Rise and Shine: Everything you need to know before the ASX opens

Will markets shine today like Joan of Arc or burn out? (Also like Joan.) We'll know soon enough. Pic via Getty Images

Good morning, and welcome to Rise and Shine, Tuesday April 29.

It was on this day in history that, along with a great many other things, the following occurred:

• 1429 – French peasant girl turned national heroine Joan of Arc and her hardy 200 or so men-at-arms (closely followed by another 4,000-strong force) entered the besieged city of Orléans during the Hundred Years’ War.

Fast forward pretty much exactly a month later and things got a whole lot hotter for Mademoiselle Of Arc.

• 1945 – The US Seventh Army liberated tens of thousands of prisoners at the Nazi concentration camp in Dachau, Germany.

Sidenote… The shoulder patch insignia for the Seventh Army is formed by seven steps (see below). Veterans of the Seventh Army also often wore an additional tab, never officially authorised, reading “7 Steps to Hell” under the emblem.

• 1770 – Captain James Cook arrived at an attractive (well it would’ve been back then) bay in this great southern land, which he promptly dubbed Sting Ray Harbour. Presumably because of bulk stingrays flapping about ‘neath the longboats. He later changed it to the less exciting Botany Bay. Because of… bulk beaut flora.

Of course, the people already going about their business there – the Dharawal people – had the original name for it, and that’s Kamay.

On to the real reason you’re here, however – the markets…

COMMODITY/FOREX/CRYPTO MARKET PRICES

Gold: US$3299.77/oz (-0.59%)

Silver: US$33.05/oz (-0.09%)

Iron Ore: US$99.98/t

Nickel (3mth): US$15,655/t (-0.71%)

Copper (3mth): US$9380/t (-0.06%)

Zinc: US$2618/t (-0.68%)

Lithium carbonate: US$9000 (0%)

Oil (WTI): US$63.13/bbl (+0.17%)

Oil (Brent): US$66.77/bbl (-0.15%)

AUD/USD: 0.6399 (+0.13%)

Bitcoin: US$94,475 (+0.44%)

WHAT GOT YOU TALKING

Surging since China’s export restriction last year, Antimony prices have continued to show ongoing strength after reaching an all-timer high of US$51,500 per tonne. The tight supply outlook has thrown a spotlight on resource companies that could meet the burgeoning demand for the military-relevant mineral.

Bubalus Resources have started its maiden drilling program at the Crosbie gold and antimony project in Victoria. #ASX $BUS @Bubalus_ASX https://t.co/cVjtvKkGaG

— Stockhead (@StockheadAU) April 28, 2025

Also in the news…

A sell-off in gold last week had many hitting the exit button to lock-in profits, but analysts are still bullish for gold’s outlook, as Stockhead’s Eddy Sunarto explored in yesterday’s Hot Money Monday.

A pledge by the Labor government to stockpile $1.2bn in critical minerals if it returns to power in May has drawn support from various mining associations and councils, although some are calling for more.

The US FDA has rejected Telix Pharmaceuticals’ (ASX:TLX) marketing approval application for its brain cancer (glioma) diagnostic tool, Pixclara, but delivered better news to Dimerix (ASX:DXB), accepting a surrogate endpoint for its own marketing approval ambitions in the form of proteinuria – protein in the urine, a key marker of kidney decline.

ASX SMALL CAP LEADERS

Monday’s best performing small cap stocks:

Security	Description	Last	%	Volume	MktCap
ADD	Adavale Resource Ltd	0.0015	50%	3058746	$2,287,279
TON	Triton Min Ltd	0.007	40%	10000	$7,841,944	R
MMR	Mec Resources	0.004	33%	3755022	$5,549,298
SFG	Seafarms Group Ltd	0.002	33%	336599	$7,254,899
AZL	Arizona Lithium Ltd	0.0065	30%	13037804	$22,809,073
MBK	Metal Bank Ltd	0.013	30%	283926	$4,974,590
INF	Infinity Lithium	0.025	25%	3311773	$9,451,842	R
EAT	Entertainment	0.005	25%	155815	$5,235,144	R
MTB	Mount Burgess Mining	0.005	25%	399400	$1,406,811	R
OSL	Oncosil Medical	0.005	25%	250000	$18,426,321	R
JLL	Jindalee Lithium Ltd	0.32	23%	279884	$19,133,881	R
TMB	Tambourahmetals	0.032	23%	25133877	$3,057,341
PUA	Peak Minerals Ltd	0.011	22%	7339538	$25,265,892
SMN	Structural Monitor.	0.4	21%	189539	$50,920,666
SPN	Sparc Tech Ltd	0.205	21%	92591	$16,298,401	R
1AI	Algorae Pharma	0.006	20%	2052422	$8,436,974
AJL	AJ Lucas Group	0.006	20%	106673	$6,878,648
AQX	Alice Queen Ltd	0.006	20%	2835727	$5,734,450	R
FIN	FIN Resources Ltd	0.006	20%	1600000	$3,474,442
KLI	Killiresources	0.048	20%	238959	$5,608,950
RDS	Redstone Resources	0.006	20%	3830655	$4,626,892
SKN	Skin Elements Ltd	0.003	20%	505252	$2,688,035
KNG	Kingsland Minerals	0.125	19%	47853	$7,618,896
SP3	Specturltd	0.013	18%	186000	$3,389,651	R
RAS	Ragusa Minerals Ltd	0.02	18%	206516	$2,424,179

Making news…

Triton Minerals’ (ASX:TON) reinstatement on the ASX was welcomed warmly by investors, who drove the small cap stock up 40% after the company released its annual report for the 2024 year.

While still embroiled in a legal battle over unmet payments for the sale of its Mozambique graphite assets, Triton is keen to begin exploration at the Aucu copper-gold project in central west Mozambique.

Infinity Lithium (ASX:INF) is divesting its non-core Victorian projects in a $3.4m option agreement with Dart Mining NL, with the goal of focusing all of its resources on the flagship San Jose lithium project in Spain. INF intends to develop a fully integrated mine-to-market lithium chemical operation in the Extremadura region.

Interim metallurgical test work results from Mount Burgess Mining’s (ASX:MTB) Kihabe-Nxuu project in Botswana have boosted the stock 25%. The company’s tests showed recoveries of up to 96% zinc, 79.4% lead, 91.1% vanadium, 59.3% gallium and 77.2% germanium.

Finally, Sparc Technologies’ (ASX:SPN) first inspection of its ecosparc® enhanced anti-corrosion coating on steel infrastructure has yielded positive results, with no signs of degradation or failure observed during the initial trial phase.

The company says this is the most critical period for identifying performance issues, and the results support commercial and specification discussions with major potential offtake partners.

ASX SMALL CAP LAGGARDS

Monday’s worse performing small cap stocks:

Code	Name	Price	% Change	Volume	Market Cap
HCF	H&G High Conviction	0.35	-54%	140771	$14,748,923
CGO	CPT Global Limited	0.049	-35%	13593	$3,142,302
AIV	Activex Limited	0.006	-33%	600001	$1,939,523
AXP	AXP Energy Ltd	0.001	-33%	1505000	$9,862,021
HCD	Hydrocarbon Dynamics	0.002	-33%	101006	$3,234,328
BRX	Belararox Limited	0.091	-33%	4052737	$21,130,518
PEB	Pacific Edge	0.075	-32%	120649	$89,310,757
PPY	Papyrus Australia	0.009	-31%	653775	$7,418,863
ARV	Artemis Resources	0.007	-30%	31005169	$25,285,293
1TT	Thrive Tribe Tech	0.0015	-25%	32179232	$4,063,446
EEL	Enrg Elements Ltd	0.0015	-25%	1149000	$6,507,557
CMB	Cambium Bio Limited	0.225	-22%	7065	$5,301,973
PLG	Pearl Gull Iron Limited	0.007	-22%	11943	$1,840,876
PLN	Pioneer Lithium	0.105	-22%	17995	$5,745,827
EXL	Elixinol Wellness	0.022	-21%	1205311	$6,182,964
WYX	Western Yilgarn NL	0.027	-21%	64564	$4,677,077
EVR	Ev Resources Ltd	0.004	-20%	1194203	$9,929,183
OVT	Ovanti Limited	0.004	-20%	1886063	$13,507,739
YAR	Yari Minerals Ltd	0.004	-20%	1617	$2,411,789
HPC	Hydration Pharma	0.009	-18%	608707	$4,216,310
HFR	Highfield Res Ltd	0.115	-18%	311893	$66,370,786
LMS	Litchfield Minerals	0.115	-18%	81032	$4,066,448
SRJ	SRJ Technologies	0.019	-17%	2714084	$13,928,296
1AD	Adalta Limited	0.005	-17%	400000	$3,859,337
ANX	Anax Metals Ltd	0.005	-17%	1023670	$5,296,845