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ASX 200 morning report – OSH, STO & commodities shares in focus

Dip buyers emerged on Friday after the week’s sell-off with the S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) finishing 0.5% higher.

Almost every sector was higher barring healthcare which fell 0.7% after outperforming on Thursday.

Base commodities rally

By far the highlight was another rally in base commodity companies. Everything from aluminium to nickel and even uranium has seen buying pressure in recent months, suggesting speculative activity is returning.

Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC) finished 6.3% higher on Friday and 9.3% for the week as the military coup in Guinea sent the price of aluminium skyrocketing; likely a short-term impact.

Both Nickel Mines Ltd (ASX: NIC) and South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) were also stronger on Friday, closing 8.5% and 5.9% to the positive, respectively.

Mega merger on track

The energy sector gained 1% after Oil Search Ltd (ASX: OSH) and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) confirmed they had agreed to terms on their merger.

Should the PNG Government approve the deal, Oil Search shareholders will receive 0.6275 Santos shares, with Santos CEO Kevin Gallagher to remain in charge.

Featured: 5 top stocks, a2 Milk shares, an analyst job & more

ASX 200 weekly movers

Across the week, every sector finished lower showing the impact of a single day sell-off, with materials ending 2.6% lower, property 2.5% and energy down 1.9% over the five days.

Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) was the largest detractor, falling 12%, the majority of which was due to the large dividend payment.

Both BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO) fell 2.6% and 4.6%, respectively, as the iron ore price continued to weaken.

TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) was the top performer, jumping 11.2%.

ASX 200 today

The ASX 200 is expected to open relatively flat on Monday despite a negative lead from US markets on Friday. For all the latest, check out Rask Media’s US stock market report.

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At the time of publishing, the author of this article does not have a financial or commercial interest in any of the companies mentioned.

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Wattle Partners is a financial advice firm, servicing clients around Australia, specialising in retirement planning (pre and post retirement). 

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