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The ASX200 posted a small loss of 0.2% for the week, however on Friday the market gained 0.5%. Materials advanced the most, the sector closing with a 1.6% gain, as the major mining stocks rose despite a drop in the price of iron ore. It was a positive trading session overall with 7 of the 11 industry sectors in the green. The major banks were mixed, with CBA and ANZ higher, while NAB closed flat and Westpac closed slightly lower. And real estate, tech, healthcare and the consumer discretionary sector, ended the day with small losses.

Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN) jumped more than 13%. PDN is a uranium production company and its share price was boosted on Friday by a jump in the price of uranium. The commodity price rose to its highest level since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, and that’s at $60.61 a pound. Meanwhile, Platinum Asset Management (ASX:PTM) led the declines on Friday, dropping 15%, down to $1.90, after the company reported that funds under management dropped $1.5 billion, and also reported negative returns across almost all of its funds for the year.

The most traded stocks by Bell Direct clients on Friday were Westpac (ASX:WBC), Finder Energy Holdings (ASX:FDR), Lake Resources (ASX:LKE) and Platinum Asset Management (ASX:PTM).

European markets ended a volatile week of trading in the green. While US stocks posted weekly losses after the Federal Reserve commented on tighter monetary policy, signalling it will act even more aggressively to fight inflation. The major benchmarks closed mixed. The Dow Jones climbed 100 points on Friday, up 0.4%, while the S&P500 closed 0.3% lower. The Nasdaq fell 1.3%, as tech stocks led the session’s losses. Tech stocks are viewed as risky due to their sensitivity to interest rates. Higher interest rates could limit future profit growth among the tech sector and therefore shares were sold on Friday.

What to watch today:

• The local market is set to rise 0.36% at the open this morning, if you’re going by the SPI futures.
• Oil prices are trading higher, however there are demand concerns for China, a top importer.
• Gold is trading higher as well, as the Federal Reserve’s aggressive tightening plans countered inflation concerns intensified by the Ukraine war and mounting sanctions on Russia.
• Iron ore is trading lower, however investors are expecting strong restocking demand in China once COVID-19 restrictions ease. Lockdowns in some of the top steel making cities have led to transportation disruptions, with most producers cutting production amid material shortages.
• Brickworks (ASX:BKW) is set to go ex-dividend today.

Trading Ideas:

• Citi maintain its Buy rating on Aristocrat Leisure (ASX:ALL), with a $44 price target. Citi expects acquisitional growth into the US$15 million iGaming market to be likely following legalisation, and Citi also note that the core social casino business offers 16% compound annual earnings growth through to FY24.
• Trading Central have identified a bullish signal in Boss Energy (ASX:BOE), indicating that the stock price may rise from the close of $2.58 to the range of $3.10 to $3.25, over 26 days, according to the standard principles of technical analysis.