Australian shares are expected to start the day marginally lower, mirroring the cautious approach taken by investors on Wall Street overnight.
ASX futures were down 3 points to 7,703 early this morning.
The trepidation is mostly a result of some regulatory fines and shipment data affecting major tech firms.
The Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all underwent slight downturns, influenced by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)'s 2.5% slump after a €1.8 billion fine from European Union regulators and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)'s 7.2% fall following reduced vehicle shipments from its China factory.
By contrast, Nvidia soared above $US2 trillion. Along with Super Micro Computer, the tech giant stood out in its sector with remarkable gains. It has now surpassed Saudi Aramco (TADAWUL:2222) as the world's third most valuable public company.
Super Micro Computer's inclusion in the S&P 500 and its dramatic year-to-date surge highlight the increasing market optimism about AI-related demand.
Albanese launches green energy fund
The Australian Government is set to launch a A$2 billion finance facility to support green energy and infrastructure projects in South-East Asia, addressing the region's increasing demand for renewable power through 2050.
This initiative, recommended by special envoy to South-East Asia Nicholas Moore, aims to invigorate trade and investment with the ASEAN bloc by providing financial aids such as loans, guarantees and insurance.
Anthony Albanese will announce the initiative at a CEO summit alongside the ASEAN meeting in Melbourne, highlighting it as a crucial step towards addressing climate change and seizing economic opportunities in the region.
The effort aligns with Moore's findings that South-East Asia needs an estimated 454 gigawatts of additional generation capacity by 2050, a transition that could employ more than 5 million people and deliver significant environmental and economic benefits.
Currencies and commodities
On the currency front, the Australian dollar saw a modest decrease to 65.09 US cents, reflecting the broader market's cautious stance.
Cryptocurrencies, notably Bitcoin, surged to $US67,268, with speculation that it’ll top $US80,000 by the end of March.
Commodity markets saw gold rallying to $US2,114.16 an ounce, closely approaching its record high – perhaps indicative of a retreat to the traditional safe haven in the midst of unease about impending economic headwinds from China and the broader geopolitical landscape.
Copper futures – another bellwether – fell 0.1% ahead of a key political meeting in China on Tuesday, while aluminium futures dipped 0.6%.
Oil prices and iron ore also reported declines, aligning with the cautious market sentiment.
Brent crude shed 75 US cents or 0.9% to US$82.80 a barrel. The US Nymex crude price lost US$1.23 or 1.5% to US$78.74 a barrel.
Market snapshot
(source AFR)
- AUD -0.3% to 65.09 US cents.
- Bitcoin +7% to $US67,268 at 8.40am AEDT.
- On Wall St: Dow -0.3% S&P -0.1% Nasdaq -0.4%.
- In New York: BHP (ASX:BHP) -0.5% Rio -0.5% Atlassian (NASDAQ:TEAM) -0.8%.
- Tesla -7.2% Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) -0.1% Apple -2.5% Nvidia +3.6%.
- Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) -2.8% Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) -0.4% Meta -0.8%.
- Stoxx 50 +0.4% FTSE -0.6% DAX -0.1% CAC +0.3%.
- Spot gold +1.5% to $US2114.16/oz at 1.50pm in New York.
- Brent crude -1.1% to $US82.65 a barrel.
- Iron ore +2.1% to $US115.60 a tonne.
- 10-year yield: US 4.22% Australia 4.10% Germany 2.39%.
- US prices as of 4.36pm in New York.
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