On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was out of form and dropped into the red. The benchmark index was down 0.6% to 8,834.5 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 expected to jump
It looks set to be a day to remember for Aussie investors on Thursday following a strong night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 179 points or 2% higher this morning. In the United States, the Dow Jones rose 3.05%, the S&P 500 climbed 1.6%, and the Nasdaq jumped 1.45%.
NAB results
National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) shares will be on watch today when the big four bank releases its FY 2026 results. The consensus estimate is for NAB to report a cash profit of $6.3 billion for the 12 months. Earnings per share are expected to be in the region of $2.38 to $2.46, supporting total dividends of $1.70 per share for FY 2026.
Oil prices crash
ASX 200 energy shares Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a tough session after oil prices crashed overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 7.8% to US$88.60 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 8.1% to US$95.18 a barrel. Traders appear to believe the US mid-term election results could encourage peace talks between the US and Iran.
REA update
REA Group Ltd (ASX: REA) shares will be in focus today. That's because the property listings company will be releasing its first-quarter update before the market open. The team at Citi is expecting REA Group to report revenue of $440 million (excluding India). This would be an increase of 8% on a continuing basis. EBITDA is forecast to also be up 8% to $284 million for the three months.
Gold price jumps
It could be a good session for ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) on Thursday after the gold price jumped overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is up 3.4% to US$4,074.2 an ounce. Investors were bidding the precious metal higher after the US dollar weakened following the US mid-term elections.
