The ASX 200 futures point to a 0.49% decline for the local bourse today, though Aussie investors may see the S&P 500 scoring its third record high of the year as a more positive indicator heading into Thursday trade.

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Much of the early red dip comes off the back of the Federal Reserve in the U.S. declaring it would take a “careful approach” to any future cuts in ’25.

Some hesitancy has also come from a regular wildfire source: Donald Trump. The 47th U.S. President did everything from intimate he now wants a new trade deal with China to muse big auto, semiconductor, and pharma tariffs, and then he even called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky “a dictator.”

Many traders may also hold until 11.30am, when we get new unemployment figures.

Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) – which is dual listed in New York – should also likely push the bourse somewhat lower after reporting a 7.6% drop in underlying earnings.

Also back home, there’s plenty more juice to squeeze from reporting season too: ANZ Group (ASX:ANZ), Telstra (ASX:TLS), Fortescue (ASX:FMG), and Wesfarmers (ASX:WES) are among the two dozen companies sharing results.

From among them, Telstra has already reported – the telecom heavyweight landed a 7.1% increase in half-year net profits, to $1.1 billion; it hiked its dividend up to 9.5c.

Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) is balancing a 28% spike in production volume with a 44% decline in revenue through the reporting quarter. Through that, the Oz lithium leader still added $426 million to its $1.2 billion coffers.

Not as great for IGO Ltd (ASX:IGO), which lost $602M on lower TLEA profits.

To the forex, the Aussie dollar is buying 63.4 US cents.

To commodities, which are in the greenback,

Iron Ore has held just green to sell at $106.85 a tonne in Singapore,

Brent Crude is trading at $75.98,

Gold is trading up again at $2,945 per ounce, and, 

US natgas futures rocketed 8.6% to $4.36 per gigajoule.

That’s Market Open, I’m Isaac McIntyre, stick with us for HotCopper’s Market Update.