On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week in the red. The benchmark index fell 0.6% to 7,110.8 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:
ASX 200 expected to rebound
The Australian share market looks set to start the week on a positive note despite a poor finish on Wall Street on Friday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 28 points or 0.4% higher this morning. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones fell 0.5%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.8%, and the Nasdaq tumbled 1.7%.
Oil prices rise again
Energy producers such as Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) could have a great start to the week after oil prices surged higher again. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price jumped 7.5% to US$115.68 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price rose 6.9% to US$118.11 a barrel. Supply concerns are supporting prices.
ASX 200 quarterly rebalance
After the market close on Friday, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced changes to the ASX 200 at the next rebalance. These changes will see Mesoblast limited (ASX: MSB), SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited (ASX: SKC), Spark New Zealand Ltd (ASX: SPK), and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (ASX: URW) dumped out of the index on 22 March.
Gold price up again
Gold miners Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a good start to the week after the gold price pushed higher on Friday night. According to CNBC, the spot gold price rose 1.6% to US$1,966.6 an ounce. The gold price added 4.1% over the week thanks to increased demand for safe haven assets.
Blackmores downgraded to sell
The Blackmores Limited (ASX: BKL) share price could come under pressure today. This follows news that Goldman Sachs has downgraded the health supplements company's shares to a sell rating with a $75.20 price target. The broker believes that the need for reinvestment will suppress the company's near-term earnings.
