Day Two Presenters Push Through Second Day Blues

CONFERENCE CALLER: Presenting companies on Day Two of Diggers and Dealers started encouragingly, but faded towards the end of the session.

The second morning of the conference is traditionally low key with delegates suffering from a lack of sleep compared to their freshness on Day One.

Most of the companies presenting earlier in the day opened well, with St Barbara Limited, (ASX: SBM), Fortescue Metals Group (ASX: FMG), and Saracen Minerals Holdings (ASX: SAR) all flashing green.

Punters must have appreciated what Saracen managing director Raleigh Finlayson had to say, keeping those shares in positive territory.

The same, unfortunately couldn’t be said for FMG’s Nev Power, of St Barbara’s Bob Vassie, who took the crowd to lunch with a lowering of their respective company colours.

After lunch, the sector’s Mr Charisma, Battery Metals (ASX: BAT) recently-anointed executive chairman David Flanagan, waxed lyrical about the properties of graphite and what they can offer the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

As the market closed, Investigator Resources (ASX: IVR) managing director John Anderson reminded those in the auditorium that Australian mining exists beyond the Western Australia border as he talked up the virtues of his company’s Paris silver project in South Australia.

The shares of Eastern Goldfields (ASX: EGS) opened lower and remained there on the back of a demonstration scheduled to coincide with executive chairman Michael Fotios’ presentation by disgruntled contractors out the front of the conference.

The day’s proceeding closed with, what is always a highlight, a presentation from Westgold Resources (ASX: WGX) managing director Peter Cook.

Fortunately for Cook, Westgold appears to be having a better winter than his beloved North Melbourne Kangaroos, and managed to close in anticipation of what he had to say in happy territory.