To The Moon

As of the close on Friday,$S&P/ASX 200(XJO.AU)$ closed at 6,994.80 points, down -2.10% in the past 5 days.

During the last 5 trading days, $Rea Group(REA.AU)$ $Stockland Corp(SGP.AU)$ $DOWNER EDI LIMITED(DOW.AU)$ $NEWCREST MINING LIMITED(NCM.AU)$ $Northern Star Resources(NST.AU)$ were up 5.23%, 14.27%, 3.99%, 3.73%, and 3.22% respectively.

1. $Rea Group(REA.AU)$ & $Stockland Corp(SGP.AU)$ - property companies show resilience

$Rea Group(REA.AU)$ engages in online property advertising business. It provides property and property-related services on websites and mobile applications.

$Stockland Corp(SGP.AU)$ is one of Australia's largest diversified property groups owning, developing and managing a large portfolio of shopping centres, residential communities, workplace and logistic assets and retirement living villages.

There are a few factors that could have contributed to the rise of REA Group and SGP this week.

Firstly, REA Group was mentioned as one of the top ASX 200 tech shares to buy right now by Morgan Stanley, which could have generated interest from investors.

Additionally, investors may be optimistic about the future potential real estate business, particularly as the Australian property market continues to show resilience despite the ongoing pandemic.

Finally, affected by SVB bank crash, real estate might be viewed as one kinds of safe assets.

 2. $DOWNER EDI LIMITED(DOW.AU)$ - management measures and progress reaffirm investors

Downer EDI, an Australian infrastructure and engineering firm, are hopeful that the worst is over for the company.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company's operations, its revenue and profits have been impacted by project delays, labor shortages, and supply chain disruptions.

However, the company's management has implemented a turnaround plan, which includes cost-cutting measures, restructuring of operations, and divestment of non-core assets.

Downer EDI has secured several major contracts, including the maintenance of Sydney's rail network and the construction of a hospital in Queensland.

Investors are optimistic about the company's prospects, given its strong order book and the expected increase in government spending on infrastructure projects.

3. $NEWCREST MINING LIMITED(NCM.AU)$ - update on the biggest M&A offer

In previous weekly columns, we mentioned that Australian company $Newcrest Mining Ltd.(NCMGF)$ received a $24.5 billion takeover bid from global gold producer $Newmont Mining(NEM)$, which might become the biggest M&A in ASX.

Newcrest rose this week because the company released a report outlining the potential for additional mining at its Cadia Valley operations in Australia. The report suggests there are opportunities to increase mining rates and extend mine life, which could result in significant additional gold and copper production.

Additionally, Newcrest and Newmont are set to engage in talks regarding Newmont's 32.5% stake in the Cadia Valley operations, which could potentially lead to Newmont increasing its ownership stake. This news has generated positive investor sentiment, leading to an increase in Newcrest's share price.

4. $Northern Star Resources(NST.AU)$ -  reaffirmed its full-year guidance

Northern Star Resources' share price rose this week despite a six-week setback at its Pogo gold mine in Alaska. This is because the company has reaffirmed its full-year guidance, and investors are taking this as a positive sign.

The Pogo mine produced 268,000 ounces of gold in the last financial year, representing about 17% of Northern Star's total gold production.

However, the company's management stated that the damage to the ball mill was not significant and that it was confident that the mine would be able to resume production within six weeks.

Additionally, the management reaffirmed its full-year guidance despite the Pogo incident. The company's FY23 gold production guidance ranges between 1.6 million and 1.8 million ounces. Northern Star is continuing to work on developing new mines and expanding its operations, which has helped to support investor confidence.

Additionally, the price of gold has been rising, which has also had a positive impact on the company's share price.

Overall, the market appears to be optimistic about Northern Star's ability to navigate the challenges it is facing and continue delivering strong results.