Three major private equity firms are in a bidding war over oOh!media (ASX:OML) who makes the billboards you walk past every day. oOh!media runs more than 37,000 ad sites across Australia and New Zealand - the station screens, the shopping-centre posters, the bus-stop signs. First Pacific Equity Partners bid $1.40 a share, then I Squared Capital topped it with $1.45, and now a third has jumped in with the exact offer yet to be disclosed.

So why the frenzy? Because in a world where we skip ads, block ads, and pay to avoid ads the billboard is the one ad you can`t escape. No skip button. No ad-blocker. Ads that are just "there" while you wait for the train. That`s rare now. And rare things can attract big money.

#money #fintok #stocks #advertising #sales

Ionic Rare Earths (ASX:IXR) is positioning itself at the centre of the global push for secure and sustainable rare earth supply chains through its patented magnet recycling and refining technology. Through its wholly owned subsidiary Ionic Technologies, the company is developing a commercial-scale rare earth recycling facility in Belfast while expanding partnerships across the United States and Europe to establish a traceable, ex-China supply chain for critical materials. Ionic Rare Earths Managing Director Tim Harrison joins The Stock Network`s Lel Smits to discuss the company`s technology, recent U.S. defence-related agreements and the growing strategic importance of rare earth recycling.

🌏 Building a Western rare earth supply chain
⚙️ Commercialising Ionic Technologies
🇺🇸 U.S. defence and advanced manufacturing opportunity
♻️ Closing the loop through recycling
🚀 Growth outlook and global expansion

Island Pharmaceuticals (ASX:ILA) has commenced Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacturing of Galidesivir, advancing the antiviral candidate toward pivotal studies under the US FDA’s Animal Rule pathway and supporting broader biodefence and outbreak response opportunities.

🧪 Manufacturing milestone: GMP manufacturing is underway with PI Health Sciences, providing the clinical-grade Galidesivir required for planned pivotal efficacy studies and future regulatory submissions.
🛡️ Biodefence opportunity: The program strengthens Island Pharmaceuticals’ ability to pursue biodefence, pandemic preparedness and emerging infectious disease opportunities, including potential applications against Marburg and Ebola virus outbreaks.
📈 Commercialisation pathway: The manufacturing campaign establishes the quality, analytical and production systems needed to support future approval processes, government procurement opportunities and late-stage development.

“The commencement of GMP manufacturing is a significant milestone and represents another important step in the commercialisation pathway for Galidesivir.” - Dr David Foster, Island Pharmaceuticals CEO and Managing Director

The President of the United States just told us stocks should be going up after America released its monthly jobs report on Friday, but Wall Street didn’t agree with the tech-heavy Nasdaq falling more than 4% - its biggest fall in more than a year.

Following the report Trump said on his Truth Social platform, "stocks should go up, not down”. The crash was driven by a sell-off in the chip sector following the better-than-expected jobs report.

A strong jobs report may mean a strong economy, but also interest rates staying higher for longer and the high-flying tech stocks hate high rates.

#trump #stocks #money #fintok #finance

EBR Systems (ASX:EBR) is building a fast-growing medical device company with the world`s only leadless pacemaker technology designed to improve outcomes for heart failure patients. Following strong commercial momentum in the United States, EBR has launched a fully underwritten A$150 million capital raising to support sales expansion, manufacturing scale-up, research and development, and working capital as it targets cashflow breakeven. Andrew Shute, Chief Corporate Development Officer at EBR Systems, joins The Stock Network`s Lel Smits to discuss the company`s capital raising, growing commercial momentum, recent healthcare network agreements, progress toward broader adoption of the WiSE™ CRT System, and the key milestones ahead as EBR targets cashflow breakeven.

⚕️ Raising $150 million to fund growth
♥️ CMS initiates National Coverage Determination for WiSE
🤝 Purchasing agreements secured with HCA Healthcare, Advocate Health & CHRISTUS Health
🚀 Commercial momentum and next steps

Google just broke a record that stood for 16 years. The company, trading as Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) and valued at $4.4 trillion, raked in a whopping $84.75 billion in a capital raising, including $10 billion from Warren Buffett`s Berkshire Hathaway. The previous record was held by Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, which raised about $67 billion in 2010.

Google raised funds to expand its AI infrastructure and compute. While Warren Buffett handed over the reins last year, Berkshire is still a value-driven investor. When the most cautious name in investing joins the most expensive race in history, things are getting interesting.

#AI #stocks #fintok #finance #money

First Graphene (ASX:FGR) has entered a binding agreement to acquire the assets, intellectual property and product portfolio of US-based MITO® Material Solutions, strengthening its presence in the United States and expanding its exposure to defence, aerospace and advanced materials markets.

🇺🇸 US expansion: The acquisition establishes a direct operational and commercial platform in the United States, providing access to the world’s largest defence and advanced materials market.
🛡️ Defence opportunities: MITO’s graphene oxide and functionalised graphene technologies are used in advanced materials applications and are expected to enhance First Graphene’s exposure to emerging defence and aerospace opportunities.
📈 Immediate commercial traction: MITO brings existing revenues, established US customers and a pipeline of more than 25 clients in late-stage testing across multiple sectors.

“This acquisition provides First Graphene with a direct operational and commercial launch platform into the USA, enabling the business to accelerate revenue growth and customer adoption in the world’s largest advanced materials and defence market.” - Michael Bell, First Graphene Managing Director and CEO

What is Australia’s biggest listed company? Look no further than global mining giant, BHP (ASX:BHP), now valued at more than $322 billion after recently overtaking Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA). Australia’s biggest bank CBA fell from the top spot but still has a value of more than $272 billion.

BHP’s winning run has been on the back of copper overtaking iron ore as its largest driver of earnings and its now the world’s largest copper producer, making up 51% of the company’s profits. Copper prices remain a key driver of BHP’s growth and have risen strongly over the past year. This demand has been driven by growing electrification, AI and data centres, and concerns about limited mine supply.

#mining #copper #stocks #fintok #money