On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) fought hard but recorded a very small decline. The benchmark index fell slightly to 8,714.3 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Friday and end the week on a high? Here are five things to watch:
ASX 200 expected to open flat
The Australian share market looks set for a subdued session on Friday following a poor night in the United States. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day flat this morning. On New Year's Eve on Wall Street, the Dow Jones was down 0.6%, the S&P 500 was down 0.75%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.75%.
Oil prices fall
It could be a poor finish to the week for ASX 200 energy shares such as Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) after oil prices fell. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 0.9% to US$57.42 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 0.8% to US$60.85 a barrel. This means that oil prices had their worst year since 2020.
BHP and Rio Tinto on watch
BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) shares will be on watch on Friday. On Wednesday night, both miners' NYSE listed shares ended the year in the red. BHP's shares were down 0.9% and Rio Tinto shares were down 0.6%. Though, it is worth noting that both giants recorded strong gains for 2025 despite this.
Gold price tumbles
ASX 200 gold shares Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a tough finish to the week after the gold price tumbled lower. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is down 1% to US$4,341.1 an ounce. Traders were selling gold and silver after CME raised its precious metals futures margins again. This couldn't stop the gold price from recording a gain of over 60% for 2025.
Tech weakness
Aussie tech stocks Life360 Inc. (ASX: 360) and WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) shares could have a poor session after weakness in the US tech sector on New Year's Eve. Life360's NASDAQ listed shares fell almost 4%, which doesn't bode well for today's session. Nevertheless, the location technology company's shares still recorded a gain of approximately 50% for 2025.
