On Thursday the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) continued its positive run with a 0.2% gain to 5,840.8 points.
Will the ASX 200 be able to build on this on Friday and finish the week on a high? Here are five things to watch:
ASX futures pointing higher.
According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 5 points or 0.1% higher on Friday. This follows a positive night of trade on Wall Street driven by easing trade tensions. The Dow Jones rose 1.1%, the S&P 500 climbed 1.1%, and the Nasdaq pushed 1.8% higher.
Macquarie first half results.
All eyes will be on investment bank Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) this morning. Macquarie is scheduled to be the fourth bank this week to release its latest results. It is expected to report a first half result "broadly in line with the 1H18 result."
Janus Henderson results.
The Janus Henderson Group PLC (ASX: JHG) share price will also be on watch today after its third quarter results release after the market close. Janus Henderson reported a solid investment performance during the quarter, leading to a lift in AUM to US$378.1 billion. The company posted adjusted diluted quarterly earnings per of US$0.69 and advised that it is on track to achieve its targeted cost synergies of US$125 million by end of 2018. This is significantly ahead of schedule.
Oil prices sink.
Energy shares such as Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Limited (ASX: WPL) could come under pressure again today after oil prices tumbled overnight. According to Bloomberg, a surge in U.S. supply led to the WTI crude oil price falling 2.8% to US$63.51 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price dropping 3.1% to US$72.74 a barrel.
Dividends being paid.
A number of shares will be paying shareholders their latest dividends today. These include real estate wealth solutions provider Folkestone Limited (ASX: FLK), retailer Harvey Norman Holdings Limited (ASX: HVN), coal miner New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC), and fertiliser producer Nufarm Limited (ASX: NUF).
