The Market Online - At The Bell

Join our daily newsletter At The Bell to receive exclusive market insights

ASX today – The third-last week of CY25 may actually end on gains after originally falling through most days, with a late-on Friday rally set to heave up the Australian bourse. Heading into open, futures are +1% higher.

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.

If you’d asked where Week 50 was going to end on Wednesday arvo, the main answer would have been “red” – until the Fed trimmed U.S. rates.

Now, even with both our RBA and the State-side Federal Reserve suggesting there may even have to be rises through CY26, traders have taken Thursday’s easing as a sign we can have a little Santa Rally to end the year.

The S&P 500 and Dow Jones even managed to beat an Oracle-led technology dump through the Wall Street day, ending +0.2% and +1.3% higher, respectively. Only the Nasdaq composite really suffered, -0.25%.

And, so, heading into Friday close, things are looking up.

With that all in mind, here’s W50’s last stock news.

ASX stocks to watch

First up, there’s growing speculation that BHG Capital will soon submit a takeover offer for Webjet Ltd (ASX:WEB). Should the equity firm move before the Chrissy holidays, it will be because it wants Webjet’s $110M cash pile.

Elsewhere, the ACCC has rejected Insurance Australia Group’s (ASX:IAG) grand plans to buy the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia for $855 million.

And, Dexus (ASX:DXS) has bought into Westfield Chermside for $683 million.

In mining, Black Cat Syndicate (ASX:BC8) is one of two ASX explorers making project moves today, acquiring strategic tenements near Lakewood.

The other is GreenX Metals (ASX:GRX). GreenX has this morning activated an option to acquire 90% of Group 11, which holds several Tannenberg licences. The move hands Greenx “enormous upside” in Germany.

Buck and ore

Now – in forex, the Oz dollar buys 66.6 U.S. cents.

Looking at commodities, all in the greenback,

Iron Ore gave back its rise, down -1% to $101.75 a tonne in Singapore,

Brent Crude dumped -1%, to $61.56/bbl,

Gold is at $4,282 an ounce, and,

US natgas futures lost -8% this week, to $4.22 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.

More From The Market Online
The Market Online Video

HotCopper Highlights, Week 50: 4DX above $2/sh, Nanoveu, Ovanti & more

Good Afternoon and welcome to HotCopper Highlights wrapping up Week 50 of the year, I’m Jon Davidson.

‘Potential is enormous’: GreenX likes what it’s found in Tannenberg, is activating acquisition option

GreenX Metals has activated an option to secure control of the Tannenberg Copper Project in Germany,…

Listen: HotCopper Wire CY25 Wrapped – Looking back at Invictus, Kaili, DRO, and more

In the first half of the HotCopper Wire‘s CY25 end-of-year special, Isaac McIntyre and Jonathon Davidson look back over the year that was

Listen: HotCopper Wire Podcast 034 – Not so jolly December and yet another ASX bungle

In this HotCopper Wire Week 49 episode, we talk about the ASX Ltd bungle that left…