October 2026

Small-cap shares swung widely as exploration results, takeover bids and funding needs drove the week’s biggest moves.
Kaoko plunged while PARKD rallied, showing how quickly thinly traded stocks can change direction.

Dividends, stronger profits and deal approvals lifted several financial stocks, but asset managers faced selling despite growing funds under management.
Bank of Queensland, Benjamin Hornigold and Regal Partners led the weekly moves, while investors weighed the quality of earnings and future cash returns.

Exploration stocks delivered the biggest price swings, while producers and developers made steady progress on mines, funding and takeovers. Investors rewarded high-grade discoveries in some names but punished weak cash positions, uncertain studies and untested commercial claims.

Healthcare shares swung between sharp selling and early commercial progress this week, with EBR Systems falling 40.43% while Firebrick rose 13.79%.
Sales growth, clinical decisions and limited cash reserves remained the key tests for small healthcare companies.

Technology shares split sharply this week. FortifAI and COSOL fell heavily, while WiseTech rose after strong earnings and an ASIC investigation closed without enforcement action. Across the sector, investors still want proof that AI products, new contracts and cost cuts can produce lasting cash flow.

Genetic Signatures says its existing directors will resign if BCAL nominees become a majority after the 28 October EGM. The company is also demanding clarity on whether BCAL intends to merge with GSS, pointing to the stark difference between the two companies’ cash runways.

Indiana Resources has completed drilling at Company Well and Minos, while heritage clearance unlocks the next stage at the 7km Ealbara gold anomaly. The exploration progress comes alongside a November CEO departure and an unresolved arbitration claim over US$13.05 million in Tanzania settlement proceeds.

Ramsay Health Care has cleared the first legal step towards distributing its 52.79% stake in Ramsay Générale de Santé to shareholders. The proposed demerger now goes to consecutive shareholder meetings on 24 November, backed by the board and Deloitte’s independent expert.

Matsa Resources has flagged material uncertainty over its ability to continue as a going concern after a $39.4 million FY2026 loss, negative net assets and a dispute that halted Devon mining. A pending $55 million AngloGold transaction could provide substantial liquidity, but most of the cash remains tied to completion and debt repayment.

Ramelius Resources has converted its Spartan acquisition into early production at Dalgaranga, a 79% lift in Ore Reserves and a pathway to more than 600,000 ounces a year by FY30. The trade-off is a much larger execution program, with Mt Magnet expansion and Rebecca-Roe development still ahead.

Bounty Oil & Gas reported a larger FY2026 loss and weaker production, while reshaping its portfolio around Queensland oil development and a proposed deepwater Liberia entry. The strategy is backed by fresh equity, but depends on further funding, regulatory progress and a production sharing contract that has not yet been finalised.

Neometals has cut its annual loss and sharpened its portfolio, but Deloitte has warned of a material uncertainty over the company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The miner says it may need about A$5 million in additional funding from December while pursuing unpaid placement proceeds from Omaha Value Holdings.

Aeris Resources finished FY26 with $178.5 million in net profit, $290.2 million of EBITDA and no material debt, while Tritton’s copper reserves expanded sharply. The challenge now shifts from rebuilding the balance sheet to converting a larger resource base into sustained production.

Amplia Therapeutics has told ASX it is unaware of any undisclosed information that explains a sharp fall in its share price and a surge in trading volume. The response followed an ASX price query issued after the stock dropped from $0.100 to $0.079 on 16 October.

Cleanaway has told ASX it knows of no undisclosed information behind a sharp intraday share-price fall. The company said it will provide another update on EQT’s proposed takeover before trading begins on 19 October.

Minerals Exploration has expanded its New Zealand exploration pipeline after broad gold intersections at Jubilee South and high-grade tungsten results at Invincible. The next phase is more ambitious, but A$1.96 million in cash covers only 1.91 quarters at the latest spending rate.

Noxopharm has completed its first-in-human safety trial for SOF-SKN and advanced the wider Sofra platform, but its annual report flags a material uncertainty over funding. The biotech ended June with A$293,573 in cash, net liabilities of A$3.65 million and a need for additional capital.

Associate Global Partners lifted funds under management 20% to $1.672 billion in FY2026, powered by $172 million of net inflows and stronger WCM performance. The funds platform remains loss-making, but adjusted losses narrowed and post-year-end inflows began strongly.

Mesoblast has reported a sharp first-quarter commercial improvement, with Ryoncil revenue rising 44% and net operating cash spend falling 85% year on year. The company ended September with US$99 million in cash, although the figures remain preliminary.

Macro Metals has completed its A$1 million acquisition of the Yandi South Iron Ore Project, receiving previously undisclosed geological data that identifies nine additional prospects. Surface samples returned iron grades as high as 66.2%, but drilling is still needed to establish continuity, thickness and depth.

Euroz Hartleys has appointed Alan Logan as CEO and unveiled a reshaped board as it prepares to complete the BMO transaction and focus on private wealth. Jay Hughes will return as chairman, while two current advisers will join the board as executive directors.

Gulf Stream Energy has identified oil in two separate sandstone zones at its Zydeco project in Louisiana, although the result is based solely on wireline logs and has not yet been flow-tested. The well also retains access to the undrilled Upper Tweedle gas and condensate target.

Mayne Pharma has settled its final US Paragraph IV patent dispute over IMVEXXY with Teva, setting a potential generic entry date of 2 September 2032. The agreement removes ongoing litigation without an upfront payment, while leaving court approval and earlier-entry provisions to resolve.

Helloworld Travel expects FY27 Underlying EBITDA of $78 million to $84 million, including a $14 million contribution from its Crown Currency Exchange acquisition. Forward bookings are running about 10% ahead, although first-quarter trading was broadly flat and the guidance remains partly unaudited.