AU Morning Wrap: ASX Edges Higher, Miners Hit the Skids

On Monday, US stock market experienced a mixed closure, with the $Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI.US)$ up by 0.1% and the $S&P 500 Index (.SPX.US)$ down by 0.1%. Meanwhile, the $Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC.US)$ dropped by approximately 0.4%, extending the tech-heavy index's sharp decline from last Friday. At the same time, $Bitcoin (BTC.CC)$ continued its record-setting rally, as investors eagerly awaited the release of inflation data that will test the market's bets on potential interest rate cuts.

$Metcash Ltd (MTS.AU)$, a wholesale supplier to supermarkets, experienced a 0.9% increase in total sales from the previous period, in the ten months leading up to late February. This growth was primarily due to a rise in trading for liquor and hardware products.

$WAM Leaders Ltd (WLE.AU)$ and $QV Equities Ltd (QVE.AU)$ have agreed to merge, with the scheme agreement expected to raise the assets of the new entity by approximately $240 million.

$Ramelius Resources Ltd (RMS.AU)$, a mining exploration company, anticipates $1.7 billion in gold earnings over the next decade from the Mount Magnet site in Western Australia.

Trading Ex-div: $IGO Ltd (IGO.AU)$, $Lifestyle Communities Ltd (LIC.AU)$, $News Corp (NWS.AU)$

Dividends Paid: $Codan Ltd (CDA.AU)$, $McGrath Ltd (MEA.AU)$, $Winton Land Ltd (WTN.AU)$