US stocks extended their rebound on Wednesday, marking a fourth straight session of gains ahead of the Thanksgiving break. The Dow rose 314 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also advanced, supported by renewed strength in major technology names. Oracle surged about 4%, Nvidia recovered more than 1%, and Microsoft gained nearly 2%, helping position the indices for their strongest week since late June. Alphabet also hit fresh record highs after reports that Meta may adopt Google’s TPU chips from 2027, though Nvidia slipped earlier in the week. Rate-cut expectations continue to shape sentiment, with markets pricing in an 80% chance of a quarter-point Federal Reserve cut in December. Despite the rally, all three major indices remain on track for a negative month. US markets will close for Thanksgiving on Thursday before reopening for a shortened session on Friday.
In Australia, shares are set to open higher following the positive lead from Wall Street. SPI 200 futures are up 20 points, or 0.2%, to 8,646. A busy local schedule includes QBE reporting results, Hub24 hosting a strategy day, and Downer EDI holding an investor day. Key economic data arrives at 11:30am with the release of third-quarter private capital expenditure. Across the Tasman, New Zealand’s November retail sales and business confidence figures are also due.
In company news,
Audeara secures China regulatory approval, unlocking full commercial rollout
Audeara (ASX:AUA) has received full NMPA regulatory approval in China for the hearing-aid technology it licenses to manufacturing partner Eastech. The certification allows the product, embedded with Audeara’s personalised hearing technology, to launch under a market-leading hearing-aid brand sold through major Chinese e-commerce and healthcare platforms. The milestone triggers production planning and positions Audeara to earn high-margin licensing revenue per unit as sales commence. It also strengthens the company’s expansion strategy and validates the scalability of its technology.
Critical Resources advances district-scale North American lithium project
Critical Resources (ASX:CRR) has materially expanded and advanced its Mavis Lake Lithium Project in Ontario, now a 400 km² district-scale landholding with more than 58,000m of drilling completed. The project hosts an 8Mt @ 1.07% Li2O JORC resource, a much larger exploration target, and recent drilling has delivered strong spodumene intercepts pointing to significant upside. Backed by rail, road, and hydro power infrastructure, as well as First Nations partnerships and government support, the project is positioned as a potential major supplier to the North American battery supply chain. The company is also pursuing solid-state battery technology evaluation and preparing for resource upgrades, environmental studies, and further drilling into 2026.
HeraMED lands major US health-system partnership with pathway to scale
HeraMED (ASX:HMD) has signed a pilot agreement with Lee Health, a major US healthcare system (~US$3bn revenue, 8,000 births annually), to trial its HeraCARE digital maternity platform. The 3–6 month pilot includes onboarding pregnant women across customised prenatal and postpartum care plans, using HeraCARE kits with remote fetal monitoring devices and blood-pressure sensors. KPIs include patient engagement, virtual visits, remote monitoring metrics, and EMR integration with Epic. If successful, the pilot will expand to 2,000 pregnancies, marking a major commercial entry point into the US market.
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Source: Finance News Network
