ASX Midday Hot Stocks: Dyesol, Aurizon and Aristocrat

ASX up just 0.1%, driven by companies with global exposure

Mike King

Mike King is a Fool.com.au Investment Analyst and Writer. He caught the investing bug more than a decade ago, at a time when the U.S. had invaded Iraq and fear reigned in the markets. His initial success as the markets took off encouraged his passion and thirst for knowledge. With 13 years behind him at one of Australia's largest domestic banks, Mike's passion for stocks led him to join a boutique funds management firm, where he stayed for four years. A seven-year stint in equity research at one of the largest investment banks in the world followed that, giving Mike a thirst to pursue his passion further. Mike holds a Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment and a Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning. His passion is to help retail investors invest better, and that passion was one of his primary reasons for joining The Motley Fool Australia in late 2011. Mike has written thousands of articles since joining, including for Fairfax Media, Yahoo!7, Ninemsn and has also appeared on ABC's The Business. You can see all of Mikes' holdings here

Published May 14, 2013 12:31 pm AEST

The S&P / ASX 200 Index (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) is up 0.1% at midday, at 5,217.1, with the Australian dollar staying below parity and currently buying 99.8 US cents. Companies driving the market appear to be those with significant offshore earnings – or those who will benefit from a lower exchange rate.

Here's why these three stocks are hot right now.

Dyesol Limited (ASX: DYE) is continuing its strong run, gaining another 7 cents, or 23% to trade at 37 cents. Last week the company announced that it had achieved a 'game-changing' technical beakthrough, with its solar cells now grid competitive – the holy grail for renewable energy. Additionally, Dyesol's products can be integrated into building products, such as windows, offering a new way of using its technology.

Aurizon Holdings (ASX: AZJ) ex-QR National, shares are up 1.6% on strong volumes to $4.41, after the company left the door open to acquire the remainder of the stake currently held by the Queensland government. Aurizon also announced that it was in talks to sell a minority stake in its rail tracks business, which could generate at least 1.3 billion in cash.

Aristocrat Leisure (ASX: ALL) is up 3.6% to $4.33, driven by the falling Australian dollar. Much of Aristocrat's earnings comes from overseas, with a heavy exposure to the US. Close to half of Aristocrat's revenues come from North America, which is more than double its Australian sales. A falling dollar will boost the company's results.

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