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.
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.
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.
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.
Kingfisher Mining Ltd (ASX:KFM) is moving closer to defining the scale of its Broken Hill copper-gold and base metals portfolio, with drilling now complete at Copper Blow and Stephens Trig and assays expected shortly.
The company has completed the latest phase of reverse-circulation (RC) drilling at the Copper Blow Copper-Gold Project in New South Wales, drilling 10 holes totalling 1,576 metres.
The S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index (ASX: XSO) gained 51.50 points, or 1.45%, yesterday to close at 3,605.30.
The index has advanced 253.70 points, or 7.57%, over the past five days, reflecting improved sentiment across the small-cap sector. It's been a sprightly start to the day for resource companies and you can read about the following and more throughout the day.
Aruma Resources Ltd (ASX:AAJ) has intersected multiple wide, high-grade copper-silver zones in Phase 1 diamond drilling at the Tillex Copper-Silver Project in Ontario, Canada, strengthening its view that the project could host a significant mineralised system.
The company reported standout results from the Timmins mining district project, including:
Titanium Sands Ltd (ASX:TSL) has started discussions with potential offtake and investment partners for its Sri Lankan heavy mineral sands project, while also committing as a Gold sponsor of the Mineral Technologies Heavy Mineral Sands Technical Conference in Colombo.
The two initiatives reflect its efforts to build formal industry, funding and offtake relationships as it progresses the Mannar Island Heavy Mineral Sands Project in Sri Lanka.
AIC Mines Ltd (ASX:A1M, OTC:IAUFF, FRA:HLS) has returned high-grade copper, gold and silver results from resource definition and extension drilling at the Jolly shoot within the Jericho copper deposit in northwest Queensland.
The results are important for the company because Jolly is the first area scheduled to be mined at Jericho, which is being developed as part of AIC’s broader plan to lift production from the nearby Eloise operation.
White Cliff Minerals Ltd (ASX:WCN) has confirmed another high-grade copper discovery at its Rae Copper Project in Nunavut, Canada, with new assay results identifying a copper zone adjacent to the Teshierpi Fault Zone.
The discovery comes from reverse circulation drill hole DAN26015 at the Danvers target, which returned 79.24 metres at 1.59% copper from 67.06 metres, including 24.38 metres at 3.05% copper from 120.4 metres.
Rokeby Resources (ASX:RKB) has appointed Richard Beazley as managing director and Tim Pallas as independent non-executive chairman, marking a significant leadership reset as the company moves forward with the proposed acquisition of the Omeo Gold Project in Victoria.
The appointments are effective immediately and come as Rokeby positions itself to advance Omeo, an advanced, high-grade gold asset underpinned by a historical mineral resource estimate of 2.4 million tonnes at 4.02 g/t gold for 320,000 ounces.
International Graphite Ltd (ASX:IG6, FRA:H99, OTC:IGRPF) has moved to establish a European graphite processing hub in Italy through a joint venture with Alkeemia S.p.A., positioning the company to supply high-value graphite products into industrial, energy storage, advanced manufacturing and defence markets.
The company has entered a Joint Venture and Shareholders’ Agreement with Alkeemia, one of Europe’s leading chemical manufacturers, for a proposed graphite processing operation at Porto Marghera near Venice.
Aurum Resources Ltd (ASX:AUE) has strengthened its development team with three senior appointments as it advances the 3.22-million-ounce Boundiali Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire toward definitive feasibility and a targeted first gold pour in the first half of 2028.
The company has appointed Richard Edginton as general manager mining, Luke Stacey as project director and Ting Xu as chief financial officer.
St George Mining Ltd (ASX:SGQ, FRA:S0G, OTC:SGQMF) has secured firm commitments to raise A$60 million, strengthening its balance sheet as it advances the high-grade Araxá rare earths and niobium project in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
The company will raise the funds through a two-tranche institutional placement of 600 million new fully paid ordinary shares priced at A$0.10 per share.
The S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index (XSO) closed at 3,553.80 yesterday, up 0.087% or 3.10 points.
The index has gained 4.36% over the past five days, adding 148.50 points as small-cap investor sentiment continues to firm. It has been a quiet start to the day for news releases, but you can read about the following and more throughout the day.
Percheron Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:PER, OTC:PERCF) has completed the manufacture of a new batch of HMBD-002, its VISTA-targeting monoclonal antibody cancer drug candidate, keeping the company on track to prepare clinical trial material for a planned new study in the second half of CY2026.
The Melbourne-based biotechnology company received a Certificate of Analysis for the newly manufactured HMBD-002 batch, with all product quality attributes reported to be within expected limits.
Gelion PLC (AIM:GELN, OTC:GELNF, FRA:X0S) said it has signed an exclusive commercial licence agreement with Max-Planck-Innovation GmbH, giving the company long-term global rights to intellectual property covering nano-encapsulated sulfur cathode technology and novel nano-confined anode materials.
The AIM-listed sulfur battery developer said the deal follows a March 2025 collaboration agreement, under which Gelion had secured an exclusive option to acquire commercial rights to the technology.
There's relief for mortgage holders this month, after the Reserve Bank of Australia left the official cash rate unchanged at 4.35%, pausing after three consecutive increases this year. It;s not a full sigh of relief, though, with the regulator signalling it remains prepared to tighten policy further if inflation does not continue moving back toward target.
Tuesday's decision was unanimous and widely expected by markets, with the RBA opting to assess the impact of its earlier rate hikes and recent disruption to global oil supplies.
Dimerix Ltd (ASX:DXB, OTC:SBMJF) has entered into an exclusive licence agreement with Everest Medicines for the commercialisation of its Phase 3 drug candidate DMX-200 across Greater China, South Korea and parts of Southeast Asia.
The agreement covers DMX-200 for all indications, including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Taiwan region, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Memphasys Ltd (ASX:MEM, OTC:MPHSF, FRA:IG7) has executed a 12-month exclusive national supply agreement with Monash IVF Group Ltd (ASX:MVF) (ASX) for the rollout of its Felix™ automated sperm selection system across Australia.
The agreement follows more than 10 years of collaboration between the companies and comes after Monash IVF conducted the pivotal Felix clinical trial, which concluded in 2025.
Swoop Holdings Ltd (ASX:SWP) has entered into a mobile wholesale partnership with TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX:TPM), strengthening the company’s mobile offering through its Moose Mobile subsidiary.
The Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) wholesale agreement, effective June 16, 2026, gives Moose Mobile access to TPG’s national mobile network on a wholesale basis.
Atomic Eagle Ltd (ASX:AEU) has expanded known uranium mineralisation at the Chisebuka deposit within its 100%-owned Muntanga Uranium Project in Zambia, with drilling continuing to extend higher-grade zones beyond the existing resource boundary.
The company reported new resource extension drilling results from Chisebuka, including:
Amara Minerals is raising about $2.2 million via a share placement, with funds to support ongoing drilling at its Lauriston and Apollo gold-antimony projects in Victoria.
The placement will comprise about 440 million fully paid ordinary shares priced at $0.005 per share, representing a 25% premium to the company’s last traded price of $0.004 on 11 June 2026.
Cobalt Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX:COB, OTC:CBBHF) (ASX: COB, OTC: CBBHF) and Glomar Minerals LLC have advanced plans for Project Infinity, a proposed polymetallic nodule refinery in the United States.
The consortium, formed in March 2026, aims to build and operate what it says would be the world’s first commercial polymetallic nodule refinery in the US, targeting production of manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper from deep-sea nodules.
BOA Resources Ltd (ASX:BOA) has reached a key permitting milestone at the Neds Creek Copper Project in Western Australia’s Murchison region, with the Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration commencing the grant of the project tenements.
Seven of 14 tenement applications have now been granted, representing 64% of the total project area. Importantly, the two tenements covering proposed drilling are among those now granted, with the balance expected to follow in the near future.
Critical Resources Ltd (ASX:CRR, FRA:9S70) has attained a manufacturing milestone in its solid-state battery evaluation program, depositing a complete cathode, solid electrolyte and conductive network in a single dry step.
The work demonstrated a streamlined pathway for solid-state lithium-ion battery production without solvents, binders, drying ovens or furnaces - processes that are typically among the most energy and capital-intensive parts of battery manufacturing.
Aruma Resources Ltd (ASX:AAJ) has strengthened its exploration model at the Tillex Copper-Silver Project in Ontario, Canada, after downhole electromagnetic surveys confirmed a strong conductor extending along strike and at depth.
The results provide the company with more clearly defined targets ahead of Phase 2 drilling and support its view that Tillex could host a larger, continuous copper-silver system than previously understood.
The S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index (ASX: XSO) closed at 3,550.70 yesterday, gaining 2.54% or 87.80 points.
The index has also moved 4.90% higher over the past 5 days, adding 165.70 points, as investors continue to track progress across the small-cap resources, energy metals and technology materials sectors. You can read about the following and more throughout the day.
Regener8 Resources NL (ASX:R8R) has completed its maiden Phase 1 soil sampling program at the Srebrenica North Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, marking the company’s first fieldwork milestone since completing the acquisition of Orichalcum d.o.o.
The program covered the Zanik and Chaush prospects within the Dolovi tenement, which borders Mineco’s operating Sase lead-zinc-silver mine.
Dreadnought Resources Ltd (ASX:DRE, OTC:DRDNF, FRA:N2Z) has identified three gold-bearing trends, each extending more than two kilometres, from first-pass air core drilling at its 100%-owned Illaara Gold Project in Western Australia’s Yilgarn region.
The results come from the first 92 holes of a planned 500-hole, 35,000-metre air core program targeting about 24 kilometres of strike along the Illaara structural zone.
EDU Holdings Ltd (ASX:EDU, OTC:EDUHF) has reported a 32% increase in total student enrolments for T2’26, with growth driven by its higher education business, Ikon Institute, and continued expansion in postgraduate programs.
The tertiary education group recorded 7,036 total student enrolments for the period, up from 5,321 in the previous corresponding period. New student enrolments rose 12% to 963, compared with 859 a year earlier.
Environmental Clean Technologies Ltd (ASX:ECT, OTC:ECTHF) has completed construction of its pilot Rapid Electrothermal Mineralisation system, marking a key step toward commercial in-situ PFAS remediation.
The upgraded pilot system delivers 22 kilowatts of power output, about 18 times that of ECT’s laboratory prototype, and is designed to enable faster and more energy-efficient destruction of PFAS in contaminated soil and granular activated carbon.
Horizon Gold Ltd (ASX:HRN, OTC:HZGLF, FRA:HO0) has continued to outline its growth strategy for the Gum Creek Gold Project in Western Australia as the company advances a final feasibility study aimed at supporting a standalone gold operation.
Speaking with Proactive at the Gold Coast Investment Showcase, managing director Scott Williamson said the company had made significant progress in recent months following a $30 million capital raising that is helping fund an extensive exploration and development program.
Carnavale Resources Ltd (ASX:CAV, FRA:YBB) spoke with Proactive last week about an upgraded mineral resource estimate for its Kookynie Gold Project in Western Australia, increasing confidence in the shallow, high-grade portions of the deposit as the company advances towards a bankable feasibility study.
Managing director Humphrey Hale told Proactive that the updated estimate was specifically designed to increase the proportion of measured resources within the proposed open-pit development area.
Elixir Energy Ltd (ASX:EXR, OTC:ELXPF) has completed a key diagnostic test at its Lorelle-3H appraisal well in Queensland’s Taroom Trough, with results supporting the company’s plan to move into stimulation operations later this week.
The company highlighted the Diagnostic Fracture Injection Test (DFIT) at the toe end of Lorelle-3H indicated preliminary reservoir pressure of about 6,350 pounds per square inch (psi), in line with expectations and consistent with regional data.
Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX:OBM, OTC:ESGFF, FRA:M6N) has awarded GR Engineering Services Ltd (ASX:GNG) a $233 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a 3.0 million tons per annum process plant as part of the Davyhurst Expansion Project in Western Australia.
The contract formalises GR Engineering’s role after the company was named preferred contractor for the project on May 18, 2026.
Janus Electric Holdings Ltd (ASX:JNS) has strengthened its leadership and advisory ranks with a series of appointments aimed at supporting the commercial rollout of its heavy vehicle electrification platform across Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada.
The company has appointed transport and infrastructure specialist Zorana Bull as senior adviser to the board, North American technology and transportation executive Mark Ramirez to drive market development in the region, and enterprise transformation leader Brooke Ditzler as chief operating officer.
Krakatoa Resources Ltd (ASX:KTA) is preparing to restart drilling at its Zopkhito antimony-gold project in Georgia within weeks, after securing a two-year extension to the exploration period under the project’s active mineral extraction licence.
The extension, granted through a decree signed by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in early June, gives the company additional time to progress exploration and development work across the 1,779-hectare project in the Racha region.
Yandal Resources Ltd (ASX:YRL) has identified broad, shallow gold mineralisation outside the current footprint of its 268,000-ounce Flushing Meadows Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) at the Ironstone Well-Barwidgee Gold Project in Western Australia.
Results from eight reverse circulation (RC) pre-collars drilled ahead of a deeper diamond drilling campaign returned several significant gold intercepts, including a standout result of 20 metres at 1.7 g/t gold from 55 metres, including 9 metres at 2.7 g/t gold, in hole 26IWBRC0098DA. The intercept lies outside the current Flushing Meadows resource and remains open to the south and at depth.
Dalaroo Metals Ltd (ASX:DAL) has expanded the strike extent of its Gold Ridge prospect in Côte d'Ivoire to about seven kilometres and identified three large-scale priority drill target clusters.
Recent geochemical work defined a continuous gold-in-soil anomaly extending over 7km, up from the 4.3km corridor announced earlier this month.