The ASX200 is set to rise half a percent on Monday, following a subdued but generally positive day on the US stock market on Friday.
After a choppy week, Wall Street ended its Friday session on a calmer note, absent of any significant economic reports or earnings. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose 0.4% and 0.5% respectively, while the Dow Jones increased 51 points, and all sectors ended in the green.
Over on the ASX, Aurizon Holdings Ltd (ASX:AZJ) has announced an on-market share buyback of up to $150 million on the same day it reported an EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) figure of $1,624 million for the 2024 Financial Year.
This counted for a 14% increase in EBITDA compared to the previous comparable period.
Electronics and entertainment retailer JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX:JBH) also released results today, telling investors that total sales for the financial year had come in at $9.59 billion, while net profit after tax was $438.8 million.
In the same announcement, JB Hi-Fi announced a fully franked special dividend of 80 cents per share fully franked, or $87.5 million, while also telling investors it aimed to acquire a majority share (75%) in E. & S. Trading Co. (Discounts) Pty. Ltd, for a cash payment of $47.8 million.
And Rox Resources Ltd (ASX:RXL) has kicked off a major drilling campaign at the 2.4 million-ounce Youanmi Gold Project in Western Australia.
The program – which comprises 11,000 metres of resource definition and near-mine exploration drilling – will be testing for mineralisation at the Younami South and Paddy’s targets.
In forex, the AUD is buying nearly 66 US cents.
Iron ore is at $101.26 per tonne in Singapore and brent crude is at $79.49 per barrel. Gold is travelling at $2,432 per ounce and US natgas futures read $2.20 per gigajoule – all those prices in USD.