On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week with a small decline. The benchmark index was down a fraction to 8,614.1 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 expected to rise
The Australian share market looks set for a decent start to the week following a positive finish to the last one on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 4 points higher. In the United States, the Dow Jones was up 0.6%, the S&P 500 rose 0.55%, and the Nasdaq pushed 0.65% higher.
Oil prices ease
It could be a soft start to the week for ASX 200 energy shares Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) after oil prices eased on Friday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was down 0.2% to US$58.55 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price was down 0.8% to US$62.38 a barrel. Russia and Ukraine peace talks have weighed on prices.
Metcash results
Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS) shares will be on watch today when the wholesale distributor releases its first half results for FY 2026. According to a note out of UBS, it is expecting the company to report sales of $9.69 billion, underlying EBIT of $253.7 million, and a net profit of $136.1 million.
Gold price jumps
ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could start the week strongly after the gold price jumped on Friday night. According to CNBC, the gold futures price was up 1.25% to US$4,254.9 an ounce. This was driven by expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this month.
Buy Hub24 shares
Bell Potter thinks that Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) shares could be in the buy zone today. This morning, the broker has retained its buy rating on the investment platform provider's shares with a trimmed price target of $125.00. It said: "Negative surprise in the expense guidance, but we left confident in the growth outlook and cadence over peers. More than mitigated from scale and entrenches customers in line with our initial thesis. Adviser efficiency has historically benefitted flows/valuation."
