Public Company News

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.

Kalgoorlie Gold Mining has delivered another confidence-boosting result at its Lighthorse discovery, part of the company's Pinjin project, with fresh RC drilling almost doubling the strike length of primary gold mineralisation. The work confirms the system is sourced from depth, remains open to the north and is shaping up as a large-scale orogenic gold target within WA's prolific Laverton Tectonic Zone.

Perth-based gold explorer Aurum Resources has delivered another batch of encouraging high-grade gold intercepts from its BMT3 target in the company's flagship Boundiali gold project in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. The best grade was obtained from an intercept of 2.20 metres at 23.65 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from just 93.6 metres downhole.

St George Mining has delivered its thickest high-grade intercept to date at the company's 100 per cent-owned Araxá rare earths and niobium project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. One vertical diamond drill hole returned a massive run of 139.45m assaying 4.05 per cent total rare earth oxides and 0.55 per cent niobium pentoxide from surface.

Terrain Minerals has called a brief festive timeout on drilling at its Smokebush gold project in Western Australia, wrapping up a productive end to 2025 at its Lightning prospect. With more than a third of the current RC program completed, a newly granted mining licence and strong funding support, the company says it is well placed to hit the ground running when drilling resumes in January.

Ora Banda Mining has drilled into wide, high-grade gold at its Sand King underground mine in WA's Goldfields, confirming a growing northerly mineralised corridor, which is likely to boost ounces significantly. Peak intercepts included bonanza grades up to 146 grams per tonne (g/t) from drilling that has stretched mineralisation well beyond current resource boundaries.

Buru Energy says it is courting global capital to fund a flow test and an independent resource certificate at the company's onshore Rafael gas discovery in Western Australia's Canning Basin. With approvals secured, multiple suitors running the rule over the opportunity and a development partner already locked in, the company believes it is steadily closing in on long-term gas cashflows from 2028.

Estrella Resources has rolled out another set of manganese-rich results from its Ira Miri project in Timor-Leste, with several high-grade intervals hinting at the potential for multiple stacked manganese horizons. The company says it has also wrapped up drilling at its adjacent Werumata limestone project, which exposed thick carbonate layers and a fresh limestone unit at depth, with promising early commerciality indications.

American West Metals will kick off its first gallium and indium-focused drilling program at the company's flagship West Desert project in the US state of Utah next year. The move comes after recent re-sampling of historical diamond drill core uncovered high-grade mineralisation across a suite of critical metals. The fully permitted program will test an array of drill-ready targets for the vital critical minerals.

Middle Island Resources has wasted no time putting an experienced hand on the tiller, appointing seasoned explorer and company builder Peter Spiers as chief executive officer. With more than three decades across discovery, development and corporate growth, Spiers steps in just as the company's Serbian assets begin to deliver the kind of results that can change a junior's trajectory.

Horizon Minerals has intersected stunning visible gold in drilling at its Burbanks project south of Coolgardie in Western Australia, including a whopping intercept grading up to 5.848 kilograms per tonne gold from 259m depth. The results form part of the company's monster two-stage 30,000m drilling program at the project, which kicked off in late June with focused infill drilling to upgrade confidence around its existing gold resources.

Norfolk Metals has laid the groundwork for a busy new year drilling blitz at its Carmen copper project in Chile, with environmental permitting and studies progressing ahead of a news-packed Christmas period. The company says a five-year permit will clear the path for a broader drilling assault across its 46.6 square kilometre concession package, including follow-up work from a high-impact diamond drilling program currently underway.