On Thursday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was back on form and charged notably higher. The benchmark index rose 1.3% to 7,019.6 points.
Will the market be able to build on this on Friday? Here are five things to watch:
ASX 200 expected to rise again
The Australian share market looks set to end the week on a positive note. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 36 points or 0.5% higher this morning. This follows a solid night on Wall Street, which saw the Dow Jones rise 0.55%, the S&P 500 climb 1.1%, and the Nasdaq storm 1.8% higher.
Oil prices fall
Energy producers including Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) could finish the week in the red after oil prices dropped again. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 2.1% to US$62.05 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 2.6% to US$64.96 a barrel. Traders were selling oil amid news that Iranian sanctions could be lifted and supply could soon return.
Tech shares on watch
It could be a good day for tech shares such as Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) and Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) on Friday after their US counterparts stormed higher overnight. As the local tech sector tends to follow the lead of the Nasdaq index, its 1.8% gain on Thursday night bodes well for today's session.
Webjet still a buy
According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, its analysts continue to believe the Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) share price is in the buy zone. This is despite Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) announcing plans to cut travel agent commissions for international flights to 1% from 5%. It commented: "Overall, we view this announcement as a flag of a key risk factor in the Travel Agency revenue model but one that is partially anticipated in our forecasts. We are Buy rated on WEB with a 12m Target Price of A$6.40."
Gold price softens
Gold miners Newcrest Mining Ltd (ASX: NCM) and St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) will be on watch today after the gold price softened. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is down 0.2% to US$1,877.60 an ounce. The precious metal was under pressure from a strengthening US dollar.
