Dan Petrie

Coming in fifth was LSA (ASX) Lachlan Star Ltd, which gained by 27.59%.

Next was EGL (ASX) Environmental Group Ltd (the), which gained 31.82%.

Third was APV (ASX) Appsvillage Australia Ltd, which gained 32.43%.

Coming in second was RLC (ASX) Reedy Lagoon Corporation Ltd, which gained 40%.

To close out the day as the biggest winner on the Australian stock market was DLC (ASX) Delecta Ltd, which jumped 85.71%

The pandemic is fueling a surge in Aussie startups, with a total of 34,868 new businesses registered in June according to data by the Australia Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC).

The growth in business registrations has coincided with lockdowns in Eastern States, possibly as people reevaluate their employment circumstances.

NSW was responsible for 35% of all new business registrations, followed by Victoria at 29% and QLD at 19%.

Typically, the end of the financial year spurs people into registering businesses, with many wanting to meet the end of the financial year deadline to obtain tax write-offs.

However, in the midst of the pandemic, this year proved higher than usual for new business ventures.

Electric cars are powering up in Australia, with sales of electric cars, motorbikes and trucks surging by 60% in the last 12 months.

Battery powered vehicle registrations doubled to 23,000 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Whilst Elon Musk's Tesla attracts a large media following, just over 3000 Teslas were registered in Australia last year with a landing price of $60,000.

Demand for electric vehicles is expected to be further bolstered by the likes of Germany's Volkswagen committing to half of its production to electric vehicles by 2030.

While Toyota is still lagging in the production of EVs, Toyota is still Australia?s most popular car, with more than three million models currently registered on Australian roads - including the group's popular hybrid range.

As Australia continues to introduce more charging stations, competition between car manufacturers is likely to increase with consumers opting to lower their carbon emissions by going electric.

Jul. 20 -- The Dow Jones fell 2.09% to finish the trading day down 726 points to close at 33,962 points due to fears of growing COVID-19 delta variant cases.

Earlier, markets in Europe were weaker as London's FTSE fell 2.3% while Germany's DAX finished the trading day lower, down 2.6%.

Asian markets are set to open lower with ASX futures down 68 points (-0.9%) ahead of the open in Sydney.

The Australian dollar is firm against the major currencies and is buying 73.42 US cents.

Gold is trading at US$1,813 per ounce with copper down 0.12% to US$4.203 per pound.

WTI Crude oil is selling for US$66.58 per barrel while Brent oil is higher at US$68.79 per barrel.

The spot iron ore price remains above US$200 per ton trading at US$219.77 and one bitcoin is worth US$30,797 going into the Asian trading day.

Jul. 19 -- Asian markets are set to open lower with ASX futures down 37 points (-0.5%) ahead of the open in Sydney.

Over the weekend, the Dow Jones fell 0.86% to finish the final trading day of the week down 299 points to close at 34,688 points.

Markets in Europe also closed weaker as London's FTSE fell 0.1% while Germany's DAX finished the trading day lower, down 0.6%.

The Australian dollar is stronger against the major currencies and is buying 74.04 US cents.

Gold is trading at US$1,813 per ounce with copper down 0.02% to US$4.306 per pound.

The spot iron ore price remains above US$200 per ton trading at US$219.77 and one bitcoin is worth US$31,715 going into the Asian trading day.

Only one in five workers voluntarily sought to change jobs at the height of the pandemic in 2020, compared to one in four the previous year.

The most common reason why employees left their job in 2020 was due to being retrenched, rather than leaving of their own accord, with data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing a 60% increase in retrenchments during the height of the pandemic.

The data indicates that workers were holding onto the job they had during the pandemic, as they sought to weather the impact of the economic downturn.

There is good news for workers, with the V-shaped economic recovery fuelling jobs growth and pushing job vacancies in Australia to record highs.

However, it is worth noting that more than half of the gains in the labour market have been part-time and flexible work positions.

Jul. 6 -- Markets in Europe had a strong session as London's FTSE rose and Germany's DAX gained in overnight trade.

Asian markets are set to open higher with ASX futures up 19 points (0.3%) ahead of the open in Sydney.

The Australian dollar is stronger against the major currencies and is buying 75.46 US cents.

Gold is trading at US$1,784 per ounce with copper up 0.04% to US$4.277/pound.

WTI Crude oil is selling for US$72.98 per barrel while Brent oil is lower at US$71.23/barrel.

The spot iron ore price remains above US$200 per ton trading at US$212.46 and one bitcoin is worth US$33,970 going into the Asian trading day.

The great escape from COVID has seen the number of people migrating to the country reach an historical high, according to the Regional Movers Index, by Commonwealth Bank and Regional Australia Institute.

Queensland is the state of choice, with the beachside mecca of Noosa experiencing a 49% uplift in migration, followed by 44% for the Southern downs.

Regional centres near capital cities have also surged in popularity with the annual growth of migration to Port Macquarie, three hours North of Sydney, surging by 38% while Launceston in Tasmania rose by 34% over the same period.

Record job vacancies nationally and a tight housing market will provide a strong near term tailwind for those Australian seeking to escape the country.

The March quarter index at 122 has increased by 12% on the same period 12 months earlier and well above the previous 2016 benchmark.

Jul. 2 -- The Dow Jones rose 0.4% to finish the trading day up 131 points to close at 34,634 points.

Earlier, markets in Europe had a strong session as London's FTSE rose and Germany's DAX gained.

Asian markets are set to open higher with ASX futures up 25 points (0.3%) ahead of the open in Sydney.

The Australian dollar is stronger against the major currencies and is buying 74.68 US cents.

Gold is trading at US$1,758 per ounce with copper down 4.42% to US$4.34/pound.

WTI Crude oil is selling for US$72.98 per barrel while Brent oil is lower at US$71.23/barrel.

The spot iron ore price remains above US$200 per ton trading at US$210.19 and one bitcoin is worth US$33,562 going into the Asian trading day.

Celsius Resources Limited has announced it has revised upwards, by more than double, the Mineral Resource estimate at its Opuwo Cobalt-Copper Project in Namibia.

The updated Mineral Resource estimate is based on all drilling completed by Celsius at Opuwo and comprises 225.5 million tonnes at a grade of 0.12% cobalt, 0.43% copper, and 0.54% zinc.

?This new JORC Mineral Resource for Celsius Resources? Opuwo Project demonstrates the scale of this significant asset.

With the ?next wave? of demand for battery minerals almost upon us, and with cobalt continuing to be a significant component in most battery types, the Opuwo project represents a potential, stable cobalt source from a non-conflict country, which could be globally significant.

This deposit?s contained copper of 970,000 tonnes also represents material upside to the projects potential value proposition.

The Company plans to assess ways to advance the project in parallel with our flagship Copper-Gold assets in the Philippines,? said Celsius Chairman Martin Buckingham.