Child splashing in puddle under umbrella

It’s July and temperatures are falling across the country. It may be chilly Downunder but Aussie women are on fire in the northern hemisphere, with Ash Barty, Sally Fitzgibbons and Hannah Green victorious in tennis, surfing and golf. Congratulations to them all!

All eyes were on interest rates and the ongoing US-China trade war in June.

In the US, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said the case for cutting rates had strengthened. This led to a fall in the US dollar, with one Aussie dollar now buying US70c, up more than a cent over the month.

In Australia, the Reserve Bank cut its official cash rate by 25 basis points to an historic low of 1.00% yesterday, with a number of economic forecasters tipping a further 25% basis point cut later this year. Hats off to the ANZ for passing on the full rate cut this time around after passing on the smallest rate cut of the big 4 banks in June.

If anyone is still paying standard variable rate on their loans, or has not reviewed their mortgages in the last 6 months you are paying too much for your loan. Give me a call to see just how much we could save you by getting a better deal on your loans for you.

The RBA is concerned about emerging signs of a slowing economy. Australia’s annual economic growth fell from 2.3 per cent to 1.8 per cent in March, the weakest since 2009. Local unemployment is stuck at 5.2 per cent compared with 3.6 per cent in the US. Inflation at 1.3 per cent is well below the central bank’s 2-3 per cent target band. Retail trade fell 0.1 per cent in April with annual growth down from 3.5 per cent to 2.8 per cent. New vehicle sales were down 7 per cent in the year to May, the biggest annual decline in 9 years.

With the start of a new financial year it’s time to revisit your goals – and I’m pleased to say we’ve already set our targets for this year not only for our business (stretching, but I think achievable), but also the target goals we set for our giving through Buy1Give1. We’ve set our target at 365,000 impacts again for the year (or as we like to think of it 1,000 smiles a day) but we’ve added a new project to our list this year. We thank everyone for choosing to work with us here at Excel – and by working with us also helping to make a positive difference to the lives of others.

And just a final word – as you know i’m Dry this July – doing our small part to help those suffering with cancer. Heather and the team here at Excel are silently praying it won’t be too difficult for me (they’re a bit worried I’ll be like a bear with a sore tooth), but I’ve promised to try to be good. If you would like to offer your support, please visit my profile page and make a donation at www.dryjuly.com/users/stuart-fitzpatrick.