It’s the last full day of trade for the year with the ASX200 expected to pull back 0.5% following US stocks closing lower. Overnight we saw US equities rise to brand new record highs before falling into the red. The US House voted to increase the second federal handout to $2,000. BUT. The extra payout was blocked in the Senate on concern the extra payout on top of the $600 already approved, will swell national debt.

Commodities:

·       Oil price rose 0.5% after falling 1% in the previous session - so expect a rebound in some oil stocks.

·       Iron ore is up 0.1% to US$155.57 – a new 7-year high.

·       Gold inched up, as the US dollar fell. And that pushed the Aussie dollar to a two-year high - 76.8 US cents.

What to expect and watch today:

·       You could expect some reshuffling today as the year closes tomorrow at 2pm.

·       As the year wrap ups, traders will reflect on returns:

·       The best performers this year have been the stay at home economy stocks, like Afterpay (ASX:APT) up 303%. APT rose to a record $122 yesterday.

·       Stocks benefiting from China’s increased demand for Australian iron ore, and the lack of supply from Brazil, which boosted the iron ore price 68%, so Fortescue Metals (ASX:FMG) and Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) are up 120% this year.

·       The underdogs of 2020, like Flight Centre (ASX:FLT), Webjet (ASX:WEB) and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW)

Trading ideas:

·       Harvey Norman (ASX:HVN), Centuria Capital (ASX:CNI) and Temple & Webster (ASX:TPW) are all showing bullish charting patterns according to Trading Central.