On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finished the week in the red. The benchmark index was down 0.2% to 8,634.6 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 0.2%, the S&P 500 rose 0.2%, and the Nasdaq pushed 0.3% 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 pushed higher on Friday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was up 0.7% to US$60.08 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price was up 0.8% to US$63.75 a barrel. Stalling Russia and Ukraine peace talks gave prices a boost. Though, over the weekend, the US claims that progress was made.
Quarterly rebalance
A number of ASX 200 shares will be on watch today after being kicked out of the benchmark index at the December quarterly rebalance. Leaving the ASX 200 index on 22 December are Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP), Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE), Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD), HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC), Inghams Group Ltd (ASX: ING), and IPH Ltd (ASX: IPH).
Gold price flat
ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) will be on watch after the gold price traded flat on Friday night. According to CNBC, the gold futures price was steady at US$4,243 an ounce. However, the precious metal had a good week, driven by expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this month.
Buy Catalyst Metals shares
Bell Potter thinks that Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL) shares are in the buy zone right now. This morning, the broker has retained its buy rating on the gold miner's shares with an improved price target of $9.30. It said: "We view CYL as derisking the Plutonic gold hub with a clear line of sight to a 200kozpa steady state (FY29). Execution on the plan (five mines feeding an underutilised 1.8Mtpa plant) and Reserve growth towards >2Moz are viewed as the key drivers of multiple re- ratings and margin expansion."
