On Tuesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form and raced higher following the Easter break. The benchmark index rose 1.75% to 8,728.8 points.
Will the market be able to build on this on Wednesday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 to rise
The Australian share market looks set to rise again on Wednesday following a mixed night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 18 points or 0.2% higher. In the United States, the Dow Jones dropped 0.2%, but the S&P 500 rose 0.1% and the Nasdaq climbed 0.1%.
Buy Telix shares
The team at Bell Potter thinks investors should be buying Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) shares following its first-quarter sales update. In response to the update, the broker has retained its buy rating and $19.00 price target on Telix's shares. It said: "The company continues to make good progress on multiple pipeline products. Short term news flow includes acceptance by the FDA of the resubmitted NDA for Pixclara and the amendment to the IND for TLX591 (prostate cancer Tx). We maintain our Buy rating. FY26 EBITDA is increased by ~US$21m to US$55.3m."
Oil prices fall
ASX 200 energy shares Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a subdued session after oil prices pulled back overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 1.7% to US$110.41 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 3.8% to US$105.27 a barrel. This was driven by optimism that a US-Iran peace deal could be on the way.
Gold price rises
ASX 200 gold shares including Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a good session on Wednesday after the gold price pushed higher overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is up 1.1% to US$4,734.4 an ounce. Traders have been buying gold in response to Donald Trump's comments on Iran.
Dividend payday
A number of ASX 200 shares will be rewarding their shareholders with their latest dividends on Wednesday. This includes financial technology company Iress Ltd (ASX: IRE), gold miners Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) and Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU), media giant News Corporation (ASX: NWS), and private health insurer NIB Holdings Limited (ASX: NHF). The latter is paying a fully franked 13 cents per share interim dividend today.
