The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) dropped 3% to a 10-week low amid a 12% jump in the Brent crude oil price last week.
Oil prices surged as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen moved closer to shutting down Saudi Arabia's alternative oil export route.
Over the weekend, Iran said it would meet Gulf states in Oman to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked since March.
This led to an easing in the Brent crude oil price, down from nearly US$110 per barrel on Friday to US$104 per barrel on Sunday.
Let's check out some new ratings on ASX 200 shares for the week (courtesy The Bull).
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NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT)
The NextDC share price fell 6.22% to $12.06 on Friday.
The ASX 200 tech share is down 29% over 12 months.
James Bills from Shaw and Partners has a buy rating on NextDC shares.
Bills said:
The company continues to benefit from strong demand for data centre infrastructure, driven by cloud computing, artificial intelligence and increasing digitalisation across the economy.
NXT is expanding capacity across key Australian markets and maintains a strong development pipeline to support future growth.
While investment spending remains elevated, management continues to secure long term customer contracts that provide earnings visibility.
With structural growth tailwinds expected to persist for many years, NXT remains well positioned to deliver attractive long term shareholder returns.
South32 Ltd (ASX: S32)
The South32 share price declined 3.82% to $5.02 on Friday.
The ASX 200 mining share is up 92% over 12 months.
Joshua Baker from RaaS Group has a hold rating on South32 shares.
Baker said:
South32 is a diversified miner with exposure to copper, aluminium, manganese, zinc, silver and lead. It recently announced the sale of its aluminium value chain assets to Alcoa for up to $US5.6 billion.
The company continues to invest in the Hermosa development to grow its future base metals production. A hold recommendation is driven by stronger commodity price outlooks in key metals, including zinc.
Consequently, this can support underlying earnings and operating cash flow growth to offset the expectation of higher investment levels to support a longer term strategic plan. Underlying EBITDA grew by 28 per cent in fiscal year 2026.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)
The CBA share price fell 3.88% to $154.19 on Friday.
The ASX 200 bank share has fallen 9% over 12 months.
Bills has a sell rating on CBA shares.
He explained:
In our view, the stock trades at a significant premium to domestic peers and on historical valuations.
While the bank maintains a high quality franchise and strong market position, earnings growth is expected to remain modest amid competitive lending conditions and regulatory pressures.
Recent Federal Government initiatives aimed at increasing housing supply and improving affordability is likely to lead to intensifying competition across the mortgage market and place pressure on lending margins.
Current valuations leave limited scope for further earnings driven upside. Investors may wish to take profits and re-deploy capital into opportunities offering stronger risk-adjusted return potential.
