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ASX today – Australian shares are hovering just above flat into open today, with a +0.1% advance expected in futures after the U.S. jobs report came in stronger than expected and the ASX popped past 9,000pts yesterday.
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Several surging days through Week 7 put us right around 9Kpts again, with the last coming as Commonwealth (ASX:CBA) reclaimed its bourse crown.
The double whammy between those wanting to take profits from the +1% WOW rise the Oz bourse has enjoyed and the fact that January’s jobs print over in the States basically confirms no cuts halted the February rally.
We were heading for something close to the same on Wednesday morning, though, and earnings bumped everything into overdrive – and that could well happen again, so let’s take a look at today’s big ASX reporting day.
ASX stocks to watch
ANZ Group (ASX:ANZ) has already come out the gates early, posting a 6% rise in first-quarter cash profit, to $1.94 billion. When excluding significant items, the Big 4 bank was up even more in the same metric, +17%.
Elsewhere, IAG (ASX:IAG) has seen profits slip, $505M vs. last year’s $778M, after a one-off RACQI impact during severe weather that cost $174 million.
We’ll get a whole heap more through the six trading hours today, as well, including Origin Energy (ASX:ORG), ASX Ltd (ASX:ASX), Breville (ASX:BRG), Pro Medicus (ASX:PME), Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN), and Northern Star (ASX:NST).
And then outside earnings, HotCopper forum users will be watching Golden Deeps (ASX:GED) after the explorer intersected “intensely mineralised” copper-zinc zones below the Gossan outcrop at Graceland.
Lefroy Exploration (ASX:LEX) has got toll mining started at Lucky Strike, too.
Buck and ore
Now – in forex, the Oz dollar is buying US 71.2c.
Looking at commodities, all in the greenback,
Iron Ore is basically flat, selling at $100.15 a tonne in Singapore today,
Brent Crude is +1.5%, at $69.74/Bbl,
Gold is selling at $5,105/ounce,
US natgas futures are up +2.8%, at $3.20 per gigajoule.
That’s HotCopper’s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre – happy trading.
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