Original article by Philip Baker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 35 : 1-Aug-17

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index defied the medium-term trend to lose ground in July 2017. Since 2000, the index has gained an average of 1.3 per cent in July, but its underperformance over the last month means it has finished in the red for the last three months. The S&P/ASX 200 met with resistance at the 5,700-point level in July, and indeed in the last several months. The Australian market remains about 16 per cent below its peak prior to the global financial crisis, while key US share price indices are at record highs.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 ACCUMULATION INDEX, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED – ASX ALL, AMCOR LIMITED – ASX AMC, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT