On Thursday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was back on form and pushed higher. The benchmark index rose 0.45% to 8,940.3 points.
Will the market be able to build on this on Friday and end the week on a high? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 expected to sink
The Australian share market looks set to sink on Friday following a poor night in the United States. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open 162 points or 1.8% lower this morning. In late trade on Wall Street, the Dow Jones is down 2.2%, the S&P 500 is down 1.2% and the Nasdaq is down 1.1%.
Oil prices jump
It could be a good finish to the week for ASX 200 energy shares Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) after a strong night for oil prices. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 8.4% to US$80.93 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 4.85% to US$85.34 a barrel. Concerns over global fuel supply disruption were behind this rise.
ASX shares going ex-dividend
A number of ASX shares will be going ex-dividend this morning and could trade lower. This includes fuel retailer Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD), broadband provider Aussie Broadband Ltd (ASX: ABB), and tech company Objective Corporation Ltd (ASX: OCL). Last month, Ampol declared a fully franked dividend of 60 cents per share. This will be paid to eligible shareholders at the start of next month on 2 April.
Gold price tumbles
ASX 200 gold shares Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) could have a poor finish to the week after the gold price tumbled overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is down 1.25% to US$5,070.6 an ounce. A stronger US dollar weighed on the precious metal.
Buy Catapult shares
Catapult Sports Ltd (ASX: CAT) shares are good value according to analysts at Bell Potter. This morning, the broker retained its buy rating on the sports technology company's shares with a trimmed price target of $4.85. It said: "Catapult remains one of our preferred tech stocks amongst the mid caps (along with Gentrack). We note Catapult is likely to come out of the S&P/ASX 200 at the next rebalance later this month but remain in the S&P/ASX 300. This could be viewed as a negative catalyst but in our view is already largely expected so should not come as a surprise."
