Market Update - April 2016

See below for key points and the report itself.

Key Points:

The RBA kept the overnight cash rate at 2.00% in April but cut to 1.75% during the May board meeting.
In fixed income, the 3 Month Bank Bill Swap Rate fell by -0.12%, while the 10 Year Australian Bond Yield rose by 0.02 in April.
Corporate debt spreads, as measured by the iTraxx Australian Index, fell to 131.76 over the month from the previous reading of 136.28.
Australian shares rose further over the month, with the All Ordinaries Index and the S&P/ASX 200 Index increasing by 3.19% and 3.33%, respectively.
Domestic listed property followed the broader market gain, returning 2.76% over the month.
Global equities were flat in most regions, with the Hang Seng Hong Kong Index gaining 1.40% to be the best performer, and the TOPIX Japan Index declining by -0.49% to be the worst performer.
Global commodity prices continued to bounce over the month, gaining 4.10%, as measured by the US$ CRB Spot Commodity Index. Oil and Iron Ore prices had the largest gains, rising 19.77% and 17.70%, respectively, in US Dollar terms.
The Australian Dollar declined against most currencies in April, falling by -0.03% against the US Dollar, -0.65% against the Euro, -2.08% versus the British Pound and -4.40% against the Japanese Yen.
The Australian Trade Weighted Index (TWI) fell by -0.93% over the month, ending April at 63.80.
Share market volatility rose both domestically (+1.42%) and in the US (+1.75%).

Please click on the following link to gain access to this resource.

Click here to view the 30th April 2016 Market Report

Source: Zenith Investment Partners

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