In afternoon trade the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) is down a disappointing 1% to 5,791 points.
But not all shares have fallen lower today. In fact, four shares in particular have made notably strong gains. Here's why:
The a2 Milk Company Ltd (Australia) (ASX: A2M) share price is up 3% to $3.31 on no news. But with the dairy company's shares down sharply in the last week on the back of insider selling, it appears some investors feel it has fallen into bargain territory now. I would agree, I think a2 Milk could be one of the best buy and hold investment options on the market right now.
The Freelancer Ltd (ASX: FLN) share price has continued its strong run and climbed almost 6% to 89.5 cents. This latest gain means that the online outsourcing marketplace and escrow payment services provider's shares have now gained over 17% since this time last week. A positive broker note appears to be the catalyst for this gain.
The Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG) share price is up 5% to $1.22 today. The majority of Australia's leading gold miners have jumped higher today after the spot gold price rose on U.S. dollar weakness and market jitters. Whilst I do like Resolute, I'm reasonably bearish on the gold price at present so it's not an industry I would be investing in.
The Vocus Group Ltd (ASX: VOC) share price has jumped 5% to $2.46 despite there being no news out of the growing telco company. Today's share price action is likely to relate to reports in the Australian Financial Review which reveal that ousted founder and former CEO James Spenceley "has investment bankers from Lazard in his corner, as he talks to private equity and other potential strategic and capital partners for Vocus."
