The S&P/ASX 200 had a subdued start to the day, opening down a couple of points as global market uncertainty nudged the index into the red.
But these 5 players in the commodity sector are on the up regardless.
Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)
Shares in emerging lithium and tantalum producer Pilbara Minerals were up 3.35% to 92c per share at the time of writing – a welcome trend for the stock that has dipped down from its January high of $1.22.
Investors may be buoyed with confidence in Pilbara Minerals after the announcement of an $80 million deal with South Korean steelmaker POSCO earlier this month which will see POSCO acquire a 4.75% stake in Pilbara Minerals – diversifying Pilbara Minerals customer-base outside of the Chinese market.
Orocobre Ltd (ASX: ORE)
Another lithium player, Orocobre Ltd, with a portfolio of lithium, potash and boron projects in the Puna region of Northern Argentina is also on the up today.
Shares in Orocobre rose by about 4% at the time of writing to $6.06 – a nice jump for the stock to recover from a slide in share price this month from a February 26 high of $6.95.
Orocobre is positioning itself as a top global lithium producer, with Toyota Tsusho recently coming on board as a significant shareholder with a minority interest.
Lynas Corporation Ltd (ASX: LYC)
Shares in rare-earth player Lynas Corporation Limited are also rising, sitting at $2.48 at the time of writing a jump from the $2.01 it started out at this month and well above the 95c per share price it was at this time last year.
Lynas Corporation's half-year results were handed down on March 5, revealing increased production and sales volume with revenue growth of 75% to $200.9 million.
Shareholders did not get a dividend out of Lynas but were likely impressed by the company's performance – upping EBIT from a loss of $19 million to a gain of $63 million.
Saracen Mineral Holdings Limited (ASX: SAR)
Shares in mineral exploration and development mid-weight Saracen Mineral Holdings Limited were on the up today – at $1.75 at the time of writing with the trend in the last 12 months a definite upswing.
Saracen recently logged a full-year loss of $101 million off the back of slumping sales and production cost rises but is likely benefiting from the global trend that has seen gold miners push higher today.
Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL)
Gold production and exploration company Regis Resources had a good year in terms of share price – steadily tracking up to $4.44 today from just $3.18 at this time last year.
Today's rise could be attributed to news that Regis reported a maiden inferred underground mineral resource estimate yesterday – sourced from its Rosemount project in Western Australia.
This milestone for Regis may have weighed positively on investor sentiment to help push the share price up today, with Regis poised to make a development decision on the Rosemount discoveries by June.
