5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX:BOQ), Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX:NCM), and Santos Ltd (ASX:STO) shares will be on watch on the ASX 200 on Friday. Here's why…

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On Thursday the S&P/ASX 200 Index finished the day 0.4% lower at 6,198.7 points following declines in the banking sector.

Will the market be able to bounce back on Friday and finish the week on a high? Here are five things to watch:

ASX futures pointing higher.

The Australian share market looks set to finish the week on a positive note despite a soft night of trade on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to open 0.4% or 22 points higher on Friday. Over on Wall Street the Dow Jones edged slightly lower, the S&P 500 was flat, and the Nasdaq index dropped 0.2% ahead of the start of earnings season.

Oil prices sink.

The Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) share price and the Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) share price could end the week in the red after oil prices sank lower overnight after U.S. crude inventories increased to a 17-month high. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 1.4% to US$63.70 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has dropped 1.1% to US$70.96 a barrel.

Gold price tumbles.

Australia's leading gold miners such as Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could come under pressure on Friday after the gold price tumbled lower. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is down 1.4% to US$1,295.30 an ounce due to profit taking from traders.

Bank of Queensland rated as a sell.

A note out of Goldman Sachs reveals that it was disappointed with the Bank of Queensland Limited (ASX: BOQ) half year result on Thursday. In light of this, the broker has held firm with its sell rating and trimmed the price target on its shares to $9.09. The broker believes better returns can be found from elsewhere in the sector.

Dividends being paid.

A large number of popular shares will be paying their latest dividends to shareholders later today. These include biotech giant CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), travel agent Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT), funerals company InvoCare Limited (ASX: IVC), and job listings company SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK).

James Mickleboro owns shares of SEEK Limited. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of CSL Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended InvoCare Limited and SEEK 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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