February 2018 Take a visual tour of markets during January. There were strong gains in global shares, China’s share market rocketed up, and government bond yields rose sharply in Europe and the US. View full infographic for January markets >>

Highlights: The global economy is benefiting from a broad-based, cyclical recovery, supported by higher levels of investment and accommodative monetary policy. The US economy ended 2017 on a slightly shaky footing, although the overall employment situation continues to improve and the bond market is anticipating further rate hikes. Growth in Europe continues to surprise on…

  VIX Volatility Index Source: US Federal Reserve, St Louis  View larger chart US shares have been in turmoil since February 2nd. The announcement that US wages growth had accelerated to its fastest pace since 2009 was the catalyst for this sharp share selloff. However this US inflation surprise was actually magnified into a shock…

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.50 per cent. There was a broad-based pick-up in the global economy in 2017. A number of advanced economies are growing at an above-trend rate and unemployment rates are low. Growth has also picked up in the Asian economies, partly supported by increased…