The Sydney Futures Exchange is pointing to a flat open when shares start changing hands this morning, following a rather lacklustre performance from international markets overnight.
The Dow Jones and NASDAQ both closed marginally lower, although London's FTSE 100 did manage to rise 0.8% for the day. The S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) has already gained 4.8% since Tuesday, suggesting it could take a breather today.
Sydney Airport Holdings Ltd (ASX: SYD) will be one of the stocks in focus today. The infrastructure group released strong traffic figures for October 2015, including a 5.1% rise in international passengers.
Another blue-chip under the microscope could be Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS). As highlighted by the Fairfax press, investment bank Credit Suisse cut its price target on the telco and suggested it will slow the rise of its dividend payments.
Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) was also downgraded to "equal-weight" from "overweight" by Morgan Stanley, although its price target was raised 8.7% to $2.50. The shares currently trade for $2.17.
The market will also be eyeing BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) again following its annual general meeting (AGM) in Perth on Thursday. The miner faced difficult questions regarding the recent disaster in Brazil as well as the sustainability of its dividend policy, with indications it may be scrapped in the future in favour of maintaining the balance sheet.
Meanwhile, Kathmandu Holdings Ltd (ASX: KMD) will hold its own AGM today after releasing a trading update to 15 November 2015. Sales for the period were 8.6% above the results for the same period last year (4.8% on a comparable basis) with the group's CEO saying "We have made a solid start to FY2016 with sales growth particularly strong in our largest market Australia."
Another retailer, Myer Holdings Ltd (ASX: MYR), is also expected to release its first-quarter sales results today, according to Fairfax. Myer has been a disappointing investment for most investors, but they will have some hope today following David Jones' upbeat results recently.
Investors will be hoping for further gains from Netcomm Wireless Ltd (ASX: NTC) and Mobile Embrace Ltd (ASX: MBE) today following a sound performance recently, while Martin Aircraft Company Ltd (ASX: MJP) could be set to rise after completing its latest phase of manned test flights on its jetpacks.
