Hot Stocks: Perseus Mining, NoviqTech, Swift Networks

The Australian sharemarket is tracking higher midday Friday, lifted by record gains on Wall Street and strength in healthcare and utilities. The S&P/ASX 200 is up 61 points, or 0.7 per cent, at 8806. Ten of the eleven sectors are in the green, though the ASX 200 as a whole remains more than 200 points below last month’s peak. Despite today’s bounce, the ASX is still tracking 0.7 per cent lower for the week.

Healthcare is driving Friday’s rally, with Telix Pharmaceuticals and ProMedicus both up 6.5 per cent after Citi backed Telix’s prostate cancer treatment as a potential blockbuster and highlighted ProMedicus’s pricing power. Utilities also rose, while resources were mixed. BHP and Rio Tinto slipped on weaker iron ore prices, but uranium stocks NexGen and Silex advanced. Energy names Santos and Woodside recovered slightly from Thursday’s sharp losses, while the big banks were mixed.

It caps a volatile week. Monday saw the index dip as investors took profits in gold and healthcare, offset by strong gains in lithium miners. Tuesday brought a modest rebound, led by iron ore, gold, and uranium stocks. On Wednesday the market logged its sharpest fall in two weeks as traders pared back ahead of the Fed and local jobs data. Thursday then delivered the heaviest blow, with Santos plunging nearly 12 per cent after Abu Dhabi’s US$36 billion bid collapsed, triggering a sector-wide energy sell-off.

In Friday’s company news,

Perseus Mining secures approvals for Côte d’Ivoire’s first underground mine

Perseus Mining (ASX:PRU) has received a Presidential Decree from Côte d’Ivoire approving underground mining at the Yaouré Gold Mine’s CMA deposit. With surface infrastructure already completed, underground declines will commence immediately, extending mine life until at least 2035. First ore production is planned for January 2026 and commercial output in March 2027. Perseus is investing US$170m in the project, which represents Côte d’Ivoire’s first authorised underground mine

NoviqTech (ASX:NVQ) launched the beta versions of two products under its Quantum Intelligence subsidiary: QI Provenance (a blockchain-based digital trust service now available on subscription) and QI AI (an enterprise AI assistant available by request). The company plans to release a CUDA-Q–enhanced hybrid platform later this year, promising up to 10x performance gains in optimisation and AI workloads without requiring dedicated quantum hardware. CEO Freddy El Turk said this marked the first tangible delivery on July’s quantum venture launch

Swift Networks (ASX:SW1) signed a Master Services Agreement with Opal HealthCare, Australia’s largest aged care provider, for the rollout of its new Swift TV product. Initially covering 562 screens across four care communities, including two new developments, the deal sets the framework for broader adoption across Opal’s 142 sites. Swift TV, launching in 2026, integrates engagement, entertainment, and compliance features into residents’ TVs, with a minimum revenue of ~$80,000 per site over three years. Management sees the agreement as validation of the product’s scalability and growth potential.