On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) gave back its intraday gains to end slightly lower. The benchmark index fell 0.1% to 8,396.9 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 expected to rise
The Australian share market looks set to rise modestly on Thursday despite a poor night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 7 points or 0.1% higher this morning. In the United States, the Dow Jones was down 0.6%, the S&P 500 fell 0.55%, and the Nasdaq dropped 0.5%. However, a better than expected result from Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) after the market close could be good news for tech investors.
Oil prices rise
ASX 200 energy shares Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a good session after oil prices pushed higher overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 1.45% to US$61.77 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 1.1% to US$64.81 a barrel. Oil prices rose after OPEC decided to hold its production quotas.
Buy Web Travel shares
The Web Travel Group Ltd (ASX: WEB) share price is in the buy zone according to Goldman Sachs. In response to the business to business travel technology company's full year results, the broker has reiterated its buy rating with an improved price target of $7.10. It said: "WEB held its FY25 results on 27th May 2025, with TTV at A$4.9B +22% YoY (~-2% vs GSe and VA cons), Revenue +1% YoY (+1% vs GSe) and EBITDA of A$121m with 1H25 guidance of A$117-122m. Mgmt also noted first 8wks of FY26 trading was strong, with TTV (in EUR)/bookings up 28%/29% YoY, supported by +36% Americas region."
Gold price falls
It could be a subdued session for ASX 200 gold shares including Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) on Thursday after the gold price edged lower overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is down 0.2% to US$3,293.5 an ounce. This follows the release of the minutes from the US Federal Reserve's latest meeting.
Telstra shares rated as a hold
Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) shares are fully valued according to analysts at Bell Potter. This morning, the broker has retained its hold rating on the telco giant's shares with an improved price target of $4.65. It said: "In our view Telstra is attractive due to its defensive nature and outlook of mid-single digit cash earnings growth but on an FY26 PE ratio of c.23x we believe the stock is fairly or appropriately valued."
