On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week with a small decline. The benchmark index fell 0.2% to 8,505.5 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:
ASX 200 expected to fall again
The Australian share market looks set to fall on Monday following a relatively poor finish to last week on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 20 points or 0.25% lower. In the United States, the Dow Jones was up 0.1%, but the S&P 500 was down 0.2% and the Nasdaq dropped 0.5%.
Oil prices mixed
It could be a soft start to the week for ASX 200 energy shares such as Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) after a mixed session for oil prices on Friday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was up 0.45% to US$73.84 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price was down 2.3% to US$77.01 a barrel. Though, with the US launching an attack on Iran over the weekend, it is possible that oil prices could surge when markets reopen today.
Metcash FY 2025 results
Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS) shares will be on watch today when the wholesale distributor releases its results for FY 2025. According to a note out of UBS, its analysts expect the company to deliver an underlying profit in line with its guidance range at approximately $275 million. Sales are expected to lift 6.4% year on year to approximately $19.4 billion. A full year dividend of 17 cents per share is also expected by the broker.
Gold price slips
ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a poor start to the week after the gold price fell on Friday night. According to CNBC, the gold futures price was down 0.7% to US$3,385.70 an ounce. A stronger US dollar led to the precious metal recording a weekly decline.
Buy CSL shares
CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares are in the buy zone right now according to analysts at Bell Potter. This morning, the broker has reaffirmed its buy rating on the biotechnology company's shares with a trimmed price target of $305.00. It said: "CSL has been challenged by several external uncertainties of late (tariffs headlines, US regulatory changes, MFN). Nevertheless, we consider the double-digit earnings outlook remains intact (on a reported basis)."
