On this week’s Rockets and Tanks, some mining companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) saw trading prices skyrocket over 40% on Thursday 19 February 2026, including Empire Resources (ASX:ERL).
The company increased its share price by 41.66% to $0.017, after completing tranche one of a greater $5 million placement.
Empire obtained $2.9 million under tranche one through the issuance of 368.48 million shares at $0.008 each.
The company seeks to issue another 261.52 million in tranche two, subject to shareholder approval at a general meeting in March 2026.
Empire Resources is a gold and copper explorer focused on developing its two assets in Western Australia.
Not too far behind, Magnum Mining and Exploration (ASX:MGU) jumped 40% to trade at $0.007 per share, following the confirmation of ionic adsorption clay (IAC) at the Piracanjuba prospect in Brazil.
The company confirmed recoveries up to 75% total rare earth oxide and up to 94% magnetic rare earth oxide, demonstrating desorption under mild leaching conditions.
The auger program will be expanded at Pircanjuba North to delineate the lateral extent of the newly identified IAC mineralised system.
Magnum Mining and Exploration is an Australia-based company, engaged in iron ore concentrate and green pig iron production.
Meanwhile, Hamelin Gold (ASX:HMG) has boosted its share price by 33.33% to trade at $0.12 per share, just one day after the company presented at the RIU Explorers Conference in Fremantle, Western Australia.
Hamelin presented at 4.10pm AWST on 18 February, with Managing Director Peter Bewick covering the company’s direct focus in 2026.
The company is targeting ‘high-grade’ gold lodes at the Day Dawn Project in Western Australia, with an initial resource at the Aurora prospect. Hamelin will also continue exploration work at its Venus and West Tanami assets.
Hamelin Gold is a gold explorer based in Perth, Western Australia, focused on discoveries in the Tanami Province and Yilgarn District.
The RIU Explorers Conference was held in Fremantle from 17-19 February 2026. Mining.com.au is a media partner for the conference.
What goes up must come down
On the downfall, 5E Advanced Materials (ASX:5EA) has decreased its share price by 16.39% to $0.255 per share as of 19 February.
The company shared key takeaways with the market relating to its Q2 shareholder update call.
5E Advanced outlined that continued execution across federal financing initiatives, advancing customer discussions, specialty boron derivative workstreams, engineering advancement, and capital planning initiatives, would be prioritised in Q2.
5E Advanced Materials is focused on becoming a boron producer, underpinned by its low-cost, low-carbon output boron resource in Southern California.
Meanwhile, Catalina Resources (ASX:CTN) has dropped 11.39% to trade at $0.07 per share.
The drop in share price follows the company’s announcement of drill targets at the Breakaway Dam Copper Project in Western Australia.
The company will drill 12 holes across 3,160m to uncover a copper-rich volcanogenic massive sulphide system.
As reported by Mining.com.au, Catalina acquired the project from Forrestania Resources (ASX:FRS) in January 2026, while divesting its Laverton portfolio.
Catalina Resources is focused on exploring and advancing a number of gold and multi-commodity projects in Western Australia and New South Wales.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Empire Resources & 5E Advanced Materials
