The S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) is on course to finish the year on a positive note. In late morning trade the benchmark index is up 0.7% to 5,694 points.
Four shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are ending the year with a bang:
The Adairs Ltd (ASX: ADH) share price has climbed 5% to $1.89. A number of retail shares are notably higher on Monday, possibly indicating that the market believes that consumers have been spending more freely than expected during the holiday period. I think Adairs' shares are one of the best options in the sector right now based on valuation and yield.
The Metro Mining Ltd (ASX: MMI) share price is up 10% to 16 cents after the bauxite miner announced that it has achieved its 2018 production guidance. During the calendar year the company loaded 33 vessels containing 2,037,106 wet metric tonnes of bauxite. The company achieved its guidance despite being disrupted twice by cyclones during the 12 months. Management will now aim to increase its production to 3.5Mt in calendar year 2019.
The Starpharma Holdings Limited (ASX: SPL) share price has bounced back from a recent selloff and is up almost 17% to $1.12. Its shares fell heavily last week after the U.S. FDA advised that it wants confirmatory clinical data before it will approve its promising VivaGel product. It appears that some investors believe its shares were oversold and have been snapping them up this morning.
The Syrah Resources Ltd (ASX: SYR) share price has pushed 3% higher to $1.49 after announcing the that it has achieved the first production of unpurified spherical graphite at the Battery Anode Material facility in Louisiana. Management believes this will put the company in a strong position in the battery manufacturing supply chain outside Asia.
