On Tuesday the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) had a disappointing day of trade and finished it down 0.3% to 6,253.9 points.
Will things be better on Wednesday? Here are five things that could shape the day's trade:
Australian share market expected to open flat.
According to the latest SPI futures, the local market is expected to open the day flat. This soft start comes despite a positive night of trade on Wall Street which saw the Dow Jones rise 0.5% and both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq climb 0.3% higher.
Commonwealth Bank results.
This morning the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price will be on watch when the banking giant releases its full-year results. According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, it is expecting a cash profit before non-recurring items of $9,089 million, which will be a decline of approximately 5.9% on the prior corresponding period. The broker has also forecast a $2.30 per share final dividend.
Result releases.
It isn't just Commonwealth Bank that is due to release its results. Embattled financial services company AMP Limited (ASX: AMP), casino and resort operator SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited (ASX: SKC), and Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX: TAH) are scheduled to release their respective results this morning.
Oil prices positive.
Australian energy producers such as Oil Search Limited (ASX: OSH) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could be given a lift on Wednesday after oil prices rose overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price rose 0.1% to US$69.09 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price jumped almost 1% to US$74.46 a barrel.
Shares going ex-dividend.
A number of shares including Australian Foundation Investment Co.Ltd. (ASX: AFI), Finbar Group Limited (ASX: FRI), and OceanaGold Corp (ASX: OGC) are likely to drop lower this morning when their shares trade ex-dividend.
