May was a massive month when it comes to Aussie money.

First, the RBA hiked rates (yet again)... Then the federal budget dropped with a bunch of major changes to our tax system (hellooooo capital gains tax changes!).

But thanks to a strong end to the month, the S&P/ASX 200 Index climbed 0.75% in May.

The standout sector? The materials sector.

Let’s unpack May’s top performers.

4. Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM)

Sims is a metal recycling company that buys, processes and resells recycled metals.It takes steel from a demolished building, then it will shred, sort and sell that steel as raw materials to steel mills and smelters. Sims share price rose 30% in May.

That came after the company expects group underlying EBIT of $350 million to $400 million for FY 2026. That’s around double the EBIT of $174.9 million the previous year.

3. Capstone Copper Corp (ASX: CSC)

Capstone Copper is a mining company that extracts and sells copper… one of the most in-demand metals in the world right now. It's the stuff inside every EV battery, solar panel and power grid (to name a few).

Its shares went up 30% in May - despite no results from the company coming out.

What we do know is that copper prices have been hitting record highs.Why? Supply is tight and demand for AI data centres is surging.

2. IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX)

More materials….(sensing a theme?)

IperionX Ltd is a titanium and critical materials manufacturing company. It’s dual listed on the ASX and Nasdaq and produces metal parts for a bunch of major industries. Think: space, aerospace, defence, electronics and EVs.

IperionX also owns the largest independently verified resource of titanium, rare earths and critical minerals in the United States. Its share price was on form in May… climbing 42%.

A possible driver for the share jump was that the company announced it switched on a next-gen six-axis powder metallurgy press (a seriously advanced machine)... that lets them produce more titanium parts, faster, and for a wider range of customers.

1. Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

And topping the list…. is Megaport.

Megaport is a Naas (network as a service) company that helps connect businesses to cloud services. Basically, it cuts out the hassle of companies having to build their own cloud connections.

Megaport had a great May, its share price gained a mammoth 70%

The big driver? Megaport secured three major contracts worth around US$182.9 million (A$254 million) in total contract value.

The company's CEO pointed to Megaport's growing role as infrastructure for the next generation of cloud-powered applications. Investors clearly took notice.

Whether you held any of these or not, it's a good reminder of how fast market moods can shift.

‍

All information contained in the Flux app, www.flux.finance, www.joinflux.com, app.flux.finance and any podcast of Flux Media Pty Ltd (ABN 27 639 804 345) is for education and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional financial, legal or tax advice. While we do our best to provide accurate information, we accept no responsibility for any inaccuracies that may be communicated.