US equities closed mixed on Friday following the release of the inflation report which came in just slightly lower than the market was expecting. US CPI rose 0.2% in January, reflecting a gain of 2.4% on an annualised basis, while a 0.3% MoM gain was expected.
The S&P500 rose just above the flat light, up 0.05%, the Dow Jones flat, just 0.1% higher, while the Nasdaq declined 0.22%.
What to watch today:
Locally, the ASX200 is set to gain 0.58% at the open this morning, ahead of the release of key earnings results from big names reporting today:
- JB Hi Fi (ASX:JBH) has just released their half year results this morning, with total sales and NPAT both up more than 7%, EPS increased by 19cps to 279.7cps from HY25 and an interim dividend of 210cps, up 23.5%, representing 75% of NPAT. Bell Potter currently have a Buy rating on JBH.
- The a2 Milk Company (ASX:A2M) posted a 18.8% rise in revenue and lifted FY26 guidance, as well as an interim dividend of 11.5cps fully franked. It’s share price will be on watch today.
- Ansell (ASX:ANN), Aurizon Holdings (ASX:AZJ), BlueScope Steel (ASX:BSL) and New Hope Corporation (ASX:NHC) are also set to report today.
As for what Bell Potter are looking at today:
- Following Nick Scali (ASX:NCK)‘s first half NPAT up 11% above expectations, Bell Potter maintain a Buy rating, however have lowered their price target by 11% to $25.00 due to softer growth into the second half, earnings revisions and the rising interest rate environment.
- And one to watch in the resources sector following the release of first half earnings is Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST). Bell Potter maintain a Buy rating and have increased their 12-month price target from $31.10 to $35.00. At the current share price of $28.37 this implies 23.4% share price growth in a year.
In commodities:
- Crude oil is up to US$62.89 per barrel, with a second straight weekly decline, amid persistent oversupply concerns. The International Energy Agency reiterated that the market is likely to face a surplus of just over 3.7 million barrels per day in 2026.
- The price of gold is up almost 2.5% to US$5,043.92 per tonne, as softer-than-expected US inflation eased pressure on Treasury yields and weighed on the dollar.
- Iron ore is down to US$99.66 and over the past month, Iron Ore's price has fallen 7.45%. So keep watch of iron ore miners this week as BHP Group (ASX:BHP) reports tomorrow.
- To end, AUD$1.00 is currently buying US$0.70.
