Latest news with #ASXRunneroftheWeek
Sydney Morning Herald
12 hours ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
ASX Runners of the Week: Amplia, archTIS and Vanadium Resources
If you were looking for correlation between the seemingly continuous breakouts of military hostilities between nuclear-armed nations and the market - good luck. The ASX continued at near all-time highs this week, pulling back a fraction by Friday, as conflict between Iran and Israel continued to rise. The oil price surged a further 10 per cent this week as Israel turned its focus from Iran's nuclear facilities to targeting its oil and gas infrastructure. Uranium stocks were the week's main winners. Surprisingly, they were not fuelled directly by global drivers, but rather by investment heavyweight Sprott's physical uranium trust purchase of $200 million worth of uranium oxide, which was announced on Monday. The result for uranium stocks on the index was deafening. Uranium miners Boss Energy, Paladin Energy and Deep Yellow were among the most heavily shorted on the ASX, making up three of the top 10 shorted companies. A sharp increase in uranium caused a two-fold effect of en masse buying and short seller panic to close out positions, with the big three uranium stocks all surging up 20 per cent on the day. In a rare shake-up, no Australian-based resource companies feature on this week's Bulls N' Bears' ASX Runners list. Instead, the chocolates went to a groundbreaking Aussie biotech story, which could be on to the makings of one of the biggest breakthroughs in oncology treatment in years. Up 339% (5.7c – 25c) This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Week is biotech trailblazer Amplia Therapeutics, which sent the market into an absolute tailspin thanks to a jaw-dropping set of results from a clinical trial for incredibly nasty pancreatic cancer.
The Age
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Age
ASX Runners of the Week: Amplia, archTIS and Vanadium Resources
If you were looking for correlation between the seemingly continuous breakouts of military hostilities between nuclear-armed nations and the market - good luck. The ASX continued at near all-time highs this week, pulling back a fraction by Friday, as conflict between Iran and Israel continued to rise. The oil price surged a further 10 per cent this week as Israel turned its focus from Iran's nuclear facilities to targeting its oil and gas infrastructure. Uranium stocks were the week's main winners. Surprisingly, they were not fuelled directly by global drivers, but rather by investment heavyweight Sprott's physical uranium trust purchase of $200 million worth of uranium oxide, which was announced on Monday. The result for uranium stocks on the index was deafening. Uranium miners Boss Energy, Paladin Energy and Deep Yellow were among the most heavily shorted on the ASX, making up three of the top 10 shorted companies. A sharp increase in uranium caused a two-fold effect of en masse buying and short seller panic to close out positions, with the big three uranium stocks all surging up 20 per cent on the day. In a rare shake-up, no Australian-based resource companies feature on this week's Bulls N' Bears' ASX Runners list. Instead, the chocolates went to a groundbreaking Aussie biotech story, which could be on to the makings of one of the biggest breakthroughs in oncology treatment in years. Up 339% (5.7c – 25c) This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Week is biotech trailblazer Amplia Therapeutics, which sent the market into an absolute tailspin thanks to a jaw-dropping set of results from a clinical trial for incredibly nasty pancreatic cancer.
West Australian
12 hours ago
- Business
- West Australian
ASX Runners of the Week: Amplia, archTIS and Vanadium Resources
If you were looking for correlation between the seemingly continuous breakouts of military hostilities between nuclear-armed nations and the market - good luck. The ASX continued at near all-time highs this week, pulling back a fraction by Friday, as conflict between Iran and Israel continued to rise. The oil price surged a further 10 per cent this week as Israel turned its focus from Iran's nuclear facilities to targeting its oil and gas infrastructure. Uranium stocks were the week's main winners. Surprisingly, they were not fuelled directly by global drivers, but rather by investment heavyweight Sprott's physical uranium trust purchase of $200 million worth of uranium oxide, which was announced on Monday. The result for uranium stocks on the index was deafening. Uranium miners Boss Energy, Paladin Energy and Deep Yellow were among the most heavily shorted on the ASX, making up three of the top 10 shorted companies. A sharp increase in uranium caused a two-fold effect of en masse buying and short seller panic to close out positions, with the big three uranium stocks all surging up 20 per cent on the day. In a rare shake-up, no Australian-based resource companies feature on this week's Bulls N' Bears' ASX Runners list. Instead, the chocolates went to a groundbreaking Aussie biotech story, which could be on to the makings of one of the biggest breakthroughs in oncology treatment in years. AMPLIA THERAPEUTICS (ASX: ATX) Up 339% (5.7c – 25c) This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Week is biotech trailblazer Amplia Therapeutics, which sent the market into an absolute tailspin thanks to a jaw-dropping set of results from a clinical trial for incredibly nasty pancreatic cancer. On Monday, the company announced a pathological complete response – no detectable signs of cancer - in a patient enrolled in its ACCENT trial of a drug therapy to limit tumour growth. The trial combined the therapy narmafotinib with two other drugs to treat a patient with metastatic (stage IV) pancreatic cancer. After surgery, the patient's primary and metastatic tumours showed no live cancer cells, a unicorn-rare outcome in this brutal disease, where no detectable cancer signs are less common than a sunny day in Melbourne. The market mumbled and murmured through Wednesday, then stacked 42 per cent onto Amplia's share price. Thursday brought a different tune: a second patient, out of 55 enrolled in the trial, achieved a confirmed complete response, with all tumour lesions vanishing for more than two months. In advanced pancreatic cancer, where one complete response in 431 patients is headline-worthy, two in a trial appears groundbreaking. The market lost its collective marbles and the company's shares rocketed to 25 cents per share – up 339 per cent - on Friday with more than $30 million in shares traded on the week. The move also delivered a handy little profit for Amplia's second largest shareholder Acorn Capital, which picked up a further $350,000 worth of shares on Monday, when it saw value before the broader market. Pancreatic cancer is Australia's eighth most common cancer and has a dismal 12.5 per cent five-year survival rate. With United States Food and Drug Administration registration already in the bag, Amplia's drug looks to be on the charge to transform oncology, especially as healthcare systems globally grapple with rising cancer burdens and demand for precision therapies. ARCHTIS LTD (ASX: AR9) Up 287% (6.2c – 24c) Taking out silver on this week's Runners list is cybersecurity expert archTIS Limited, which saw its share price catapult 390 per cent by Wednesday, before the ASX killjoys slammed it into suspension, ending any hopes the company could take out the coveted Bulls N' Bears podium. The company released a duo of blockbuster defence contracts on Monday and Wednesday, before archTIS' management rubbed shoulders with some of the world's cybersecurity elite. On Monday, the company unveiled a US Defence Department contract for 1000 licences for its NC Protect data security software, worth $38,500 a pop for six months, to lock down sensitive data in Microsoft's DoD365 cloud. After months of brutal testing by the prime global contractor, NC Protect came up trumps as the only integrated solution for robust, scalable attribute-based access control. ArchTIS says its product could address a potential 150,000-user rollout across the warfighter network, if it proves a success for the defence department. Amazingly, $100,000 worth of shares traded on Monday, before going supersonic on Tuesday, to push the company's share price up 100 per cent from last week's close on $600,000 shares traded. ArchTIS dropped a second bomb on Wednesday, announcing a three-year $263,185 deal for 400 users with a United Kingdom-based aerospace and defence titan, which is poised to be a blueprint for more than 100,000 potential users in a global Microsoft 365 rollout. The company's share price hit a peak of 24c for a gain of 287 per cent this week, on $1.4 million in intraday trading, before the compliance overlords at the ASX cried 'disorderly market' and placed the company into suspension, where it remains. It's likely a few day traders were caught flat-footed by the suspension and were no doubt scouring around to come up with the cash to settle on trades they had hoped to flip by market close on Wednesday. In a world where cyberattacks are spiking, archTIS' NC Protect could fulfil a crucial defence need. Its ability to secure sensitive communications in cloud environments, such as the DoD365 and Microsoft 365 platforms, is critical as nations race to shield their military and industrial data from state-sponsored threats. With geopolitical tensions boiling and the US and UK doubling down on cybersecurity to protect their defence industrial bases, archTIS' tech is perfectly timed to cash in on the global push for ironclad digital fortresses, making it a potential darling in the market and of Western military alliances. VANADIUM RESOURCES LTD (ASX: VR8) Up 185% (1.3c – 3.7c) Snagging the final spot on the Runners of the Week podium is the aptly named critical minerals developer Vanadium Resources, which shot out of a cannon on Tuesday, after inking a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Precious Asia (CPA). Vanadium will supply 1.2 million tonnes per annum of vanadium-rich magnetite direct shipping ore to the heavyweight global metals trader from its world-class Steelpoortdrift vanadium project in South Africa. The MoU positions Vanadium to tap into early cash flows at the fully permitted Steelpoortdrift, a behemoth resource with 680 million tonnes of ore at 0.70 per cent vanadium oxide, which is equivalent to 4.74Mt contained vanadium. That rate is enough to keep the company's lights on for more than 180 years. CPA will handle loading and collection of the direct shipping ore, with Vanadium retaining a nimble ±25 per cent supply flexibility each month, kicking off by December this year. Management believes the material positive operating cash flows will fast track its development, with good reason. Steelpoortdrift's vanadium-rich ore also brims with iron-rich magnetite, making it a dual-treat commodity in the Asian steel market. The news sent the company's long-beleaguered share price soaring a cheeky 185 per cent from last Friday's 1.3c close to a 3.7c peak on $230,000 in stock traded. Vanadium is also actively sniffing out profit-share deals and acquisitions to bolster its near-term game plan without derailing the direct shipping ore opportunity. The deal looks beneficial for both parties as vanadium supplies are projected to be in global deficit this year, coupled with China's ambitions to diversify from its dependence on Australian-based iron ore. Steelpoortdrift's high-grade, low-cost direct shipping option has reignited global and now market interest in the company. If Vanadium can lock in a binding agreement with CPA, this plucky minnow could vault into the vanadium big league and potentially self-fund its own mine development. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
West Australian
09-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
ASX Runners of the Week: XPON, Locksley, DY6 Metals & Arizona
We shouldn't have been surprised to see a modicum of profit-taking this week after last week's efforts, which saw the United States broad-ranging S&P 500 stock market index go up for nine days in a row to post its longest daily winning streak in 20 years, coupled with the ASX 200 index ending a 12-day winning streak. US economic data added a fresh twist to market jitters for the week, with first-quarter GDP dipping by 0.3 per cent - a headline drop that at first glance looked like a red flag. Scratch beneath the surface and a different story emerges. This wasn't about an economy slowing down - it was about businesses going into overdrive, racing to import a flood of goods before new US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs kick in. The result was a 50.9 per cent surge in imports that technically dragged GDP lower, thanks to how the number crunchers calculate growth. Amazingly, for all the hand wringing and wailing that came off the back of Trump's 'liberation day' blockbuster tariff announcement at the start of last month, the key Australian index closed out the week at 8231. This was 285 points or 3.4 per cent higher than its close prior to the fateful announcement and the S&P is, by and large, unchanged. With a rollercoaster week came yet more glory for gold, which hit a high price of $3438 an ounce on Wednesday on the back of a resumption of hostilities between Pakistan and India - two nuclear powers with age-old claims on the disputed state of Kashmir. XPON TECHNOLOGIES GROUP LTD (ASX: XPN) up 400% (0.6c – 3.0c) This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Week is artificial intelligence and technology solutions provider XPON Technologies Group, which saw its share price rocket on Monday after it announced a binding agreement to snap up leading Australian digital marketing outfit Alpha Digital Design Consultants. XPON's acquisition of Alpha Digital, a long-term channel partner with a crack team of 25 digital marketing specialists, is a savvy attempt to supercharge its revenue growth. The deal is set to bring in an additional $4.6 million in revenue and a $0.7M EBITDA based on last year's financials - plus a cool $1M cash in the bank. XPON's share price screamed up 400 per cent on Monday from a Friday close of 0.6 cents to an intraday high of 3c. Punters piled in, with trading volumes lighting up the ASX boards as investors bet big on this AI-meets-marketing mashup. XPON says Alpha isn't just a bolt-on, like-for-like addition, it's a turbo boost for XPON's journey to positive cash flow and profitability. Management says Alpha Digital's expertise in performance marketing, SEO and analytics meshes well with XPON's AI-powered solutions. The combo promises juicy revenue synergies, offering clients a one-stop shop for integrated technologies and marketing wizardry. The deal will see Alpha Digital keep its branding and operate independently, ensuring its market mojo stays intact while it taps into XPON's tech muscle. XPON's share price went ballistic on Monday to scream up 400 per cent from a Friday close of 0.6 cents to an intraday high of 3c. Punters piled in, with trading volumes lighting up the ASX boards as investors bet big on this AI-meets-marketing mashup. With digital marketing hotter than a summer barbie and AI driving the next wave of innovation, XPON's move positions it to gobble up market share. If the company can harness those synergies and keep the cash flowing, this acquisition could be the spark that lights its fire for years to come. LOCKSLEY RESOURCES LTD (ASX: LKY) up 160% (2.2c – 5.7c) Taking home the Runners silver medal this week is critical minerals explorer Locksley Resources, which saw its share price erupt on Thursday after the company dropped a strategic update on its Mojave project in California. Locksley's Mojave project is in prime real estate for critical minerals, as it sits just 1.4 kilometres northeast of Mountain Pass - the globally significant and only US rare earths mine. Locksley's share price went ballistic on the news to skyrocket 159 per cent to a high of 5.7c on Thursday from a close of 2.2c last week. A jaw-dropping 187 million shares traded hands - more than the company's entire 147 million shares on issue - making it the ASX's wildest ride this week. The company has formally lodged drilling permits with the US Bureau of Land Management. Trump's executive order pushing for home-grown critical minerals seems to have positioned Lockyer's project to become a serious domestic lithium supplier. A critical minerals boom is well underway in the US, as the nation attempts to quickly counter China's rare earths stranglehold, and the markets can smell blood. Rock chips from Mojave's Desert antimony mine are already screaming with grades up to 46 per cent antimony and 1022 grams per tonne (g/t) silver. Its nearby El Campo prospect is dishing out 12.1 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO), including 3.19 per cent all-important neodymium-praseodymium elements. Locksley's timing couldn't be better. The bureau has also given a thumbs-up to ASX-listed Dateline Resources' nearby Colosseum project to explore and extract gold and rare earth elements – which Trump then touted in a weekly update on his Truth Social network. The developments signal that Mojave is open for business. With the US government desperate to secure a supply of rare earths and antimony, Locksley's Mojave project is like a shiny new toy in a critical minerals candy store. If the drill rigs hit the jackpot, this could be the kind of project that gives investors a fabled black swan event. DY6 METALS LTD (ASX: DY6) up 109% (6.7c – 14c) Stepping up to the Runners podium for the second time in as many weeks is rare earth elements and heavy minerals exploration company DY6 Metals. This week's feeding frenzy continued following the company's earlier bombshell revelation that historical drilling at its Tundulu rare earths project in Malawi had uncovered some seriously spicy gallium grades. Gallium is now a red-hot critical mineral. The share price volatility, however, was not for the faint hearted, dropping almost 65 per cent from last week's highs of 18.5 cent at one point before regaining its composure. The headline numbers included 74 metres grading 93.3g/t gallium oxide with 1.56 per cent TREO from 72m, and 53m at 72.8g/t gallium with 1.02 per cent TREO. The results pushed the stock's price up 340 per cent to a peak of 18.5c in a single hour last week, before the fun police at the ASX stepped in with a screeching halt to demand more paperwork. The gallium find is especially timely. China, which controls 94 per cent of global supply, is tightening its export controls while global demand is soaring for the semiconductor-critical metal. Intriguingly, DY6's gallium mineralisation shows up in surface saprolite and deeper fresh rock, with the system still open at depth. Only 40 per cent of the 91.5 square kilometre project has been drill-tested. Following the juicy findings, the company will shortly kick off metallurgical test work on a bulk sample to determine the prospect's economic viability. With fresh gallium in the mix, Tundulu's rare earth basket could now deliver a whole lot more bang for buck. Arizona Lithium (ASX: AZL) up 85% (0.07c – 1.3c) Taking out the final spot and prize for the most curious share price run this week is Arizona Lithium. Extreme volumes of nearly 205 million shares were traded across the week, while equally big licks were being mopped up on the US-based OTC market. Although the company hasn't released any news, it does hold an intriguing land package, the Big Sandy lithium project, which is just a stone's throw from….you guessed it, the Mountain Pass rare earths mine. Big Sandy's claim to fame is a massive sedimentary lithium deposit, which contains an indicated resource of 14.6 million tonnes grading 1940 parts per million for 150,900 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent. Adding to the inventory, the deposit also holds 17.9Mt in the inferred category for a further 169,900t lithium carbonate equivalent. Whether Arizona's share price run is on the back of its lithium or simply a piece of good, old-fashioned nearology is anyone's guess. Until the reason behind the move becomes public knowledge, harsher critics might suggest everyone is getting on board because… everyone is getting on board. For now, the party is in full swing and the champagne corks are flying. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
The Age
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
ASX Runners of the Week: XPON, Locksley, DY6 Metals & Arizona
We shouldn't have been surprised to see a modicum of profit-taking this week after last week's efforts, which saw the United States broad-ranging S&P 500 stock market index go up for nine days in a row to post its longest daily winning streak in 20 years, coupled with the ASX 200 index ending a 12-day winning streak. US economic data added a fresh twist to market jitters for the week, with first-quarter GDP dipping by 0.3 per cent - a headline drop that at first glance looked like a red flag. Scratch beneath the surface and a different story emerges. This wasn't about an economy slowing down - it was about businesses going into overdrive, racing to import a flood of goods before new US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs kick in. The result was a 50.9 per cent surge in imports that technically dragged GDP lower, thanks to how the number-crunchers calculate growth. Amazingly, for all the hand wringing and wailing that came off the back of Trump's 'liberation day' blockbuster tariff announcement at the start of last month, the key Australian index closed out the week at 8231. This was 285 points or 3.4 per cent higher than its close prior to the fateful announcement and the S&P is, by and large, unchanged. With a rollercoaster week came yet more glory for gold, which hit a high price of $3438 an ounce on Wednesday on the back of a resumption of hostilities between Pakistan and India - two nuclear powers with age-old claims on the disputed state of Kashmir. XPON TECHNOLOGIES GROUP LTD (ASX: XPN) up 400% (0.6c – 3.0c) This week's Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Week is artificial intelligence and technology solutions provider XPON Technologies Group, which saw its share price rocket on Monday after it announced a binding agreement to snap up leading Australian digital marketing outfit Alpha Digital Design Consultants. XPON's acquisition of Alpha Digital, a long-term channel partner with a crack team of 25 digital marketing specialists, is a savvy attempt to supercharge its revenue growth. The deal is set to bring in an additional $4.6 million in revenue and a $0.7M EBITDA based on last year's financials - plus a cool $1M cash in the bank.
