Wall Street closed at fresh record highs on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 up 0.27%, the Nasdaq Composite gaining 0.37% to 21,879.49, and the Dow Jones adding 196 points, or 0.43%.
UnitedHealth buoyed the Dow, while the Nasdaq notched another intraday record. Despite the upbeat finish, questions about the U.S. economy lingered after the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised payroll growth for the year through March lower by 911,000 jobs, the sharpest downward adjustment on record.
Among corporate movers, Broadcom slipped more than 2% after recent strong gains, Apple dropped 1.5% following the launch of its latest devices, while Oracle surged over 25% in after-hours trade on the back of a jump in bookings tied to a major deal with OpenAI. Oil prices firmed after Israel struck Hamas political leaders in Doha.
What’s ahead in Australia
ASX futures suggest a muted start, down four points or 0.1% to 8803. Investors will also be watching fresh inflation figures from China, with August CPI expected to slip back into deflation, pressured by falling food prices.
Vulcan secures permit for lithium plant in Germany
Vulcan Energy Resources (ASX:VUL) has received approval to build and operate its Central Lithium Plant (CLP) at Industrial Park Höchst in Frankfurt, the downstream component of its Lionheart Project. The CLP will process lithium chloride from Vulcan’s geothermal brine operations into up to 24,000 tonnes annually of battery-grade lithium hydroxide—enough for around 500,000 EV batteries. Financing progress includes €104m in German government grants and amended offtake terms with partners including Umicore, LG Energy Solution and Stellantis. Vulcan said the project marks a significant step toward Europe’s critical raw materials independence.
Catalyst doubles Plutonic reserves, outlines 10-year gold plan
Catalyst Metals (ASX:CYL) has doubled reserves at its Plutonic Belt operations in Western Australia to 1.5Moz, up 100% year-on-year, and outlined a 10-year mine plan targeting annual production of ~200koz of gold. The plan will be underpinned by five mines feeding the central processing plant, with production expected to steadily rise from 100–110koz in FY26 to 200koz by FY29–35. Management highlighted the achievement as a key step towards establishing Plutonic as a rare, long-life, underground gold hub with stable cashflows.
Critical Resources expands Otago footprint with Rock and Pillar deal
Critical Resources (ASX:CRR) has signed a binding agreement to acquire 90% of the Rock and Pillar prospecting permit in New Zealand’s Otago region, consolidating ~10km of strike along the Cap Burn Fault. The move secures the down-plunge potential of the Cap Burn system, located near OceanaGold’s Macraes mine and Santana Minerals’ Bendigo-Ophir project. Historical work confirmed gold and antimony mineralisation, and a drill program at Cap Burn is expected to start following permit transfer in October. The company emphasised the low-cost, high-impact potential of its New Zealand portfolio.
Copyright 2025 – Finance News Network
Source: Finance News Network
