Investing.com - Australian shares are expected to experience an uptick, driven by the steady rise in iron ore prices and modest gains in the European and American markets. At the same time, global bond yields decreased, further fueling expectations of rate cuts in the coming year.
The US 10-year note yield experienced an 11 basis point drop to 3.79% as of 4.24 pm in New York, while Germany's equivalent fell by 8 basis points to 1.89% earlier.
US stocks showed modest gains, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average leading the pack. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares rallied over 2% following a Bloomberg report that the company plans to initiate production of a new Model Y electric car variant at its Shanghai factory. However, the gains were slightly offset later.
Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares also managed to reverse early losses and edge higher after the tech giant won a temporary pause on a US International Trade Commission order banning sales of some of its smartwatches in the US. This temporary stay will be in effect while Apple appeals against the restriction.
As the S&P 500 struggles to surpass its nearly two-year-old record high, Tom Essaye, the author of Sevens Report, warned that the complacency of investors towards risks in 2024 might be a result of the "Santa rally". The S&P 500 closed at 4781.58.
Iron ore, Australia's biggest export, continued its rally, pushing slightly higher in Singapore. Experts and fund managers suggest that the government’s ultra-conservative estimation for the iron ore price will quickly drive the budget into a surplus.
Market highlights:
ASX 200 Futures were up by 28 points or 0.4% to 7578 around 8am AEDT. The Australian dollar strengthened by 0.3% to 68.44 US cents, and Bitcoin rose by 2.6% to $US43,358 at 8.26 am AEDT.
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In New York, BHP (ASX:BHP) Group Ltd ADR (NYSE:BHP) rose by 1%, Rio Tinto ADR (NYSE:RIO) by 0.8%, Tesla by 1.9%, Apple by 0.1%, and Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) by 0.9%. However, Atlassian Corp Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM) shares fell by 0.8% and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) by 0.1%. The CBOE Volatility Index dropped by 3.8% and Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) rose by 0.2%.
In the European market, Stoxx 50 rose by 0.2%, FTSE by 0.4%, DAX by 0.2%, and CAC by 0.04%. Spot gold increased by 0.5% to $US2077.70/oz at 3.06pm in New York. Brent crude fell by 1.8% to $US79.58 a barrel, while iron ore increased by 0.7% to $US141.15 a tonne.
The agenda for today:
No local data is expected for release today. Overseas data to be released includes Japan's industrial production for November, UK's house prices for December, and US's pending home sales for November.