Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.

The boilover between Trump and Elon Musk hasn’t helped either – in the U.S., the two chummy billionaires have locked horns. Musk said his former ally has been “ungrateful” after his $300 million support; Trump said he was “very disappointed” by his former DOGE advisor; and markets were caught in the middle.

Wall Street, which had yoyoed for much of Week 23, dropped across the board: The S&P 500 closed -0.5% down and was beat by the Nasdaq’s -0.8% drop.

The only thing that may have stabilised things was a call between Trump and Xi Jinping a little later – “very positive,” Trump said – but traders largely ignored that.

It’s perhaps most worrying for Tesla holders, who have to stomach a -14% nosedive.

Back home, BHP Group (ASX:BHP) is pondering a return to nickel. The multinational miner is eyeing a $1.5 billion mine in Tanzania that has the potential to overcome Indonesia’s seemingly endless production flow in the industry.

Magmatic Resources (ASX:MAG) is popping early on the HotCopper forums after declaring it was “very encouraged” by early Myall drilling. The gold miner has seen mineralisation “continue to open up” as they’ve drilled deeper.

And, Oro Banda Mining (ASX:OBM) is preparing for its full-year gold production to come in below guidance after its Davyhurst project was halted for a time.

In NZ, SkyCity (ASX:SKC) is suing Fletcher Building (ASX:FBU) for $330M for “gross negligence.”

More market news

Forget U.S. tariff talk: Aussies just got a worrying signal from the ABS

Meet GeoGeorge: The HotCopper poster so accurate he got hired as an analyst

Looking at forex, the Aussie dollar is buying 65 US cents.

To commodities, which are all in the greenback,

Iron Ore has dipped -0.5% to sell at $95 flat a tonne in Singapore,

Brent Crude is trading at $65.19,

Gold is trading at $3,361 per ounce, and, 

US natgas futures are at $3.65 per gigajoule.

That’s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre, stick with us for HotCopper’s Market Update.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

The ASX200 just nearly skimmed its intraday all time high peaking at around 8,566 points today, which then triggered a sell off – something I pondered aloud yesterday afternoon. The market closed not far off where it opened in the 8,530points range on Thursday. 

As for sectors, tech reared its volatile head as the top gainer throughout the day as health care and utilities led the laggards. 

Let’s turn to companies in the green. 

IperionX, a US-based Titanium specialist, jumped close to 30% and stood as the day’s top gainer as the company won a contract from the US defence department to research and supply titanium parts for defence applications with the company first turning attention to titanium screws. It effectively has $150M Australian to draw down from, thus the gains. 

Elsewhere Mineral Resources popped more than 10% on Thursday as the often volatile stock, a favourite with day traders, seemed to rebound on a whim driven by renewed sentiment for materials stocks broadly. MinRes is volatile at the best of times, to say the least, the company issued no news, and iron ore prices didn’t really shift either. 

Finally, Clarity Pharmaceuticals joined the top gainers as its latest cancer trial results were digested by the market, and there was no acid reflux to talk of. At least not yet.

As for companies in the red, 

IDP Education fell into the red for a second day this week as the market continues to digest a poor trading update it released earlier this week which severely tanked prices. While we saw some green on Wednesday, it looks like profit taker Thursday hit the company. 

In financials, Tyro Payments took a dip over 10% as its CEO and Managing Director shook investors by quitting out of the blue. Jon Davey is stepping down to move into private equity, that coupled with weak GDP this week is likely creating a cocktail of caution for investors. 

Finally, spare a thought for once gargantuan toy brand Toys R Us. The company’s shares were suspended today as the stock brought in administrators, which isn’t too surprising when one considers the macroeconomic juncture of commercial real estate, a cost of living crisis, and of course, the rise of online shopping. 

That’s Market Close for Thursday, I’m Jon Davidson, have a great night and we’ll see you tomorrow for HotCopper Highlights. 

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on HotCopper, Australia’s largest stock forum, and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.

Firefly Metals (ASX:FFM) has been far and away the most discussed stock on HotCopper forums today after pulling the brakes this morning. The June trading halt, the company later disclosed, is because it recently bagged $75 million through a dual market equity raise to support its development strategy at Green Bay.

And – ever-popular HotCopper forums pick Advance Metals (ASX:AVM) has been raking in comments after the miner pocketed approvals at Myrtleford; drilling is now set to recommence across three sites on the Happy Valley Trend.

Also trending has been Clarity Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CU6), after the radiopharma company announced positive results from its diagnostic Phase Two DISCO trial.

In sectors, Materials, up +0.69%, and IT, up +0.7%, have defied the bourse’s red trend.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.

The Dow Jones was left trailing by the hesitancy, losing around -0.2%. The S&P 500 fared a little better, ending flat, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite came out of the flip-flopping Wall Street trading day up around +0.3% by close.

Interestingly, all the uncertainty in the U.S. directly helped Oz somewhat overnight — our dollar hiked to over 65 cents for a time; it’s back to 64.9c now.

All this has become lumped up in talks about a July rate cut, even this far out.

In company news, Mayne Pharma Group (ASX:MYX) will be closely watched at open after American pharmaceutical giant Cosette scrapped its $672 million takeover bid for the Adelaide drug company. Mayne sagged -5% yesterday.

Asian Battery Metals (ASX:AZ9) has spiked early on HotCopper forums after intercepting “massive sulphides” at its North Oval project – a discovery the company says may confirm an 800-metre long mineralisation zone.

They’re not today’s only winner either: Elevate Uranium (ASX:EL8) has delineated a large mineralised polygon at its Namib IV tenement as expansion continues.

And, Metal Hawk (ASX:MHK) is zeroing in on new gold targets after Thylacine mapping.

More market news

Forget U.S. tariff talk: Aussies just got a worrying signal from the ABS

Meet GeoGeorge: The HotCopper poster so accurate he got hired as an analyst

As mentioned in forex, the Aussie dollar is buying 64.9 US cents.

To commodities, which are all in the greenback,

Iron Ore is on a slow rebound, regaining 1%, to sell at $95.35 a tonne in Singapore,

Brent Crude is trading at $64.78,

Gold is trading at $3,376 per ounce, and, 

US natgas futures are at $3.70 per gigajoule.

That’s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre, stick with us for HotCopper’s Market Update.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

It was another good day for the bourse down under as we came within 9 points of the Valentine’s Day all time high of 8,555 points – but whether or not profit takers move in tomorrow remains to be seen. Also helping is that Commonwealth broke $180 a share, bringing its market cap to $300 billion.

Looking at sectors, energy won the day up nearly 2% as crude oil prices lifted back to $65 American per barrel on concerns of Canadian wildfires hitting supply; telecomms led the laggards, along with consumer staples. A low GDP read of 0.2% for Oz likely hurt sentiment there. 

Smallcap West Africa based gold explorer WIA Gold shook off recent geopolitical concerns in the region, climbing over 6% intraday as gold prices continue to remain compelling. While thinly traded, investors in that company are looking at year to date returns up 75%. 

Elsewhere, another day, another defence stock benefitting from recent funding announcements. Electro Optic Systems popped up above $2 per share as investors look for companies likely to benefit at home and overseas from ramped up defence funding in the West.

And sticking to familiar thematics, SILEX Systems was among a basket of uranium stocks that jumped on Wednesday as nuclear stocks remain popular, especially after Facebook owner Meta announced it too wants to see nuclear ramped up in the States, though for its own benefit. 

Mayne Pharma group fell over -6% even after reassuring the market that a recent takeover offer falling through isn’t the final straw, and that its takeover partner might still buy the company. Clearly, many investors weren’t convinced. 

Elsewhere, Strike Energy sunk after it announced a new leadership team. The company has been somewhat adrift since former chief Stuart Nicholls left on not-great terms; and despite a good handful of HotCopper users being bullish on the appointment, the stock ended the day in the red.

Finally, Brickworks sold off to make the days biggest fallers even after Wednesday’s ripper deal with Soul Pattison to form a $14B construction and real estate company, but that’s perhaps to be expected when you make money for nothing. Profit taking is, after all, the entire point.

That’s Market Close for Wednesday, I’m Jon Davidson, have a great night and we’ll see you on Thursday. 

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on HotCopper, Australia’s largest stock forum, and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

When it comes to popular stocks, Andromeda Metals (ASX:ADN) has been the top trending company on HotCopper forums today after it netted credit approval for $75 million to further develop its Great White Project.

Strike Energy (ASX:STX) has been among the most discussed too — the energy explorer jumped to 17.3cps after crowning Peter Stokes as new managing director.

And, Betmakers Technology Group (ASX:BET) has been trending after pulling the brakes. The betmaker is looking to buy the Las Vegas Dissemination Company, which is being spruiked as Vegas’ only horse and greyhound wagering supplier.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.

This mirrors Wall Street, where surprisingly strong U.S. job numbers saw the S&P 500 defy red futures to close up fewer than three points away from its own all-time high.

There had been fears in New York that Trump’s trade war had shaken things; not so, in the end.

There’s always something else from the President, though — Trump is now on the verge of implementing a directive that will bump up steel and aluminium tariffs to 50% (from 25%) today. That could well impact Oz sentiments.

Before we get to that, though, there’s already company news: Westpac (ASX:WBC) is being sued by ASIC for “widespread misconduct” in its RAMS loans division.

And, eyes on Virgin Australia as it prepares to finally list on the ASX; owner Bain Capital has committed to a listing after nearly three years. They’re looking to raise $685 million.

Elsewhere, HotCopper forums darling Strike Energy (ASX:STX) has found a new commander in Peter Stokes, who will step up as managing director and CEO from next week. The incoming Mr Stokes was last CEO at Capital Limited.

The forums are also watching Miramar (ASX:M2R) after it spotted new Whaleshark targets.

More market news

Forget U.S. tariff talk: Aussies just got a worrying signal from the ABS

Meet GeoGeorge: The HotCopper poster so accurate he got hired as an analyst

Looking at forex, the Aussie dollar is buying 64.6 US cents.

To commodities, which are all in the greenback,

Iron Ore has fallen another -0.8%, to $94.40 a tonne in Singapore,

Brent Crude is trading at $65.68,

Gold is trading at $3,361 per ounce, and, 

US natgas futures are at $3.72 per gigajoule.

That’s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre, stick with us for HotCopper’s Market Update.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

The ASX200 had a fairly choppy day, with the index rocketing up out the gate, paring gains, then climbing again into close. Profit takers, global uncertainty, and the fact we’re heading back to 8,500 points on the XJO are all factors.

Looking at sectors, financials ended up top –  despite an overnight jump for gold prices, materials didn’t jump too much as iron ore price stay low. Health Care and Discretionary competed with one another for the biggest laggards of the day.

Let’s take a look at stocks in the green. 

Thinly traded nanocap Sunshine Metals saw a fat boost to liquidity on Tuesday as it reported hitting fairly high grades close to surface, including a 6 grams per tonne hit from surface. The company will fast track mining studies, but with 2 billion shares on issue, investors mightn’t be truly enticed yet. 

Elsewhere, Droneshield popped today climbing well over $1.35 a share as the company enjoys a renewed enthusiasm among ASX investors of late. Why exactly the counter drone defence stock is getting juiced isn’t entirely clear, but, Tuesday’s jump comes after pressure from the US for Albo to boost defence spending. 

Finally, ASX bank stock Judo Capital shook off some recent downside as it jumped on an investor day presentation. The bank says it’s done scaling itself larger, and will now work on optimising itself. With year to date returns down nearly -20% in the final hour, that remains to be seen. Still, brokers appear mostly happy to rate the stock a buy.

So now let’s turn to the reds. 

Already heavily shorted foreign student player IDP Education tanked as it pointed to persistent headwinds at home and in Canada, and fresh concerns regarding foreign student intake in the UK economy. The stock sunk, once again, likely to the delight of short sellers but not so much shareholders. 

Elsewhere, Treasury Wine Estates took a dip on Tuesday as it watered down FY25 guidance by around $10M, pointing to weak demand and issues with distributing its products in the US state of California. US consumers without much money for wine are also suffering; product sales under US$15 a bottle have been suffering. Still, the stock managed to eke out a green close. 

Finally, a reminder to beware the ruthlessness of profit takers. Dateline Resources, made hot by recent direct mentions from Trump himself, sunk -20% as the stock sold off on Tuesday following a rapid climb to 15 cents per share on Monday. At least a few investors on Tuesday are looking forward to salmon dinner. 

That’s Market Close for Tuesday, I’m Jon Davidson, have a great night and we’ll see you tomorrow. 

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on HotCopper, Australia’s largest stock forum, and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.

Overnight, Beijing declared the White House had “seriously undermined” their truce – a rebuttal to Trump claiming Xi Jinping had violated their deal.

The back and forth did little to knock investor sentiments, though (perhaps considering traders have seen it all before), and the S&P 500 had advanced as much as +0.4% higher by close. The Nasdaq ended even higher, up +0.7%.

Back home, Telstra (ASX:TLS) will be a mover and shaker today after the telecom titan partnered with Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its satellites to allow customers to send and receive text messages in areas without mobile service.

Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS) is taking on the Senegal gov’t, filing a complaint with the World Bank over taxes they’ve been forced to pay while operating in the country.

And, HotCopper users are watching MTM Critical Minerals (ASX:MTM) after the explorer scooped up 98% recovery of high-grade antimony from U.S. waste.

To note early today – the Fair Work Commission will be handing down the annual award wage decision at 10am in Sydney. The decision is tipped to be “less consequential” thanks to lower inflation, with a rise of around 3.5% most likely.

Also in economic news, we’ll get the RBA’s May meeting minutes at 11:30am today.

More market news

Trims: An RBA cut was locked. Beijing’s identical chop spotlights larger macro forces

Meet GeoGeorge: The HotCopper poster so accurate he got hired as an analyst

Over in forex, the Aussie dollar is buying 64.9 US cents.

To commodities, which are in the greenback,

Iron Ore has fallen -0.3% to sell at $95.30 a tonne in Singapore,

Brent Crude is trading at $65.14,

Gold is trading at $3,389 per ounce, and, 

US natgas futures are at $3.73 per gigajoule.

That’s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre, stick with us for HotCopper’s Market Update.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

The ASX200 ended down a quarter of a percent as the Australian market digested Wall Street’s Friday finish, informed by renewed trade uncertainty. 

Looking at sectors, telecomms were the winner of the day up point four percent; energy was the day’s biggest laggard down -1.4%. 

But some companies did have a green day. 

The big ticket item was Washington H Soul Pattison’s merger with Brickworks to create a $14B dollar company catering to real estate and construction. Soul Pattison is one of the oldest companies on the ASX, operating since 1903, and the move was particularly good news for Brickworks holders. The deal is valued at the same as James Hardie’s takeover of USA-based AZEK, however, the market was far more in favor of this deal than the latter. 

Elsewhere, Dateline Resources had another day of massive gains, up 50%, as the company believes it has found strong evidence pointing to rare earth mineralisation on-site its Collosseum project in the USA. The market liked that news because Donald Trump himself namedropped the company’s project on Truth Social in relatively recent history. 

Finally, talking of Trump, Bluescope Steel was a winner as the American President threatened to double existing tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%, which is good news in the eyes of Bluescope investors, because a lot of its sales are in the US – meaning it will probably be charging higher prices. 

And so let’s look at the reds, 

Mineral Resources fell -10% below $20 a share as the company was hit by lower iron ore prices, the steelmaking feedstock hit US$95 per tonne on Monday as renewed fears around a Chinese-US trade war put downside pressure on hopes for Chinese steel demand to return to something approximating pre-COVID levels. 

Elsewhere, Alcoa proved to be the opposite of Bluescope when it came to Trump’s latest steel and aluminum tariff threats, the company sunk nearly -4.5% after investors interpreted higher aluminum tariffs in the US as bad news for the company. 

Finally, Commonwealth Bank ended the day flattish red down just 2 pips, outperforming peers NAB and Westpac as the big banks all took a red dip following the Friday Wall Street session. BHP also fell on Monday. 

That’s HotCopper’s Market Close for Monday June 2nd, I’m Jon Davidson, have a great night and we’ll see you on Tuesday. 

The S&P 500 was almost flat at the end of Friday’s session, after an intraday fall of nearly 1%, while the Nasdaq dropped 0.4% and the Dow increased by 53 points.

On the ASX, Castile Resources Ltd (ASX:CST) has detected IOCG mineralisation at its Pathfinder 38 target in the Northern Territory, Sarytogan Graphite Ltd (ASX:SGA) has achieved a concentrate of more than 90% TGC (total graphitic carbon) from flotation work done on ore from its namesake project in Kazakhstan, and Perenti Ltd (ASX:PRN) has signed a 5-year contract valued at A$1.1 billion with Endeavour Mining for delivery of underground mining services in Burkina Faso.

To commodities – all in US $ here: Iron ore is $95.80 on the Singapore Exchange, gold’s trading at $3307, Brent crude is $63.86 & natural gas is $3.52 a gigajoule.

One Aussie dollar is buying 64.4 US cents.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.

Nanoveu (ASX:NVU) is topping the HotCopper forums today — and by quite a distance — after the nanotech player cracked a major drone flight milestone; the team’s drones can now reportedly “make instant flight adjustments.”

Also trending has been Dimerix (ASX:DXB), mainly thanks to an impending windfall in the form of $4.3 million from its Japanese partner, FUSO Pharmaceuticals.

And finally, many HotCopper users have today been watching RareX Limited (ASX:REE): The critical minerals company put a bow on its team-up with Gega Elements late this week. The two will now be working together to develop vertically integrated gallium extraction and refining capabilities in Australia.

In sector moves, Industrials is the only gainer, up +0.3%. Tech is down -0.2%.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.

Trump was yesterday told by the U.S. Court of International Trade that his Liberation Day tariffs had “overstepped his authority” and had to be halted.

Just 18 hours later, though, the trade court has backed down on the hand slap.

(Very Trump of them, we must say, considering that new “TACO” acronym floating around.)

Wall Street seemed emboldened by the court’s reversal, if only slightly, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite both now tracking towards +0.4% gains for close.

Back home, there’s more energy news — Viva Energy (ASX:VEA) has seen its Corio Bay gas import terminal conditionally approved by the Victorian gov’t. Should the project cross the line, it would be the state’s first such terminal.

Elsewhere, West Coast Silver (ASX:WCE) has got its inaugural drilling at Elizabeth Hill underway. It’s testing extensions for known high-grade mineralisations.

Lunnon Metals (ASX:LM8) is on the other side: It just found a new structure after drilling.

More market news

Trims: An RBA cut was locked. Beijing’s identical chop spotlights larger macro forces

Meet GeoGeorge: The HotCopper poster so accurate he got hired as an analyst

Looking at forex, the Aussie dollar is buying 64.4 US cents.

To commodities, which are in the greenback,

Iron Ore has bounced back 1%, to $97.05 a tonne in Singapore,

Brent Crude is trading at $64.03,

Gold is trading at $3,322 per ounce, and, 

US natgas futures are at $3.54 per gigajoule.

That’s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre, stick with us for HotCopper’s Market Update.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

Energy was the strongest performing sector, up1.3%, followed by IT, up 0.8%, and Telecommunication, up 0.6%.

Real Estate was the biggest loser, retreating 1%, followed by Materials, down 0.4%, and Staples, 0.3%.

Woodside (ASX:WDS) has climbed another 2.7% as investors continue to respond positively to yesterday’s North-West Shelf extension.

Woodside wrapped up at $22.73.

ReadCloud (ASX:RCL) finished up 22.7% after chalking up standout results for the first half of the 2025 fiscal year, with its underlying earnings (EBITDA) increasing by 73%, to $1.8 million.

Readcloud closed at 13.5 cents.

Cobalt Blue (ASX:COB) finished up 17.1% after inking a major feedstock supply agreement with Glencore International. The deal will support the development of Cobalt’s Kwinana Cobalt Refinery in Western Australia.

Cobalt Blue closed at 6.5 cents.

Astute Metals (ASX:ASE) closed down 4.1% after confirming the presence of two lithium mineralisation zones in its latest diamond drill hole at the Red Mountain Lithium Project in Nevada.

Astute Metals closed at 2.3 cents.

Resolute Mining (ASX:RSG) closed  down 2.4% after the company became wrapped up in the latest surprise resources policy shift from Guinea’s junta government.

Resolute Mining closed at 61 cents.

Select Harvests(ASX:SHV) closed down 1.1% after posting a turnaround in its financial performance for FY25. The company booked NPAT of $28.7 million, compared to a $2.4 million loss in the previous corresponding period.

Select Harvests finished at $4.51.

Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG) has been the most watched on HotCopper forums today, on news it kicked off its maiden exploration activities at the Antimony Canyon Project, Utah.

Trigg has been up 20% at 9.3 cents.

Marmota (ASX:MEU) has also been trending after releasing lab results which revealed its titanium discovery has yielded spectacular bonanza Heavy Mineral concentrations and intercept thicknesses.

Marmota has been up 12.2% at 4.6 cents.

And, finally, Clarity Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CU6) has imaged the first patient in its Phase III diagnostic trial in participants with biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer.

Clarity has been up 2.8% at $2.21.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.

Chipmaking giant Nvidia, which stands as one of the key Magnificent Seven members, added more than 5% after reporting a 69% jump in first quarter sales — to US$44.1 billion — but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed a little lower.

Considering the ASX slowly slumped into the red Oz close yesterday, though, this slight uptick into the green should be a welcome sign for some Aussie traders.

Also at home, today should see the ACCC’s verdict on the sector-shaking Elders (ASX:ELD)-Deltra Agribusiness buyout; the $475 million deal, first announced in late November, would see the two competitors join forces in most regional towns.

Develop Global (ASX:DVP) is catching eyes on HotCopper forums after the explorer started “substantial earthworks” at Sulphur Springs in Western Australia’s Pilbara.

Also trending is Hot Chili (ASX:HCH) after new porphyry targets were spotted at La Verde.

Early focus stays on gas heavyweight Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS) — and energy rivals like Whitehaven Coal (ASX:WHC) and Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) — today too, after the North West Shelf victory yesterday. Woodside climbed as much as +3.2%, to $22.12/sh, after the decades-long extension was stamped.

And, Champion Iron (ASX:CIA), Goodman Property Trust (ASX:GMG), and Select Harvests (ASX:SHV) are among the Aussie companies reporting today too.

More market news

Trims: An RBA cut was locked. Beijing’s identical chop spotlights larger macro forces

Meet GeoGeorge: The HotCopper poster so accurate he got hired as an analyst

Looking at forex, the Aussie dollar is buying 64.2 US cents.

To commodities, which are in the greenback,

Iron Ore has continued its slump to sell at $95 a tonne in Singapore,

Brent Crude is selling at around $64.87 a barrel,

Gold is trading at $3,293 per ounce, and,

US natgas futures slumped 5.5%, to $3.54 per gigajoule.

That’s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre, stick with us for HotCopper’s Market Update.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

In breaking news, the Albanese government has greenlit Woodside’s controversial North-West Shelf extension, extending the project’s life by 40 years, to 2070. Investors have responded with alacrity by pushing the stock 3.2% higher to close at $22.12.

Energy has been the best performing sector, up 2.2%, followed by Real Estate and IT, both up 1.2%.

Financials was the biggest loser, down 0.7%, followed by Materials and Staples, both down 0.4%.

RAS Technology (ASX:RTH) after reporting growth in its annualised recurring revenue, which rose to $21.1 million at the end of the first half of FY25, up from $18.3 million.

RAS Technology closed at 93 cents.

Aurora Labs (ASX:A3D) closed down 2.04% has inked a deal with U.S. based Mayman Aerospace to develop 3D-printed micro gas turbines for vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

Aurora Labs finished at 4.8 cents.

Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) closed down 5.4% as investors dumped the stock in response to yesterday’s production update. The company’s news has preceded an investor and analyst tour of Onslow Iron which kicks off in the coming days.

Mineral Resources closed at $22.45.

IPD Group (ASX:IPG) closed down 7.8% as investors reacted unfavourably to it earnings guidance for the fiscal year ending June 30. The company forecast revenue growth across its business despite ongoing headwinds.

IPD Group closed at $3.19.

Telstra (ASX:TLS) closed down 0.21% despite Macquarie lifting its 12-month price target to $5.28, a substantial 34% increase.

Telstra closed at $4.74

New Murchison Gold (ASX:NMG) has been the most watched on HotCopper this afternoon after the explorer’s high-grade gold results returned from inclined grade control drilling targeting in-situ mineralisation.

New Murchison Gold has been unchanged at 1.6 cents.

Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI) has also been trending after Guinea’s Ministry of Mines and Geology revoked the company’s Agro and Bokoro exploration permits.

Predictive has been down 21%, at 34.3 cents.

And, finally, Warriedar Resources (ASX:WA8) is raising $17 million and has received firm commitments and sophisticated investors. The funds will help fast-track the company’s core gold-antimony asset.

Sunshine has been down 4.3% at 11 cents.

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Wall Street edged back to near its three-month high after Trump delayed the EU tariffs deadline until July 9; he then said he was “encouraged” by talks overnight.

(It’s far from the first time Trump has balked, hence the pretty funny new “TACO” acronym being spruiked in Aussie media — Trump always chickens out.)

Also buoying U.S. traders was a “striking” Conference Board report that confirmed the Consumer Confidence Index has spiked by 12.3 points. Early estimates hadn’t placed the rise nearly that high, spurring some eager buying.

Following these headwinds, the S&P 500 closed 2.1%. The Nasdaq beat it too, up +2.5%.

At home, beleaguered Nufarm (ASX:NUF) is facing pressure after its weak first-half profits reports; shareholders are demanding John Gillam consider a sale.

Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) will be one to watch today after it snuck in an Onslow downgrade late on Tuesday. It dropped predictions from 8.7 million tonnes to 7.8 million.

Elsewhere, Santos (ASX:STO) and Woodside Energy (ASX:WDS) are still throwing haymakers over the North West Shelf extension — the Aussie LNG superpowers called recent arguments against the deal “ridiculous” and warned any moves to block it would only see coal consumption quickly increase instead.

To note too: The Oz Monthly CPI Indicator will be shared today at 12:30pm.

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Looking at forex, the Aussie dollar is buying 64.4 US cents.

To commodities, which are in the greenback,

Iron Ore is down yet another 1%, selling at $96.05 a tonne in Singapore,

Brent Crude has dropped again to sell at around $64.30 a barrel,

Gold is trading at $3,307 per ounce, and, 

US natgas futures are at $3.41 per gigajoule.

That’s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre, stick with us for HotCopper’s Market Update.

Join the discussion: See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.

IT was the leading sector, up 1.25%, followed by Financials, up 1.1%, and Health Care 0.9%.

Real Estate was the biggest loser, down 0.4%, followed by Telecommunication, up 0.3%, and Staples, down 0.25%.

Wisr (ASX:WZR) has secured a $267 million warehouse facility – its third loan funding warehouse – led by senior funding from Barclays Bank.

Wisr closed at 2.8 cents.

Optiscan Imaging (ASX:OIL) closed up 13.64% after finishing the minimum viable product stage for its innovative cloud-based telepathology streaming software. This marks a significant step forward in real-time digital pathology solutions.

Optiscan Imaging closed at 12.5 cents.

DXN (ASX:DXN) finished up 10% on the inking of a $2 million contract with DP World Australia to design, manufacture, and deliver two high-performance modular data centres.

DXN closed at 3.3 cents.

Askari Metals (ASX:AS2) closed down 6.67% as investors responded negatively to the launch of its Phase 1 exploration program at its Lithium-Tin-Tantalum Project in central-west Namibia.

Askari Metals closed at $0.008.

Lincoln Minerals (ASX:LML) has confirmed strong copper-lead-zinc-silver mineralisation at its Minbrie prospect in South Australia.

Lincoln Minerals closed at $0.005.

And, Origin Energy (ASX:ORG) closed down 0.57% after RBC Capital Markets downgraded the stock. The broker has lowered its price target, from $11.50 to $11.

Origin Energy closed at $10.45.