Bulls N' Bears (Commercial Content)

Ora Banda Mining has ignited exploration near Menzies with a breakthrough at its Round Dam trend in Western Australia’s Goldfields. Early results from a 62,000m drilling assault have uncovered a potentially transformative gold system along the 7.5km Round Dam, just 3.5km from the company’s 1.2 million tonne per annum Davyhurst mill.

Estrella Resources has launched LiDAR, drone magnetics and MobileMTd surveys across 3200ha of its Ira Miri and Werumata prospects in Timor-Leste to refine modelling of its manganese and limestone targets. The surveys will also improve targeting accuracy, with results expected to guide ongoing drilling at Ira Miri and imminent resource-definition drilling at Werumata to support a JORC-compliant limestone resource by November.

Great Southern Mining has armed its WA Duketon gold project near Laverton with fresh firepower after banking $4 million from Regis Resources for the sale of a mining licence, with another $5m potentially on the table. The cash injection will bankroll up to 15,000m of drilling this half, zeroing in on shallow, high-grade gold at its Golden Boulder and Amy Clarke prospects in Western Australia’s rich Duketon belt.

Solara Minerals’ Wilgeena gold project, 15km from Westgold’s 481,000-ounce Peak Hill and Catalyst’s 243,000-ounce Hermes deposits in WA’s Murchison region, reveals significant gold potential. Historical shallow drilling hit high-grade intercepts including 5m at 1.98g/t gold, with minimal follow-up. Solara plans to test multiple gold and copper targets near key structural trends to leverage the data to unlock value in one of the state’s most productive goldfields.

Horizon Minerals has taken a major step towards becoming a standalone mid-tier gold producer, with its pre-feasibility study at the Black Swan project near Kalgoorlie progressing strongly. The work includes refurbishing the existing crushing and grinding circuit as well as adding a new carbon-in-leach gold plant, setting the stage for a final investment decision in the December quarter and potential construction in 2026.

NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals has unveiled positive results from two studies using its stem cell therapy in kidney transplantation. Eight out of 10 patients in a small case series, facing severe organ rejection, retained their donor kidney. A second study showed the treatment was safe and may improve graft function in deceased-donor transplants. The findings have bolstered the company’s plans for a wider clinical development in the multibillion-dollar global market.

American West is completing key pre-feasibility study activities at its Storm copper project, northern Canada’s only near-term copper development. Permitting and environmental studies are progressing at the project, which is supported by Canada’s critical minerals strategy. High-grade visible copper mineralisation suggests Storm has resource expansion potential, while its strategic importance positions it for rapid development.

Thunderbird Resources has landed high-grade gold results at the company’s Kookabookra project in NSW, with rock chip assays of up to 17.35g/t at its Bear Hill prospect, 2.79g/t at Butchers Reef and a 23g/t gold hit within an inferred possible 400m strike length at the new Kojak target. Ongoing soil sampling and mapping support the potential for a large-scale intrusive-related gold system. Thunderbird plans to run a drill campaign to test recent IP anomalies and historical drilling.

Corazon Mining is set to kick off a new round of exploration at its recently acquired Two Pools gold project, within a prospective but underexplored region that has produced more than 6M ounces of gold since 1990. The company also recently raised $2 million through a placement and has appointed experienced mining executive Simon Coyle as MD to advance exploration in a geologically promising region near major gold mines.

A survey at Kalgoorlie Gold Mining’s Pinjin project in WA’s Eastern Goldfields has refined targets for a 6200m RC drilling program starting in September, focusing on a 1.6km-long strike at its recent Lighthorse prospect. Diamond drilling at its Kirgella Gift and Providence prospects, backed by $130,000 in state funding, aims to unlock deeper gold potential.

Bulls N’ Bears ASX Runner of the Week is… Kaili Resources, after its share price broke records by flying up 8333% in a day on news of it was drilling for rare earths in South Australia. Magnetite Mines flew too on its own SA rare earths project, also on the Lime Coast, Argent Biopharma acquired a set of cannabis biotech ahead of a targeted US listing and Octava revealed a microbe-based bioleaching breakthrough at its lithium-rare earths play in WA’s Gascoyne region.

Octava Minerals has lit up the market with a suite of eye-catching bioleaching results from its Byro rare earths and lithium project in WA’s Gascoyne. Partner, European biomining specialist BiotaTec, used microbes to extract up to 75 per cent of the key magnet metals and about 40 per cent of the lithium in samples in record time. The results point to serious potential for a rapid, low-cost heap-leach operation.

According to charts and data just trotted out by the Bank of America’s global research chief strategist. we’ve walked back to the dot-com peak on multiple metrics. While the air may be getting a little thin at the top of the market, Dollar Bill reckons it’s still a mighty good time for a climb in the small cap foothills.

Lindian Resources has bagged $91.5 million in new funds from a heavily oversubscribed raising to kick off stage one construction at its world-class Kangankunde rare earths mine in Malawi. Iluka Resources is already on board with an offtake deal for 6000 tonnes of concentrate per year for 15 years and a $20 million construction loan, allowing Lindian to reach first production in late 2026.

Pilot Energy has received a $3.887 million Petroleum Resource Rent Tax refund after oil production ceased at its joint venture Cliff Head oil field. The refund, paid via operator Triangle Energy Operations, was attributed to funds spent on abandoning, decommissioning and rehabilitating the Western Australian offshore production site. Pilot is cashed up after also raising $6.8 million in a recent share and convertible note issue.

Dateline Resources has zeroed in on six new, potentially gold-rich breccia pipes at its Colosseum gold and rare earth project in California, thanks to a 3D geophysics sweep. The anomalies mirror the signature of the mine’s existing pipes, featuring 1.4 million ounces, suggesting a much larger gold system lurks below surface. The company has drill rigs primed to put the theory to the test.

The critical battery mineral – lithium - may be set for sustained higher pricing after a Chinese crackdown on illegal mining activity removed a chunk of supply from the market and triggered a price surge. The price touched its peak for this year of US$970 (A$1485) per tonne of the industry-standard 6 per cent spodumene concentrate, putting a welcome smile on the faces of lithium players.

St George Mining has dual listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange to boost European investor access to the company, driven by its world-class Araxá project in Brazil, which has more than 40Mt at 4.13 per cent total rare earths oxide and 0.68 per cent niobium pentoxide. The move aligns with its global strategy to supply critical minerals outside China. St George is currently drilling to expand the high-grade deposit.

Triangle Energy and its joint venture partner Athena Exploration have substantially boosted gas resources at their UK North Sea permit, marking a significant milestone for the two companies. The marked increase in both contingent and prospective resources positions the partners among the top three holders of undeveloped gas resources in the UK west of the Shetland Islands and in the southern North Sea.

Bulls N’ Bears ASX Runner of the Week is… OD6 Metals, after it unveiled a low capex, lower-cost product from its mammoth Splinter Rock rare earth project near Esperance. Mount Ridley Mines rode the rare earths coattails based on its nearology to OD6 in the rare earths region, ActivePort Group launched an Australian first private cloud superhighway and Energy Transition Minerals shot up on a 60 Minutes story on its monster Greenland rare earths project.

Estrella Resources has shifted its Timor-Leste exploration into high gear after picking up visuals of rich manganese mineralisation running up to 80 per cent at the Ira Miri prospect. The company is also preparing to collect a 30,000-tonne manganese bulk sample at site and planning a drill program at its billion-tonne Werumata limestone target in Baucau.

Buru Energy has discovered a significant new gas prospect beneath its Rafael gas field in WA’s onshore Canning Basin. Buru estimates its Flying Fox target, identified in recent Rafael 3D seismic data, contains 60-614Bscf of gas and 1.2-12.6MMstb of condensate. The discovery mirrors Rafael’s contingent resources and could seriously boost the overall project’s potential. Buru plans to drill next year.

Norfolk Metals’ 70 per cent earn‑in at its Carmen copper project in Chile is now underpinned by a drill plan designed to twin the best historical holes, hit the oxide blanket from surface and push deep into sulphide potential. In a copper market that is starting to get serious attention again, Norfolk’s timing appears to be good.

Bulls N’ Bears Big Hits looks at notable drilling intercepts recently reported to the ASX by Caprice Resources, Stavely Minerals and Patriot Battery Metals. Caprice’s Island gold project south of Cue in WA’s Mid West region revealed an 11-metre hit assaying 17.3g/t gold, including 9m at 21g/t gold from 170m. Other interesting drill hits were reported at Stavely’s Fairview prospects in Victoria and Patriot made a big caesium discovery in Quebec, Canada.

Dateline Resources Limited has made a significant breakthrough at its Colosseum gold-rare earths project in California with the discovery of several high-priority rare earth element drilling targets. The results from the company’s recent 3D magnetotelluric geophysical survey revealed one particularly promising anomaly, which hinted at the potential for carbonatite-style mineralisation at depth, akin to the famed nearby Mountain Pass rare earths deposit.

Lindian Resources can now significantly increase its rare earths mining area by almost three-fold at its Kangankunde project in Malawi after receiving departmental approval for its stage two modular expansion plan. It is a further positive step forward in the company’s plans to supercharge its stage-two expansion of the world-class rare earths project that boasts a massive high-grade rare earths deposit.

Bulls N’ Bears ASX Runner of the Week is… Rhythm Biosciences, after it after it revealed promising results from a study of its simple bowel cancer diagnostic blood test. Roolife Group inked a blockbuster e-commerce partnership supply agreement with multi-national Eternal Asia Supply Chain Management, Waratah Resources unveiled a 208m intersection of high-grade gold in NSW land of the copper-gold giants, and Lindian resources secured a funding and offtake partnership with Iluka Resources to lock-in a domestic rare earths supply.

Thunderbird Resources has uncovered a string of high-priority gold targets at its Kookabookra project in NSW, with geophysics revealing sulphide-rich anomalies that correlate with past mineralisation. The company’s drill rig is now poised to hit the ground in the fourth quarter, with strong geological cues pointing to untapped gold systems similar to the nearby Hillgrove antimony-gold deposit.

American West Metals has hit thick, high-grade copper at its Storm copper project in Nunavut, Canada, with a reverse circulation drilling program confirming near-surface mineralised zones and deep diamond drilling hitting 57m of visible copper sulphides at its Cirrus target. The results point to an extensive copper system, which might support resource upgrades and expansion at the company’s Corona, Thunder, Lightning Ridge, and The Gap prospects.

BMG Resources is raising $600,000 through a placement of new shares to sophisticated and institutional investors to advance its Abercromby project scoping study and to drill its Bullabulling project in the WA goldfields. With a 518,000-ounce gold resource at Abercromby and high-grade hits at Bullabulling, BMG is poised to capitalise on its WA gold projects, leveraging their proximity to major mines and infrastructure for rapid development.

Lindian Resources has forged a multi-pronged major offtake agreement, cornerstone funding and strategic partnership with global critical minerals heavyweight Iluka Resources to push its world-class Kangankunde project in Malawi towards first production. The seismic deal for the company cements Kangankunde as one of the pre-eminent rare earths developments on the planet, as Iluka scrambles to lock in a strategic rare earths supply for Australia.

Horizon Minerals has expanded its footprint in Western Australia’s famed Goldfields with a strategic $2.81 million acquisition of Yandal Resources’ Gordons Dam and nearby projects. The new ground sits just a stone’s throw from Horizon’s Black Swan processing hub and includes a 20,000-ounce gold resource, exploration upside galore and the potential to turbocharge a planned five-year mining operation.