On Tuesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was sold off amid escalating tensions in the Ukraine. The benchmark index sank 1% to 7,161.3 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Wednesday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 expected to fall again
The Australian share market looks set to fall again on Wednesday following a tough night of trade on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 15 points or 0.2% lower this morning. In late trade in the United States, the Dow Jones is down 1.7%, the S&P 500 is down 1.3%, and the Nasdaq has tumbled 1.45%.
Rio Tinto full year results
The Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price will be one to watch ahead of the mining giant's full year results later today. According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, the broker is expecting the miner to report EBITDA of US$38 billion and net profit after tax of US$21 billion. This is slightly lower than the Visible Alpha consensus estimate of US$38.5 billion and US$21.7 billion, respectively. The market is also expecting a final dividend of 484 US cents per share.
Oil prices rise again
Energy producers such as Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) could have a good day after oil prices rose again. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 1.5% to US$92.38 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price has risen 1.7% to US$96.97 a barrel. Traders were bidding oil prices higher after Ukraine-Russia tensions escalated.
Gold price edges higher
Gold miners Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) could have a decent day after the gold price edged higher. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.3% to US$1,905.1 an ounce. Demand for the safe haven asset has risen amid developments in the Ukraine.
Woolworths half year results
The Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) share price will be on watch on Wednesday when the retail giant releases its half year results. According to CommSec, the market is expecting Woolies to report a profit of $878 million and a fully franked final dividend of 48 cents per share.
