After a slight drop at the open the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has stormed higher and kicked off the year with a 1.1% gain to 5,732 points thanks to gains in all sectors.
Four shares which have stood out with noticeably strong starts to 2017 are as follows:
Aconex Ltd (ASX: ACX) shares have jumped 4.5% to $5.30 despite there being no news out of the software-as-a-service company. It's fair to say Aconex had a bit of a mixed time in 2016. Although at one stage its shares were up around 60%, they ended the year flat. But with its shares trading at a more reasonable price now, investors have been snapping them up again.
Birimian Ltd (ASX: BGS) shares have rocketed higher by 20% to 39.5 cents after the mineral exploration company announced it has been offered $107.5 million for its lithium asset in Mali. Although the offer appears to undervalue the asset in my eyes, the board has signed a letter of intent for its sale. Once the company receives the deposit it will provide shareholders with the opportunity to vote on its sale.
Emerchants Ltd (ASX: EML) shares have climbed 4% to $1.91 after it announced an agreement with salary packaging market leader McMillan Shakespeare Limited (ASX: MMS). The deal will see the company provide salary packaging prepaid cards to McMillan Shakespeare and its customers. Management expects it to be a huge boost to its reloadable accounts when the agreement commences in July – subject to approval.
Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) shares have started 2017 strongly with a 5% gain to $2.74. Today's gain comes on the back of a report from Reuters which reveals that China intends to significantly cut coal production in an attempt to tackle its pollution problems. Whitehaven was one of the standout performers in 2016 with a gain of close to 300%. Whilst I wouldn't expect a gain of that magnitude this year, things certainly do look promising for the company at this stage.
