On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a very disappointing session after inflation came in hotter than expected. The benchmark index sank 1.3% to 7,665.6 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:
ASX 200 expected to fall again
The Australian share market looks set for another tough session on Thursday after a poor night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 50 points or 0.65% lower this morning. In the United States, the Dow Jones was down 1.1%, the S&P 500 fell 0.75% and the Nasdaq tumbled 0.6%.
Oil prices fall
ASX 200 energy shares including Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) could have a tough session after oil prices tumbled overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 1% to US$79.01 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 1.1% to US$83.30 a barrel. This decline was driven by concerns over US gasoline demand.
BHP's Anglo American takeover is off
The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price will be on watch after Anglo American (LSE: AAL) refused to grant the miner an extension for its $75 billion takeover approach. In response to the news, BHP revealed that it "will not be making a firm offer for Anglo American." BHP CEO, Mike Henry, commented: "While we believed that our proposal for Anglo American was a compelling opportunity to effectively grow the pie of value for both sets of shareholders, we were unable to reach agreement with Anglo American on our specific views in respect of South African regulatory risk and cost and, despite seeking to engage constructively and numerous requests, we were not able to access from Anglo American key information required to formulate measures to address the excess risk they perceive."
Gold price drops
It looks set to be a poor session for ASX 200 gold miners such as Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) after the gold price dropped overnight. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is down 0.9% to US$2,335.5 an ounce. The precious metal came under pressure after the US dollar and treasury yields strengthened.
Buy Qantas shares
Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) shares could be dirt cheap according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. This morning, the broker has reiterated its buy rating and $8.05 price target on the airline operator's shares. It said: "The discounted valuation versus peers and its own history implies that the market is pricing in a trade off between investment (fleet and customer) and capital returns (dividends & buybacks), which we view as a buying opportunity."
