The S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) appears set to fall this morning after Wall Street took a beating overnight.
Here's a quick recap:
- FTSE 100 (UK): down 0.61%
- DAX (Germany): down 0.49%
- CAC 40 (France): down 0.57%
- Dow Jones (USA): down 1.24%
- NASDAQ (USA): down 1.94%
Equity markets in the United States fell more than 1% overnight, while other markets around the world also closed lower. That could weigh on the share prices of blue chip shares such as Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) today.
Speaking of blue chips, the Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price will likely remain in focus today after plunging more than 10% on Thursday. The telco, long seen as one of Australia's best dividend shares, announced it had changed its dividend policy with a sharp decrease in payouts to shareholders suggested for FY2018. A dividend of 22 cents per share is expected.
Elsewhere, more companies are expected to report their latest earnings results today. Among them are Primary Health Care Limited (ASX: PRY) and Kogan.com Ltd (ASX: KGN), the latter of which rose more than 4% on Thursday.
