On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week in a disappointing fashion. The benchmark index tumbled 0.7% to 7,301.5 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:
ASX 200 expected to rise
The Australian share market looks set to rebound on Monday despite a mixed finish to the week on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 19 points or 0.25% higher this morning. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones was up 0.1%, the S&P 500 was flat, and the NASDAQ dropped 0.2%.
Oil prices drop
ASX 200 energy shares Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) could have a subdued start to the week after oil prices dropped on Friday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was down 1.5% to US$79.98 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price fell 1.5% to US$85.57 a barrel. At the weekend, OPEC met and decided to maintain previously planned production cuts of 2 million barrels per day.
ASX 200 rebalance
S&P Dow Jones Indices has announced a single change to the S&P/ASX 200 index, effective prior to the open of trading on December 19, as a result of the December quarterly review. That change will see gold miner St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) dumped from the index and engineering company Monadelphous Group Limited (ASX: MND) replace it. In other news, Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) has been added to the illustrious ASX 50 index.
Metcash results
The Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS) share price will be on watch on Monday when the wholesale distributor releases its half year results. The market will be looking for sales growth in the region of 7.7%, which is in line with what was reported at its investor day event in October.
Gold price edges lower
Gold miners such as Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a soft start to the week after the gold price edged lower on Friday. According to CNBC, the spot gold price was down 0.3% to US$1,809.6 an ounce during the session. The gold price retreated from close to a four-month high following the release of US jobs data.
