Investing.com - Australian shares are expected to start 2023's final trading session on a subdued note. This prediction comes as the prices of key commodities such as iron ore, oil, and gold experienced a slight decline overnight. Despite this, American stocks managed to extend their modest rally into the midday trade.
During the early trading hours, the S&P 500 came close to its record high, falling short by merely four points. However, it later pared back its gains, finishing the day with a slight increase of 0.04%.
In the tech industry, Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) experienced a fall of more than 3%. The electric vehicle giant is slated to release its fourth-quarter delivery data next Tuesday. On the other hand, China's Xiaomi Corp (HK:1810) revealed its debut electric vehicle, projecting an ambitious goal to be a top global manufacturer in the next two decades.
Here are the highlights from the market:
- ASX futures ticked 0.2% higher to 7584 as of 9:40 am AEDT.
- The Australian dollar was flat at 68.3 US cents.
- Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency, dropped by 1.8%, valuing it at $US42,588.8.
- Among New York-listed shares, BHP (ASX:BHP) Group Ltd ADR (NYSE:BHP) fell by 0.4%, Rio Tinto ADR (NYSE:RIO) by 0.3% and Atlassian Corp Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM) by 0.8%.
- Tesla's shares took a hit, falling by 3.2%, while Apple shares (NASDAQ:AAPL) saw a minor increase of 0.2% and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares rose by 0.03%.
- Spot gold decreased by 0.3% to $US2072.25 per ounce as of 1.49pm in New York.
- Brent crude oil experienced a decline, falling by 1.4% to $US78.50 a barrel.
- Iron ore prices also fell, decreasing by 1.8% to $US138.70 a tonne.
- The 10-year yield for the US stood at 3.96%, Australia at 3.89%, and Germany at 1.94%.
In terms of market sentiment, bullish sentiment among individual US investors slightly eased over the past week, although it remains considerably high.
Looking ahead, November's local private sector credit data is set to be released at 11.30 am. Overseas, the final current account for China's third quarter and the US December MNI Chicago PMI will also be closely monitored.
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