5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday

Fairfax Media Limited (ASX:FXJ), JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX:JBH), and Santos Ltd (ASX:STO) shares will be on watch on the ASX 200 on Monday. Here's what you need to know…

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On Friday the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) finished a disappointing week with a small daily decline.

Will the market be able to bounce back on Monday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX futures pointing higher.

The local market looks set to have a positive start to the week on Monday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 0.3% or 17 points higher this morning. This follows a reasonably positive finish to the week on Wall Street which saw the Dow Jones rise 0.5% and the S&P 500 climb 0.2%. The Nasdaq failed to follow the other indices higher and fell 0.15% after Facebook shares sank 3% lower.

Fairfax-Nine merger disruption.

A spanner was thrown into the works of the Fairfax Media Limited (ASX: FXJ)-Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) merger this weekend. According to the AFR, former Domain Holdings Australia Ltd (ASX: DHG) chief executive, Antony Catalano, has made a proposal to buy 19.9% of Fairfax on the proviso that the merger doesn't go ahead and he is granted a seat on the Fairfax board.

Oil prices flat.

Oil prices had a reasonably flat finish to the week. According to Bloomberg, on Friday the WTI crude oil price was flat at US$56.46 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price was 0.2% higher at US$66.76 a barrel. WTI crude oil is down 18% and Brent crude oil is down 16% since this time last month, much to the dismay of shareholders of Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL).

Shares going ex-dividend.

The shares of energy provider Ausnet Services Ltd (ASX: AST) and agribusiness company Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD) are likely to trade lower this morning after going ex-dividend for their respective final dividends. Eligible Austal shareholders will receive their dividend on December 20, whereas eligible Elders shareholders can expect a pay check on December 14.

JB Hi-Fi tipped as a buy.

One buy rating of note at the Sohn Hearts and Mind Conference on Friday was highly shorted retailer JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH). According to the AFR, Tim Carleton from Auscap named JB Hi-Fi as a buy on the belief that the market is "underestimating the resilience of the Australian consumer to falling property prices, and is ignoring positive economic signals."

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Elders Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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