Despite a disappointing finish, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) recorded a strong gain last week. The benchmark index climbed a sizeable 1.7% to end the period at 5,497 points.
Will there be more of the same next week? Here are a few things to watch:
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ASX 200 futures pointing higher.
The Australian share market looks set to start the week on a positive note. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to open the week 65 points higher. This follows a decent end to the week on Wall Street. On Friday night the Dow Jones was mostly flat, the S&P 500 index climbed 0.24%, and the Nasdaq pushed 0.4% higher. The Dow Jones ended the period with a weekly gain of 3.3%, which was its best week in since early April.
Costa annual general meeting.
All eyes will be on the Costa Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: CGC) share price on Friday when the horticulture company holds its annual general meeting. Last month Costa withdrew its guidance because of the crisis, but could use the event to give investors an an update on trading conditions and its expectations for the full year.
Lynas U.S. update.
The Lynas Corporation Ltd (ASX: LYC) share price will be one to watch on Monday. After being one of the best performers on the ASX 200 last week, it could potentially be one of the worst performers this week. This follows an announcement after the market close on Friday which revealed doubts over its U.S. plans. Last month the U.S. Department of Defense announced that it intends to award a Phase I contract for a U.S. based Heavy Rare Earth separation facility to Lynas. However, there have been objections to its construction and Lynas understands that plans are currently on hold while political issues are addressed.
Shares going ex-dividend.
A number of ASX 200 shares are due to trade ex-dividend next week for their latest payouts. These include agribusiness company Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD) on Monday, packaging company AMCOR PLC (ASX: AMC) on Wednesday, and commercial explosives company Orica Ltd (ASX: ORI) and enterprise software company TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) on Thursday.
