Interest rate policy remained front and centre of attention locally and globally. The Reserve Bank of Australia raised the Official Cash Rate by 0.50 percentage points for a second consecutive month, as anticipated.
Most investors are expecting another half percentage point increase in borrowing costs in early August, when the Reserve Bank of Australia meets again.
Australian shares registered gains of more than 5%. Most major overseas share markets performed even more strongly – the MSCI World Index closed the month 8.0% higher, with selected markets enjoying double-digit gains. This made July the best month for risk assets since late 2020, when encouraging Covid vaccine trial results were first reported.
Things to consider before investing in multigenerational living. What do rising geopolitical tensions mean for investment markets? This and more in Issue 16 of SMART Life.