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 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.

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 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.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Lithium Plus Minerals 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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

Join the discussion. See what HotCopper users are saying about Virgin Australia 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 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.

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 garbage news (and that’s a good thing, mind you) highlights the “untapped value of complex e-waste streams,” the Oz company spruiked in a June 3 release.

In simple terms, MTM took relatively regular U.S. e-waste, like old telecom equipment and discarded server parts, and converted the antimony found there into water-soluble chloride. This could then be used to develop everything from semiconductors and batteries to munitions, flame retardants, and more.

Of note — atimony recovery, achieved using MTM’s proprietary Flash Joule Heating technology, clocked in at 98%; the recovered grade, 3.13% Sb, exceeded primary global antimony mine averages (often around 0.1% to 1%).

This is all particularly significant, MTM’s managing director, Michael Walshe, explained, because “the U.S. currently has no meaningful domestic antimony production.” These results suggest MTM could fill that gap.

“Combined with our recently secured, pre-permitted demonstration site in Texas, we are well-positioned to scale operations and advance commercial deployment.”

HotCopper users and the wider Oz market liked what they saw in the June 3 release: The explorer jumped as much as 12% at open on Tuesday, to 4.15cps. This comes after a slightly more humble 1.4% gain yesterday.

Looking further back, it adds to MTM’s steady gains, which were mainly helped on in April and May after the company said its e-waste char had 100 times more gold than ore.

(My colleague Jonathon Davidson and I talked about all this on the HotCopper Wire podcast some weeks ago, if you wanted a few more juicy details there.)

Things are only going to get better for MTM, too — Washington meetings await.

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“The company is engaging with U.S. government agencies, including the DoD and DOE, regarding potential funding to support domestic critical metal recovery,” Mr Walshe told MTM shareholders today.

The discussions, which are still in the early stages and non-binding, “reflect strong interest in scalable U.S.-based refining technologies,” he added. “The strategic role of antimony in defence, particularly in armour-piercing alloys and flame-retardant systems, was a consistent theme during recent meetings.”

MTM shares are selling at more than 4.1 cents each this morning.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about MTM Critical Minerals 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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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 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.

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.

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 22 episode (my first after celebrating my wedding), we go through the RBA rate chop from seven days ago — and what it’ll mean for the rest of the year — as well as Dutton’s mistimed nuclear forray, Trump proving the new “TACO” acronym in his European Union boxing match, 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.

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.

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 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.

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 delivery — shipped to CIT SENAI ITR’s Lab Fab facility — goes some way to establishing the team-up’s Colossus Project as a “leading rare earth project worldwide.”

Of note is the recently delivered oxides: They originated from end-of-life magnets in Brazil (mainly from MRI machines and wind turbines) and were chock-full of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium.

It’s a win for Viridion (the formal name of the Viridis-Ionic team-up), not least because it sets it up as the only local source of oxides in Brazil and Latin America.

Even more notably, HotCopper understands this is the first of its kind outside China.

“Leveraging IXR’s industry-leading technology is now a reality,” Viridis’ CEO, Rafael Moreno, today declared. “[This delivery] is another important example of Viridion’s capability to help develop a Brazilian and Latin American rare earth magnet industry and ensure security of supply for downstream users.”

Next up — CIT SENAI ITR will get to work at the Lab Fab facility, testing if the REE oxides can be successfully transformed into alloys. If yes, magnet production begins.

To that end, Mr Moreno said, “We look forward to progressing on the pathway to creating a circular mine to magnet supply chain, as we… capitalise on the burgeoning supply chain in Brazil and, more broadly, Latin America.”

Further tests eyeing performance standards for high-end applications will be run too.

The work is far from over for Viridis and Viridion, however, with company brass now preparing bidding packages before they potentially meet the Brazilian Development Bank and the Financier of Studies and Projects in the future.

The BNDES and FINEP have allocated R$8 billion (around $2.1B AUD) to support mining companies invested in “the transformation of strategic minerals.”

“The timing of this delivery… and the outstanding economics shown by our scoping study, even at today’s low rare earth prices, puts us in a strong position to take advantage of the substantial funding now being made available through BNDES and FINEP to support Brazil’s strategic mineral initiatives,” Mr Moreno explained.

HotCopper doesn’t have to point out how vital even a chunk of that would be for Viridion.

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

Aussie investors don’t seem to be waiting to see if the cash pours in, though — VMM has already climbed as much as 7.9% through today, to 3.08cps.

It marks a bit of a turnaround for the exploration company that operates in Brazil, Canada, and Australia; a year ago, Viridis was selling at $1.62/sh. (This writer talked to Moreno about it in our Thematic Insight Report just last month.)

Less involved IXR, on the other hand, has stayed stationary at 0.7c a share.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Viridis Mining and Minerals 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.