The financial year ended on a negative note for investors with all major asset classes, except cash, falling in value over June. Despite this decline last month, major asset classes still posted healthy positive returns for the financial year as a whole.
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The mood on financial markets was one of caution over May, as further increases in United States bond yields and the lack of resolution in government debt management arrangements in Greece weighed on confidence.
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April saw some reversal of the recent dominant trends on financial markets, with commodity prices bouncing off recent lows and longer term interest rates moving higher.
This reflected a slightly more optimistic outlook for global economic growth.
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Despite fears that healthy levels of economic growth in the United States would lead to increased interest rates, the low interest rate environment across the globe became further entrenched last month. With the absence of any tangible sign of inflation, bond yields declined again over March.
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Economic growth in Australia has continued at a subdued rate. National Accounts data for the December quarter showed that Gross Domestic Product expanded by just 0.5% over the 3 month period. In annual terms, the current growth rate of 2.5% remains below the longer term trend rate of over 3%.
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The environment of low interest rates has become more entrenched over the past month as a subdued economy combined with low inflation and low consumer confidence culminated in the Reserve Bank lowering cash interest rates in early February.
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All major asset classes recorded positive returns over 2014, with the strengthening economic recovery in the United States providing a positive backdrop for share markets.
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Volatility continued in financial markets over November; with sharp falls in commodity prices having a significant impact on the Australian share market.
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Share markets recovered from the losses of the previous month, although there was considerable volatility on equity markets over October. This volatility may have been reflective of very mixed economic data, particularly in the United States.
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September was a difficult month for investors with the majority of asset classes recording negative returns. The mood on share markets turned negative as did the support for the Australian dollar. After remaining stubbornly high for an extended period, the $A fell sharply last month — dropping from U.S. 93.5 cents to U.S. 87.5 cents.
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