Company Interview / the COB: record run

Despite touching an intra day record high on open; the S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.07% to 8,981.4 points this Monday, with the materials space rallying while the tech sector weighed the market down. Volumes were light due to a public holiday in several states and territories.The gold players continued to rise with Evolution Mining advancing 2.6% over the trading day. However market heavy-weight BHP fell 0.4%.The energy sector made some gains, with OPEC+ about to raise oil output, despite concerns over a looming supply glut. Woodside was up 0.7% while Santos lost ground. Meanwhile, Bitcoin hit a record high over the weekend, hitting $US125,245 and benefitting from retail investors buying it as a hedge against ballooning US deficits and higher inflation.Elsewhere this Monday, some big moves were also seen amongst the small caps. European Lithium more than doubled its share price on reports the US is eyeing stake in Critical Metals - of which European Lithium has a 60% stake. In the critical minerals space, Lynas Rare Earths was also higher, rising 7.2%. Looking ahead, Westpac’s consumer confidence index is due tomorrow.