The S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index (ASX: XSO) closed at 3,562.70, down 1.18% or 42.60 points yesterday.
Despite the daily fall, the index remained higher over the past five days, gaining 2.89% or 100.00 points. If you look hard enough, you'll find several strong announcements this morning. You can read about the following and more throughout the day.
FLAGSHIP MINERALS Ltd (ASX:FLG) has moved to add copper exposure to its portfolio with the acquisition of the Whipsaw Copper Project in British Columbia, Canada.
The acquisition gives shareholders exposure to the copper thematic alongside the company’s flagship 2.1-million-ounce Isidora Gold Project in Chile.
Renegade Exploration Ltd (ASX:RNX) has completed the divestment of its approximately 22% interest in the Carpentaria Joint Venture (CJV) to True North Copper Ltd (ASX:TNC), in a transaction valued at $2.88 million.
The sale follows Mount Isa Mines Ltd’s decision not to exercise its right of first refusal over the interests.
Victory Metals Ltd (ASX:VTM, OTC:VTYMF, FRA:SJ60) has marked a key development milestone at its North Stanmore Heavy Rare Earth Project in Western Australia, with Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King officially launching the company’s rare earths pilot processing plant in Perth.
The facility has been designed to demonstrate and optimise Victory’s critical minerals extraction process and produce representative mixed rare earth product samples for assessment by potential customers and offtake partners.
Cosmo Metals Ltd (ASX:CMO) has received initial assay results from the reverse circulation (RC) phase of a high-impact drilling program at the Kanowna Gold Project in Western Australia’s Goldfields.
The project is 13 kilometres from Kalgoorlie and adjacent to Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX:NST)’s (ASX: NST) Kanowna Belle Gold Mine tenure, which hosts more than 7 million ounces of gold.
European Lithium Ltd (ASX:EUR, OTCQB:EULIF)’s proposed merger with NASDAQ-listed Critical Metals Corp remains on track, with the company progressing key workstreams toward implementation of the court-approved schemes of arrangement.
EUR entered into a binding Scheme Implementation Deed with Critical Metals in May, under which Critical Metals has agreed to acquire 100% of European Lithium’s issued share capital and all listed options.
American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR, OTCQX:ARRNF) (ASX: ARR, OTCQX: ARRNF, ADR: AMRRY) is advancing its drill program at its flagship Halleck Creek rare earths project in Wyoming as it works to define the next phase of development across its US critical minerals portfolio.
The company said the 2026 field season was centred on Halleck Creek, where drilling is underway at the Cowboy State Mine area to support the project’s feasibility study.
First Graphene Ltd (ASX:FGR, OTCQB:FGPHF) has completed the acquisition of USA-based MITO® Material Solutions, giving the advanced materials company an immediate commercial platform in the US and a broader graphene product portfolio targeting defence, aerospace and other high-growth markets.
The company acquired MITO’s assets, intellectual property, product lines and manufacturing capabilities, including 4 key product lines spanning thermoset, thermoplastic and composite materials, coatings, liquids, resins and nanomaterial additives.
Askari Metals Ltd (ASX:AS2) (ASX) has identified seven new high-priority pegmatite targets at its Uis Project in Namibia, expanding the exploration pipeline ahead of planned reverse circulation (RC) drilling next quarter.
The targets were generated from an in-house hyperspectral study and strengthen the company’s view that Uis is emerging as a polymetallic pegmatite project with exposure to tin, tantalum, lithium, rubidium and caesium.
Critical Resources Ltd (ASX:CRR, FRA:9S70) has advanced its solid-state lithium-ion battery evaluation program into full-format pouch cell testing, a key scale-up step for its dry spray deposition (DSD) cathode manufacturing process.
The company has built full-format pouch cells incorporating its DSD-deposited cathode composite and is now carrying out electrochemical testing to assess how the material performs in a complete working cell.