Rio Tinto (ADR)

Livium Ltd is in advanced negotiations to secure a new contract with national metal recycler Sell & Parker Pty Ltd that is expected to generate revenue exceeding A$1 million. The Proposed Agreement would represent approximately 15% of Livium’s total revenue for the 2024 financial year, marking a significant step forward in the company’s commercial strategy. Sell & Parker is a nationally recognised metal recycling business, employing more than 400 people across eight facilities nationwide. Aiming to diversify end-of-life battery sources Under the terms of the Proposed Agreement, Livium’s wholly owned subsidiary Envirostream Australia Pty Ltd would provide recycling services for project-related materials, with operations expected to start in late April 2025. The contract is expected to drive a substantial uplift in collection volumes through the remainder of the 2025 financial year and into the first half of FY26, with the potential for an extended partnership. While the agreement is only proposed at this stage, once executed it would deliver on Livium’s focus to secure exclusive battery recycling contracts and diversify its end-of-life battery sources. Rio Tinto Ltd delivered a mixed performance in the March quarter of 2025, with strong output from its copper and bauxite operations offset by significant weather-related disruptions in iron ore production and shipments in Western Australia. Copper production rose 16% year-on-year to 210,000 tonnes, with record monthly output at the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine in March. Rio Tinto’s lithium strategy accelerated with the completion of the Arcadium acquisition in March. The new Rio Tinto Lithium business combines Arcadium’s assets and the Rincon project, which is progressing towards commissioning. Key capital projects are advancing: Commodities generally held steady. Iron ore prices rose slightly, copper strengthened on robust demand and tight smelter capacity, while aluminium prices were mixed. Global lithium demand rose 30% year-on-year, driven by electric vehicle sales. Rio Tinto continues to target diversified, profitable growth across its portfolio while navigating short-term operational challenges and advancing its energy transition ambitions.» Mehr auf proactiveinvestors.com

Lumos Diagnostics Holdings Ltd has achieved a significant milestone in the commercial rollout of its FebriDx® rapid diagnostic test in the United States, securing reimbursement coverage with two of the seven Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs). The approved reimbursement rate of US$41.38 per test will take effect from April 2025. Medicare plays a critical role in the US healthcare reimbursement system, accounting for between 20% and 24% of the national payor mix. Securing MAC-level reimbursement is a key gateway to broader market access, including acceptance by private insurers who often follow Medicare’s lead. Lumos is currently in advanced negotiations with three of the remaining five MACs. The FebriDx® test, manufactured in the United States, provides rapid, point-of-care results to help clinicians differentiate between bacterial and viral causes of acute respiratory infections in approximately 10 minutes. This timely information supports antimicrobial stewardship by reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescribing. “It is extremely pleasing to achieve some early wins with two of the seven U.S. Medicare Administrative Contractors. This is an important and critical step in building the reimbursement framework to support clinical adoption for FebriDx®,” Lumos Diagnostics CEO Doug Ward said. “Manufactured proudly in the United States, FebriDx® is not only addressing a critical clinical need in primary care, urgent care, and emergency medicine, but it is also supporting American jobs and innovation in point-of-care diagnostics. Lumos looks forward to the day that FebriDx® has broad US reimbursement coverage across both public and private insurers and the team is working to deliver on that objective.” The Company continues to pursue broader reimbursement coverage across the remaining MAC regions and anticipates additional updates as discussions progress. Lumos continues to make headway in securing broad US reimbursement for its FebriDx® test, following its inclusion in the 2025 Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) under Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) Code 0442U, effective 1 January 2025. The test carries a national reimbursement rate of US$41.38 per test, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), confirming both its clinical utility and economic viability. As a critical first step, Lumos obtained the PLA code and associated reimbursement rate from CMS. However, actual payment to healthcare providers requires individual approval by Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and private payors. Lumos has since engaged all seven MACs to drive Medicare coverage, which represents approximately 20%–24% of the US payor mix and often shapes private payor adoption. From April 2025, FebriDx® has been listed on the Medicare Fee Schedule in both the Palmetto and Novitas regions at the approved rate. Negotiations are also progressing with Noridian, WPS, and CGS MACs, with formal inclusion steps underway. To support broader coverage, Lumos is actively assisting healthcare providers with claim appeals, offering documentation on medical necessity and gathering clinician feedback. These field activities are expected to underpin adoption and reimbursement growth into 2026. Importantly, the reimbursement framework currently spans both Moderately Complex and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-Waived settings. A successful CLIA waiver for FebriDx® would allow seamless use across both environments without duplicating the reimbursement process. As Medicare adoption accelerates, Lumos anticipates increasing interest from private insurers, reinforcing FebriDx®’s value in supporting clinical decision-making, reducing unnecessary antibiotic use, and improving patient outcomes. Rio Tinto Ltd delivered a mixed performance in the March quarter of 2025, with strong output from its copper and bauxite operations offset by significant weather-related disruptions in iron ore production and shipments in Western Australia. Copper production rose 16% year-on-year to 210,000 tonnes, with record monthly output at the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine in March. Rio Tinto’s lithium strategy accelerated with the completion of the Arcadium acquisition in March. The new Rio Tinto Lithium business combines Arcadium’s assets and the Rincon project, which is progressing towards commissioning. Key capital projects are advancing: Commodities generally held steady. Iron ore prices rose slightly, copper strengthened on robust demand and tight smelter capacity, while aluminium prices were mixed. Global lithium demand rose 30% year-on-year, driven by electric vehicle sales. Rio Tinto continues to target diversified, profitable growth across its portfolio while navigating short-term operational challenges and advancing its energy transition ambitions.» Mehr auf proactiveinvestors.com

(NASDAQ: RDFN) — Nationwide, the median home-sale price rose 2.6% year over year during the four weeks ending April 13, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. That’s roughly the same as the increases Redfin has seen over the past month, but down from 5% to 6% growth at the end of 2024 and the start of 2025. On a metro level, the median home-sale price is down from a year ago in 10 of the 50 most populous U.S. metro areas, mostly in Texas and Florida. aAdsList.push('Article'); aAdsListSize.push([300, 250]); aAdsListCA.push(null); Price growth is losing steam nationally—and prices are dropping in some metro areas—because supply is rising while demand is slow. New listings of homes for sale are up 11.2% year over year, and the total number of homes for sale is up 12.3%. Meanwhile, pending home sales declined roughly 1% from a year ago, mortgage-purchase applications are down 5% week over week, and Redfin agents in many parts of the country report that house hunters are backing off. Homebuying demand is slow for two key reasons:Record-high housing costs. The median U.S. monthly housing payment hit an all-time high of $2,819 this week due to stubbornly high mortgage rates and rising home prices, though buyers may get a bit of relief on prices in the coming months if growth continues to lose steam. Widespread economic instability. Tariffs, stock-market volatility and recession jitters are weighing heavily on consumer confidence, sending many would-be buyers to the sidelines. This sense of financial instability, along with concerns that home values could decline, is making many people think twice before making a big purchase. New listings are rising in part because some homeowners want to sell their house now before a potential economic downturn further dampens demand and possibly drives down home values. There’s also a holiday effect at play; part of the reason for the year-over-year increase in new listings is because Easter fell into the comparable period in 2024 but hasn’t occurred yet in 2025. “A lot of buyers, especially first-timers, are backing off because they’re nervous about a potential recession,” said Venus Martinez, a Redfin Premier agent in Los Angeles. “Some house hunters are hanging out on the sidelines because they’re hopeful mortgage rates will come down soon. The buyers who are still active, typically those who need to move, are picky and unwilling to pay over asking price. And those buyers have the right strategy: Many of today’s sellers are willing to negotiate the price down.” For Redfin economists’ takes on the housing market, please visit Redfin’s “From Our Economists” page. Leading indicators Indicators of homebuying demand and activity Value (if applicable) Recent change Year-over-year change Source Daily average 30-year fixed mortgage rate 6.86% (April 16) Near highest level in 2 months Down from 7.3% Mortgage News Daily Weekly average 30-year fixed mortgage rate 6.62% (week ending April 10) Lowest level since mid-December Down from 6.88% Freddie Mac Mortgage-purchase applications (seasonally adjusted) Down 5% from a week earlier (as of week ending April 11) Up 13% Mortgage Bankers Association Touring activity Up 39% from the start of the year (as of April 14) At this time last year, it was up 33% from the start of 2024 ShowingTime, a home touring technology company Google searches for “home for sale” Up 10% from a month earlier (as of April 14) Up 4% Google Trends The Redfin Homebuyer Demand Index has been excluded this week to ensure data accuracy. Key housing-market data U.S. highlights: Four weeks ending April 13, 2025 Redfin’s national metrics include data from 400+ U.S. metro areas, and are based on homes listed and/or sold during the period. Weekly housing-market data goes back through 2015. Subject to revision. Four weeks ending April 13, 2025 Year-over-year change Notes Median sale price $387,000 2.6% Median asking price $428,530 6.5% Median monthly mortgage payment $2,819 at a 6.62% mortgage rate 2.5% Record high Pending sales 87,434 -0.8% New listings 103,619 11.2% Active listings 1,008,599 12.3% Smallest increase in a year Months of supply 4.1 +0.7 pts. 4 to 5 months of supply is considered balanced, with a lower number indicating seller’s market conditions Share of homes off market in two weeks 39.4% Down from 42% Median days on market 41 +5 days Share of homes sold above list price 25.8% Down from 29% Average sale-to-list price ratio 98.7% Down from 99.1% Metro-level highlights: Four weeks ending April 13, 2025 Redfin’s metro-level data includes the 50 most populous U.S. metros. Select metros may be excluded from time to time to ensure data accuracy. Metros with biggest year-over-year increases Metros with biggest year-over-year decreases Notes Median sale price Newark, NJ (10.9%) Cleveland (10.6%) New Brunswick, NJ (9.2%) Milwaukee (9%) Philadelphia (8.3%) Jacksonville, FL (-2.8%) San Antonio (-1.8%) Montgomery County, PA (-1.7%) Oakland, CA (-1.5%) Austin, TX (-1.2%) Portland, OR (-1.1%) Dallas (-0.8%) Sacramento, CA (-0.6%) Orlando, FL (-0.4%) Fort Worth, TX (-0.2%) Declined in 10 metros Pending sales Columbus, OH (16.8%) Cincinnati (11.3%) Boston (11.1%) Indianapolis (9.5%) Montgomery County, PA (8.1%) Miami (-21.7%) Fort Lauderdale, FL (-18.6%) Houston (-12.5%) Las Vegas (-12.4%) West Palm Beach, FL (-11%) Declined in roughly half the metros New listings Washington, D.C. (28.8%) Boston (27.6%) Montgomery County, PA (26.8%) San Diego (26.6%) Pittsburgh (23.7%) Houston (-6.2%) San Antonio (-2.3%) San Jose, CA (-1.6%) Nassau County, NY (-1.3%) Declined in 4 metros To view the full report, including charts, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/housing-market-update-price-growth-losing-steam About Redfin Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, rentals, lending, and title insurance services. We run the country's #1 real estate brokerage site. Our customers can save thousands in fees while working with a top agent. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1.8 billion in commissions. We serve approximately 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 4,000 people. Redfin’s subsidiaries and affiliated brands include: Bay Equity Home Loans®, Rent.™, Apartment Guide®, Title Forward® and WalkScore®. For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, email press@redfin.com. To view Redfin's press center, click here. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250417013289/en/» Mehr auf marketscreener.com