Wellnex Life Ltd (ASX:WNX, AIM:WNX) shares jumped by a third to 10p after the consumer healthcare group pointed to a sharp improvement in profitability and said it is now operating at breakeven.
In a trading update ahead of its half-year results, the maker of Pain Away said earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation improved by $2.4 million in the six months to December compared with a year earlier.
Cyprium Metals Ltd (ASX:CYM, OTCQB:CYPMF) has entered 2026 with momentum, approving the Phase 1 restart of copper cathode production at the Nifty Copper Complex and securing the funding and approvals needed to transition from developer to near-term producer.
During the December 2025 quarter, the company completed a transformational A$80 million capital raise, refinanced its senior debt facility and maintained a strong cash position of A$75.0 million, providing a clear runway toward first cathode production targeted for mid-2026.
Mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd (LSE:RIO, ASX:RIO, OTC:RTNTF) has struck a strategic two-year agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that will see the cloud computing arm become the first customer for low-carbon copper produced using the miner’s breakthrough Nuton® bioleaching technology in the United States.
Under the collaboration, AWS will integrate the copper into components for its US data centres — used in critical applications such as electrical cables, transformers, motors and printed circuit boards — while also providing cloud-based data and analytics support to accelerate optimisation of Nuton’s proprietary extraction system at Rio Tinto’s Johnson Camp mine in Arizona.
After a brief bout of nerves earlier in the week, the AI and semiconductor trade found its footing again overnight, with a familiar catalyst. Strong earnings and guidance from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (ADR) (NYSE:TSM) (TSMC) helped pull sentiment across the tech sector back into positive territory, lifting US equities and reigniting momentum in AI-linked stocks.
The rally was broad but not indiscriminate. Banks also contributed after solid earnings, but in tech it was the signal from TSMC — the most important node in the global chip supply chain — that carried the most weight. When the world’s dominant foundry talks up demand and commits more capital, markets tend to listen.
Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd (ASX:PIQ) has secured a key intellectual property milestone after being granted a Canadian patent for its PromarkerEso blood test, a first-in-class diagnostic designed to detect esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) at an early stage.
The patent strengthens the company’s commercialisation strategy in North America, supporting future direct sales, partnerships and licensing opportunities, while expanding PromarkerEso’s global patent coverage to include Canada alongside Australia, China, Hong Kong, Europe and the United States.
Zelira Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:ZLD, OTCQB:ZLDAF) has secured a major funding milestone after its HOPE® 1 special purpose vehicle (SPV) signed definitive agreements to raise US$32.98 million (AU$49.21m), strengthening the company’s balance sheet and accelerating its lead autism drug candidate toward US FDA approval.
The fundraising values the HOPE® 1 SPV at a post-money valuation of US$65.96 million and assigns Zelira’s retained interest in the vehicle a post-money value of US$26.19 million, underlining growing institutional confidence in the program’s clinical and regulatory pathway.
Black Bear Minerals (ASX: BKB; OTCQX: BKBMF) has delivered a strong start to drilling at Rebel Peak, returning multiple thick gold-silver intersections that extend mineralisation well beyond the current near-surface Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) at its Independence Project in Nevada.
The results mark a 280 metre northward strike extension of the Rebel Trend and confirm that gold-silver mineralisation continues across the northern half of the project area, remaining open both along strike and at depth.
Orthocell Ltd (ASX:OCC, OTC:ORHHF) has finalised a binding agreement with Marine Biomedical Pty Ltd, lifting its equity stake and securing strategic rights to a next-generation bone regeneration technology as it broadens its regenerative medicine portfolio.
The Perth-based company said it has increased its direct investment in Marine Biomedical from 1.72% to 11.7% for a total consideration of A$1.05 million, converting a previously announced memorandum of understanding into a formal commercial relationship.