On Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form and pushed higher. The benchmark index rose 0.3% to 8,226.3 points.
Will the market be able to build on this on Friday and end the week on a high? Here are five things to watch:
ASX 200 expected to rise again
The Australian share market looks set to rise again on Friday following a good session in the United States. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open 61 points or 0.75% higher this morning. In late trade on Wall Street, the Dow Jones is flat, the S&P 500 is up 0.6%, and the Nasdaq is 1.4% higher. This follows an interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve overnight.
Oil prices higher
ASX 200 energy shares Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) could have a good finish to the week after oil prices pushed higher overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 1.3% to US$72.61 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 1.2% to US$75.84 a barrel. A rate cut in the US appears to have been behind this.
Breville rated as a buy
Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG) shares could be good value according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. This morning, the broker has retained its buy rating and $34.20 price target on the appliance manufacturer's shares. This implies potential upside of approximately 9.1% for investors over the next 12 months. It said: "BRG 1H25 update largely as expected, tariff risk not material in our view; reiterate Buy."
Gold price higher
ASX 200 gold shares Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a better day after the gold price rose overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is up 0.8% to US$2,697.9 an ounce. This follows news that the US Federal Reserve has trimmed interest rates by a quarter point overnight.
ANZ results
ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) shares will be watched closely today when the bank releases its full year results. Analysts at Goldman Sachs are expecting ANZ to report a small year on year decline in operating revenue to $20,762 million. From this, the broker is forecasting a pre-provision operating profit of $10,123 million (down 6%) and cash earnings of $6,892 million (down 7%). Goldman believes this will lead to the bank paying total dividends of $1.66 per share in FY 2024. This represents a decline of 5% from $1.75 per share in FY 2023.
