The S&P/ASX 200 finished higher on Monday, adding 20.70 points, or 0.23%, to close at 8,959.30 — marking a new 100-day high. Leading the gains were Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd, up 8.20%, and Liontown Resources Ltd, which advanced 6.51%. Over the past five trading sessions, the benchmark index has risen 1.73% and now sits just 0.04% below its 52-week peak.
The S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index ended the day lower, slipping 7.30 points, or 0.21%, to 3,491.60. Despite the dip, the index is up 0.97% over the past five days.
Resolution Minerals Ltd (ASX:RML, OTC:RLMLF) has started Phase 1 drilling at its Horse Heaven Gold-Antimony-Tungsten Project in Idaho, United States, located adjacent to $3 billion-capped Perpetua Resources' Stibnite Gold Mine. The program follows the appointment of contractor Evolve, receipt of final approvals, and project bonding.
Critical Resources Ltd (ASX:CRR) has received approval from the New South Wales (NSW) Resources Regulator for its maiden reverse circulation (RC) drill program at the Amoco Gold-Antimony Project. The company has been granted an Assessable Prospecting Operation (APO) approval by regulators alongside a Land Access Agreement, allowing it to start drilling at Amoco.
The company has identified a priority area with rock samples grading up to 17.9 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, 0.53% antimony, and 80 g/t silver. Results from a targeted soil-geochemistry program are expected in early September, with drilling to follow later in the month.
European Metals Holdings Ltd (AIM:EMH, ASX:EMH, OTCQX:EMHLF) has outlined its funding pathway to complete the definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the Cinovec lithium project in the Czech Republic.
Also, project company Geomet has issued a €11 million cash call, of which EMH’s share is €5.39 million, payable by 10 October.
88 Energy Ltd (AIM:88E, ASX:88E, OTC:EEENF) has agreed to sell its 75% non-operated working interest in Project Longhorn, a package of producing oil and gas assets in the Permian Basin, in Texas.
It is selling the package of assets to operator Lonestar I for US$3.25 million (with final consideration subject to customary working capital and completion adjustments, effective 1 July).
Respiratory infections remain among the most common — and most serious — health challenges worldwide. From influenza and pneumonia to COVID-19 and other acute illnesses, these diseases are a leading cause of hospitalisation and death, placing a sustained burden on health systems.
At the same time, they sit at the centre of one of medicine’s most pressing dilemmas: how to treat effectively when the cause of infection is not immediately clear. In many cases, uncertainty leads to antibiotics being prescribed as a precaution, despite most respiratory illnesses being viral. That practice continues to accelerate the global spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Josh Gilbert, market analyst at eToro Group Ltd, shares his three things to watch in Australia in the coming days.
Earnings season in Australia is well and truly upon us, with a bumper fortnight on the way. This week will see BHP, CSL, Woodside and Goodman Group posting results, providing key insights into the health of Australia’s mining and technology sectors.
Google Asia Pacific has agreed to pay a A$55 million fine after admitting to uncompetitive conduct relating to the pre-installation of its search engine on Android phones sold by Telstra and Optus.
The penalty, jointly submitted with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and accepted by the Federal Court on Monday, follows proceedings in which Google admitted liability.
The Federal Court has imposed a A$90 million penalty on Qantas Airways (ASX:QAN) for unlawfully outsourcing its below-the-wing workforce in 2020. Justice Michael Lee ruled that A$50 million of the fine be paid to the Transport Workers Union (TWU), with a further hearing scheduled to determine the distribution of the remaining A$40 million.
In delivering his judgment, Justice Lee criticised the conduct of former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, stating he was directly involved in the decision to outsource. He also rebuked the airline’s current chief executive, Vanessa Hudson, for failing to appear in court, saying she was “uniquely placed to assist the court”. The judge described the airline’s remorse as belated and questioned the credibility of its continued use of the slogan “Spirit of Australia”.
BlueScope Steel (ASX:BSL) has posted a 90% drop in statutory profit for the 2025 financial year (FY25), reporting earnings of A$83.8 million compared with A$805.7 million in FY24. The decline was largely driven by a A$438.9 million writedown on the company’s BlueScope Coated Products (BCP) business in North America, which delivered a loss amid lower volumes and operational inefficiencies.
Despite the setback, BlueScope said BCP “remains core to our North American growth strategy” and pledged continued investment in its turnaround.
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED (ASX:NAB) has reported flat cash earnings of A$1.77 billion for the third quarter, matching the same period last year but coming in below its first-half average. The bank attributed the subdued result to higher impairment charges and flagged a rise in costs linked to payroll remediation.
The bank booked a credit impairment charge of A$254 million in the quarter, primarily tied to business lending in Australia and New Zealand and unsecured Australian retail portfolios. Without these charges, underlying profit rose 4% on the prior corresponding period.
American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR, OTCQB:ARRNF), through its subsidiary Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc., has begun construction of a test mine at the Cowboy State Mine, part of the Halleck Creek deposit in Wyoming. The program, operating under a State of Wyoming License to Explore by Dozing, will extract about 3,200 tonnes of ore to provide feedstock for a planned demonstration plant. Bulk sampling will also support ongoing mineral processing optimisation.
The company has already completed the first of two scheduled blasts, fracturing weathered material to a depth of 3.6 metres, which is now being excavated and stockpiled. Once removed, underlying non-weathered ore will be blasted, crushed to five centimetres, and stockpiled for further work.
Taiton Resources Ltd (ASX:T88) has released a strong exploration update covering its Highway and Challenger West projects in South Australia, marking important progress on both gold and critical minerals fronts (Figure 1). The latest results highlight standout gold-in-soil values from Challenger West — including the highest recorded to date — alongside further definition of rare earth element (REE) anomalism at the Yogi prospect within the Highway Project.
St George Mining Ltd (ASX:SGQ) is stepping up its international growth push with a dual listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE: SOG), alongside its existing ASX listing, giving European investors direct access to its shares as demand for rare earths and niobium surges.
The move comes at a time of heightened concern in Europe over security of supply for critical minerals, with recent Chinese export restrictions on rare earth elements and permanent magnets exposing vulnerabilities across European and US industries and fuelling unprecedented investor appetite for projects outside China.
Gold and copper are riding parallel waves of investor enthusiasm in 2025, as markets seek both the security of precious metals and the growth upside of clean energy commodities. Gold prices have climbed to record highs near US$3,300 an ounce — up around 60% since the start of 2024 — while copper has gained roughly 45% over the same period amid a tightening supply picture and accelerating global electrification demand.
Yandal Resources Ltd (ASX:YRL) has stretched the strike length of its Arrakis mineralised structure at the Caladan target area in Western Australia’s Yandal Greenstone Belt to more than 2.2 kilometres, with fresh air-core results confirming the scale of the emerging gold system.
The third batch of assays from the company’s large-scale Caladan air-core program has returned several notable intercepts, underscoring the potential of a dolerite-hosted structure at the heart of the Caladan Fold.
Lumos Diagnostics Holdings Ltd (ASX:LDX, OTC:LDXHF) has submitted its application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) waiver classification for its FebriDx® test. FebriDx® is a rapid, point-of-care test that differentiates bacterial from non-bacterial respiratory infections in about 10 minutes, potentially reducing unnecessary antibiotic use.
The clinical trial data surpassed performance targets, triggering milestone payments of about US$1.3 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and US$1.5 million from distribution partner Phase Scientific.
