On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was on form and edged higher. The benchmark index rose 0.1% to 8,765.3 points.
Will the market be able to build on this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 expected to sink
It looks set to be a tough session for Australian investors on Thursday following a poor night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 104 points or 1.2% lower this morning. In the United States, the Dow Jones fell 0.7%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.75%, and the Nasdaq was 1.1% lower.
ASX 200 shares paying dividends
A number of ASX 200 shares are rewarding their shareholders with dividends on Thursday. This includes PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS), Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS), ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD), Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC), and Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO). The latter is paying a fully franked $2.96 per share interim dividend later today.
Oil prices rise
ASX 200 energy shares Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a good session after oil prices rose overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 2.4% to US$92.70 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 4.1% to US$103.35 a barrel. Doubts over a US-Iran peace deal were behind the rise.
Buy Nufarm shares
Nufarm Ltd (ASX: NUF) shares could be a good option for investors according to Bell Potter. This morning, the broker has retained its buy rating on the agricultural chemicals company's shares with an improved price target of $3.90 (from $3.75). It said: "Our Buy rating is unchanged. In FY26e NUF has delivered a result that was consistent with our expectations, while incurring costs related to plant outages that were not expected. The underlying performance looks to be stronger than what is implied at the headline, with material YoY growth in Seeds and the basis of the next leg of cost outs now articulated."
Gold price falls
It could be a poor day for ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) on Thursday after the gold price fell overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is down 1.2% to US$4,323.9 an ounce. A rebound in oil prices appears to have led to increased US rate hike bets.
