July was another strong month for markets, with gains in all major indices driven by the building wave of accommodative monetary policy globally. The ASX200 soared to an all-time high during intraday trading late in the month, posting a gain of 2.47% for the period, as lower interest rate expectations and record-low yields supported growth. The positivity will be tested in the coming weeks following President Trump’s decision to impose additional tariffs on US$300 billion of Chinese imports, and a reporting season expected to mildly disappoint. Meanwhile, the trade concerns, slowing economic growth and the global easing cycle combined to force Australian yields even lower. The 10yr reached 1.085% following Trump’s announcement – a 122% decline since the beginning of the year. With conditions expected to continue in the short- to medium-term and the market confident of further RBA rate reductions, it is possible yields have not finished their falls.
Figure 1. Term Deposit Spread Over Relevant BBSW: June 2019 v May 2019
Source: RBA, BondAdviser
For full details, charts and commentary, please click here for the full pdf version.
