On Friday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished a mildly positive week with a small gain. The benchmark index rose 0.15% to 7,030.3 points.
Will the market be able to build on this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 futures pointing lower
The Australian share market looks set to start the week on a subdued note. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the week 5 points or 0.1% lower this morning following a mixed finish on Wall Street. In the United States on Friday, the Dow Jones rose 0.35%, the S&P 500 fell 0.1%, and the Nasdaq tumbled 0.5%.
Aristocrat Leisure half year results
The Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) share price will be one to watch this morning when it releases its half year results. The gaming technology company expects to report a 12% increase in normalised net profit after tax and before amortisation of acquired intangibles (NPATA) to $412 million. This has been driven by stronger than expected performances from both its Gaming and Digital businesses.
Oil prices jump
It could be a good start to the week for energy producers such as Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) after oil prices jumped on Friday. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price rose 2.7% to US$63.58 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price climbed 2% to US$66.44 a barrel. This wasn't enough to stop both benchmarks from recording weekly declines.
Gold price softens
Gold miners including Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) will be on watch today after the gold price softened on Friday night. According to CNBC, the spot gold price fell 0.3% to US$1,878.9 an ounce. Despite this, the precious metal recorded a 2.2% gain for the week.
Iron ore price slides again
BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) shares could come under pressure today after the iron ore price continued to slide. According to Metal Bulletin, the spot iron ore price has fallen a sizeable 5.3% to US$200.72 a tonne.
