How good. The government is not only useless at spending your money, it now wants more of it.
As expected, this week the two things that the Labor Party promised a year ago would not be touched – the capital gains discount and negative gearing – have popped up in what is being hailed by holes-in-his-pockets treasurer Jim Chalmers as the “most ambitious budget in decades”.
Throw in a 30 per cent tax on family trusts and we’ve got that ominous “intergenerational rug-pull” that will be felt by future generations all through Australia.
Young Australians already copping it from the cost-of-living crisis are now slated not to benefit from any of the tax breaks that have historically been available. Sure, the changes to CGT and negative gearing are likely to put some downward pressure on house prices for first-home buyers, but it is a bit of a band-aid on a bullet hole, given the increased spending the government has proposed. If they really cared about the next generation, surely reducing both national debt and the funnelling of taxpayer money to organised crime through the NDIS should have been top of the list. Instead, it’s an ever-expanding shopping list for Albo.
The budget is forecast to generate an additional $8 billion in tax over the next four to five years, the same amount it’s expected to lose from tobacco in that time, after creating a black market thanks to over-taxing. One can only wait for the 2027 Jim Chalmers death tax and for beer to join tobacco as the next almost entirely black-market operation.
Banks bore the brunt of the changes, with the Commonwealth Bank down as much as 14 per cent on the week, handing its “biggest company in Australia” title back to the world’s biggest miner, BHP.
Back in global markets, the Nasdaq and S&P500 hit new all-time highs again, notwithstanding a shocker 6 per cent wholesale inflation figure. Interestingly, 19 semiconductor stocks now make up 18 per cent of the S&P 500’s market cap and together with memory stocks, account for 70 per cent of the $5.1 trillion gains on the S&P since the start of this year. Meanwhile, Dr Copper has hit all-time highs this week. A perfect storm of giant mine closures and a Gulf war-caused shortage of sulphuric acid processing inputs has seen the red metal run away to US$6.70 per pound.
Whilst copper hit all-time highs, it amazingly didn’t feature in our Runners of the Week list, with the top two spots instead being taken out by a future small goods warrior cracking it big with Australia’s top distribution chains.
MYECO GROUP LTD (ASX: MCO)
Up 250% (1c – 3.5c)
Bulls N’ Bears Runner of the Week is sustainable packaging play Myeco Group, after the company’s shares exploded 250 per cent on news it had landed an exclusive deal with Woolworths Group to launch a new range of recycled bin liners made from post-consumer waste.
The company says it is set to launch three new recycled bin liner products under its MyEco banner exclusively across the Woolworths retail network this month. The move will double the range currently stocked by the supermarket giant from three to six, giving Myeco a formidable presence on the shelves.
The liners are made from 95 per cent post-consumer recycled (PCR) soft-plastic waste and carry coveted Global Recycled Standard certification. The certification is a big deal, verifying the recycled content, chain of custody and social and environmental practices, helping separate its offering from many not-so-genuinely “recycled” products made from post-consumer waste.
Myeco says its range provides a "genuine recycling solution" for soft plastics without compromising on quality. A statement that the supermarket giant clearly agrees with.
The move also cleverly aligns the company with Australia's National Plastics Plan and 2025 packaging targets, which aim to mandate all packaging as reusable, recycled, or compostable.
For a small cap to stitch up an exclusive deal of this nature with a heavyweight like Woolies is no mean feat and the market certainly sat up and took notice.
ELIXINOL WELLNESS LTD (ASX: EXL)
Up 129% (0.7c – 1.6c)
Diving late for second place on the week was nutrition and wellness innovator Elixinol Wellness, which surged 129 per cent on Friday after the company announced its biggest and fastest-growing Healthy Chef brand would be rolled out at Priceline stores throughout Australia.
Elixinol, which was once renowned for its hemp food alternatives, has shifted its focus towards broader plant-based nutrition and it seems to be paying off.
The national launch will see its products in 410 Priceline stores starting in July 2026. With Priceline boasting a network of more than 470 stores, this represents powerful initial coverage with scope for further expansion in early 2027.
The Healthy Chef has already been a standout performer for Elixinol, recently delivering revenue growth of more than 25 per cent for the high-margin premium product.
The move into Priceline, which targets a female-centric audience, is a perfect match for The Healthy Chef's customer base.
For a micro-cap company sitting at a sub-$5 million valuation before the news, securing this kind of national distribution provides a credible path to scaling and a massive boost to the bottom line.
STELAR METALS LTD (ASX: SLB)
Up 120% (7.5c – 16.5c)
Taking out Runners bronze is critical minerals explorer Stelar Metals, after it scooped up the Hill of Leaders tungsten project in the Top End.
The company says it snagged the 445-square-kilometre project for a handy $80,000 in cash and 3,000,000 shares in the world-class Tennant Creek mining district, home to some of the country’s top copper, gold and tungsten deposits.
Tungsten has quickly become one of 2026’s hottest commodities, with prices rocketing more than 300 per cent since the start of the year.
The metal is considered critical by the US, EU, UK, Japan and Australia for its use in defence, aerospace and advanced manufacturing, and growing concern over China’s supply dominance has only added to the momentum.
Stelar says it's new, previously producing asset already has proven small-scale mining success, having produced tungsten concentrate from shallow trenches and shafts over a strike of 1500m.
Previous drilling returned standout hits, including 1m at 0.6 per cent tungsten trioxide from surface. The company has already planned a swift reverse circulation drilling program to get the drill bit turning.
Management sees strong geological similarities to the $1.5 billion Tungsten Mining’s nearby Hatches Creek asset, which hosts a 12-million-tonne tungsten and copper resource.
Copper and tungsten look just about as good a commodity mix as it gets right now and it seems Stelar’s shareholders would definitely agree this week.
1414 DEGREES LTD (ASX: 14D)
Up 74% (4.2c – 7.3c)
Rounding out our Runners is Bulls N’ Bears regular 1414 Degrees, which has been on a tear of late.
Its nanoparticle battery tech sent it skyward recently, delivering a 50 per cent performance boost over traditional graphite anodes.
This week, the company established a dedicated aerospace and defence division to commercialise its SiNTL silicon nanoparticle battery technology.
The new division will target the rapidly growing global drone and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market. For a drone, a 50 per cent increase in battery capacity translates directly into extended range, increased payload or shorter charging times – three performance variables that both commercial and military operators care deeply about.
1414 says its technology is a “drop-in” upgrade, meaning manufacturers won’t need to change their established battery-making processes.
The clever approach differentiates it from costly high-silicon anode technology competitors, with the company already boasting a specific capacity of 530 milliampere-hours per gram in its test cells without changes to the broader manufacturing process.
With the global drone market projected to reach US$160 billion by 2030, and its share price now up over 300 per cent since the results, 1414 Degrees appears to be onto something. Is this the run it's been waiting for, or just the start of a global disruption in the booming drone battery market sector?
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
By Andrew Todd
