Hot Topics
Trending stories and market-moving news from the ASX small-cap sector
Big M&A is Back and the Next Wave Should Hit Mid-Caps and Small-Caps
After a long pause, global dealmaking has snapped back to life. Boardrooms are leaning into acquisitions, carve-outs, and take-privates as equity markets sit near highs, financing re-opens, and regulators in key jurisdictions signal a more permissive stance.
Top Stories
Canada Unlocks 26 New Measures To Fast-Track Critical Minerals Supply Chains
Canada has fired the starter’s gun on a new phase of ally-led critical minerals development, unveiling the first slate of projects under its G7-backed Critical Minerals Production Alliance.
US–China Trade Deal Pauses Rare-Earth Controls, Trims Tariffs: What it means for critical minerals and markets
The White House has outlined a US–China trade and economic framework reached in Seoul between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping.
Death Taxes Do Happen in Australia
The old saying used to be that there's nothing certain about life than death and taxes, and things get really interesting and somewhat complex when you combine the two in the form of death taxes.
Latest Hot Topics
The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Dividends
There used to be an investment rule that if you wanted to invest for dividends, Australia was the place to do it.
Market Wrap: Gold miners lose the tug of war with Consumer Stocks
A tug of war between rising gold miners and a souring consumer sector saw the Australian share market end the week basically flat on Friday. By the close the ASX 200 had fallen just 3.6 points or less than 0.1% to 8881.9 points, although the index had fallen 1.7% for the week. A fairly negative lead in from Wall Street didn’t help with shares in Facebook parent Meta falling, dragging down the rest of the magnificent seven mega-cap technology stocks and causing all three major US indices to drop.
The Lithium Turnaround: Pilbara, Liontown, IGO, MinRes, and Global Lithium Resources to Watch
Australia’s lithium industry is entering an exciting period. Global demand for lithium is rising sharply, electrification is accelerating, and Australia’s hard-rock lithium producers are perfectly positioned to benefit. From rising export earnings to operational leverage and selective growth opportunities, the fundamentals are compelling. We’ve captured the full story in a detailed report, including: Why lithium […]
Is the Critical Minerals Sell-Off a Buying Opportunity for North America-Exposed Names?
After a two-month global rally in critical minerals and rare earths stocks, especially those with North American assets, the group has slumped over the past 48 hours on headlines that Washington and Beijing have reached a framework to delay new tariffs and relax near-term export restrictions. The pullback could be technical, not fundamental, as traders take profits, but underlying need […]
When Averages Turn Mean and Steal Your Joy
It is very true that comparison is the thief of joy and that is particularly the case when it comes to superannuation balances. It seems that every second day there is another piece of financial propaganda warning about how high average superannuation balances are at various ages. The not so hidden meaning is it if […]
Property Boom Flatters Victoria’s Troubled Budget
There’s nothing like a property boom to gladden the heart of any state premier. So Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan must be delighted to see that Melbourne’s median house price has now marched to within $10,000 of its record high. While these higher prices make it harder for first time buyers to get into the market, […]
US and China Reach Framework for Trade Deal Ahead of Trump–Xi Meeting
Top US and Chinese economic officials have agreed on the outline of a new trade framework that could avert another round of steep tariffs and ease Chinese export controls on critical minerals, US officials said Sunday. The agreement, reached on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, sets the stage for President Donald Trump and Chinese President […]
Trump’s Industrial Push Sees Washington Invest in Strategic Industries
Under President Donald Trump, the US government has begun taking direct equity stakes in major private companies, including chipmaker Intel, rare earth producer MP Materials, and lithium developer Lithium Americas, as part of a sweeping effort to bolster national security and reduce reliance on China. The policy marks a sharp departure from decades of free-market orthodoxy. Some company boards […]