In the May 2016 edition of the Market Update:
- The recovery in equity and commodity prices continued in April, helped by reasonable economic data and commentary from central banks that implied interest rates would remain lower for longer.
- Oil prices continued to move higher, up another 20% in April. Iron ore prices rose 23% over the month.
- China growth figures were reasonably solid.
- US economic data was on-balance somewhat mixed, in part due to the stronger US Dollar which has hurt certain industry sectors such as exporters.
- Economic data in Europe has been stronger-than-expected, although inflation remains low.
- Australian business conditions and employment levels have remained strong, but inflation in early 2016 was very weak.
- RBA cuts the cash rate from 2.00% to 1.75%.
There’s more commentary, plus our usual tables with all the key market data on Shares, Interest Rates and Property in the linked document below.