On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had another disappointing session and tumbled deep into the red. The benchmark index fell 0.7% to 8,141.1 points.
Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:
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ASX 200 expected to rebound
The Australian share market looks set to rebound on Thursday following a strong night of trade on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 20 point or 0.25% higher this morning. In late trade in the United States, the Dow Jones is up 1.2%, the S&P 500 is up 1.2%, and the Nasdaq is 1.4% higher.
BHP and Rio Tinto go ex-dividend
Australia's two largest miners will be going ex-dividend on Thursday and are likely to trade lower. BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) will be going ex-dividend for its fully franked 78.5 cents per share interim dividend, whereas Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) is going ex-dividend for its $3.54 per share fully franked final dividend. Joining them are Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS), South32 Ltd (ASX: S32), TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG), and Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL).
Oil prices continue to sink
ASX 200 energy shares such as Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could have a poor session after oil prices dropped overnight. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is down 3% to US$66.24 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is down 2.5% to US$69.26 a barrel. Concerns over an increase in production from OPEC has put pressure on prices.
Gold price rises
It could be a positive session for ASX 200 gold shares Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) and Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) on Thursday after the gold price edged higher overnight. According to CNBC, the gold futures price is up 0.2% to US$2,926.7 an ounce. This was driven by a softer US dollar.
Xero rated as a buy
Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) shares remain a top buy according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. This morning, the broker has reaffirmed its buy rating and $201.00 price target on this cloud accounting platform provider's shares. This implies potential upside of 16% for investors over the next 12 months. Goldman Sachs notes that "FY25 YTD download activity implies stronger than expected net adds."
