Small caps are heading into Tuesday's session on firmer footing after Wall Street steadied overnight and ASX futures pointed modestly higher following the long weekend.
The Small Ordinaries fell 0.4% on Friday, underperforming the broader market as weakness across resources and emerging growth stocks offset pockets of strength in technology and healthcare. Investors will be looking for fresh catalysts as trading resumes, with several explorers reporting drilling progress and project development milestones.
Pilbara Gold steps up growth drilling at Mt York
Pilbara Gold Ltd (ASX:PGL) has completed 5,680 metres of diamond drilling across its 2.1Moz Mt York gold project in the Pilbara as it works towards a resource update.
Three diamond rigs are operating double-shift, with additional RC rigs due on site this month as part of a company-record 50,000-metre campaign. The program is targeting extensions to mineralisation along the 4.2-kilometre gold system, while a planned airborne electromagnetic survey will test for additional sulphide-hosted discoveries across the broader project area.
Anteris clears another hurdle in global heart valve trial
Anteris Technologies Pty Ltd (ASX:AVR, NASDAQ:AVR) has received regulatory clearance in France for its global PARADIGM trial of the DurAVR® transcatheter heart valve.
The approval allows patient recruitment to begin at French hospitals and expands the study's European footprint. The pivotal trial is expected to enrol around 1,000 patients and compare DurAVR® directly against currently available transcatheter aortic valve replacement devices.
AuKing starts maiden drilling at Tundulu
AuKing Mining Ltd (ASX:AKN) has kicked off its first drilling program at the Tundulu rare earths project in Malawi.
The planned 10,000-metre campaign will combine RC and diamond drilling across roughly 50 targets, testing extensions to known mineralisation and several new targets identified through recent airborne geophysical surveys. Initial assay submissions are expected in the coming weeks as drilling progresses.
Horizon Gold grows resource pipeline at Gum Creek
Horizon Gold Ltd (ASX:HRN, OTC:HZGLF, FRA:HO0) has reported further high-grade drilling results from multiple prospects at its Gum Creek project in Western Australia.
The latest intercepts sit largely outside existing resource boundaries and support planned resource updates at Eagle, Goldfinch and Shrike South. The company said the new drilling continues to build shallow ounces close to proposed processing infrastructure ahead of a feasibility study due later this year.
Riversgold partner advances Canadian critical minerals project
Riversgold Ltd (ASX:RGL, FRA:RGV, OTC:RVSGF) reported encouraging early exploration results from the Saint John project in New Brunswick, where farm-in partner AIS Resources is preparing for drilling.
Rock-chip sampling returned elevated copper, gold, silver and antimony values across multiple target areas, with several assays exceeding laboratory detection limits and requiring follow-up analysis. The results will help guide target generation ahead of a planned drilling campaign.
FireFly aligns US ticker with ASX and TSX listing
FireFly Metals Ltd (ASX:FFM, TSX:FFM, OTC:MNXMF) has changed its OTC Markets ticker symbol to FFMFF from MNXMF, bringing its US trading code into line with its ASX and TSX ticker.
The company said the change should improve consistency across its listings and make it easier for US investors to identify the stock. FireFly continues to trade under the FFM code on both the ASX and TSX as it advances the Green Bay copper-gold project in Newfoundland.