Essential ASX Pre-Open Insights: Everything You Must Know at Dawn
As dawn breaks, investors prepare for the ASX to open with promising insights and global market movements shaping the landscape. Here are the essential ASX pre-open insights for today, October 21, 2025.
ASX Futures and Global Market Performance
At 7 am AEST, ASX futures indicated a 0.5% increase, suggesting a positive start to the trading day. On Wall Street, significant rallies were recorded overnight:
| Index | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| ASX 200 | 9,032 | 0.41% |
| S&P 500 | 6,735 | 1.07% |
| Dow Jones | 46,707 | 1.12% |
| Nasdaq Comp | 22,991 | 1.37% |
| Russell 2000 | 2,500 | 1.95% |
| Euro Stoxx 50 | 5,681 | 1.31% |
| UK FTSE | 9,404 | 0.52% |
| German DAX | 24,259 | 1.80% |
| French CAC | 8,206 | 0.39% |
Corporate Earnings and Expectations
According to Bloomberg, approximately 85% of S&P 500 companies exceeded earnings expectations. This statistic is impressive, considering the lower benchmarks analysts set in previous months. Notably, Apple reached an all-time high of US$260 following an upgrade from Loop Capital.
Meanwhile, Amazon experienced a significant outage at its AWS platform, affecting numerous popular applications. Despite this, its share price increased by 1.6%.
International Relations and Economic Agreements
In a notable event, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and former U.S. President Donald Trump announced a US$13 billion critical minerals framework. The agreement aims to reduce reliance on China for essential minerals. Each country will invest approximately US$1 billion over the next six months.
- The Alcoa-Sojitz Gallium Recovery Project in Western Australia will produce 10% of global gallium.
- Arafura’s Nolans project in the Northern Territory could yield 5% of the world’s rare earths.
Commodity Market Updates
Gold prices remain near record highs, challenging typical market reactions to trade tensions. Traders are actively purchasing gold, indicating strong demand.
| Commodity | Price (US$) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | $4,365.62 | 2.72% |
| Silver | $52.50 | 1.09% |
| Iron Ore | $105.50 | 0.14% |
| Nickel | $15,230 | 0.79% |
| Copper | $10,021 | 1.08% |
| Zinc | $2,972 | 1.07% |
| Lithium Carbonate 99.5% Min China Spot | $11,402 | 1.23% |
| Oil (WTI) | $57.51 | -0.23% |
| Oil (Brent) | $61.01 | -0.52% |
| AUD/USD | $0.6513 | 0.15% |
| Bitcoin | $111,183 | 2.31% |
Key Events in Australia
Today’s trading will bring quarterly results from major companies like BHP, South32, and HUB24. Additionally, RBA Assistant Governor Brad Jones will speak at the Derivatives Forum in Sydney at 10:45 am AEST, providing further insights into the financial landscape.
