Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) did what it needed to on the numbers this week — but that wasn’t enough to steady the stock.
The healthcare giant reported a solid first-quarter result, with steady growth across its core businesses. Yet shares still slid around 6% on the day, as attention shifted to the outlook — and the near-term earnings impact of Abbott’s planned US$21 billion acquisition of Exact Sciences.
AuKing Mining Ltd (ASX:AKN) is moving deeper into critical minerals, striking a deal to acquire the Tundulu Rare Earths Project in Malawi from Tusker Minerals Ltd (ASX:TSK) in a transaction valued at up to $5.55 million.
The acquisition, supported by a planned $3 million capital raise, gives AuKing control of a large, underexplored carbonatite-hosted rare earth elements (REE) system, while Tusker secures non-dilutive funding and retains exposure to future upside through equity in AuKing.
Krakatoa Resources Ltd (ASX:KTA) has restructured its acquisition terms for the Zopkhito antimony-gold project in Georgia, shifting the focus away from up-front payments and towards funding exploration and development work on the ground.
The revised deal gives the company a staged pathway to earn up to an 80% interest in the project, while preserving capital for drilling, studies and resource definition as activity ramps up into the 2026 field season.
Orthocell Ltd (ASX:OCC, OTC:ORHHF) has moved beyond market access and into active clinical use within the US military and veteran healthcare system, completing the first surgical case using its Remplir nerve repair product in a Department of Defense facility shortly after securing network-wide approval.
Great Northern Minerals Ltd (ASX:GNM, FRA:3GW) has moved into Nevada’s Battle Mountain-Cortez district with a binding exploration lease and option to acquire 100% of the Iron Butte gold-silver project, adding a drill-defined asset in one of the world’s best-known gold belts to its portfolio.
The acquisition gives GNM exposure to a project with a substantial historical exploration record and near-term resource potential. Iron Butte has been drilled by multiple operators over several decades, with 148 holes for 23,032 metres completed to date. Historical results point to broad zones of near-surface oxide and transitional gold-silver mineralisation, including 29.2 metres at 2.0 grams per ton (g/t) gold and 32.8 g/t silver from 62.5 metres, 21.3 metres at 1.5 g/t gold and 52.8 g/t silver from 28.9 metres, and 19.8 metres at 1.6 g/t gold and 41.6 g/t silver from 42.7 metres.