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.

While there are a few analogous projects West Coast Silver has been taking key lessons from, one has stood out more than any other — the Bou-Azzer project in Morocco.

This project, buried in the Anti-Atlas in the North African country, shares many of the same qualities as Elizabeth Hill, ranging from an abundance of cobalt, silver, and gold to the presence of ultramafic rocks and granite controlled by structural deformation that significantly post-dates the rocks’ modern formation.

Even better for West Coast Silver, who has studiously been taking notes, is the fact the Morocco project was discovered 100 years ago. Since then, there’s been over 60 deposits found and mined through 80 years’ constant work.

All that means plenty of history to learn from — which is exactly what West Coast is doing.

“There’s a really long-lived story in Morocco… they’ve had continuous success exploring and mining,” ERM Technical Consultant Tony Donaghy told HotCopper.

Mr Donaghy works for Environmental Resources Management, which was brought on by West Coast Silver to provide technical advice on the Elizabeth Hill Silver Project as it continues to develop towards production.

He and ERM were the team that first linked the long century of Bou-Azzer successes to Elizabeth Hill and gave West Coast Silver a strong leg up this year.

“Having Bou-Azzer as an analogue gives us a working hypothesis to hit the ground running and shows us what the critical factors are to focus our exploration activities on,” Mr Donaghy told HotCopper in a Watchlist interview.

“This working model [it gives us]… allows for critical re-evaluation of past exploration activities that have been done and gives us data assets that have been gathered, where past explorers may not have fully recognised the significance of what they were looking at because they weren’t using the models we’re using.

On top of all that, he added, “It gives us the idea to test the significance of those results, push ideas, and push regional exploration at Elizabeth Hill ahead.”

All this has led to “bonanza” early days at Elizabeth Hill as things fall into place.

Drilling actually got underway at the project last week following a long mobilisation period, as well as all the usual setup for any Australian-based mining company.

With June marking ‘go’ time, West Coast Silver is diving into the first hole as part of the 1,500-metre inaugural diamond drilling campaign. It’s targeting known high-grade silver mineralisation and investigating new structures.

“It’s well-known that [Elizabeth Hill] has been mined in the past, so what we’re working through at the present is how to target more of the silver mineralisation in the project itself… to enable drilling programs to be developed,” Mr Donaghy said.

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“Then, we’re also looking around regionally at similar environments to all formations and busily prioritising target areas in the regional data sets where we think there might be more Elizabeth Hill-style mineralisation.

“I think that it’s all actually quite exciting, as it stands,” ERM’s consultant concluded.

Join the discussion. See what HotCopper users are saying about West Coast Silver 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 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.”

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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. 

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“This is a mineral that has enormous applications in high-tech aerospace and defence,” Lithium Plus’ non-executive director, Simon Kidston, told HotCopper’s Jonathon Davidson in a Watchlist interview today.

It’s something the Western world is very focused on, and we’ve discovered significant amounts in our deposit,” Mr Kidston continued in the interview.

It’s a particularly big find because “beryllium is extremely valuable.”

So much, in fact, that one tonne of the alkaline earth metal is worth US$1 million.

Hear all the details on the major Lithium Plus Minerals find and what it means for the Australian explorer in HotCopper‘s Watchlist interview video above.

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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.

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That seed funding program is called Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR. IperionX has snagged a Phase III contract for “Low-Cost Domestic Titanium for Defence Applications.” Titanium is often used in aerospace applications (vehicles) as well as some weapons manufacturing.

In this instance, IperionX will first go ahead with manufacturing titanium fasteners – in other words, high-performance nuts and bolts. The name of the game? High strength, light weight.

While it’s not a US$99M contract in itself, the market didn’t care on Thursday.

The company can now request that much from the US DoD in moving forward with its research program under the Phase III deal. Whether it draws down the full US$99M remains to be seen – but in Australian dollars, that’s $152M.

(Investors will likely be keen to see what, if any, R&D tax rebates may apply.)

In the company’s own words: “The contract establishes a funding mechanism through which qualifying U.S. Government agencies can place project-specific task orders – collectively capped at US$99 million – for the supply of IperionX titanium components and parts.”

“[The contract] validates the performance of our technologies and underscores the Department of Defence’s commitment to reshore an all-American titanium supply chain,” IPX CEO Taso Arima said.

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Mr Arima added: “We look forward to delivering mission-critical components that are lighter, stronger and more cost-effective.”

Another day, another defence stock benefitting from the global remilitarisation thematic.

IPX last traded at $4.68/sh.

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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.

Specifically chasing out esophageal adenocarcinoma, Proteomics reports its PromarkerEso blood test showed 98.9% specificity in a clinical validation study. The condition is typically caused by acid reflux.

The study from which these claims are borne recruited 259 participants and was published in the journal Proteomes.

Now, the company expects commercialisation in Australia “shortly.”

The name of the blood test harks back to ‘biomarkers,’ which are proteins or other naturally occurring compounds in the human body that express themselves in higher levels when a cancer is present.

One well-known and simple example is that in some types of blood cancers, early detection can be spotted when certain immune cells start to proliferate above baseline averages.

In other instances, it can be more difficult, tracking specific proteins that may only spike in certain cancers attached to certain organs.

In this case, Proteomics is now intending to deliver such a product for a specific type of targeted throat cancer (esophageal adenocarcinoma).

Esophageal cancers, broadly, Proteomics relayed on Thursday, rank seventh in cancer-related mortality globally. Survival rates are, perhaps unsurprisingly for where the cancer originates, low. Less than 20% across a five-year span, and one study cites a “median survival time less than one year.”

Herein is the value prop of Proteomics’ news on Thursday – early detection offers more time for other treatments to potentially mitigate severity. That, and the blood test is less invasive than any kind of physical inspection of the oesophagus.

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“PromarkerEso has the potential to revolutionise how doctors manage the risk of esophageal cancer – offering a standard blood test that could reduce reliance on invasive procedures and improve early detection rates,” company chief Dr. Richard Lipscombe said.

PIQ last traded at 42cps.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Proteomics International 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.

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.

This solid Thursday hike brings Lynas Rare Earths up to as much as 37% up YTD.

It’s not overly surprising that some traders are taking a look at Lynas – with China throttling rare earths exports since Donald Trump and the U.S. levied tariffs on Beijing, global car makers have been looking for other (cheaper) options.

It’s gotten bad enough in Europe, according to Reuters, that some auto parts plants on the continent have started suspending work as they look for new avenues.

This all puts little old Lynas in the hot seat; it’s one of the only companies, listed or otherwise, outside China still producing the required materials. China currently commands as much as 90% of production in the sector.

“Lynas is uniquely positioned to contribute to and benefit from efforts to diversify and rebuild supply chains, including opportunities for a sustained market restructure,” Lynas CEO Amanda Lacaze said last month.

Good timing too – Lynas just managed to produce the first dysprosium oxide at its Malaysian plant in May. That too would be encouraging buyers.

Also coming up are deals in Japan, Europe, and the U.S., Lacaze recently said.

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Things may still swing the other way should the European Union sort things out with China, and that is underway: Trade Commissioner Marcos Sefcovic has been looking to speak to his Chinese counterpart to “clarify the situation.”

Whether they sort things out, though, Mr Sefcovic still declared “the export [bans] increase our will to diversify” – and even just that may have made Lynas’ ears prick up.

Today, LYC is up as much as 81 cents higher, to sell at $9.04/sh.

Join the discussion. See what HotCopper users are saying about Lynas Rare Earths 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.

We offer companies something NONE of our competitors can – direct access to the largest community of Australian investors, both sophisticated and retail. 

DealRoom is a game-changing development in Australia’s finance landscape. We’re here to disrupt the traditional methods through which Australian publicly-listed companies have raised capital in the past. 

We already have access to the largest Australian investor-base in the country. 

From today, sophisticated investors can simply sign up for DealRoom from the comfort of their own homes and participate in pre-IPO and capital raising opportunities. 

And early-stage interest has been incredibly strong.

In the works since late last year, HotCopper has been battling geopolitical macro in 1HFY25 to bring this service to market. 

Now, it’s finally here. For both interested investors, and, interested companies. 

There’s nothing else like it on the market right now.

With all necessary compliance checks well and truly executed, HotCopper stands at the fore of a brand new way of raising capital in Australia.

“This is a ground-breaking development for the Australian market,” HotCopper Head of Growth Tim Sylvester said.  

“This is about matching up the ASX-listed companies looking to raise capital, with investors looking to invest in opportunities.  

“We can very much facilitate the flow of capital in a much more efficient and cost-effective manner, for not only the companies, but also for the investors looking to access the deals as well.”

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Metal Hawk has been prepping for reverse-core drilling runs at its Thylacine and Siberian Tiger prospects since spotting surface gold at Leinster South in 2024.

Now, weeks out from first drill, the explorer has spotted even more to be excited about.

The main excitement includes several new gold prospects ranging from further mineralised quartz veins at Thylacine, Thylacine East, and at the Thylacine Camp to more discoveries at the White Tiger prospect, established more recently.

Best assay results included as much as 24.56 grams per tonne of gold pulled from the “25DR171” hole and 12.48 grams per tonne of gold from the nearby “25DR011.”

At the granite-hosted quartz vein, the top hit was 40.22 g/t Au, the company reported.

The discoveries have allowed Metal Hawk to expand the mineralised footprint of Thylacine’s prospect area out to 900 metres by 150 metres – a “very pleasing” bump.

“It will be very exciting to drill some relatively deep diamond holes early on at both the Thylacine and Siberian Tiger prospects,” Metal Hawk’s managing director, Will Belbin, declared after the company shared the new hits.

Regional field activities have been progressing well, Mr Belbin added, and “will ultimately result in [even more] new gold prospects and drill targets” for the explorer.

There are still some gates Red Hawk has to step through before everything really gets underway, including the impending results of a heritage survey run by the Darlot Watarra group and a site survey report – both of which need to come back before the explorer can actually get started on site access work.

One thing’s for sure, though: “It is a very exciting time for Metal Hawk shareholders.”

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All the excitement among Metal Hawk holders has only been compounded by the other news in the company’s June 5 release, too: The Western Australian government has awarded the explorer $180,000 for its diamond drilling.

This $180K grant, handed out as part of the Exploration Incentive Scheme run by the Western government, will go towards future Leinster South expansions.

Before open, MHK shares have been at 46.5 cents; expect a +4% pop at 10am today.

Join the discussion. See what HotCopper users are saying about Metal Hawk Limited 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.

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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.

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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.

Each week, HotCopper’s senior markets reporter Jonathon Davidson and I take you through all the week’s biggest news headlines — and what they mean for Aussie investors.

In this Week 23 episode, we’re turning to cheaper Aussie goon bags… and by that I mean breaking down all the economic pitfalls that have been popping up, as well as dissecting Treasury Wine Estates (ASX:TWE), looking at the historic $14 billion Soul Patts (ASX:SOL)–Brickworks (BKW) team-up, and more.

For the full podcast episode, you can listen below – right here in the browser.

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 podcast 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 finance journalist still remembers the day he figured that out, and if its liquidity at the time was anything to go by, he wasn’t alone.

But in 2019 at least, Yowie was the talk of the town (for some), seeing as controversial figure Nick Bolton’s Keybridge Capital made a move on Yowie. That was six years ago, and the world has changed a lot since then.

HotCopper readers in 2025 would also be relatively further forgiven, seeing as shares have been suspended for some time now.

That suspension could be in part informed by an ongoing dispute among the major shareholders of YOW, which includes Wilson Asset Management (WAM) and another entity called HHY Fund, which controls 10.06% of Yowie’s ordinary shares.

But it’s Keybridge Capital Limited (ASX:KBC) that has gone to the Takeovers Panel to complain about HHY’s conduct as a Yowie shareholder.

In an application released Wednesday, Keybridge has alleged to the Takeovers Panel that “without notice of a capital raising and prior to it receiving access to the HHY members’ register, [HHY] issued 42% new HHY units, including to Yowie directors and their associated entities, significantly diluting … voting power.”

It may be amusing to some to see Bolton’s Keybridge itself complaining of corporate shenanigans, given that’s what Bolton was once hated for (by some) in Australia’s finance ecosystem.

Keybridge further complained to Takeovers that the dilution of HHY unitholders – “for the improper purpose of preventing a change of responsible entity” – reduced Keybridge’s voting power ahead of a key meeting.

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It’s all quite technical, and admittedly dry: The big story is that Yowie Group now appears it may be investigated by the Takeovers Panel, suggesting shares will stay in suspension for a good while yet.

That is, of course, if you don’t consider the fact that Yowie is on the ASX at all to be the bigger story.

YOW last traded at 1.4cps; shares are suspended.

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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.

Once short sellers moved in, however, the stock sharply sold off – this occurred rapidly after the stock hit $2.60 – pretty much exactly reflecting a $2B market cap. Perhaps short sellers hadn’t needed to make a move on the stock, seeing as this seemed a fairly obvious psychological level from which to sell the stock.

Its decline may also have been driven by broad investor fatigue towards the Russia-Ukraine war, which was the real catalyst that drove interest in Droneshield originally.

Not helping matters for the stock is that it trickled through a number of deals sub-US$10 million, and never declared another shipment of tech to Ukraine, the contract that put the stock on the map.

But that was then, and this is now.

In a world where the U.S. government has begun demanding Western allies boost defence spending; and in an Australia where we’ve done just that, Droneshield has been quietly climbing back to its former volatility over the last few months.

(It probably also helps that Ukraine’s latest surprise drone attacks on Russian airbases have led to some excitement around the C-UAS proposition.)

As of midday Wednesday, the stock notched $1.51/ea, bringing its market cap to $1.3 billion. That’s still well above where Droneshield’s fundamental revenues sit, but it appears that right now, the market doesn’t really care.

Liquidity is back for the counter-drone (“C-UAS”) technology provider, with 17M shares trading hands on Tuesday for $26.6M worth of trades, compared to a four-week average of 8.5M shares trading hands per day.

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The question now is how long the stock can last in this renewed thematic environment – again, Droneshield’s fundamentals haven’t drastically changed – but it’s been on a good run since shares first climbed back to $1.00/sh in mid-April.

Maybe the better question to ask is: what might the next sell level be for traders?

DRO last traded at $1.50/eah.

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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.

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.

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The airline was originally on the ASX through to 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the flight company and forced it into administration.

Bain Capital saved Virgin at the time, bringing it out of administration. The plan since then has always been to bring it back into the trading fold eventually, with Bain even trying something similar to this IPO in 2023. (It was shelved.)

Now — Virgin will end its time in the cold on June 24, returning after five years.

HotCopper expects it will relist under its old ticker code, “VAH.”

The returning Australian company will land with a market capitalisation of $2.3 billion and an enterprise valuation of $3.6 billion, the Australian Financial Review reported.

Intriguing numbers have already been flying behind the scenes too, with fund managers told the airline should bank as much as $1 billion in underlying earnings for the year ending June 30 – a clear carrot for potential investors.

There won’t be long to think for anyone wanting to get in through raising; HotCopper understands bids are due in by as early as this Thursday, June 5.

Goldman Sachs, UBS, and Barrenjoey have already underwritten the IPO.

Retail investors will then get a bite at Virgin’s return on that aforementioned June 24 re-float date, though this HotCopper writer wonders how many will board.

Not that Virgin as a company isn’t an appealing offer — but instead, some may have been stung by the fact they were given the chance to buy into the company in 2019, only to watch it all come apart at the seams a year later.

We’re not expecting another pandemic, but cost of living isn’t getting any easier.

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Bain Capital seems to have somewhat acknowledged this with its return plan: Retail investors will get to buy into a slice expected to be around $700 million — à la Guzman Y Gomez (ASX:GYG) last year — while the rest of the IPO has already been “covered at launch” by brokers working behind the scenes.

Virgin’s selling pitch was also pointedly aimed at proving the airline has been deleveraged since its COVID-19 collapse. At very least, its profits have turned skyward again under the now-departed Jayne Hrdlicka, who left for Endeavour in April.

The IPO has yet to be added to the ASX’s quite sparse floats docket, at time of writing.

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The Australian biotech company raised $10.8 million with a non-renounceable entitlement offer that offered one RCE share at 28 cents each for every six held.

The key raise was rounded out with a $5 million private placement closed in April.

All this — which HotCopper understands will settle on June 6 — gives Recce licence to continue its multi-phase clinical trials and commercialisation efforts, which will now be backed by as much as $16 million in operating funds.

Recce will use the cash to complete the third phase of its diabetic foot infection registrational topical clinical trial in Indonesia, wrap up its acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections registrational topical clinical trial in Australia, and eventually “pursue any new clinical activities” that may also arise.

The former is particularly key for the biotech enterprise; its Indonesian trials are expected to be a revenue catalyst for the company as early as next year.

All this, Recce chairman Dr John Prendergast said, demonstrates “clear value.”

“[This raise] supports a critical step forward as we commence our Phase Three trials,” he explained on Tuesday. With cash in hand and trials now spinning into motion, the company has come to a “potential major inflection point.”

Importantly, he said, there’s an “opportunity to advance a new standard of care in infectious diseases, offering long-sought-after improved outcomes for patients.”

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Recce CEO James Graham celebrated the raise too: “This successful shortfall placement is very gratifying for Recce, particularly given the more challenging environment for raising capital for biotechnology companies.

“We are delighted to achieve our intended capital raise and receive this ongoing support from our existing institutional and sophisticated shareholders.”

RCE will open Wednesday at 32.5cps after dipping 5.8% through yesterday.

Join the discussion. See what HotCopper users are saying about Recce Pharmaceuticals 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.

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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. 

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