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Wall St plunged overnight as the US-Iran conflict showed no signs of slowing down, with all 3 indexes down more than 2 and half percent at their lowest points of the day. However, shares did somewhat recover in the afternoon, with the major indexes ending up closing around 1% down – the Dow Jones lost 0.8%, the S&P500 0.9% and the Nasdaq shed 1%.

What to watch today:

• Looking ahead to today, the ASX is poised to see a similar result, with the SPI futures pointing to a 1.4% drop at the open of trade today. Global markets are reacting to growing threat that this conflict will last longer than initially expected, passing beyond a brief exchange of missiles.
• The RBA is also due to release Australia’s 4th quarter GDP data at 11:30am, with economists forecasting a 0.6% lift quarter to quarter, which will take annual growth to 2.2%. Results that fall significantly short of this could cause the markets to react accordingly.
• Following their record results yesterday, Bell Potter have maintained their Buy rating on Life360 (ASX:360), with a 12-month price target of $40 per share, based on their updated revenue and EBITDA forecasts for 2026 and 2027.
• Bell Potter have also maintained their Buy recommendation on ALS (ASX:ALQ), with a target price of 12 month price target of $28 per share, based on strengthening industry tailwinds and higher exploration spend.
• Finally, ending on commodities news, which have remained volatile overnight.
  • Crude Oil peaked at over US$80 yesterday, but has since come down to US$75 per barrel as supply chain fears around the Strait of Hormuz persist. President Trump has suggested that the US navy could be deployed to escort ships through the Strait if necessary, providing the market some relief.
  • Precious metals also saw significant pullbacks – Gold is down 4.3% to just under US$5100 per ounce, while silver is down 8% to US$82 per ounce.