In this update, Bob Cunneen, Senior Economist and Portfolio Specialist, reviews events in markets during January. He discusses: how US shares made record highs in January given President Trump’s promises of corporate tax cuts and infrastructure spending trade threats, the prospect of higher US interest rates and the political risks in Europe being key factors…

Highlights: In January, global equity markets continued to rise with the US share market making fresh record highs as investors continued to react positively to Donald Trump’s election as 45th President of the United States. In the United States, the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index closed above 20,000 for the first time. US manufacturing indicators…

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.50 per cent. Conditions in the global economy have improved over recent months. Business and consumer confidence have both picked up. Above-trend growth is expected in a number of advanced economies, although uncertainties remain. In China, growth was stronger over the…