5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday 18 March 2021

On Wednesday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was out of form and dropped lower. The benchmark index fell 0.5% to 6,795.2 points.

Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 futures pointing higher

The Australian share market looks set to push higher on Thursday morning following a positive night of trade on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to open the day 5 points or 0.1% higher this morning. In late trade on Wall Street, the Dow Jones is up 0.55%, the S&P 500 has risen 0.3%, and the Nasdaq is up 0.55%.

US Fed keeps rates on hold

The US Federal Reserve has sharply increased its expectations for economic growth but indicated that there…