The ASX200 is set to open just under a third of a percent higher, despite a general trend of falls on Wall Street overnight, as retailer Walmart posted cautious fiscal guidance for the year ending January 2026, saying its profit and sales were expected to be lower.
This produced a selloff in Walmart shares, and increased concern about economic growth in the US. As a result, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 retreated from record highs, with falls of 0.4% and 0.5% respectively, while the Dow Jones fell 450 points.
On the ASX, QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX:QBE) has reported a 31% rise in net profit for the year ended 31 December 2024, with the number coming in at US$1.78 billion. The company posted a final dividend of 63 Australian cents per share.
And Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX:RMS) released half year results showing a massive 313% rise in profit to $170.3 million, with the company saying it had achieved a gold sales revenue of $506.4 million.
To commodities – all in US $ here: Iron ore is $108.55 on the Singapore Exchange, gold’s trading at $2939, Brent crude is $76.45 & natural gas is $4.16 a gigajoule.
One Aussie dollar is buying just over 64 US cents.
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