Bulls N' Bears (Commercial Content)

St George Mining has uncovered a new zone of high-grade niobium mineralisation at its Araxá project in Brazil, with assays confirming thick intercepts from surface well beyond the current resource. The company says the latest discovery lies 400 metres northwest of the existing resource in a previously undrilled area, marking a clear extension of the niobium system.

Budding rare earths miner Lindian Resources has moved a step closer to production after taking stock of its mining fleet at the company's Kangankunde project in Malawi. With early works and site establishment wrapped up, construction activity is gaining momentum across multiple fronts ahead of first production slated for later this year.

Chariot Resources has partnered up with a China-based lithium trader to negotiate potential funding and offtake for lithium from its recently acquired Nigerian project. Lithium-trader Fujian Jinjianqiao New Energy Technology has inked a non-binding memorandum of understanding to provide funding for the development of an on-site processing facility for Chariot to deliver spodumene concentrate to China.

Estrella Resources has reached a key milestone after securing approval to extract up to 30,000 tonnes of high-grade manganese from its Ira Miri project in Timor-Leste. The bulk sampling program will allow the company to demonstrate the ore's quality to potential buyers, while generating local employment and advancing the project towards commercial development.

Larvotto Resources has continued to grow its Hillgrove antimony-gold project after diamond drilling at the company's Clarks Gully prospect returned high-grade results at depth and along strike. The program confirmed new parallel mineralised zones, open-ended extensions and bonus tungsten, reinforcing Hillgrove's credentials as a rare, multi-commodity critical minerals development approaching production.

Aguia Resources has tightened its leadership ranks, naming Tim Hosking as managing director to steer the company as its key South American projects gather momentum. The move follows his recent elevation to CEO. It comes as the multi-commodity miner edges closer to first mining at its flagship phosphate operations in Brazil, with initial production slated for the coming quarter.

Titanium Sands Limited has moved its Mannar Island heavy mineral sands project closer to production, after lodging applications for an industrial mining licence with Sri Lanka's mining bureau. The lodgement allows the company to wrap up its remaining environmental studies. At the same time, it is awaiting assessment under a forthcoming national mineral policy, as it advances towards developing its high-grade, ilmenite-rich deposit.

Aurum Resources has taken a major step towards development at its flagship Boundiali gold project in Côte d'Ivoire with three mining exploitation licence applications now lodged. The submissions cover the full project footprint and come ahead of key resource updates and a prefeasibility study due in the first quarter. Backed by a healthy cash position and an aggressive drilling program for the year, Aurum is advancing steadily in one of West Africa's most productive gold belts.

Siren Gold has kicked off exploration at its Queen Charlotte project, with impressive gold and antimony results from channel and rock chip sampling. High-grade hits across multiple reefs have confirmed the presence of a large, mineralised shear system that previously hosted New Zealand's biggest antimony mine, setting the stage for further exploration and drilling.

Geopolitics are rattling the world with war dominating the headlines and pervading uncertainty everywhere, yet markets appear largely unfazed. Bulls N' Bears' Dollar Bill looks at how equities have traded through past crises and why punters so often misread risk. History shows markets don't reprice events - they reprice consequences, timing and policy, with initial headlines often bearing little long-term market impact.

Altech Batteries' shares surged after receiving conditional binding approval for a €46.11 million German government grant to support its groundbreaking CERENERGY sodium-chloride solid-state battery project in Saxony, Germany. The non-dilutive funding, representing about 30 per cent of eligible capital costs, falls under Germany's federal STARK economic development program and materially reduces financing risk for the company's planned 120MWh annual production facility.

St George Mining has delivered another round of exceptional drilling results at its wholly owned Araxá rare earths and niobium project in Brazil. Thick, high-grade mineralisation from surface has extended the resource envelope, reinforcing expectations of a substantial upgrade to what is already a world-class mineral resource.

Pilot Energy has struck a binding agreement with renewables partner SN Energy to jointly develop a hybrid solar and battery project at the company's Three Springs in Western Australia. The deal unlocks upfront and milestone payments while supporting a proposed 50MW data centre, reinforcing Pilot's strategic shift from legacy oil assets into renewable energy and clean infrastructure.

Estrella Resources has strengthened its leadership with the appointment of seasoned mining executive Robert Mencel as chief executive officer, positioning the company to advance its limestone and manganese assets in Timor-Leste. Mencel brings more than 25 years of global project development experience, including multiple greenfield builds, as Estrella shifts focus towards development, funding and future production.

Dateline Resources has further bolstered its board with the appointments of two highly experienced North American mining professionals as non-executive directors. George Brack and Phillips Baker Jr have joined the aspiring miner at a pivotal time, as the company progresses its lauded Colosseum gold-rare earths project in California towards a bankable feasibility study (BFS), aiming to transition from explorer to developer.

The Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Week is Charger Metals which unleashed a ripping high-grade maiden gold discovery at its Xmas anomaly in the Yilgarn with 12m at 6.55g/t, Calix Limited stormed higher on blockbuster US water-treatment contracts and completion of its game-changing lithium demo plant with Pilbara Minerals. Investigator Resources also started the new year on the front foot, leveraging sky-high silver prices with a DFS update that bloated mineable ounces by 13Moz at the same time slashing the strip ratio at its pure-play Paris silver project in South Australia.

Chariot Resources has executed a non-binding MOU with prominent China-based battery materials producer Shanghai GreatPower Nickel & Cobalt Materials Co. to explore collaboration across its prospective Nigerian lithium portfolio. The MOU outlines potential offtake for up to 200,000 tonnes per year of spodumene concentrate from one of Chariot's four Nigerian projects. Discussions also covered potential development financing, credit lines and offtake prepayments to accelerate exploration and production.

Dollar Bill rarely indulges in “I told you so” moments, but with uranium, silver and small caps all delivering exactly as forecast, a glance at the scoreboard feels justified. From silver's stunning outperformance to the revival of risk appetite, The Dollar reflects on his calls that landed. Looking ahead, lithium and nickel appear set as the next potential comeback stories with a revival in both already underway.

Dateline Resources has taken a major step in de-risking its fully-owned 1.1 million ounce Colosseum gold and rare earths project in California via the execution of an option agreement that secures critical water rights and near-mine infrastructure. The agreement provides access to about 27 acres of paved industrial land at the base of Colosseum Mine Road, complete with four existing buildings and two dedicated groundwater wells.

With the old-fashioned advice-giving broker almost a thing of the past now, Bulls N' Bears Dollar Bill weighs up the pros and cons of the algorithm that ate his broker.

Bulls N' Bears' Dollar Bill says the Santa Claus rally sounds like market folklore, yet the data keeps proving it real. December delivers unusually strong returns across global markets, driven less by fundamentals and more by seasonal sentiment, patterns and investor psychology in the lead up to Xmas. From technical traders to casual punters, everyone seems to behave differently as the year winds down.

The ASX fired back to life in 2025 as gold and silver hit records, copper ran hard and critical minerals took off on the back of largely US supply-chain geopolitics. Small caps delivered the kind of multi-baggers not seen in years, but biotechs took a bruising. Dollar Bill looks at the market's wild return to form and what the shifting macro picture may mean for 2026.

Horizon Minerals has pushed back its Black Swan plant conversion feasibility study near Kalgoorlie into the new year, opting to reassess project economics amid record gold prices. The company says delivery is now slated for the March quarter as it explores ramped-up throughput options buoyed by elevated gold prices exceeding A$6700 per ounce.

Aguia Resources says a new operating plan at its Santa Barbara gold mine in Colombia is starting to show through, with December batch processing lifting recoveries to about 70% and triggering expected gold sales of about $120,000. The company has cut headcount by more than half and is targeting recoveries above 80 per cent as it steadies production and lines up exploration drilling in 2026.

Red Metal Limited has advanced large-scale column heap leach testing at its Sybella rare earths project near Mt Isa in Queensland, building on earlier strong metallurgical results. The work aims to confirm low-cost sulphuric acid heap leaching of magnet and heavy rare earths, potentially paving the way for pre-feasibility studies in 2026 at the large granite-hosted discovery.

Larvotto Resources has kicked off underground mining at its 100%-owned historic Hillgrove gold-antimony project near Armidale in New South Wales, marking a major milestone in the restart of operations, which have been largely dormant since 2016, following a collapse in antimony prices. Mining contractor PYBAR Mining Services has mobilised equipment and personnel to site, with development works now underway

Reach Resources has wrapped up a 48-hole, 5,281m RC drilling campaign at its Murchison South gold project near Payne's Find in Western Australia. The program targeted areas within and adjacent to conceptual pit shells to upgrade inferred resources and improve confidence for open-pit development. Rock chip sampling across multiple prospects has also been completed, with assay and metallurgical results expected in February.

Neometals has received a third round of funding support for its Finnish Vanadium Recovery project in Pori, with EU-sponsored EIT RawMaterials committing an additional €1.5 million for technical work. The backing follows a recent €48.7 grant from the Finnish government and underlines growing institutional support for the low‑carbon project.

Peninsula Energy has begun acidification at header house 14, a gateway to its MU-4 deposit, part of its flagship Lance uranium project in Wyoming, USA. The process, which is expected to last about three months, marks a critical step towards initial production. Upon reaching the target acidity, uranium-rich fluids will be redirected to the Lance central processing plant for processing into yellowcake.

Red Metal Ltd has secured a joint venture with Artemis Resources to accelerate exploration at its Sharon Dam IOCG target in Western Australia. The deal allows Artemis to earn 60 per cent by spending $5 million, with drilling co-funded by a state grant. The underexplored project offers shallow cover and strong geophysical signatures.

Beetaloo Energy has delivered another confidence-boosting result from its flagship Beetaloo Basin gas play, with the company's Carpentaria-5H well clocking up one of the strongest flow performances ever seen in the basin. While still in clean-up mode, the well has already posted standout gas rates, reinforcing the company's strategy of prioritising long-term productivity as it prepares for pilot gas sales in 2026.

The Bulls N' Bears ASX Runner of the Year is… Kaili Resources, which ran on hot air and a tight Chinese register for a meme-stock frenzy in under 48 hours. Dateline Resources got the ultimate Trump Truth Social shout-out for its Colosseum gold-rare earths play near the Mountain Pass mine in California, Locksley Resources unlocked antimony and rare earths just next door, Sunrise Energy Metals flew on its monster scandium deposit in NSW and Mount Ridley dropped Australia's biggest gallium resource out of nowhere. IPO of the year went to the aptly named Metal Powder Works, as goldies Forrestania, Focus and a lonely oil player Finder Energy rounded out the list.