On Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fought hard to record the smallest of gains. The benchmark index rose 3.6 points to 7,513.4 points.
Will the market be able to build on this on Friday and end the year on a high? Here are five things to watch:
ASX 200 expected to rise
The Australian share market looks set to end the week on a positive note. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 9 points or 0.1% higher this morning. This follows a solid night of trade on Wall Street, which late on sees the Dow Jones up 0.1%, the S&P 500 up 0.1% and the Nasdaq up 0.45%.
ASX opening hours
Today is New Year’s Eve and, as per previous years, trading will finish earlier than normal. You’ll need to make sure you get your trades in before 14:00 Eastern Standard Time or you’ll miss out. The ASX share market will then be closed until Tuesday 4 January.
Oil prices mixed
It could be a subdued end to the week for energy shares such as Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) after a mixed night for oil prices. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 0.3% to US$76.77 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 0.1% to US$79.14 a barrel. Traders appear undecided on where oil prices are heading from here due to Omicron.
Lynas’ Malaysian update
The Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) share price will be on watch today after providing an after-hours update on its Malaysian operation. Lynas advised that the Malaysian permanent disposal facility for Water Leach Purification residue has received environmental approval from the relevant Malaysian regulatory authorities. This removes a major risk the company was facing.
Gold price rises
Gold miners Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) and St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) could have a good finish to the week after the gold price pushed higher. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.5% to US$1,814.2 an ounce. The gold price edged higher after Treasury yields softened.
The post 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.
Wondering where you should invest $1,000 right now?
When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*
Scott just revealed what he believes could be the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at near dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they could be great buys right now.
*Returns as of August 16th 2021
More reading
- ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) midday update: CBA rises, Sandfire’s MATSA update
- Is it a buy? Newcrest Mining (ASX:NCM) share price outlook in 2022
- 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday
- Could this drive the Santos (ASX:STO) share price in 2022?
- Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy
Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.
from The Motley Fool Australia https://ift.tt/3FL8DHA
Leave a Reply