The S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) is expected to open lower again today with the Sydney Futures Exchange pointing to a 0.2% decline at the opening bell. That comes after Wall Street fell overnight as Apple shares shed 2.6%.
Here's a quick recap:
- FTSE 100 (UK): up 0.18%
- DAX (Germany): down 0.72%
- CAC 40 (France): down 0.34%%
- Dow Jones (USA): down 0.25%
- NASDAQ (USA): down 0.46%
The commodities sector will receive plenty of attention again today.
Shares such as Santos Ltd (ASX: STO), Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) and Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd (ASX: LNG) could all benefit from a 3.8% lift in the Brent oil price.
Although the iron ore price fell, BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) could also benefit from the rising oil price. Its London-listed shares rose 1.7% overnight while Rio Tinto Limited's (ASX: RIO) London shares gained 1.5%.
Gold miners, on the other hand, could take a hit after the spot gold price slipped to US$1,337 an ounce. That could impact Silver Lake Resources Limited. (ASX: SLR) and EVOLUTION FPO (ASX: EVN), amongst others.
At the same time, the Australian dollar has retreated somewhat. It's still sitting at what could be considered an uncomfortable level at around US76.4 cents, but it's better than the US77 cents level it has been orbiting recently.
There were a number of big movers on Thursday as well which will likely be in focus again today. Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL) shares slipped 5.3%, while Select Harvests Limited (ASX: SHV) fell 5%. Woolworths Limited (ASX: WOW) shares also fell sharply, although that was due to the shares going ex-dividend.
The biggest gainer for the day was Sigma Pharmaceutical Limited (ASX: SIP) which rocketed 11.3% higher. Investors will be hopeful for further gains again today.
