Author: TSX Stocks

The Australian share market is set to open modestly lower with ASX 200 futures pointing to a 0.3% decline, reflecting overnight losses on Wall Street.

Aussie dollar falls

The Aussie dollar fell more than 1% following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) meeting and governor’s press conference, trading at 63.80 US cents at the US close.

The corporate regulator, ASIC, announced legal action against several directors of airline company Regional Express Holdings (REX), currently in administration.

This puts further pressure on the airline sector, which is already under pressure from fluctuating fuel prices and shifting travel demand.

Meanwhile, bond markets pointed to heightened caution. The US Treasury’s auction of US$58 billion in three-year notes was met with strong demand, yielding 4.117%.

This was part of US$119 billion in coupon-bearing sales planned for the week, as traders braced for key inflation data expected to influence the Federal Reserve’s next policy decision.

The US 10-year Treasury yield rose to 4.23%, while the two-year yield edged higher to 4.15%.

Wall Street volatile

US markets saw a volatile session, with all major indices slipping around 0.3%.

The Dow Jones fell 154 points (0.4%), the S&P 500 dipped 0.3% and the Nasdaq lost 49 points (0.3%).

Multinational pharmacy retailer Walgreens Boots Alliance jumped 17.7% amid takeover discussions with Sycamore Partners, while Alphabet rose 5.6% after unveiling a new quantum computing chip.

Oracle, on the other hand, fell 6.7% on missed earnings, pulling down Dell (-5.7%) and Hewlett Packard (-5.2%).

European markets ended an eight-session rally, with the FTSEurofirst 300 index down 0.5%.

The UK FTSE 100 declined 0.9% as Ashtead fell 14% after announcing plans to move its primary listing to the US. Weak Chinese trade data weighed on luxury goods stocks, with LVMH and Kering dropping 2.5% and 2.2%, respectively.

Currencies and commodities

Currency markets softened, with the Euro down to US$1.0525 and the Japanese yen trading at JPY151.90 against the US dollar. The Australian dollar remained weak at US63.80 cents.

Energy markets remain under scrutiny as global oil prices edged higher with Brent crude rising by 5 US cents to US$72.19 per barrel and US Nymex crude gaining 22 US cents to US$68.59 per barrel.

Traders assessed the impact of increasing Chinese demand against potential European supply constraints during the winter months. These dynamics offset geopolitical concerns about the Middle East, following the weekend deposition of embattled long-time Syrian leader Bashar Al Assad.

On the metals front, aluminium slipped 0.2% as concerns over China’s slowing export growth weighed on sentiment.

Copper futures ended flat, a sign of cautious optimism on the back of muted global demand signals.

In precious metals, spot gold traded near US$2,692 per ounce, driven by safe-haven buying linked to geopolitical risks and expectations of further rate adjustments by the US Federal Reserve.

Brent crude rose 0.1% to US$72.19 per barrel, while gold futures gained 1.2% to US$2,718.40 per ounce on geopolitical tensions and expectations of a US Federal Reserve rate cut.

Iron ore fell 0.7% to US$105.63 per tonne, reflecting slower Chinese imports.

What’s happening in small caps?

1. Dynamic Metals Ltd (ASX:DYM) has delivered an update on gold exploration activities at the Cognac West prospect, part of the Widgiemooltha Project in Western Australia.
2. Apollo Minerals Ltd (ASX:AON, OTC:APOMF) has fielded additional assay results from its exploration at the Salanie Gold Project in Gabon.
3. AuMEGA Metals Ltd (formerly Matador Mining Ltd) has closed the second and final closing of its previously announced financing following shareholder approval at the company’s special shareholder meeting on December 4.
4. FireFly Metals Ltd (ASX:FFM) has received conditional approval to list on the main board of the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), which is in addition to FFM’s primary ASX listing.
5. Nova Minerals Ltd (ASX:NVA, NASDAQ:NVA) has says rock chip assay results from its 2024 drilling confirming a  800-metre long by 400-metre wide gold and antimony rich zone at its Stibium prospect, within its flagship Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project in Alaska.