Company Interview / the open: ASX to rise amidst inflation hopes

The Australian sharemarket is set to start the morning on a positive note, with ASX futures reading towards a 0.4% increase.

On Wall Street the major stock indices were moderately higher, with the S&P 500 recording its sixth straight session of gains. The Dow Jones had gains, with conglomerate corporation Honeywell International Inc at the forefront, after reporting a rise in adjusted profit for the first quarter. 

Canada's share market rose as the Liberal party’s newly appointed Mark Carney, claimed victory in the election. The result was seen as a rebuke to Donald Trump' s trade policies. 

Brent crude futures are trading at $64 a barrel, with copper falling 0.6% and iron ore is slightly off at $99 a ton. U.S gold futures dropped 0.4% to $3,333 an ounce. 

Back home, the large focus will be on the quarterly inflation read. The core consumer price index is anticipated to have an increase of 0.8% quarter-on-quarter and 2.2% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025. 

The Australian dollar had minimal change, with a current rate of US63.9 cents. A number of notable companies will be releasing quarterly reports today, including Amcor, Coles, Coronado Resources, Mirvac, Origin Energy, Stockland and Westgold.