In afternoon trade, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to end the shortened week in the red. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down 0.6% to 8,744.3 points.
Four ASX shares that are not letting that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are rising:
Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6)
The Clarity Pharmaceuticals share price is up 5% to $3.34. Investors have been buying this pharmaceuticals company's shares after it released an update on its Co-PSMA (NCT06907641) Investigator-Initiated Trial. Clarity revealed that its abstract has been accepted for oral presentation at the upcoming European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress 2026. It is Europe's biggest urological conference, which will be held 13-16 March 2026 in London. Clarity's executive chair, Dr Alan Taylor, commented: "This recognition not only highlights the impact of this research but also underscores the significant potential of 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA to advance PSMA imaging and improve prostate cancer management. The abstract summary will be announced in mid-February, followed by the oral presentation in mid-March 2026."
DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO)
The DroneShield share price is up 3% to $3.36. This morning, this counter drone technology company announced that it has received a standalone contract for $6.2 million from an in-country reseller for delivery to a military end-customer in an Asia Pacific country. The solutions that have been ordered include selected 3rd party hardware, interoperable with DroneShield's command-and-control software platform, DroneSentry-C2. It is an advanced command-and-control (C2) platform that delivers a unified, real-time counter-drone operating picture. Management expects to complete this delivery and receive payment in 2026.
St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM)
The St Barbara share price is up 3% to 60.2 cents. As well as getting a boost from a rising gold price, this morning the gold miner revealed that the $32 million deposit has been received from Lingbao Gold in relation to its strategic investment. The company advised that the deposit will be held in escrow and will be utilised towards the $370 million subscription amount to acquire 50% of St Barbara Mining. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of St Barbara, which will own 80% of the Simberi Gold Project.
Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE)
The Treasury Wine share price is up 7% to $5.37. This appears to have been driven by news that French billionaire Olivier Goudet has built a 5.05% position in the beaten down wine giant. Goudet has been buying the Penfold owner's shares since early October.
