On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a strong session and charged higher. The benchmark index rose 0.5% to 8,806 points.
Will the market be able to build on this on Monday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 expected to rise
The Australian share market looks set for a positive start to the week following a solid session on Wall Street on Friday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 43 points or 0.5% higher. In the United States, the Dow Jones rose 0.3%, the S&P 500 climbed 0.4%, and the Nasdaq pushed 0.3% higher.
Oil prices ease
ASX 200 energy shares including Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) could have a subdued start to the week after oil prices eased on Friday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price was down 0.95% to US$71.41 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price was down 0.4% to US$76.01 a barrel. This couldn't stop oil prices from recording a decent weekly gain amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
Buy Mesoblast shares
Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) shares could be in the buy zone according to Bell Potter. This morning, the broker has essentially upgraded the biotechnology company's shares to a buy rating (from speculative buy) with a $4.45 price target. This is almost double its current share price. It said: "MSB is expected to commence submission of the various modules of the Biological Licence Application for Rexlemestrocel-L in heart failure and commence recruitment of the adult study in GvHD (for Ryoncil). We expect MSB will also engage in preliminary discussions with distributors for Rexlemestrocel-L in the chronic lower back pain indication, ahead of the phase 3 readout in mid CY27. Investment thesis: TP $4.45 (unchanged) There are no changes to earnings and we retain our $4.45 target price and Buy rating. As MSB is generating strong revenue growth the Speculative risk rating is no longer warranted."
Gold price falls
It could be a soft start to the week for ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) after the gold price softened on Friday night. According to CNBC, the gold futures price was down 0.65% to US$4,113.7 an ounce. Increased interest rate hike bets have been weighing on the precious metal.
Buy Aroa shares
Bell Potter also sees major upside in Aroa Biosurgery Ltd (ASX: ARX) shares at current levels. This morning, the broker has retained its buy rating and $1.09 price target on the biotechnology company's shares. It commented: "Beyond the clinical readouts, 2H CY26 should bring further clarity on the reimbursement environment. Key watchpoints should include the final PFS and OPPS rules following CMS's proposal to retain the current flat-rate methodology for CY27, while any revised DFU/VLU LCDs could further raise the evidence threshold and narrow the reimbursable product set."
