Financial markets rebounded pushed higher through June with both major bond and equity markets higher.
Financial markets rebounded and pushed higher through June with both major bond and equity markets higher, although performance was volatile over the course of the month as investors continued to digest variable inflation data as central banks continued to reiterate a higher-for-longer stance on cash rates. Most notably, the domestic monthly inflation data continues to highlight a disappointing picture with inflationary pressures remaining elevated. And while the inflation print was only marginally above (+0.2%) market estimates, it does reflect the ongoing challenge given that core (non-tradeable items) – rent, food, energy, finance, and health – continue to see little downward movement.
In addition, higher fiscal spending (from both State and Federal governments) is also continuing to add to domestic inflationary pressures. Overall, with inflationary pressures remaining elevated, cash rates are likely to remain higher for longer and certainly so in a domestic context. In addition, the changing political landscape also has the ability to increase market instability in the near term. Nevertheless, we continue to see opportunities across both ‘growth’ and ‘defensive’ sectors with a continued forward-looking approach to our asset allocation positioning. To this end, we continue to maintain a broad-based investment strategy across the entirety of our portfolios, but with a view to modifying individual portfolio risk exposures as market dynamics evolve. The need to maintain a flexible investment and asset allocation framework remains an important construct given the current financial, macro and geopolitical backdrop.