Australian shares are set to open higher this morning as investors await the release of fourth quarter inflation figures. Wall Street had a mixed session overnight following a number of earnings reports which were generally positive, but there were also a number of profit downgrades. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up slightly as investors awaited the latest quarterly results from Apple. The S&P 500 slipped after the tech and communications sectors both pulled back, and the Nasdaq was also lower.
MarketsWall Street closed mixed: The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2 per cent to close at 24580, the S&P 500 dropped 0.2 per cent to close at 2,640 and the NASDAQ shed 0.8 per cent to close at 7028.
European markets closed higher: London’s FTSE gained 1.3 per cent, Paris gained 0.8 per cent and Frankfurt rose 0.1 per cent.
Asian markets closed mixed: Tokyo’s Nikkei up 0.1 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.2 per cent, and China’s Shanghai Composite dropped 0.1 per cent.
Returning home, the SPI futures point to a rise of 23 points.yesterday the Australian share market closed 31 points lower 5,874.
Economic NewsToday the ABS issues the quarterly Consumer Price Index
Company newsOrion Health
(ASX:OHE) has partnered with Abu Dhabi Health Data Services to deliver the first health information exchange in the Middle East. The platform known as "Malaffi" will provide the exchange of patient health information between healthcare professionals and will connect 2000 public and private healthcare providers in Abu Dhabi. Shares in Orion Health
(ASX:OHE) last traded $1.10.
Ex dividendsAMCIL
(ASX:AMH)Gryphon Capital Income Trust
(ASX:GCI)Qualitas Real Estate Income Fund
(ASX:QRI)CurrenciesOne Australian Dollar at 8:00AM was buying 71.52 US cents, 54.75 Pence Sterling, 78.23 Yen and 62.57 Euro cents.
Commodities Iron futures are pointing to a rise of 4.1 per cent
Gold has gained $7.40 to US$1317 an ounce.
Silver has gained $0.08 to US$15.85 an ounce.
Oil has gained $1.20 to US$53.19 a barrel.