to donors.

Most recently, a couple of brokers rated the company’s shares following CSL’s annual R&D day.

Multinational investment firm Goldman Sachs raised its price target by 1% to $305.00, while Jefferies had a more bullish outlook. The latter lifted its 12-month view by 3.1% to $338.00. Based on the current share price, this implies an upside of around 9% on Jefferies’ assessment.

CSL share price review

When looking over the last 12 months, the CSL share price has gained around 6%. Year-to-date it has fared slightly better, up almost 10% for the period.

CSL presides a market capitalisation of roughly $141.49 billion, and has approximately 455.67 million shares on issue.

The post What happened to the CSL (ASX:CSL) share price in October? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Own CSL shares? Here’s how the company actually makes money
• Top ASX shares to buy in November 2021
• CSL (ASX:CSL) share price history: The major highlights (and low points)

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras owns shares of CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) share price is struggling on the ASX today. Though, it’s not alone in its struggles.

The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) is the worst performing index on Thursday. It has fallen 2.09% so far.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is currently up 0.36%.

At the time of writing, the Woodside share price is $22.95, 2.86% lower than its previous close.

Not to mention, the price of oil is also tumbling. Let’s take a closer look at what might be putting pressure on the Woodside share price on Thursday.

What might be weighing the Woodside share price today?

The Woodside share price is tumbling alongside oil prices, which reportedly experienced their biggest single-day fall in more than 3 weeks overnight.

According to data from CNBC, the price of West Texas Intermediate oil is currently down 1.15%, trading at US$79.93 a barrel. Additionally, the price of Brent crude oil is down 0.83%, selling for US$81.31 per barrel.

As Reuters reports, the price of oil dropped as the United States’ weekly crude stocks increased by 3.3 million barrels.

Further, the publication claims the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, better known as OPEC+, plans on meeting on Thursday. The group is reportedly expected to continue with its steady approach to resupplying the world’s oil markets despite pressure to increase production.

Some of such pressure has come from United States’ President Joe Biden. Biden reportedly blamed OPEC+’s approach for surging energy commodity prices at COP26 earlier this week.

While on the topic of COP26, another Reuters report claims at least 19 countries are planning to pledge to end foreign investment in fossil fuel projects before 2023.

The pledge likely isn’t affecting the Woodside share price today, particularly as Australia hasn’t been named as one of the 19 countries. However, it could be weighing on the broader global energy market.

Those interested can find a map of Woodside’s global presence here.

The post Why is the Woodside (ASX:WPL) share price slipping and sliding today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• 2 more of the best ASX shares to buy in November according to this top broker
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• How did the Woodside Petroleum (ASX:WPL) share price perform in October?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Tuesday

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Vulcan Steel Limited (ASX: VSL) share price has landed on the ASX boards this afternoon following the successful completion of its initial public offering (IPO).

At the time of writing, the steel manufacturer’s shares are up 1.5% from their listing price to $7.20.

The Vulcan Steel IPO

The Vulcan Steel share price commenced trade at midday after raising $371.6 million at $7.10 per share.

However, unlike other recent IPOs, the funds raised from the offering will not be used to support the company’s growth. Rather, these funds will go to existing shareholders that are selling down their holdings.

The release notes that this provides a liquid market for its shares and an opportunity for other investors to invest in Vulcan Steel. It also notes that listing on the share market provides Vulcan Steel with access to capital markets to enable additional financial flexibility to pursue growth opportunities.

Upon listing, Vulcan had a market capitalisation of $930 million. This has increased to just over $943 million following the rise in the Vulcan Steel share price.

In FY 2021, Vulcan Steel reported revenue of $731.5 million and net profit after tax of $61.1 million. This is expected to rise to $809.3 million and $73.7 million, respectively, in FY 2022. This means the company’s shares are trading at a touch under 13x estimated FY 2022 earnings.

“A momentous occasion”

Vulcan Steel’s CEO, Rhys Jones, said: “This is a momentous occasion and a pivotal step for Vulcan. On behalf of the Company, I would like to welcome all our new shareholders. We received strong support from institutional and individual investors in Australia, New Zealand and further afield. Our employees responded positively to the Priority Offer.”

“We are especially proud that many have decided to participate in the opportunity and that 20% of our employees are now shareholders in the company. We are excited about our prospects. Our team’s focus is unwavering when it comes to enhancing customer satisfaction, growing our business and earnings, and in the process creating more value for our shareholders,” he added.

The post Vulcan Steel (ASX:VSL) share price rises after completing IPO appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the ASX All Ordinaries lifting to a fresh 7-week high?
• Can the All Ords hit 8,000 points by the end of the year?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Consumer advocacy group Choice’s annual Shonky Awards is an “honour” roll that no business wants to be named in.

The awards recognise the worst products and services of the year, in terms of consumer benefit.

So it’s no wonder that ASX shares for buy now, pay later provider Humm Group Ltd (ASX: HUM) had plunged 0.58% by Thursday afternoon after its product was named in as a “winner” of a Shonky.

According to Choice, it has singled out Humm for lending up to $30,000 with “dubious checks and balances to keep Australians safe from predatory debt”. 

Choice chief Alan Kirkland is concerned BNPL players are deliberately avoiding safe lending laws.

“That means they don’t need to check whether you can afford to repay a debt before they lend you money,” he said.

“Choice asked Humm 4 times how they check whether they are lending safely and we could not get a straight answer. This is unregulated credit, pure and simple.”

Humm is ‘proud’ of its customer relationships

In response, a Humm spokesperson told The Motley Fool that the company is “proud of its strong relationship with customers”.

“We conduct a detailed product suitability check with third-party credit bureau Illion and mandatory income verification on all app-driven purchases in-store and online over $1,000,” said the spokesperson.

“We then utilise our own sophisticated credit algorithms to ensure that customers have the ability to repay.”

The company cited that fewer than 1.5% of its customers apply for financial hardship support.

Humm shares have plunged more than 24% so far this year.

BNPL can be ‘dangerous’

According to Choice, Humm was voted within the financial counsellor community as the “worst BNPL provider” for hardship assistance.

Financial Counselling Australia chief Fiona Guthrie called for the BNPL industry to be regulated like other credit providers.

“Our recent survey of buy now, pay later services showed that Humm is the worst company for helping customers in financial difficulty,” she said.

“The industry overall is not doing well. One of the reasons for that is because buy now, pay later can be a dangerous product. It’s so easy for people to find themselves with multiple accounts and in over their head.”

Unlike most other BNPL providers, Humm has been around the block a few times. 

The Sydney business has been offering finance products since 1991 before its recent foray into the BNPL area.

The post ‘Worst BNPL’: ASX company called out for ‘unsafe lending’ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Humm (ASX:HUM) share price falls despite revealing recommencement of dividends
• Humm (ASX:HUM) share price edges higher on first quarter results

Motley Fool contributor Tony Yoo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Humm Group Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF) share price has been among the best performers on the ASX 200 on Thursday.

In afternoon trade, the private health insurer’s shares are up 4.5% to $7.05.

This latest gain means the NIB share price is now up almost 17% in 2021.

Why is the NIB share price charging higher today?

The catalyst for the rise in the NIB share price today has been the release of a trading update at its annual general meeting. That update reveals that NIB has started FY 2022 in a very positive fashion.

According to the release, the private health insurer’s premium revenue increased 8.5% over the prior corresponding period to $669.5 million during the first quarter. This was driven by modest increases in policyholder numbers in Australia and New Zealand and premium increases.

In respect to the former, Australian resident health insurance (ARHI) policyholders increased 0.6% and New Zealand policyholders grew 1.3%. Offsetting this slightly was a 0.1% decline in international inbound health insurance (IIHI) policyholders.

Also potentially giving the NIB share price a boost was its claims update. The release shows that estimated ARHI claims fell 2.4% over the prior corresponding period to $442.5 million.

What’s next?

There was no mention of its guidance at the meeting. In light of this, the company appears to still be targeting ARHI net policyholder growth in the range of 2% to 3%.

At the meeting, NIB‘s new Chair, Steve Crane, spoke positively about the future.

He said: “While FY21 has certainly been another extra-ordinary year and not without its challenges, our business is in very good shape. We continue to grow with increased profitability, we are well capitalised and there is no shortage of opportunity ahead.”

The post Why the NIB (ASX:NHF) share price is one of the best performers on the ASX 200 today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why CSR, Hipages, NIB, and Paladin Energy shares are racing higher
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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended NIB Holdings Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) price just broke into new all-time highs.

According to data from CoinMarketCap, one Ether was trading for US$4,665 (AU$6,220), 8 hours ago from the time of writing.

That surpasses the previous record high, set on 11 May this year. And it gives the world’s No. 2 crypto a market capitalisation of US$540.5 billion.

The Ethereum price has retraced 2% since setting its new highwater mark, currently trading for US$4,570.

As for the all-time low?

While we’re on the subject of records, if you’re wondering when the Ethereum price hit rock bottom that was 6 years ago. On 21 October, less than 3 months after its blockchain went live, Ether fell to an all-time low of 42 US cents.

If you’d snapped up some tokens at that price, you’d be sitting on a virtual gain of 1,086,252% today. Of course, you would have had to sit through 72 months of wild price volatility to get there.

Why did the Ethereum price have such a strong October?

Today’s record high Ethereum price comes on the back of the more than 40% gains posted last month.

Ether started October trading for US$2,995 (AU$3,993) and finished the month at US$4,431.

One of the tailwinds helping propel Ether higher has been the strong performance of the world’s biggest crypto, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC). When Bitcoin gains, or loses, many altcoins tend to follow.

And Bitcoin also posted stellar gains in October, finishing the month up 41%. Some of the bullish price moves related to investor enthusiasm over the first US-listed futures-based Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). The ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (NYSE: BITO), launched on 19 October, has seen near-record inflows.

The Bitcoin ETF has many analysts and investors speculating that an Ethereum ETF is only just around the corner. Which could also be helping drive resurgent animal spirits for the token.

Real-world applications

Another potential force helping boost the Ethereum price is its real-world application for business and finance.

Bitcoin is mainly used as a potential store of wealth or to accept or pay for transactions. But Ethereum can be used for things like self-executing smart contracts and other decentralised applications.

On 21 October, Darren Abrams, co-founder and managing director of digital currency provider Aus Merchant Investments, told the Motley Fool:

Ethereum is a platform, upon which a multitude of decentralised applications are built. These decentralised applications or ‘dapps’ as they are often referred to, are part of a revolution in the computing space known as web 3.0… While Bitcoin is central to the Web 3.0 movement, it’s use case is limited. Ether, and other smart contract blockchains, have an almost infinite number of use cases.

Is the Ethereum price inflation resistant?

We’ll leave off Ethereum’s price run to new record highs with a nod to investors’ inflationary concerns.

Bitcoin has long been billed as digital gold. A haven in times of broad stroke price increases. As with gold, that hasn’t always been the case. But the mantra remains.

Now Ether is beginning to garner similar attention.

As Bloomberg notes, “Fans of Ethereum are jumping on the anti-inflation narrative“.

Whether those fans are proven correct over the longer term or left nursing heavy losses remains to be seen.

Invest with care.

The post The Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) price just hit all-time highs after a strong October appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• Why did the Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) price have such a great month in October?
• CBA (ASX:CBA) just became the first Aussie bank to offer Bitcoin and crypto services
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The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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Shares in uranium exploring company Deep Yellow Limited (ASX: DYL) are soaring this afternoon to now trade 11% higher at $1.07 apiece.

Deep Yellow shares have been on the move following a company announcement regarding the mineral resource estimate (MRE) for its Omahola project.

Here are the details.

Why is the Deep Yellow share price charging higher?

Deep Yellow advised of an MRE upgrade at its second focus project – the Omahola Project, located in Namibia.

The site includes the Ongolo, MS7 and Inca uranium deposits, and it is owned by Deep Yellow through its 100% owned subsidiary Uranium Namibia Ltd.

Previously, the mineral resource measured between 2009–2013 at Omahola was 45 million pounds (Mlb) uranium at 420 parts per million (ppm), conforming to the JORC (2004) Code.

Today’s release notes that Deep Yellow now reports its MRE to the JORC (2012) Code at a 100ppm uranium cut-off.

It now defines a measured, indicated and inferred mineral resource base of 125.3Mlb at 190ppm uranium at the site.

Omahola now provides the company with “another significant exploration target, which the company has now started to progress”.

Deep Yellow confirmed in the release today that more exploration has commenced across the site to unlock further value at Omahola.

For instance, it has started follow-up drilling “through a shallow 7,100m 200-hole [Reverse Circulation] drilling program”.

The announcement also follows up on two previous updates out of Deep Yellow’s corner in the past month, where it confirmed the completion of drilling programs at its Nova venture and Tumas project respectively.

There, it upgraded the MRE at its Tumas site as well, now defining a probable ore reserve of 31Mlb of uranium at 344ppm. Deep Yellow estimates that the Tumas mine’s life has a tenure of around 11-12 years.

The news comes as uranium prices whipsaw in the spot markets, with contracts trading in a range of US$38/lb to US$51 per pound in the last 2 months – a 34% spread in pricing.

At the time of writing, the alternative energy source is commanding $42.70/lb, down 13% in a single week.

A bit more on the Deep Yellow share price

It’s been a year of joy for Deep Yellow and its share price, with shareholders enjoying a 127% since January 1.

Longer-term buyers have seen their positions climb over 230% in the green, meaning Deep Yellow shares have substantially outpaced the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO)’s return of 22% in that time.

The post Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL) smashes resource estimate sending share price 11% higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL) share price gaining 5% on Monday?
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• Why ASX uranium shares are in focus on Tuesday
• ASX uranium shares are surging this week. Here’s why
• Here’s why ASX uranium shares are booming double digits across the board on Wednesday

The author Zach Bristow has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price is in the green today. Meanwhile, parts of the airline’s planes have become a resting ground for Californian wildlife.

The term ‘snakes on a plane’ was made famous by a cringeworthy 2006 movie starring Samuel L. Jackson. But, just as plane-based snakes concerned Jackson, they’re also challenging aviation engineers working to bring some Qantas planes back into action.

The airline’s fleet of A380s is currently resting in the low humidity of California’s Mojave desert. Unfortunately, the climate that makes the desert the ideal place to park planes also makes a perfect habitat for dangerous wildlife.

Qantas’ engineers have taken to using broom handles to scare away venomous rattlesnakes and scorpions.

Though, the planes aren’t expected to be parked for much longer. Qantas’ CEO Alan Joyce recently announced the first Qantas flagship A380 will return to Australia on Christmas Day and more will follow in 2022.

At the time of writing, the Qantas share price is $5.65, 1.62% higher than its previous close.

For context, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is up 0.14% today.

Let’s look at what engineers must tackle to get Qantas’ parked fleet back into service.

A380 versus nature

While returning the A380s to service might seem challenging, passengers needn’t fear. The airline’s crew has plugged all orifices to stop wildlife from making a home inside the planes.

Though, crew charged with rotating the aircrafts’ wheels every week need to be slightly more careful.

Qantas’ manager for engineering in Los Angeles, Tim Heywood, commented on the potentially dangerous job earlier this year, saying:

Every aircraft has its own designated “wheel whacker” (a repurposed broom handle) as part of the engineering kit, complete with each aircraft’s registration written on it.

The first thing we do before we unwrap and start any ground inspections of the landing gear in particular is to walk around the aircraft stomping our feet and tapping the wheels with a wheel whacker to wake up and scare off the snakes. That’s about making sure no harm comes to our engineers or the snakes.

Qantas engineers have also been busy inspecting aircrafts’ fuselage and wings for animal and birds’ nests.

Such nests can become a bigger issue than many would presume.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has recognised a trend of aircrafts’ speed and altitude indications being unreliable following a period of storage.

The agency found the issues were generally caused by the likes of insect nests, which contaminated air data systems.

Qantas share price snapshot

Snakes or no snakes, this year has been a great time for Qantas on the ASX.

The Qantas share price has gained 15% since the start of 2021. It is also 23% higher than it was this time last year.

The post The Qantas (ASX:QAN) share price is lifting, but returning planes to the air isn’t without challenges appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

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• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: BHP and Rio Tinto fall, Qantas higher
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Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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In afternoon trade the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on form and pushing higher again. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is up 0.2% to 7,407.1 points.

Four ASX shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here’s why they are racing higher:

CSR Limited (ASX: CSR)

The CSR share price is up 5% to $6.31. This follows the release of the building products company’s half year results this morning. According to the release, for the six months ended 30 September, CSR reported a 6% increase in revenue to $1.1 billion and a 41% lift in EBIT to $132.6 million.

Hipages Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: HPG)

The Hipages share price has jumped 8% to $4.05. The catalyst for this was news that the tradie marketplace has made a key investment. Hipages has acquired a 25% interest in Bricks + Agent for $6.25 million. The release notes that Bricks + Agent is one of Australia’s leading property management technology platforms. It has 360,000 users, a pipeline of almost 500,000 properties under management, and 21,000 tradies on its platform.

NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF)

The NIB share price is up 4.5% to $7.05. This follows the release of the private health insurer’s annual general meeting update. That update revealed that NIB achieved an 8.5% increase in premium revenue to $669.5 million during the first quarter. NIB also reported a 0.6% increase in Australian resident health insurance (ARHI) policies and a 2.4% decline in estimated ARHI claims to $442.5 million.

Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)

The Paladin Energy share price has jumped 13% to 94.2 cents. This morning the uranium producer provided an update on the Langer Heinrich Mine restart plan. According to the release, the plan confirms the restart cost estimate of US$81 million and a 17 year mine life. In addition, the company revealed that its life of mine production target has increased to 77.4Mlb of U3O8 from 76.1Mlb.

The post Why CSR, Hipages, NIB, and Paladin Energy shares are racing higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 30% jump in profit sees CSR (ASX:CSR) share price spike
• ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: Zip’s record month, Domino’s crashes
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• 3 fantastic ASX growth shares to buy this month
• Why Aussie Broadband, BlueBet, Hipages, and JB Hi-Fi shares are rising

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and has recommended Hipages Group Holdings Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hipages Group Holdings Ltd. and NIB Holdings Limited. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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The 4DS Memory Ltd (ASX: 4DS) share price has fallen off the edge of a cliff on Thursday morning. This comes as the semiconductor developer resumes trade after releasing a technical update.

At the time of writing, 4DS shares are sitting at a sombre 7 cents, down 46.15% from its previous close of 13 cents per share. In the process, the company has clocked in a new 52-week low of 6.9 cents during today’s session.

Let’s have a look at what has instigated this staggering fall in value.

What’s going on with the 4DS Memory share price today?

Investors are flocking to the exit as the 4DS Memory share price craters following its latest technical update. Understandably, spectators would have been nervous after nearly a month of trading suspension. Unfortunately, the nerves were not calmed by the company’s latest release.

According to the announcement, a ‘potentially modest degradation’ in endurance had been identified in its third non-platform lot wafers after carrying out extensive additional testing. This was noted when the wafers were assessed with up to one order of magnitude boost in read speed.

This misstep in what the company had hoped it would deliver at this point in time is likely weighing on the 4DS Memory share price today.

Additionally, the company also pointed out potential degradation in the endurance of the second non-platform lot compared to the results reported on 1 February 2021. Though, the endurance remains to be several orders of magnitude better than that of NAND storage.

In relation to this, 4DS highlighted that this might have been caused by test-related issues because the memory cell did not utilise an access device. An access device is essentially the difference between non-platform and platform lots in 4DS’ testing.

Hence, the third platform lots are expected to yield clearer data relating to the endurance of the chips. The next lot of testing will involve the third platform lots using imec access transistors. This should accommodate more precise measurements at higher currents. Although, this evidently has provided reassurance to the 4DS Memory share price.

Delays and renegotiations

4DS is seeking to fabricate more lots in collaboration with imec in early 2022. This will be preceded by a memory stack etch mask change and further etch process optimisation. In turn, the company hopes this will resolve the issues which resulted in the partial failure of the second platform lots. The ‘out-of-fab’ date is expected to be July 2022.

Furthermore, 4DS has renegotiated its collaboration agreement with imec due to the latest stumble setting back timelines. As a result, the new agreement will see 4DS pay 600,000 euro (~A$934,000) to imec for the first 7 months of 2022.

The new agreement will see its collaboration extended out to the end of 2022. Despite this, the 4DS Memory share price is hemorrhaging today.

The post 4DS Memory (ASX:4DS) share price crashes 46% amid technical stumble appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• What’s going on with the 4DS Memory (ASX:4DS) share price?

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

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