S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares finished in the red for a sixth consecutive day yesterday, falling 0.64%.
As the war in Iran drags on, investors are increasingly worried about the long-tail impact of the fuel crisis on the global economy.
The Bureau of Statistics will release quarterly inflation data today ahead of the Reserve Bank's next interest rate meeting next Tuesday.
Ryan Felsman, a senior economist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), laid out his expectations:
The March 2026 CPI release will provide an update on underlying price pressures ahead of the RBA's May Board meeting (4-5 May), as well as insights into how prices initially responded following the start of the Iran war.
We expect headline inflation rose by 1.1% in March to take the annual rate to 4.6%.
Fuel alone is likely to account for 0.9% pts of the monthly gain, with petrol prices at the pump rising by more than 30% over the month.
Amid these economic concerns, several brokers have reiterated their buy ratings on a small group of ASX 200 shares this week.
Despite today's volatile market conditions, they see strong growth ahead for their top picks.
Let's take a look.
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Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN)
The Mineral Resources share price closed at $61.37, up 4% on Tuesday.
UBS has renewed its buy rating on this ASX 200 mining stock and increased its 12-month price target from $66 to $73.
The target suggests a possible 19% capital gain ahead.
Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN)
The Suncorp share price closed steady at $16.77 on Tuesday.
UBS has reiterated its buy rating on this ASX 200 financial share and raised its price target from $19.25 to $19.60.
This implies a potential 17% upside ahead.
Morgan Stanley also renewed its buy rating on Origin shares with a more ambitious $21.60 target.
Newmont Corporation CDI (ASX: NEM)
The Newmont share price finished the session at $158.69, down 4.5%, yesterday.
The ASX 200 gold mining share attracted a renewed buy rating from Citi with a $215 target this week.
This suggests capital growth of 34% ahead.
Macquarie and Morgans also renewed their buy ratings this week. Their targets are $192 and $208, respectively.
In a note, Morgans said:
… NEM delivered a strong beat across multiple operating and financial metrics, while completing its US$6bn buyback and announcing a further US$6bn program.
The result reinforces NEM's positioning as a high-quality, cash-generative gold producer with strong balance sheet flexibility and increasing capacity to return capital to shareholders.
Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG)
The Origin Energy share price finished 3.9% lower at $11.66 yesterday.
UBS reiterated its buy rating on Origin shares this week.
The broker shaved its target down from $14.30 to $14.10.
This suggests a potential 21% upside ahead for the ASX 200 utilities share.
Aristocrat Leisure Ltd (ASX: ALL)
The Aristocrat share price closed at $46.20, down 4.2%, on Tuesday.
The ASX 200 consumer discretionary share got a reiterated buy rating from UBS this week.
The broker lowered its target slightly to $68.90, which still suggests impressive capital growth of almost 50% ahead.
IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO)
The IGO share price closed 2.3% higher on Tuesday at $7.49.
UBS maintained its buy rating on the ASX 200 lithium share this week.
The broker lifted its price target from $9.05 to $9.75, implying a potential 30% upside ahead.
