Our most unexpected runner this week would have to be American-based lithium explorer Astute Metals. Despite the lithium price remaining in the doldrums, the Nevada-based company ran up more than 116 per cent from a 3.7c close last week to 8c on multiple high-grade lithium intersections revealed on Tuesday.

First assay results from a maiden reverse-circulation (RC) drilling campaign at its Red Mountain project, north of Las Vegas, intersected 13.7m of lithium from surface, followed by an 83.8m section just below that, respectively grading 0.57 per cent and 0.65 per cent lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). Another thick intersection returned 74.7m at 0.61 per cent LCE from 18.3m, before another 25.9m at 0.84 per cent LCE further downhole from 115.8m.

Astute says that unlike spodumene concentrate, which is a value-add product in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, lithium carbonate is a principal lithium-ion battery product used directly in battery products such as lithium hydroxide.

Management is expecting final assay results shortly, with data from all holes to then be integrated into an updated geological model for Red Mountain. The main goal seems to be to speed up an expected maiden mineral resource estimate.

Testing its luck in an almost sickly lithium market seems to be a punt that has paid off from an operation not too far from the Las Vegas gambling mecca – and perhaps the long-term lithium gamble is less of a punt than it seems.

The bronze medallion this week goes to Hexima, which shot up 83 per cent following its acquisition of RealThing Entertainment. The $3 million market-capped minnow’s venture into the world of AI stoked a fire for its share price, taking it from a previous close of 1.2c to a high of 2.2c.

RealThing has developed an autonomous intelligent software agent platform (AiSAP) that allows visually-impaired users to use their voice to get outcomes such as connecting to smart devices. The first set of products are already being sold in the United Kingdom and United States markets.

Hexima is also proposing to undertake a capital raising via a public offer relisting process to raise between $4 million and $7.5 million. It plans to appoint new senior management following the acquisition and will rebrand as RealThing AI – all of which will be subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.

Venturing into AI in the current global market environment is no doubt what surged the company’s valuation upwards. The world’s biggest company, California-based tech goliath Nvidia, boasts – wait for it – a $2.76 trillion market cap thanks to AI.

To put that in perspective, the valuation is significantly bigger than all the world’s top 50 mining companies combined!

Tissue Repair also finished the week strong, running up 80 per cent to top out at 45c from a close of 25c last week after revealing it had secured the vital TGA approval for its “TR Pro+” product. The company says TR Pro+ is the first advanced wound healing gel product containing the proprietary active ingredient, Glucoprime, which is derived from yeast.

Despite the product’s current regulatory status as a cosmetic, TR Pro+ sales grew 130 per cent in the past quarter, while being run out to more than 160 clinics.

Tissue Repair believes its TGA listing will enable it to promote its considerable scientific and clinical data more broadly, with the company planning on soon kicking off its phase-three program in chronic wounds for its lead drug candidate, “TR987″.

As of March 31, Tissue Repair had $18.1 million cash in the bank – a stunning feat considering that before yesterday’s approval, the market capitalisation of the whole company was just $13.3 million. Who knew yeast could be so stimulating … for tissue repair?

Finally, we here at Bulls N’ Bears like nothing more – well, maybe not nothing – than a late-week runner to send us smiling into the weekend. And with the gold price still running red-hot, E79 Gold Mines gave us exactly that today with a stunning 120 per cent jump from a close last week of 3c to an intraday trading high of 6.6c.

The run came on the back of E79 revealing what it described as “outstanding high-grade copper and gold assays” from its Mountain Home project in Australia’s Top End. Those assays included a stunning 45 per cent copper reading and 11.75 grams per tonne gold in rock chips, in addition to strongly anomalous soil sampling.

The company says seven of its 15 rock chips returned values exceeding 22 per cent copper at a time when the red metal is weaving its way back to pricing favour around the globe. The share price run would have given holders of the stock a smile as big as the Cheshire Cat … and ours.

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