On Friday the S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) finished a disappointing week on a positive note. The benchmark index climbed 0.45% to 5,716.2 points.
Will the market be able to build on this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:
ASX futures pointing lower.
The Australian share market looks set to give back Friday's gains with a sizeable decline on Monday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 0.65% or 37 points lower today following a disappointing end to the week on Wall Street. The Dow Jones fell 0.7%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.65%, and the Nasdaq tumbled 0.5% lower.
Oil prices crash lower.
Energy shares including Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT), Oil Search Limited (ASX: OSH), and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) are likely to trade notably lower on Monday after oil prices crashed again. Concerns that supply cuts will not prevent an oversupply weighed heavily on prices. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price fell 7.7% to US$50.42 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price sank 6% to US$58.80 a barrel.
Iron ore prices tumble.
It wasn't just oil prices crashing lower. A sharp pull back in the iron ore price looks set to put significant pressure on BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) shares. The US-listed shares of these mining giant's fell 4% and 4.5% respectively on Wall Street on Friday.
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp results.
The Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp Ltd (ASX: FPH) share price will be on watch on Monday. The medical device company is due to release its first-half results this morning. With its shares currently changing hands at 35x earnings, the market will no doubt be looking for a strong half year result from the growing company.
Insurance Australia capital return.
Eligible shareholders of Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG) will receive a pay check today. The insurance giant will be paying its shareholders a capital return of 19.5 cents per share later today. This was on top of its full year 34 cents per share dividend, making Insurance Australia Group one of the more generous shares on the local market this year.
