The Australian share market is expected to open lower this morning, according to ASX futures.
Most of the world’s major stock exchanges were closed since Friday last week – with the exception of Paris and Frankfurt which were still trading yesterday.
By the end of 2016, there were solid gains for global equities – with the Dow Jones up 12%, S&P 500 up 8.5% and the NASDAQ up almost 6.5% over the year.
As for the ASX 200, it rose by 7% throughout last year.
However, January is expected to be a slow month – with a number of challenges for investors at the end of the month including the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States, as well as the Chinese New Year holidays.
MarketsWall Street finished lower on Friday: The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3 per cent to 19,763, the S&P 500 slipped almost 0.5 per cent to 2,239 and the NASDAQ dropped 0.9 per cent to at 5,383.
European markets closed higher: London’s FTSE rose 0.3 per cent last Friday. However, Paris and Frankfurt stock exchanges were still open for business yesterday. Paris was up 0.4 per cent and Frankfurt rose 1 per cent.
Asian markets closed mixed last Friday: the Nikkei fell almost 0.2 per cent, the Hang Seng rose almost 1 per cent, while the Shanghai Composite lifted almost 0.25 per cent.
The Australian share market closed lower on Friday. The S&P/ASX 200 Index lost 33 points to finish at 5,666. On the futures market the SPI is down 39 points.
CurrenciesThe Australian Dollar at 8:00AM was buying $US71.88 cents, 58.53 Pence Sterling, 84.54 Yen and 68.69 Euro cents.
Economic news this weekTuesday:
Australian Industry Group: Performance of Manufacturing Index (Dec 2016)
Reserve Bank of Australia: Commodity prices (Dec 2016)
Thursday:
Australian Industry Group: Performance of Services Index (Dec 2016)
Friday: Australian Bureau of Statistics: Trade balance data (quarter ending Dec 2016)
Ex-dividendsOne company is going ex-dividend today: Clime Capital
(ASX:CAM) will pay 1.2 cents fully franked.
Commodities Gold has risen $0.30 at $US1,152 an ounce for the February contract on Comex.
Silver has dropped $0.03 to $15.96 for March.
Copper is flat at $2.51 a pound for March.
Oil has added $0.17 to $US53.89 a barrel for January light crude in New York.
