On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was back on form and pushed higher. The benchmark index rose 0.6% to 7,205.7 points.
Will the market be able to build on this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 to open deep in the red
The Australian share market looks set to give back all of yesterday's gains following a poor night on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 74 points or 1% lower this morning. In late trade on Wall Street, the Dow Jones is down 0.9%, the S&P 500 has fallen 1.4%, and the Nasdaq has tumbled 1.8%. Developments in Ukraine are weighing on sentiment.
Rio Tinto full year results
The Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) share price will be one to watch this morning after the mining giant released a record-breaking full year result. Rio Tinto delivered underlying EBITDA of US$37,720 million, which is up 58% over the prior corresponding period but a touch lower than the Visible Alpha consensus estimate of US$38.5 billion. The miner is paying a total dividend of 1,040 US cents per share, including a 247 US cents per share special dividend.
Oil prices mixed
It could be a subdued day for energy shares including Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) following a mixed night for oil prices. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 0.2% to US$92.10 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down slightly to US$96.83 a barrel.
Appen full year update
The Appen Ltd (ASX: APX) share price could be one to watch closely today. This morning the artificial intelligence data services company is releasing its highly anticipated full year results. There are concerns that demand from its biggest customers, such as Facebook, could be falling sharply
Gold price edges higher
It could be a decent day for gold miners Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) and Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL) after the gold price edged higher. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is up 0.1% to US$1,909.4 an ounce. Rising Russia-Ukraine tensions boosted the safe haven asset.
