On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week with a small decline. The benchmark index edged 0.1% lower to 8,436.2 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 for a decent start to the week following a positive finish on Wall Street on Friday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 21 points or 0.25% higher. In the United States, the Dow Jones was up 0.4%, the S&P 500 rose 0.55%, and the Nasdaq stormed 0.8% higher.
Oil prices fall
It could be a poor start to the week for ASX 200 energy shares Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) after oil prices fell again on Friday. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was down 0.8% to US$68.15 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price was down 0.45% to US$72.94 a barrel. Oil prices lost 3% of their value last week after supply risks eased.
Metcash half year results
Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS) shares will be on watch today when the wholesale distributor releases its half year results. Goldman Sachs isn't expecting a particularly strong result from the company. It said: "Trade sales in IHG continues to be challenging, retail store margins facing impact of lower volumes on fixed cost. Wholesale sales also lower-margin. 1H25 NPAT range A$132- A$135mn vs A$142.5mn in 1H24." It also notes that in a difficult market, its analysts "expect that MTS's Hardware DIY business [will] lose market share."
Gold price pushes higher
ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a decent start to the week after the gold price pushed higher on Friday night. According to CNBC, the gold futures price was up 0.35% to US$2,673.9 an ounce. Despite this gain, the precious metal had its worst month of the year amid a Trump-driven selloff.
Buy Harvey Norman shares
Harvey Norman Holdings Limited (ASX: HVN) shares could be good value at current levels. That's the view of analysts at Bell Potter, which have reaffirmed their buy rating and $5.80 price target on the retail giant's shares. It said: "We see a sizable upside from the AI driven upgrade cycle/replacement cycle of devices purchased during COVID-peak to Consumer Electronics sales at HVN ahead."
