Milliman FRM Insight: April 2016 Market Commentary

Incoming economic data offered markets little to cheer about in April ahead of the Fed’s third meeting of 2016. The price of oil rose more than 20% while the US dollar edged lower for the third straight month. The ASX performed well in April, climbing 5.1%, playing catchup from its late March selloff. US equities cooled somewhat, closing relatively flat for the month, while other global indices were only slightly up on average. Markets pushed broadly higher in April, as a strong rebound in commodities bolstered the ASX to be among the top performing equity indices.