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The morning catch up: ASX expected to recover some ground as US markets remain uncertain

Published 04/04/2024, 09:30 am
Updated 04/04/2024, 10:00 am
© Reuters.  The morning catch up: ASX expected to recover some ground as US markets remain uncertain
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The ASX200 may make up some lost ground today, with ASX Futures pointing to a 26-point or 0.3% lift in early trading.

Yesterday the bourse followed US markets down, shedding 1.3% after setting a new 52-week high the day before.

The weakness remained in US markets overnight, with strong economic data pushing expectations of an interest rate cut further down the line.

What happened overnight?

US and European markets (source: Commsec)

Fed chair Jerome Powell said policymakers needed to "have greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably down" toward the 2% target yesterday, putting a damper on trading.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) lost 8.2% after expressing weakening expectations for its factory operations and Disney shed 3.1% after shareholders rejected Nelson Peltz’s grab for a board seat.

The Disney board was engaged in a battle of wills between Peltz and CEO Bob Iger, with Peltz pushing to make Disney more conservative and more profitable. His bid failed with the directors stating Peltz "had not actually presented a single strategic idea for Disney".

Other mega cap Tech stocks fared better than Intel – Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Meta all gained between 0.5% and 1.9%.

General Electric (NYSE:GE) also gained 6.7% following spin-off power business GE Vernova listing as a publicly traded company.

The Dow Jones index fell by 43 points or 0.1%, closing lower for a third day. The S&P 500 index edged 0.1% higher and the Nasdaq index added 37 points or 0.2%.

In Europe, markets closed marginally higher after Eurozone inflation fell more than expected, with annual consumer prices falling from 2.6% in February to 2.4% in March.

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Banks rose 1.8% to their highest level since 2018, while European Central Bank policymaker Pablo Hernandez de Cos said rate cuts could come as early as June.

The FTSE300 rose 0.3% and the FTSE100 less than 0.1%.

Currencies and commodities

The US dollar gained against the Yen but fell against the Euro and Aussie.

The Japanese yen eased from 151.53 yen per US dollar to near JPY151.70 at the US close, the Euro rose from US$1.0762 to near US$1.0830 and the Aussie rose from US65.03 cents to near US65.60 cents.

Global oil prices hit a 5-month high after OPEC+ reaffirmed supply cuts. A jump in US crude inventories stifled the lift, however, with 3.2 million barrels added to crude stocks last week compared to an expected 1.5-million-barrel decrease.

Brent rose by 0.5% or US43 cents to US$89.35 a barrel while Nymex lifted US28 cents or 0.3% to US$85.43 a barrel.

Base metals once again advanced with copper futures enjoying a powerful 3% jump and aluminium following with a 2% gain.

On the other hand, iron ore shed 2.4% or US$2.50 to US$100.41 a tonne due to concerns over weak top consumer demand in China ahead of public holidays today and tomorrow.

On the small cap front

The ASX Small Ordinaries took a beating yesterday, shedding 1.8% in line with the greater market’s woes.

You can read about the following and more on our website throughout the day.

  • Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX:OBM) has continued the development of the Riverina Underground Mine, with strong progress on several fronts and high-grade gold up to 2.9 metres at 103.5 g/t gold produced in underground diamond drilling.
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  • Auric Mining Ltd (ASX:AWJ) is set to receive over $2.6 million after 99% of its options were exercised at $0.15 each.
  • Imugene Ltd (ASX:IMU, OTC:IUGNF) has secured a patent for its Oncolytic Virotherapy CF33 in China, the largest Asian pharmaceutical market.
  • Artemis Resources Ltd (ASX:ARV, AIM:ARV, OTCQB:ARTTF) is planning a busy 2024 period, with ongoing exploration at the Karratha Gold Project, the Lulu Creek Prospect of the Carlow Project and various heritage and permitting activities underway.
  • Noxopharm Ltd (ASX:NOX, OTC:NOXOF) has secured a $100,000 grant for brain cancer research alongside the University of South Australia from Tour de Cure to progress encouraging preclinical work on a novel first-in-class brain cancer drug.
  • Read more on Proactive Investors AU

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