Inflation and higher interest rates have punished the valuations of plenty of businesses that are expected to grow their operations over the coming years.

After all of the investor panic that we saw earlier in the year, there appear to be signs that investors are now returning to the market.

Is confidence returning?

According to the Sharesies Investing Insights report for October 2022, there was "steady buying by the majority of investors, with some choosing to buy and sell the market moves."

For me, this was one of the most interesting takeaways from the report:

Twice as much buying as selling on the Sharesies platform this month. Buy orders outstripping sell orders is a consistent pattern on the platform over the last six months, regardless of market volatility.

Which ASX shares are people buying?

ASX mining shares were some of the most popular investments last month according to the report.

In terms of the total amount invested, in dollar terms, these were the top ten: Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA), New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC), Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG), Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO), Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS), Qx Resources Ltd (ASX: QXR), Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS), BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) and Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT).

However, the list was a little different when you look at which were the top 10 most bought ASX shares by the number of investors. Here is the list: BHP, Fortescue, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Pilbara Minerals, Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES), Core Lithium, Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), Qantas, Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) and Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, investors were drawn to a number of ASX's blue chips.

Strong levels of ETF investing

According to the report, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw four times as much buying in dollar volume traded terms as selling in October.

Sharesies suggested that this was "likely driven by investors employing a dollar-cost averaging investment strategy".

These were some of the ETFs getting investor attention last month:

Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS)

VanEck Global Clean Energy ETF (ASX: CLNE)

BetaShares Climate Change Innovation ETF (ASX: ERTH)

iShares Core MSCI World Ex Aus ESG Leaders ETF (ASX: IWLD)

iShares Core MSCI Australia ESG Leaders ETF (ASX: IESG)

Foolish takeaway

While investors may be coming back to the market, it doesn't mean that the market has reached a bottom yet. Only time will tell whether June was the month we saw the lowest prices for many ASX shares.

The post Are ASX share investors getting their mojo back? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Promnitz fled the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) lithium developer in June, seemingly selling his 10.2 million shareholding in the company shortly afterwards.

But Lake Resources' loss appears to be QX Resources' gain. The ASX lithium and gold developer's stock is roaring higher after the company announced its new boss.

The QX Resources share price is soaring 69.7% right now to trade at 5.6 cents.

Let's take a closer look at the news driving the ASX lithium share higher on Wednesday.

QX Resources share price surges on MD appointment

The QX Resources share price is rocketing higher today. Its gain comes after the company announced Promnitz will take the reins of the growing Western Australia and Queensland-focused mineral developer.

The former Lake Resources boss will take up the newly created managing director role at the lithium and gold hopeful.

On his appointment Promnitz said he was looking forward to his new challenge, adding:

I plan to advance [QX Resources'] current assets and expand the focus on battery minerals by drawing on my extensive networks and skills from the past six years in the battery minerals sector.

QX Resources noted Lake Resources was a $1 million private company when Promnitz stepped into his former role. By the time he departed, the now-ASX 200 company was said to be worth around $2.1 billion.

QX Resources chair Maurice Feilich also commented on the company's new leader, saying:

QX Resources has assembled a quality portfolio of near drill-ready lithium hard-rock assets in Western Australia with some very promising geology. As well, our gold assets in Queensland hold considerable unlocked value and growth for future development.

QX Resources' board decided now is the right time to appoint a managing director to fast-track the development of these assets while also assessing new battery minerals projects that complement the portfolio.

We are confident that [Promnitz] can drive QX Resources to the next stage of its growth and development.

The post ASX lithium share QX Resources soars 70% on ex-Lake Resources MD appointment appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, QX shares are swapping hands for 3 cents apiece, up 42.86%. It's worth noting that its shares reached a multi-year high of 3.4 cents before pulling back due to profit-taking.

What did QX announce?

In its release, QX advised it has exercised its option to acquire a 100% interest in the Turner River lithium project.

Located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Turner River is considered a highly prospective lithium project. The site holds an exploration licence application (ELA45/6042), covering a 45 square kilometre area.

Late last month, QX entered into a binding option agreement with Redstone Metals. A 30-day option to undertake technical due diligence was offered before proceeding with the deal.

QX has since exercised the option in advance of the due diligence period lapsing, reflecting its confidence in the project. As such, QX will issue the vendor 12 million ordinary shares in consideration of ownership rights.

In addition, both parties have agreed to the facilitation of exploration licence ELA45/6042, which adjoins the Turner River lithium project to the north. QX will make a $6,000 cash payment to Redstone Metals for the additional permit. Together with the ELA45/6042, the tenement position at Turner River increases to 84 square kilometres.

QX chair, Maurice Feilich commented:

Following the recent site visit and after further reviews of the project's geology and the surrounding prospects, we have taken the decision to not only exercise the Turner River option early but to expand our tenement holdings in the area by applying for some adjoining ground which looks equally as prospective.

Further site visits are planned and we look forward to keeping shareholders updated on progress here and with respect to the ongoing work in Queensland.

QX share price snapshot

In 2021, QX shares have doubled in value mostly due to today's gains. When looking at a 12-month period, its shares are hovering above 60%.

Based on valuation grounds, QX commands a market capitalisation of roughly $18.69 million and has approximately 666.36 million shares outstanding.

The post QX Resources (ASX:QXR) share price rockets 43% on lithium project update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.