On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had another poor session and tumbled into the red. The benchmark index fell 0.35% to 8,782.9 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 to rebound
The Australian share market looks set to rebound on Thursday following a strong night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 24 points or 0.27% higher this morning. In late trade in the United States, the Dow Jones is up 1.6%, the S&P 500 is up 1.5%, and the Nasdaq is pushing 1.6% higher.
Oil prices rise
ASX 200 energy shares such as Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a good session on Thursday after oil prices rose overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 0.4% to US$60.61 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 0.5% to US$65.22 a barrel. This was driven by news of a force majeure at the Tengiz oilfield.
Buy DroneShield shares
DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) shares could be heading higher according to analysts at Bell Potter. This morning, the broker has retained its buy rating on the counter-drone technology company's shares with an improved price target of $5.00. It said: "We believe the key catalyst for DRO in CY26 is the potential awards stemming from the US Public Safety market, notably from the US$250m funds allocated to states hosting the FIFA World Cup and the America 250 events for C-UAS protection. We would be disappointed if DRO did not receive material awards from these events."
Gold price rises again
ASX 200 gold shares including Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a good session on Thursday after the gold price continued its rise overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is up 1.1% to US$4,818.5 an ounce. Strong safe haven demand has given the precious metal a lift.
BHP given hold rating
The team at Morgans thinks that BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) shares are fairly valued right now. In response to its quarterly update, the broker has retained its hold rating with an improved price target of $47.90. It said: "We have applied upgraded metal price forecasts, driving the upgrade in our target price but not transforming the value proposition, with BHP still appearing fair value. In our sector investment strategy we view BHP as a core holding on earnings and portfolio quality grounds as well as dividend profile, we maintain our Hold rating."
