Category Inflation

With the 2026 financial year now complete, investors can reflect on a year that highlighted how quickly economic conditions, government policy and investment markets can change.

Most of the time share markets are relatively calm, but periodically they tumble and generate headlines like “billions wiped off share market.”

Oil and investment markets initially reacted relatively calmly to the US/Israel war with Iran, despite the Strait of Hormuz through which 20-25% of global oil and gas supplies flow through on a daily basis being closed from the get go.

The RBA’s decision to hike rates to 3.85% was no surprise with it being about 70% factored in by the money market and 22 of the 28 economists surveyed by Bloomberg expecting a hike.