Category: Stock Market

If you are hunting for outsized returns for your portfolio, it could be worth checking out the small-cap ASX share in this article.

It has just been recommended for investors with a high risk tolerance by analysts at Bell Potter, who are tipping massive upside over the next 12 months.

Which small-cap ASX share?

Bell Potter is bullish on Aurum Resources Ltd (ASX: AUE), which is a gold exploration and development company with an asset portfolio located in the West African country of Côte d’Ivoire.

The broker highlights that the small-cap ASX share’s flagship project is the 3.2Moz Boundiali Gold Project (BGP), where substantial, ongoing diamond drilling programs have defined large-scale mineralised systems with strong resource growth potential.

It also owns the 1.2Moz Napie Gold Project, which is the subject of ongoing resource extension drilling.

Bell Potter was pleased with the release of the Pre-Feasibility Study for the Boundiali Gold Project, which included a post-tax NPV of ~US$1.5 billion. It explains:

AUE has met a major project development and de-risking milestone with the completion and release of the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) for its Boundiali Gold Project (BGP) in northern Côte d’Ivoire. It outlines a maiden Ore Reserve Estimate of 42.1 Mt at 0.9 g/t Au for 1.21Moz, which supports a conventional open-pit mining operation producing 185kozpa (yrs 1-5) and ~140kozpa over 11-year LOM at average All-In-Sustaining-Costs of US$1,951/oz via a conventional 6.0Mtpa processing plant for pre-production CAPEX of US$342m. Key financial metrics calculated by AUE using consensus forecast mean gold price of US$4,076/oz include a post-tax NPV(5%) of ~ US$1.5 billion, an IRR of 119% and <1 year payback.

The broker believes this marks a major derisking milestone. It adds:

The PFS makes a compelling case for project development and marks a major derisking milestone. Compared with our in-house estimates, slightly lower grades and recoveries are more than offset by a higher mill throughput, gold production rates and lower capital costs. As it stands, Boundiali presents as an attractive development project, with recent Resource growth and confidence upgrades leaving substantial scope for further improvements to the project metrics ahead of completion of the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS).

Huge potential returns

According to the note, Bell Potter has retained its speculative buy rating on the small-cap ASX share with an improved price target of $1.50 (from $1.30). Based on its current share price of 56 cents, this implies potential upside of 168% over the next 12 months.

Speaking about its investment thesis, the broker said:

AUE is one of the most successful gold exploration companies active in West Africa. Its management team has a demonstrated track record of discovery, Resource growth, project construction, development, operation and divestment. AUE is well funded, has outlined a compelling development project with exploration upside. It is strategically attractive, with Perseus Mining having joined the register. We retain our Speculative Buy rating and lift our valuation to $1.50/sh.

The post Meet the small-cap ASX share Bell Potter is tipping to rise 168% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• This ASX small-cap gold stock could surge 136% according to Bell Potter
• Up 44% in a year, ASX All Ords gold stock slips despite 330,000-ounce gold boost

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Markets in 2026 have been a study in concentration. 

The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) and the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) keep printing record highs, powered by the companies racing to build the artificial intelligence economy – chips, memory, data centres, and the cash-hungry giants spending big to win. 

Record-breaking listings are adding to the frenzy, with Elon Musk’s SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) set to debut on the Nasdaq in what may be the largest initial public offering (IPO) in history.

Amid all that exuberance, one asset has been left behind.

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is down more than 40% over the past 12 months and around 28% since the start of the year. It now trades near US$62,000, well below the record high of roughly US$126,000 set last spring. More than US$1 trillion in value has evaporated in eight months.

So what is going on?

Follow the liquidity

Bitcoin has a fixed supply. Only 21 million coins will ever exist, and that ceiling is hard-coded. When supply cannot move, price becomes a story about demand – and demand is really a story about where money is flowing.

Right now, capital is chasing momentum. The headlines belong to AI, semiconductors, memory, and mega-IPOs, and money tends to follow the loudest narrative. SpaceX’s listing alone is expected to soak up tens of billions of dollars in fresh capital. Every dollar committed to the next hot story is a dollar not parked in Bitcoin.

This matters because Bitcoin no longer trades in its own universe. Since spot Bitcoin ETFs arrived and large institutions gained easy access, the asset has behaved like any other risk play – rallying when liquidity is loose and sagging when it tightens. With markets now pricing in the possibility of higher-for-longer interest rates, the easy money that once lifted speculative assets is harder to find.

Bitcoin isn’t alone

If this were purely a crypto problem, you might expect everything else to be flying. It isn’t.

Gold and silver, the traditional safe havens, have also come off the boil after strong runs. And closer to home, plenty of quality smaller companies have drifted sideways or lower despite solid fundamentals underneath them. Good businesses are being ignored not because anything broke, but because attention – and capital – is pooling in a handful of crowded trades.

That is the story of 2026 so far. When liquidity converges on one theme, even sound assets can be starved of buyers. Price and value can part ways for a while.

None of this makes Bitcoin “safe”. It remains a speculative asset whose future hinges on unresolved questions – how regulators treat it, how central banks set policy, whether it earns lasting status as a store of value, and how widely it gets used as an alternative form of money. Those debates are far from settled.

Foolish Takeaway

It helps to remember Bitcoin’s character. Its history is a cycle of brutal drawdowns followed by recoveries that have, so far, climbed even higher than before. Falls of 50% or more are not new. They have happened repeatedly, and each time, the obituaries were written early.

That pattern is no guarantee. But it is a reminder that volatility is the toll Bitcoin charges, not necessarily a sign the journey has ended.

For now, the share market’s record-setting names are absorbing the oxygen, and Bitcoin is paying the price for being yesterday’s headline. Liquidity, though, is restless. It rotates. When the AI euphoria cools and attention broadens again, the assets left behind in 2026 may look very different in hindsight. Patient investors who understand what they own – and can stomach the swings – are usually the ones still standing when the cycle turns.

The post Why is the Bitcoin price down while shares hit highs? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why did the Bitcoin price just plunge more than 7%?

Motley Fool contributor Leigh Gant owns Bitcoin. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Bitcoin. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. 

If you have a high tolerance for risk and want exposure to gold, then it could be worth considering the speculative ASX share in this article.

That’s because if Bell Potter is on the money with its recommendation, investors could potentially double their money over the next 12 months.

Which speculative ASX gold share?

The share that Bell Potter has been running the rule over is Falcon Metals Ltd (ASX: FAL).

It is an Australian gold explorer behind the 100%-owned, high grade Blue Moon gold project at Bendigo.

Bell Potter notes that drilling at Blue Moon has confirmed multiple zones of visible gold within quartz reefs hosted by the Garden Gully anticline, which is a structural setting that historically produced 5.2 Moz @ ~15 g/t Au.

The broker highlights that the ASX gold share has identified four stacked high-grade target zones. These are Morning Glory (~30–40m below surface), Jasmine (~300-400m), Lotus (~500–700m) and Dahlia (~750–900m).

Importantly, each remains open along strike and down-dip, with visible gold observed in multiple sections.

Based on what it has seen, Bell Potter has given the company a valuation of $245 million in its initiation note. It explains:

For valuation purposes we assume: (1) a potential future Mineral Inventory of 6.3Mt at 14.5g/t Au for 2.9Moz contained Au; (2) a Mining Inventory of 4.7Mt at 11.6g/t Au for 1.8Moz contained Au; (3) production of 107kozpa from CY32 at a mining rate of 300ktpa; and (4) A$250m of construction capex. On this basis, we derive a risked, undiluted net present value (NPV) of $170m for Blue Moon (DCF, nominal, post-tax, 10% discount rate, 90% risked) and a diluted equity value of $245m.

Shares tipped to more than double

According to the note, Bell Potter has initiated coverage on the ASX gold share with a speculative buy rating and $1.10 price target.

Based on its current share price of 48 cents, this implies potential upside of approximately 130% over the next 12 months.

Commenting on its recommendation, Bell Potter said:

We initiate coverage of FAL with a SPECULATIVE BUY recommendation and a A$1.10/sh valuation. In our view, the market is increasingly valuing Blue Moon as a district-scale extension of the Bendigo system rather than a one-off discovery.

The upside case depends less on a single spectacular visible-gold intercept and more on proving continuity along strike and down plunge across the four mineralised zones, precisely what the step-out program is beginning to deliver, offering re-rating potential. Continuity and repeatability of high-grade results are early positive indicators that Blue Moon’s average Resource grade may prove materially higher once formally estimated. Given mining earnings are highly sensitive to grade, this presents meaningful upside to future operational value.

The post Why this speculative ASX gold share could rocket 130% appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why is the Bitcoin price down while shares hit highs?
• 2 ASX ETFs positioned for the booming AI data centre buildout
• 2 incredible ASX 200 shares to buy and hold for 10 years
• Buy, hold, sell: Nick Scali, Nyrada, Wesfarmers shares
• These 3 ASX technology stocks can prosper in uncertain times

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Artificial intelligence might live in the cloud, but the foundations get built on the ground. 

Every chatbot answer and every model trained has to run somewhere – and that somewhere is a vast, power-hungry data centre.

That simple fact is driving one of the largest capital spending waves in corporate history.

Concrete, copper, and kilowatts

The world’s biggest technology companies – Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta Platforms – are racing to build the physical backbone of AI. Together, these hyperscalers plan to spend a combined US$725 billion on AI development this year, with roughly 70% to 75% of that flowing straight into infrastructure. 

Infrastructure here means something concrete. It means the data centres themselves, the chips inside them, the networking that connects them, and – crucially – the power grids and cooling systems that keep them running.

And this is not a one-year story. There are Broad estimates that global data centre spending will exceed US$2 trillion over the next five years. 

A data centre is essentially a warehouse full of servers that runs around the clock. It draws enormous amounts of electricity, generates significant heat, and requires constant cooling. Build thousands of them, and you create huge, durable demand for utilities, copper, engineering, and essential-service operators.

That is the part of the AI trade that often gets overlooked. The picks and shovels, not the gold.

Why a basket beats a single bet

Picking the single biggest winner from this buildout is hard. Will it be the chipmaker, the power company, the cooling specialist, or the copper miner? Guess wrong, and you can miss the whole move.

This is where exchange-traded funds (ETFs) earn their keep. Instead of betting on one name, an ETF spreads your capital across a basket of companies tied to the same theme. You trade the chance of picking a single moonshot for far lower concentration risk. 

Two ASX ETFs offer a neat way in.

The first is the VanEck FTSE Global Infrastructure (Hedged) ETF (ASX: IFRA). It holds around 150 listed infrastructure companies across developed markets, spanning electric utilities, toll roads, pipelines, airports, and rail networks. 

Think of IFRA as the boring backbone of the boom. Every data centre needs a power grid, and this fund owns the companies that run them. It currently trades around $25.50 and is forecast to yield almost 3% over the next 12 months. 

The second is the more direct play – the Global X Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure ETF (ASX: AINF). Launched in 2025, it was the first ASX-listed fund built specifically around the physical AI buildout.

AINF holds an equally weighted basket of 31 stocks across energy, materials, and data infrastructure, including copper and uranium producers, utilities, and engineering firms. It has large positions in Delta Electronics, GE Vernova, and Vertiv Holdings. 

The trade-off is clear. IFRA is broader, hedged, and pays an income. AINF is narrower, more thematic, and built purely for this moment.

Foolish Takeaway

The AI data centre boom is real, and it runs on far more than software. It runs on power, metal, and physical construction – the kind of long-lived assets that tend to keep earning long after the hype fades.

Neither fund is risk-free. A slowdown in hyperscaler spending or a renewed rise in long bond yields could weigh on both. But for investors who believe the buildout has years to run, IFRA and AINF offer two distinct ways to own the foundations rather than guess the winner.

Sometimes the smartest way to play a gold rush is to back the people selling the shovels.

The post 2 ASX ETFs positioned for the booming AI data centre buildout appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Best 3 ASX ETFs to leverage massive artificial intelligence buildout
• Why US earnings is good news for artificial intelligence ETFs: Expert
• These ASX ETFs are smashing record highs 

The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, GE Vernova, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Vertiv. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Want to build long-term wealth?

A good place to start is with ASX 200 shares that have the potential to compound earnings over many years. These are businesses with strong market positions, long growth runways, and the ability to reinvest for the future.

With that in mind, here are two ASX 200 shares that could be worth buying and holding for the next decade.

Goodman Group (ASX: GMG)

The first ASX 200 share to look at for the long term is Goodman.

It has become one of the most important property groups on the ASX, but it is no longer just a traditional industrial landlord.

The company owns, develops, and manages high-quality logistics, warehousing, and industrial properties in major global markets. These assets are positioned close to cities, transport corridors, and key supply chain hubs.

That is more important than you think because modern businesses need faster delivery, better inventory management, and more efficient distribution networks. Ecommerce, automation, and supply chain resilience have all increased the value of well-located industrial property.

Goodman also has another powerful growth angle: data centres.

As artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital services require more infrastructure, demand for data centre capacity could remain strong for many years. Goodman’s land holdings, development capability, and global relationships could put it in a strong position to benefit.

Overall, for investors thinking in decades rather than months, that could make it one of the ASX 200’s most attractive long-term compounders.

Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL)

Another ASX 200 share to consider for the long haul is Netwealth.

It is not a household name like a bank or supermarket, but it plays an important role behind the scenes of Australia’s wealth management industry.

Its platform helps financial advisers manage client portfolios, administration, reporting, investments, and account structures. That may sound unexciting, but it is exactly the kind of infrastructure that advisers rely on every day.

The strength of the business is in its operating model. As more funds move onto the platform, Netwealth can benefit from scale. Revenue can grow with funds under administration, while technology and automation can help support margins over time.

It is also exposed to a long-term structural tailwind. Australia has a large and growing pool of superannuation and investment wealth, and advisers continue to need modern platforms to serve clients efficiently.

That gives Netwealth a runway that could last well beyond the next year or two.

Competition is strong, but Netwealth has shown that specialist platforms can keep taking share from older incumbents when they deliver a better user experience. Over 10 years, that kind of steady market share gain could be very powerful.

The post 2 incredible ASX 200 shares to buy and hold for 10 years appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Interested in investing in AI? Check out this new $350 million trust
• The ASX shares I’d pick in a FIFA World Cup first eleven
• Why I’d put $2,000 into CBA and these blue-chip ASX shares this month
• Time to cash out? Why this expert is bearish on Goodman and BHP shares
• Goodman shares rise as another insider sells $18.9 million. Should investors care?

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Goodman Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goodman Group and Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Goodman Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares fell 0.2% to 8,633.2 points yesterday.

Let’s check out what these experts think of three ASX shares in the retail and healthcare sectors.

Nick Scali Ltd (ASX: NCK)

The Nick Scali share price closed at $15.05, down 1.1% yesterday and down 36% in the calendar year to date (YTD). 

Morgans commenced coverage on this ASX 200 retail share with a buy rating this week.

The broker said it was looking through weak near-term consumer sentiment, and that the current share price is attractive.

Morgans described Nick Scali as a “high-quality retailer with a long track record”.

In a new note, the broker explained its buy recommendation:

Nick Scali has delivered long-term EPS growth through disciplined store rollout, LFL growth, best-in-class margins, and operating leverage. Strong cash generation and balance sheet.

Structural negative working capital supports high cash conversion, while the low capital intensity of new store rollouts leaves ample cash flow for dividends and property purchases and/or growth ventures.

Store rollout optionality. Further Plush and Nick Scali rollout in ANZ and the Nick Scali rollout opportunity in the UK provide an attractive growth leg.

Morgans has a 12-month target of $17.84, which suggests almost 20% upside ahead.

Nyrada Inc (ASX: NYR)

The Nyrada share price finished at 45 cents, down 8.2% yesterday and down 62% YTD. 

Nyrada is a biotech developing novel therapies for cardiovascular, neurological, and cancer-related diseases.

On The Bull this week, Tony Locantro from Alto Capital put a hold rating on this ASX biotech share.

Locantro commented: 

Recent announcements highlighted progress in the Phase IIa PROTECT-MI trial for its lead drug candidate Xolatryp, along with encouraging pre-clinical oncology data and additional patent protection.

These developments continue to strengthen confidence in the broader platform and its commercial potential.

However, the company remains at a clinical development stage, with key efficacy and regulatory milestones still ahead. While the long term opportunity remains attractive, the current risk profile supports a hold recommendation pending further clinical validation.

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) 

The Wesfarmers share price closed at $84.31 on Thursday, up 1.1% for the day and up 3% YTD. 

Wesfarmers held its 2026 Strategy Briefing Day on Wednesday.

The diversified conglomerate highlighted its growth and productivity plans, its portfolio of high-quality businesses, and its strong balance sheet, which provides the potential to invest.

Managing Director Rob Scott said Wesfarmers’ primary objective remained satisfactory returns for shareholders.

Scott pointed out that Wesfarmers shares had delivered an average annual return of 15.8% over 10 years.

This compares to a 9.2% average annual return from the All Ordinaries Accumulation Index.

After the event, Citi reiterated its sell call on the ASX 200’s biggest consumer discretionary share.

The broker has a price target of $69 on Wesfarmers shares.

This indicates a potential near-20% downside ahead.

The post Buy, hold, sell: Nick Scali, Nyrada, Wesfarmers shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• Are Wesfarmers shares a buy, sell or hold after this week’s update?
• Down 40%+! 2 cheap ASX shares I’d buy before the recovery becomes obvious
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• I love Wesfarmers shares. Here’s why I’m not buying more

Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Nick Scali and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

After a “prolonged” period of uncertainty around the future prospects of many technology stocks, the dust is beginning to settle, and the companies holding true value are becoming apparent, Canaccord Genuity says.

In a new research note issued to their clients, the brokerage said their key positioning remained in metals and mining, “particularly commodities supported by supply tightness and favourable structural demand drivers, and underweight the banks, which have unattractive valuations, growth prospects and mounting credit headwinds”.

But they also turned their focus to the technology sector, which has been shaken by AI disruption concerns.

Sorting the wheat from the chaff

The Canaccord team said that global software-as-a-service (SaaS) stocks have staged a recovery since May 26, following previous sectoral weakness driven by concerns over AI hollowing out the business models of some companies.

They added:

After some surprisingly resilient results from some software companies listed in the US, market participants have appeared increasingly willing to challenge some of the more bearish interpretations of the theme and reassess which software stocks can be winners, particularly those that sit on the critical path of agent-driven workflows where AI proliferation drives consumption rather than displacement.

The Canaccord team said the new positivity had spilled over into the Australian market, with some ASX-listed software stocks experiencing a sharp upswing.

They said broadly re AI:

Our view on the long-term impact of AI on SaaS companies remains unchanged. We believe AI will to put pressure on weaker software models, but high-quality incumbents with genuine, difficult-to replicate competitive advantages (such as embedded systems, high subscriber switching costs, proprietary datasets) should prove more resilient to disruption and use AI to their advantage.

So which companies do they like?

TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE)

The Canaccord team says TechnologyOne is their preferred large-cap software pick, with its key upside being its AI tool Plus product, “which aids customers in actioning tasks within the system, among other things”.

They said that TechnologyOne is aiming to target adoption of 10% to 15% in year one and 75% by year four.

Thus, rather than disruption, TNE’s AI narrative is monetising AI without needing to reinvent its core product through Plus adoption and high usage per customer.

Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME)

The Canaccord team said Pro Medicus’ earnings will be bolstered by a series of large contract wins, which are yet to be reflected in the profit and loss statements.

They said while its price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was still high, it “is a very high-quality business with Pro Medicus gross margins of 99.7% and EBITDA margins of 77%, which is expected to expand above 80%”.

They added:

Concerns about AI’s impact on PME ignores the complexities associated with large-scale hospital systems that PME has expertise in, with imaging embedded across information systems and clinical workflows. Its high cash generative business allows optionality to acquire developing AI tools for additional top- and bottom-line growth, nullifying concerns regarding AI’s impact to PME’s business.

Catapult Sports Ltd (ASX: CAT)

Catapult, Canaccord said, is the global leader in athlete monitoring, supplying its devices and software to about 4000 teams.

They said the growth opportunity is significant, with a total addressable market of about 20,000 teams.

They added:

With this, CAT is growing rapidly, with 3-year forward consensus Management EBITDA growth of 35% and operating leverage driving high incremental margins which is expected to lift Management EBITDA margins from 18% currently to 30% in FY30. While caught up in the ASX tech-related sell-off, Catapult is defensible against AI threats due to its physical wearables devices that AI can’t replace and deeply embedded proprietary analytics data that is difficult to replicate and is mission-critical to manage player loads and optimise team strategies.

The post These 3 ASX technology stocks can prosper in uncertain times appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• The ASX shares I’d pick in a FIFA World Cup first eleven
• 5 ASX 200 shares downgraded by the experts this week
• 2 ASX tech shares I’d buy that aren’t Xero or WiseTech
• Is it time to get greedy with Pro Medicus shares?
• Why might Pro Medicus shares soon be under pressure?

Motley Fool contributor Cameron England has positions in Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Catapult Sports and Technology One. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Pro Medicus. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Catapult Sports. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Pro Medicus and Technology One. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) share price is in focus after the company lodged a key regulatory permit for its Sugar Zone project restart, targeting underground development in Q1 FY27 and gold production in Q1 FY28.

What did Vault Minerals report?

• Lodgement of Closure Plan Amendment (CPA) for Ontario’s Sugar Zone mine, following Ministry invitation
• Draft Sewage Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) for Southern Tailings Management Facility received
• Updated underground Mineral Resource: 4.8Mt at 8.0g/t for 1.23 million ounces of gold as at 30 June 2025
• Ore Reserve: 2.3Mt at 5.4g/t for 389,000 ounces supporting 7-year mine life and annual ~50,000oz production
• Extensive exploration: ~114,000m drilled since August 2023, identifying new mining front (Sugar Zone South)

What else do investors need to know?

Vault’s latest CPA submission signifies a critical step toward restarting Sugar Zone operations after an exhaustive review and consultation with First Nations partners. The CPA will be displayed publicly on Ontario’s registry for up to 45 days before filing, which is expected to trigger the commencement of Q1 FY27 development.

Significant infrastructure refurbishments are complete, with upgrades to mine and plant facilities and a new mining fleet readied. Recruitment of the senior operational team is progressing, while seasonal exploration focused on new surface targets continues to uncover promising zones.

Vault’s restart will proceed under an owner-operator model, with a 9–12 month development phase establishing safe access for stope production and providing construction material for its new tailings facility. The mine is permitted for higher capacity, offering future expansion optionality.

What’s next for Vault Minerals?

Looking ahead, Vault will focus on securing final government approvals and beginning site works, including tailings dam construction and mine development. Underground mining is on track to restart in early FY27, with first gold production targeted for Q1 FY28.

Further resource conversion and exploration upside remain, as high-grade mineralisation is open in multiple directions. As in-mine drilling resumes, the company may extend the mine’s life beyond its current seven-year plan.

Vault Minerals share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Vault Minerals shares have risen 37%, outperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) which has risen 1% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post Vault Minerals lodges key permit, on track for Sugar Zone restart appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• ASX 200 slips as oil shock puts investors on edge
• Megaport launches retail entitlement offer after $827 million capital raise
• Lendlease reaffirms FY26 earnings guidance

Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

Investors on the hunt for big returns might want to turn their attention to the ASX growth shares in this article.

That’s because analysts have recently named them as buys and tipped them to rise 30% or more. Here’s what they are recommending:

Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG)

The first ASX growth share to look at is Breville.

It has spent years building a premium global appliances business. Its products enjoy strong positions in categories such as coffee machines, food preparation, cooking, and kitchen appliances.

The company has a large opportunity with its international expansion, particularly in markets where premium home cooking and coffee products still have plenty of room to grow.

But that does not make it immune from consumer weakness. Shoppers can delay bigger discretionary purchases when household budgets are tight. But Breville’s brand strength and offshore growth runway mean it could still have plenty of long-term potential.

Last week, the team at Citi put a buy rating and $39.85 price target on Breville shares. This implies potential upside of approximately 33%.

Life360 Inc (ASX: 360)

Another ASX growth share that brokers are bullish on is Life360.

This location technology and family safety company has been growing its revenue and earnings at a rapid rate for many years.

This has been driven by strong growth in monthly active users (MAUs), which currently sits just short of 100 million. But Life360 isn’t settling for that. Management is guiding to 17% to 20% growth in MAUs in 2026.

This bodes well for the future as it gives it a larger pool to convert into paid subscriptions and to monetise with its advertising business.

Life360 still needs to execute carefully. A business handling location data must maintain trust, and investors will keep watching margins and customer growth closely.

But its combination of global scale, subscription revenue, and a clear consumer use case makes it one of the more exciting growth stories on the ASX.

Bell Potter recently put a buy rating and $33.00 price target on Life360 shares. This suggests potential upside of approximately 55%.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC)

A third ASX growth share to consider buying is WiseTech.

It provides software for the global logistics industry with its leading CargoWise platform, which helps freight forwarders and logistics companies manage complex international shipments, compliance, documentation, customs, and supply chain workflows.

This is not a glamorous market, but it is an enormous one. Global trade is complicated, and logistics companies need software that can handle scale, regulation, and cross-border movement efficiently.

WiseTech’s advantage is that it is solving deeply technical problems for customers that rely on its systems to operate. That can make the platform sticky once embedded.

Bell Potter put a buy rating and $71.75 price target on WiseTech shares this week. This implies potential upside of approximately 94%.

The post 3 buy-rated ASX growth shares tipped to rise 30%+ appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• ASX 200 slips as oil shock puts investors on edge
• 8 ASX 200 shares with renewed buy ratings this week
• 2 ASX tech shares I’d buy that aren’t Xero or WiseTech
• Why WiseTech Global shares could rise 90% in a year

Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Life360 and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Life360 and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Life360 and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The oil market has been one of the most volatile in living memory in 2026.

Brent crude surged to US$114 by the end of April per barrel as the US-Iran conflict escalated. It then crashed in May as ceasefire talks briefly raised hopes of a resolution.

This week, oil is climbing again as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate.

The US Energy Information Administration’s June 2026 Short-Term Energy Outlook, released this week, forecasts Brent prices averaging $105 per barrel in June and July.

This is based on the assumption that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to most shipping traffic.

For investors in ASX energy shares, that forecast is very important.

Here is how it translates into real dollars for the three biggest names in the sector.

Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS)

Woodside Energy Group is Australia’s largest listed energy company and the most direct way to play the oil price story for energy shares.

Every sustained increase in the oil price flows almost directly into Woodside’s revenue given its relatively fixed cost base for LNG and oil production.

Woodside soared last week, touching a three-month share price high of $25.88 on Friday. This was due to the recovery of oil prices on renewed Middle East tensions.

The company’s Scarborough LNG project is now 94% complete with first cargo targeted for Q4 2026. This means Woodside is entering a phase where its major capital investments are beginning to generate cash flow.

A sustained oil price at $105 per barrel, as the EIA forecasts, would deliver significant uplift to Woodside’s second-half FY2026 earnings.

To support this optimism, UBS forecasts Woodside’s FY2026 dividend at approximately 109 US cents per share. The broker forecasts more upside if oil prices remain elevated through the second half.

Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)

Santos is Australia’s second largest oil and gas producer and has been one of the standout performers on the ASX in 2026.

The company’s Barossa LNG project is producing at 75% of its planned 2026 production rates, with plateau production targeted before year end.

Santos delivered first oil from its Pikka Phase 1 development in Alaska in late May 2026, adding a new production stream as oil prices are recovering.

In Q1 2026, Santos reported sales revenue of $1.27 billion, up 3% on the prior quarter. This was driven by stronger crude oil prices and higher LNG volumes.

A sustained oil price above $100 per barrel through the second half of 2026 would improve Santos’s cash generation and dividend capacity relative to current analyst estimates.

Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT)

Beach Energy offers the most leveraged and concentrated play on rising oil prices among the three. This is due to its smaller size and higher sensitivity to oil price movements relative to production costs.

The company posted a strong operational Q3 FY2026 update with production rising 7% quarter on quarter to 4.8 million barrels of oil equivalent.

Meanwhile, its Waitsia Gas Plant in Western Australia is ramping toward full capacity.

Beach has strengthened its balance sheet significantly, with available liquidity rising to $974 million and net gearing falling to just 11%. This should give it the financial resilience to navigate price volatility while still paying dividends to shareholders.

The key risk for Beach is that its smaller scale and Western Australia gas exposure means it benefits less from global oil price movements than Woodside or Santos.

Bell Potter maintains a hold rating on Beach Energy with a $1.15 price target. The borker noted that production growth should return in FY2027 as capital expenditure eases.

Foolish takeaway for ASX energy shares

Oil is back on the up and the EIA is forecasting $105 for June and July.

The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.

Woodside, Santos, and Beach Energy are all positioned to capture higher oil prices through their existing production profiles.

For investors comfortable with commodity price volatility, the current environment is arguably the most supportive for ASX energy shares it has been all year.

The post Oil prices are back in focus. Here’s what that means for ASX energy shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday
• ASX 200 slips as oil shock puts investors on edge
• Why Lendlease, Meteoric Resources, Super Retail, and Woodside shares are rising today
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
• Buy, hold, sell: Woodside, Rio Tinto, NAB shares

Motley Fool contributor Mark Verhoeven has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.