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The BlackEarth Minerals NL (ASX: BEM) share price has recovered after a morning of poor trading after the company announced it has joined the European Battery Alliance (EBA).

It’s been a volatile day for the graphite developer’s share price. After opening at 11 cents this morning, it soon dropped by 8%. It has since gained that back and is currently more than 33% higher than yesterday’s close.

At the time of writing, shares in BlackEarth Minerals are trading at 16 cents each.

What did BlackEarth announce today?  

In this afternoon’s announcement, BlackEarth revealed it and its supply partner LuxCarbon GmbH had joined the EBA, pledging to provide industry support to the Alliance and its members.

BlackEarth will also provide the EBA with samples of high-grade concentrate from its recently commenced Stage 2 pilot program to confirm its suitability for the electric vehicle market.  

The company says its association with the EBA will benefit it in further developing its graphite supply chain business strategy, supporting its downstream processing plant and fast tracking the development of its graphite deposit in Madagascar.

About the EBA

The EBA is an industry group that aims to develop the growing electric vehicle and battery markets in Europe. It’s working to create a competitive, sustainable and inexpensive battery-making industry on the continent.

The goals of the EBA are to access sustainable raw materials for the production of batteries at a reasonable cost and to support both European battery making and new markets for batteries.

Other members of the EBA include Tesla, Ford, BMW, Bosch and Volvo Cars.

Commentary from management

BlackEarth managing director Tom Revy said that the company was encouraged by the EBA to join.

He commented:

Membership of the Alliance is a natural fit for our ambitions and the plans we have with our existing German based supply partner, LuxCarbon.

The team at BlackEarth are working toward the establishment of a downstream processing plant and we see the European market as a key destination for our range of products. Many of the existing Alliance members are already engaged with our partner in Europe and this provides us with enormous opportunities that are unique to BlackEarth.

BlackEarth Minerals share price snapshot

 The BlackEarth Minerals share price has risen by 200% year to date, and by more than 321% over the last 12 months.

More reading

• Why the BlackEarth (ASX:BEM) share price is racing 6% higher
• The Blackearth Minerals (ASX:BEM) share price is rocketing 150% today. Here’s why

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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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Due to recent weakness in the technology sector, now could be an opportune time to consider long term investments in the space. Two stellar ASX tech shares that could be great long term options are listed below. Here’s why they are highly rated:

Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

The first ASX tech share to look at is Altium. It is an award-winning printed circuit board (PCB) design software provider. PCBs are the circuit boards you find in almost all electronic devices. 

Positively for Altium, with the number of electronic devices exploding globally because of technological advances, demand for its software has been growing very strongly and looks set to continue doing so for some time to come.

Management certainly believes this will be the case. It is aiming to achieve subscriptions of 100,000 and grow its revenue to US$500 million by FY 2025/26. This compares to FY 2020’s ~51,000 subscriptions and revenue of US$189.1 million.

Credit Suisse is positive on the company. It recently retained its outperform rating and $35 price target on Altium’s shares.

Pushpay Holdings Group Ltd (ASX: PPH)

Another ASX tech share to look at is Pushpay. It is a donor management and community engagement provider with a focus on the church market.

While Pushpay was growing at a rapid rate before COVID-19, the pandemic has given its growth a lift over the last 12 months. This is because COVID has accelerated the digitisation of the church and led to a surge in demand for its offering.

Whether or not this has pulled forward sales from future periods is difficult to say, so the company’s growth could potentially slow in FY 2022. But it certainly appears to be worth sticking with the company due to its long term growth potential.

Like Altium, Pushpay has set itself bold aspirational targets. It is aiming to win a 50% share of the medium to large church market in the United States. Management estimates this to be worth US$1 billion in revenue. This is almost six times greater than the annualised revenue of US$85.6 million it delivered in the first half of FY 2021. 

Goldman Sachs is positive on the company’s growth trajectory. So much so, the broker has a conviction buy rating and a $2.59 price target on its shares.

More reading

• 2 impressive ASX shares to buy in March 2021
• How did WAAAX shares perform this reporting season?
• 2 ASX shares to buy in March 2021
• 2 of the best ASX tech shares to buy and hold
• 2 outstanding ASX growth shares to buy in March

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 PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Altium. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Altium. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. 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 brent crude oil price is up 2.29% for the day (at the time of writing) and 23.27% for the year.

Investors are watching oil this week as OPEC+ gets together to discuss production levels.

Price of oil on watch after OPEC+ talks

According to MarketWatch, traders are looking to OPEC+ to ease trading restrictions come April 2021.

The group of major oil producers met to hold talks this week, and some analysts are expecting production to be ramped up.

Reuters claims that OPEC+ is expecting global oil demand to grow to 96 million barrels per day. Reuters further notes that market expectation is for an estimated ease in production cuts equating to 500,000 barrels per day.

ASX companies react to oil price

Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH) shares are slightly lower in afternoon trading, down 0.71% at $4.20. 

The slide in the Oil Search share price comes despite the company’s announcement today that Peter Fredricson has been appointed chief financial officer (CFO) effective 23 March 2021.

Meanwhile, the Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) share price has edged up to $7.40 at the time of writing, a 0.14% push.

In a recent update, the company announced that S&P confirmed its BBB- (stable) credit rating. S&P commented that the stable outlook “reflects S&P’s view of Santos’ capacity to fund growth…”

The Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) share price is up 1.23% at the time of writing to $1.65.

Earlier this week, Beach Energy advised it was purchasing Senex Energy Ltd (ASX: SXY)’s Cooper Basin business for $87.5 million. 

Foolish takeaway

Oil prices being on the move isn’t a new phenomenon, with the per barrel price of crude oil crashing 35% between 2019 and 2020.

Investors will be no doubt keeping up with the OPEC+ chats to form an opinion on where oil prices are going. The next couple of days should continue to provide a clearer picture.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Exploring the golden window of opportunity for ASX ESG investors
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Wednesday
• Oil back to $100 per barrel? ASX energy shares could rocket
• Why Limeade, Oil Search, Platinum, & Whispir shares are sinking

Motley Fool contributor Gretchen Kennedy 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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Quite a few of the impressive shares on the ASX are trading lower today thanks to some market volatility.

Lower prices can mean better value for prospective investors, assuming the companies haven’t released any negative news like what has happened to Synlait Milk Ltd (ASX: SM1) today.

These businesses are ones that have large growth plans in place:

Altium Limited (ASX: ALU)

Altium management have a plan to becme the world’s leading electronic PCB software business.

The Altium share price has fallen by more than 1% today and it’s now trading at around $26, which is a fall of around 35% since the 52-week price high in mid-October 2020.

Whilst the company is struggling in the face of COVID-19 impacts to its customers and the overall industry, the company is seeing green shoots of a recovery.

In the FY21 half-year result it said that Octopart revenue went up by 19% to US$10.8 million as electronic manufacturing rebounded during the half. Altium says that this is a positive leading indicator for PCB design growth that should drive Altium Designer sales in the second half of the financial year.

A lot of the planned growth is pinned on Altium 365, its online collaboration platform for its software. This is where management see a major opportunity.

Altium CEO Aram Mirkazemi said:

Altium 365 is key to our future success through indirect monetization from our CAD software tools and, in time, direct monetization from the broader ecosystem. I am most heartened by the strong adoption of Altium 365 and, with our Netflix organisational changes behind us, I am confident of a much stronger second half. Early signs are positive for this.

However, the ASX share’s management said that with the lingering uncertainty, FY21 full year revenue guidance (excluding the TASKING business due to the sale) is expected to be at the lower end of the range, from US$190 million to US$195 million and an earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin in the range of 37% to 39%.

According to Commsec, the Altium share price is valued at 42x FY23’s estimated earnings.

City Chic Collective Ltd (ASX: CCX)

The City Chic share price is currently down 4.4% as part of the market decline.

Its customer base is plus-size women, it sells items including apparel, footwear and accessories. Those products are sold across a number of different brands including City Chic, Avenue, Evans, CCX, Hips & Curves and Fox & Royal.

Avenue (US-based) and Evans (UK-based) target a broad customer base across conservative and fashion, both of which have a large online customer base. Hips & Curves and Fox & Royal are online intimate brands in the US and ANZ respectively.

City Chic has a goal of a ‘leading a world of curves’ and the CEO, Phil Ryan spoke of the progress that the company has been making towards its global goal:

Over the last two years, we have more than doubled our global active customer base to 801,000, increased online penetration from 40% to 73% and grown our northern hemisphere business from 16% to 45% of total sales. We now have three banner brands which have very strong brand recognition, customer loyalty and traffic in their respective home countries and we will leverage these platforms to sell all our brands around the globe.

The ASX share reported sales growth of 13.5% to $119 million, underlying EBITDA growth of 21.8% to $23.3 million and statutory profit growth of 24.8% to $13.1 million. Normalised operating cash flow was $21.5 million.

City Chic said that in the first eight weeks of the second half of FY21, strong comparable growth of sales has continued.

The City Chic share price is valued at 23x FY23’s estimated earnings, according to Commsec.

More reading

• How did WAAAX shares perform this reporting season?
• 2 of the best ASX tech shares to buy and hold
• Got money to invest? Here are 2 ASX shares to buy
• 2 outstanding ASX growth shares to buy in March
• City Chic (ASX:CCX) share price to grab attention after HY21 profit growth

Tristan Harrison owns shares of Altium. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. recommends Altium. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Altium. 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 Navarre Minerals Ltd (ASX: NML) share price is gaining today. At the time of writing, the Navarre share price is up more than 10% to 16 cents.

This comes after the ASX gold and silver explorer reported on its air core drill results this morning.

What drill results did Navarre report?

The Navarre share price is well and truly on the rise today. Indeed, this rise comes after the company reported “outstanding gold and silver results”. These results were detected at its Glenlyle project in western Victoria.

The assay results come from Navarre’s 8,400 metre air-core drilling program. The top results included grades of up to 301 grams per tonne of silver. Additionally, it reported 1.3 grams per tonne of gold.

Navarre said the strong results indicate it is “honing in on a large concealed polymetallic mineralised system”. The company has already started a 2,000-metre diamond core drilling program to further understand the mineralised system.

Comments from the managing director

On the results, Navarre’s managing director, Ian Holland said:

The latest air-core drilling results are outstanding and we have immediately kickstarted a diamond core drilling campaign to test the depth extents of a potentially large polymetallic mineral system on the Glenlyle tenement.

The mineralised footprint at Morning Bill has now doubled in strike length, with further extensions likely given visual analysis of material drilled but not yet assayed.

Holland added that Navarre was optimistic about the “broad widths and tenor of the results… as well as the presence of a large magnetic low corresponding with this mineralisation”.

The company stated it will now focus on verifying and reporting the remaining results from the air core drilling program. In addition, it is also focusing on completing the 2,000-metre diamond core drilling program it just commenced.

Share price snapshot

Navarre Minerals shares have gained 61% over the past 12 months. In comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up 10% since this time last year.

So far in 2021, the Navarre share price is down 31%.

More reading

• Why are these ASX 200 healthcare shares sinking today?
• ANZ (ASX:ANZ) share price outperforms on broker “buy” upgrade
• Myer (ASX:MYR) share price plummets on first-half results release
• The ARB (ASX:ARB) share price moving up on $40 million acquisition
• Element 25 (ASX:E25) share price takes a hit despite maiden production news

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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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As the world raced for vaccines and medicines in 2020 to prevent and treat the COVID-19 pandemic, S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) healthcare shares had some periods of strong outperformance.

But in recent weeks that outperformance, for most, has evaporated.

ResMed and CSL share prices sliding

The ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) share price has fallen 1.6% in intraday trading and is down by around 11% year to date. ResMed is best known for its respiratory medical devices.

Meanwhile, the CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price is down a significant 4.63% at the time of writing. This ASX 200 healthcare heavyweight has a historic focus on influenza vaccine development. And in 2021, CSL shares have fallen by around 10%.

By comparison, the ASX 200 is down 0.5% in intraday trading and up 1% year to date.

So what’s going on?

Why are ASX 200 healthcare shares under pressure?

It’s not just ASX 200 healthcare shares that have come under pressure in recent weeks.

The phenomenon is happening in share markets around the world. And it’s closely linked with the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine.

As Bloomberg reports:

Equity investors are steering clear of drug makers and health-care service providers as continued progress in distributing COVID-19 vaccines adds to the momentum in stocks poised to benefit most from an economic reopening.

According to the article, five out of six of the largest healthcare shares listed on the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) had lost ground in afternoon trading yesterday (overnight Aussie time).

ABIOMED Inc. (NASDAQ: ABMD) closed the day down 5.4% and has slipped another 1% in after hours trading.

DexCom Inc. (NASDAQ: DXCM), with a market capitalisation of US$35.5 billion, lost 5.9% by the closing bell.

Commenting on the healthcare sector’s performance, Goldman Sachs strategist Asad Haider said, “Investor conversations point to a generalist buyer’s strike across the sector that likely needs some catalyst to reverse course.”

I’m not sure what type of catalyst Haider is referring to. But let’s hope it’s not the unexpected need for even more respiratory devices and vaccines.

In the meantime, the declining share prices of both CSL and ResMed haven’t prevented several leading brokers from giving these ASX 200 blue chip shares buy and outperform ratings.

More reading

• 2 fantastic blue chip ASX 200 shares to buy
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Is it time to buy these 2 hot ASX healthcare shares?
• What you need to know about the CSL (ASX:CSL) dividend
• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Friday carnage ruins last week of ASX earnings

Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Abiomed and DexCom. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended DexCom and ResMed Inc. 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 Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ) is outperforming after a leading broker upgraded the stock to “buy”.

The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group share price jumped 2.4% to an 18 -month high of $28.23 at the time of writing when the S&P/ASX 200 Index (Index:^AXJO) fell 0.8%.

In contrast, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price gained 0.8%, the National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) share price added 1.8% and the Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price increased 0.8%.

Broker upgrades ANZ Bank share price to “buy”

The ANZ Bank share price may be getting an extra boost from Goldman Sachs. The broker upgraded the stock to “buy” as the sector’s net interest margins (NIMs) are performing better than expected.

NIMs measures how much a bank makes from loans compared to its cost of funds. It’s a key profitability measure and the outlook is bright for the sector through to FY22.

“Analysis of Canstar product pricing data suggests that deposit pricing already announced should provide about a 5 bp [basis points] tailwind to sector FY21 NIMs, with the banks potentially having a further 3 bp of NIM tailwinds thereafter if they move their online savings and term deposits rates down to 10 bp,” said Goldman.

“Drawing down on their remaining term funding facility (TFF) will add about another 2 bp to NIMs, and there’s another 4 bp of NIM tailwinds to come through over five years if current senior unsecured spreads hold.”

Margin pressure a longer-term issue

These factors are enough to offset the margin squeeze from structural changes for another year or so.

“While funding and deposit mix might provide some offset to these structural NIM headwinds, it’s difficult to envisage a scenario in FY23-25E in which margins are not down cumulatively 10-15 bp,” added the broker.

“We suspect any outperformance against this estimate would likely require either higher cash rates, an alleviation of mortgage competition, or mortgage back-book repricing.”

Why ANZ Bank shares are worth buying now

Having said that, the longer-term margin risks isn’t enough to dissuade Goldman from urging investors to buy the ANZ Bank share price now.

This is because the broker believes management will provide an update on the bank’s cost targets at its first half results in May. This could be a positive catalyst for the shares.

Further, ANZ Bank’s balance sheet is strengthening and its first quarter trading update showed its well placed in the current NIM environment.

It also helps that the ANZ Bank share price is trading at around a 20% discount to its peers.

Goldman’s 12-month price target on the shares is $29.01.

More reading

• What do big brokers think about the Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price this week?
• Why are ASX tech shares like Afterpay (ASX:APT) so volatile?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• ASX 200 rises, Rio chair will leave, Nine gets a new CEO
• Aussie GDP numbers deliver a nice 3.1% surprise

Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Limited, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank Limited, and Westpac Banking. 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 Myer Holdings Ltd (ASX: MYR) share price is having a woeful day since the release of its first-half results. During late-morning trade, the Australian department store group’s shares are down 10% to an intraday low of 30 cents.

Below, we take a closer look to see how Myer performed for the H1 FY21 period.

What were the financial highlights?

The Myer share price is moving south as investors digest the company’s latest results.

According to its release, Myer advised that it is continuing to weather the difficult trading conditions caused by COVID-19. However, an eventual recovery is on the horizon once the pandemic subsides.

It noted that for the six months ending 23 January 2021, total group sales stood at $1,398 million. This reflects a 13.1% decline over the prior corresponding period (pcp). In particular, this caused by store closures and reduced CBD footfall.

Comparable CBD store sales sunk 32.2% due to a restricted workforce, impact on tourism, and subdued confidence from continued shutdowns. However, not all was bad as its online sales division surged to $287.6 million, up 71% over the pcp. Improved checkout and browser experience led to the group’s profit.

The Cost of Doing Business (CODB) came to $325.2 million, which resulted in a 20.9% drop compared to H1 FY20. The company continued to execute cost reductions whilst investing in its online segment. The government’s JobKeeper wage program was seen as crucial in maintaining Myer’s workforce.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) slightly backtracked to $214.6 million, down 1.7% from this time last year.

Net profit after tax (NPAT) improved to $42.9 million, a jump of 8.4% on the prior comparable term.

Myer closed the period with a net cash position of $201.1 million. Indeed, a substantial increase from the $7.9 million recorded in FY20. This allows the company options to re-invest in its digital segment that can help accelerate future growth.

The board stated that it will keep its dividend suspended in light of the uncertain economic environment.

Management commentary

Myer CEO and managing director John King touched on the company’s results, saying:

The focus remains on profitable sales and executing the Customer First Plan, which has been adapted to respond to COVID-19 by accelerating, re-sequencing and expanding various initiatives. The strengthened balance sheet provides a solid platform for investing in our digital growth engine which represents a significant opportunity.

The Customer First Plan is an overhaul of the business’ approach to improving merchandise offerings, enhance customer experience and satisfaction.

About the Myer share price

The Myer share price is down around 13% over the last 12 months, after going on a rollercoaster ride. The company’s shares hit a low of 8.3 cents last March before trekking to a 52-week high of 41.5 cents in November.

Based on the current share price, Myer commands a market capitalisation of around $246 million.

More reading

• These are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX
• These are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX
• Here are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras 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 ARB Corp Ltd (ASX: ARB) share price is inching upwards today after the motor vehicle accessory maker announced an acquisition.

At the time of writing, the ARB share price is up 2.52% to $34.53. Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is jostling around the negative 1% mark.

Breaking into the UK

Following the recent successes of ARB’s New Zealand acquisitions, the company now is breaking into the UK market.

This morning ARB announced the acquisition of Auto Styling Truckman Group Limited, commonly referred to as Truckman. Similarly, Truckman makes and distributes auto accessories throughout the United Kingdom.

As aligned with the company’s strategy, Truckman also brings product diversification to ARB. Due to the fact that they mainly focus on rear vehicle accessories (canopies, bed liners, etc.)

All staff and management will be retained as operations continue as per usual.

The deal struck for the acquisition comes to a maximum net cash purchase price of GBP$21.9 million. In other words, roughly A$39.3 million. Approximately A$14.2 million of the maximum acquisition price is subject to performance hurdles.  Truckman’s management will need to meet these over the next 3 years.  

Impacts on ARB’s future performance

ARB stated that the acquisition is being funded from existing cash reserves. Given the company’s cash levels were around $85 million at the end of December, there should still be plenty of cash left to spare. Additionally, ARB reported solid revenue and profit growth in its recent half-year results, so the money should keep flowing in.

ARB’s ownership began on 2 March, with Truckman being immediately profitable.

Share price snapshot

The ARB share price has performed exceptionally in the past 12 months – climbing 102%. Border restrictions left many to explore more locally, possibly veering off the beaten track. Hence, money being spent on accessorising the adventure vehicle of choice certainly experienced a bump. 

More reading

• 3 ASX 200 shares that doubled profits this reporting season 
• The ARB (ASX:ARB) share price slides following strong half-year results
• Why ARB, Domain, Redbubble, & Treasury Wine shares are sinking today
• Real reporting season surprise isn’t about profits but dividends

Motley Fool contributor Mitchell Lawler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended ARB 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 Element 25 Ltd (ASX: E25) share price is dropping today, despite positive news. At the time of writing, the manganese producer’s share price is down 2.1%, trading at $1.88.

The change came after the company announced this morning that its Butcherbird Project is nearly ready to begin production of ore.

The Element 25 share price has had a monumental year. It’s currently holding a whopping 1,132% return over the last 12 months.

By comparison, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up by 9%.

What’s moving the Element 25 share price?

Today’s announcement

 Element 25 announced this morning that it will begin producing ore later this month, with pre-commissioning activities commencing today.

The project is expected to be powered up by the end of the week. Dry commissioning will then begin, with the mine finalised and productive by second half of March 2021.

Element 25 believes manganese is becoming an increasingly important ingredient in the making of batteries to power electric vehicles.

It has noted potential supply constraints on both nickel and cobalt, which could cause battery manufacturers to turn to high manganese cathodes to produce the cathode material required for electric vehicles.  

About the Butcherbird Project

The Butcherbird Project, located in Western Australia, will eventually produce high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate to power electric vehicles.

The project’s advanced flowsheet development work confirmed a unique ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure leach process for the ore. It plans to combine this with offsets to target the world’s first Zero Carbon Manganese™ for electric vehicle cathode manufacture.

The company is planning to integrate renewable energy into the project’s energy needs over time, hoping to eventually reach a zero-carbon footprint.

Element 25 holds 100% ownership of the Butcherbird Project, having footed a $17 million bill for the first stage of development.

A Pre-Feasibility Study conducted by Element 25 highlighted the potential for significant expansion of the Butcherbird Project’s initial production within the first 12 months of operation.

More reading

• What is reflation, and why is everyone talking about it?
• What’s with the 4DMedical (ASX:4DX) share price today?
• What do big brokers think about the Afterpay (ASX:APT) share price this week?
• Up 395% in 1 year, why the DigitalX (ASX:DCC) share price is gaining again
• Future proofing: Should you invest in a sustainable ASX portfolio?

Motley Fool contributor Brooke Cooper 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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