Market Open: Aussie traders sniffing for cheap deals; Wednesday inflation the big watch

At The Bell — Australian shares are heading towards a soft gain on Monday morning in Week 22, with a ~10 point advance being tipped in ASX 200 futures as Oz investors look to scoop up cheaper deals across the bourse.

Hear from all the ASX-listed companies that were at the RIU Resources Round-Up in Sydney, right here on HotCopper.com. Over a dozen video interviews.

Whether this dovish feeling holds remains to be seen, but Trump has been saying that Washington is close to a deal with Tehran and – should that actually eventuate – that an end to the war and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is on the table. I’ll just believe that one when I see that one, at this stage.

Many are eager to believe, though, especially after the U.S. ended last week trading in the green; there’s hope we’ve seen the worst of CY26’s downswing.

Looking ahead, the ABS will release key April inflation data Wednesday, which matters mainly for the RBA’s rate call next month. I think we can largely expect a hold in that June 2 moot, but inflation stats may change things.

If the week stays largely the same as this morning, we may not see a huge rush one way or the other until we get that key Bureau read mid-week.

(We have two days solo, too, with Wall Street closed tomorrow for Memorial Day.)

ASX stocks to watch

Now, heading into stocks and looking into Week 22, we have several big ASX earnings reports being shared throughout the week. Fisher and Paykel (ASX:FPH) will report today, then Infratil (ASX:IFT) and Ryman Healthcare (ASX:RYM) will update shareholders early on Tuesday, among several others.

Nufarm (ASX:NUF) then leads the way Wednesday, and Champion Iron (ASX:CIA), Web Travel (ASX:WEB), and Select (ASX:SHV) roll out Thursday.

Today, Guzman y Gomez (ASX:GYG) is a watch after it added more than +10% through to the end of last week. The Mexican takeaway joint’s big U.S. exit has investors excited, and that may give it more legs this week.

Red Mountain (ASX:RMX) is this morning spruiking “exceptional” high-grade antimony concentrate (51.8%) found at Oaky Creek in samples.

And, Tasman Resources (ASX:TAS) has brought in Adam Turnbull as director.

Buck and ore

In forex, the Oz dollar buys US 71.5c.

And to commodities, all in the greenback,

Brent Crude is selling at $98.72/Bbl, down around -3.7% today,

Iron Ore is +0.3% stronger; $106.05 a tonne in Singapore,

Gold is up, $4,554/ounce, and,

US natgas futures at ~$2.89 per gigajoule.

That’s HotCopper‘s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre – happy trading today.

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.