Small Cap Watch: ASX small caps rally as a rush of mining news hits ahead of Diggers & Dealers

The article covers a broad rally in Australian small-cap resource stocks ahead of the 35th annual Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum in Kalgoorlie. The S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index rose 1.4% on Friday, supported by renewed investor interest in junior miners and explorers. Several companies reported operational updates: FireFly Metals confirmed continued mineralisation at its Green Bay Copper-Gold Project, D3 Energy spudded a second South African well, Riversgold advanced approvals at its Northern Zone gold project, Carnavale reported 98%–99% gold recoveries at Kookynie, and Dalaroo Metals raised A$2.5 million to fund exploration at Bondoukou. The tone is constructive for the sector, with the forum expected to drive project promotion, investor engagement, and funding discussions across the resource space.