The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having one of its worst sessions in a long time on Monday. At the time of writing, the benchmark index is down 4.1% to 8,487.2 points.
Four ASX shares that have managed to avoid the selloff are listed below. Here's why they are rising:
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Amplitude Energy Ltd (ASX: AEL)
The Amplitude Energy share price is up 1.5% to $2.66. This morning, this natural gas company released an update on drilling operations at the Isabella prospect in the offshore Otway Basin in Victoria. Preliminary data collected implies high deliverability and low CO2 levels in the Isabella reservoir. It said: "The gas water contact is currently interpreted as being below the Waarre C reservoir intersection, with technical results to date indicating potential for a larger gas accumulation than that implied by the Waarre C reservoir intersection alone, which supports the Joint Venture progressing to a flow test to confirm minimum gas volume and reservoir pressure."
Cogstate Ltd (ASX: CGS)
The Cogstate share price is up almost 2.5% to $2.16. This may have been driven by a broker note out of Bell Potter. It has named the healthcare technology company specialising in digital cognitive assessments as one of its best buys for March. It said: "The stock is trading at ~11x forward EV/EBITDA which looks very undemanding relative to local small cap healthcare peers (>30x avg) and large global peers (~13x avg with lower growth). The company has an impressive NAPT margin of 19% in FY25 and is well poised for leverage off the back of its second-best ever half of new sales in 1H26 which grew revenue backlog up to US$92m."
Dexus Convenience Retail REIT (ASX: DXC)
The Dexus Convenience Retail REIT share price is up 1% to $2.79. This morning, the REIT revealed that it intends to undertake an on-market buy-back with an initial target of 2.5% of securities on issue. DXC Fund Manager, Pat De Maria, said: "Around current trading levels, we believe that an on-market securities buy-back represents a compelling return on capital and further enhances value for existing securityholders."
Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)
The Santos share price is up 3% to $7.68. Investors have been buying Santos and other ASX energy shares on Monday after oil prices raced beyond US$100 per barrel. According to CNBC, the WTI crude oil is currently up 20% to US$109.12. This has been driven by news that major Middle Eastern oil producers, including Kuwait, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, have cut oil production following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
