On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week with a small decline. The benchmark index fell slightly to 8,881.9 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:
ASX 200 expected to fall
The Australian share market looks set for a poor start to the week despite a decent finish to the last one on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 13 points or 0.15% lower. In the United States, the Dow Jones was up 0.1%, the S&P 500 rose 0.25% and the Nasdaq pushed 0.6% higher.
Oil prices rise
It could be a decent start to the week for ASX 200 energy shares Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) after oil prices rose on Friday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was up 0.7% to US$60.98 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price was up 0.6% to US$64.77 a barrel. This was driven by news that OPEC is pausing its output hike in response to supply glut fears.
Westpac results
Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares will be on watch on Monday when the banking giant releases its eagerly anticipated full year results. According to a note out of Macquarie, its analysts believe that Australia's oldest bank will deliver a pre-provision result ahead of consensus estimates at $10,874 million. It also expects cash earnings of $7,134 million from a net interest margin of 1.94%. However, it "see risks to FY26-27E pre-provision profits as lower rates impact margins and WBC's replicating portfolio tailwind becomes a headwind."
Gold price slips
ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could start the week poorly after the gold price dropped on Friday night. According to CNBC, the gold futures price was down 0.5% to US$3,996.5 an ounce. Reduced rate cut bets weighed on the precious metal.
Buy Endeavour shares
Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV) shares have been upgraded by analysts at Bell Potter. This morning, the broker has lifted its recommendation on the drinks giant's shares to a buy rating with a $4.30 price target. It said: "We upgrade to Buy. We expect strong 2Q26e Retail sales growth to be underpinned by recent rate cuts, a softer comp following 2Q25 supply chain disruptions, and the growth observed in October. We believe growth in Retail will build positive momentum heading into the April/May strategy refresh, where muted expectations suggest a higher likelihood of an upside surprise."
