On Thursday the S&P/ASX 200 index ended its positive run with a sizeable decline. The benchmark index sank 0.8% to 6,684.7 points.
Will the local share market be able to bounce back from this on Friday? Here are five things to watch:
ASX 200 expected to slide.
The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to end the week on a disappointing note despite a positive night of trade on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to drop 17 points or 0.25% at the open. On Wall Street the Dow Jones rose 0.1%%, the S&P 500 climbed 0.3%, and the Nasdaq pushed 0.4% higher.
Oil prices climb higher.
Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could end the week on a high after oil prices pushed higher overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price rose 1.3% to US$54.07 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price climbed 0.9% to US$59.94 a barrel. This was driven largely by a weaker U.S. dollar.
Gold price edges higher.
It looks set to be a mildly positive day of trade for gold miners such as Newcrest Mining Limited (ASX: NCM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) after the spot gold price edged higher overnight. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.15% to US$1,495.80 an ounce.
CBA outage.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) share price will be on watch after the banking giant's network suffered from a major outage. An unknown computer issue has impacted some of its services, including BPAY, its online payment platform Netbank, and the CommBank app.
Dividends being paid.
A number of popular shares are scheduled to pay their latest dividends later today. This includes 4×4 accessories manufacturer ARB Corporation Limited (ASX: ARB), investment platform provider HUB24 Ltd (ASX: HUB), and scrap metal company Sims Metal Management Ltd (ASX: SGM).
