5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday

Coles Group Ltd (ASX:COL), Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX:FLT), and Webjet Ltd (ASX:WEB) shares will be on watch on the ASX 200 index on Thursday…

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On Wednesday the S&P/ASX 200 index had a day to forget, finishing it down 0.9% at 6,483.3 points.

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

a woman

ASX 200 poised to rise.       

It looks set to be a positive day of trade for the Australian share market on Thursday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 index is due to open the day 20 points or 0.3% higher this morning following solid gains on Wall Street. The Dow Jones rose 0.9%, the S&P 500 index climbed 0.8%, and the Nasdaq pushed 0.9% higher.

Oil prices mixed.

Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) shares will be on watch today after a mixed night of trade for oil prices. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price fell 0.5% to US$55.85 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price rose 0.5% to US$60.32 a barrel. A rise in fuel inventories hit the WTI crude oil price.

Webjet results.

Another share to watch today is Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB). The online travel agent is due to release its full year results this morning, with the market expecting a net profit after tax of $60.4 million. Rival Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) is also scheduled to release its results. A net profit after tax of $241.22 million is expected from the travel agent giant according to CommSec.

Gold price lower.

The likes of Resolute Mining Limited (ASX: RSG) and St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) could edge lower today after improving investor sentiment put pressure on the gold price. According to CNBC, the spot gold price dropped 0.25% to US$1,512.3 an ounce.

Coles results.

The Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) share price could be on the move today when the supermarket giant releases its first full year results since its demerger from Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES). According to CommSec, the market is looking for a full year net profit after tax of $1,080 million and a final dividend of 32.9 cents per share.

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Flight Centre Travel Group Limited and Wesfarmers Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Webjet Ltd. 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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