Join our daily newsletter At The Bell to receive exclusive market insights
ASX today – The market Down Under looks headed for a 25-point jump at open this Monday morning, following U.S. traders into the green as hopes grow that Washington will end the government shutdown soon.
Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.
The U.S. economy has been stuck in a rut with little data to guide its way for as long as 40 days through the shutdown, but hope is turning things.
Some are excited on Wall Street, too, after Trump said he’d be using the money raised by his tariffs to pay Americans as much as $2,000 each; absolutely no details were shared about the President’s suggested “dividend” payouts.
The turn comes after all three major U.S. indexes ended Week 44 lower; the Nasdaq lost the most, -3% through to Friday, while the S&P 500 lost up to -1.6%.
We have a few stats bundles this week that may move things, too: Westpac’s consumer confidence rolls out Tuesday, as does NAB’s, while all the Australian employment and unemployment numbers drop Thursday.
Today, there’s plenty of stock news to come. Here’s the first headlines.
ASX stocks to watch
ANZ Group (ASX:ANZ) headlines news first up in Week 46, with the Big 4 bank signalling a 14% slide in cash profits thanks to redundancy costs, its pile of legal penalties, and “intense competition” in retail banking.
Elsewhere, A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) is expanding its long-time sales team-up with China State Farm to include English-label infant formula on eCommerce.
A Christmas strike is threatening Woodside Energy’s (ASX:WDS) $12.5 billion Pluto LNG facility expansion, with as many as 2,000 workers voting to down tools until they get the wage increases they’ve been demanding.
Moho Resources (ASX:MOH) has started maiden drilling at its Bush Chook project.
And, Barrenjoy raised James Hardie (ASX:JHX) to a $31 target price.
Buck and ore
Now – in forex, the Oz dollar buys 64.8 U.S. cents.
Looking at commodities, all in the greenback,
Iron Ore has dumped as much as -2.4%, to $101.45 a tonne in Singapore,
Brent Crude added -0.4%, to $63.63/bbl,
Gold still hovers around the same; today at $4,005 an ounce, and,
US natgas futures are down -1%, at $4.31 per gigajoule.
That’s HotCopper’s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre – good luck, happy trading.
Join the discussion. See what’s trending right now on Australia’s largest stock forum and be part of the conversations that move the markets.
The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.
