| Hi Aris, Welcome to this week's edition of Smart Investing. The Reserve Bank sent a clear message last week when it announced that, while it was keeping the cash rate on hold for now, nothing was off limits. The RBA's governor, Michelle Bullock, said rates won't come down for at least six months, and could even go higher if inflation levels don't fall quickly enough. In our lead article this week Vanguard's Senior Personal Finance Writer, Tony Kaye, looks at the current rates landscape and explains how property borrowers have been responding to higher rates over time in the context of the widening lending spread between variable and fixed rate mortgages. Meanwhile, in our second article, we look at what the current rates environment means for investing in bond securities. Higher rates can bring benefits to investors seeking long-term diversification through bonds, and lower rates (when yields eventually start to fall) can also have some price upside. Find out more. Lastly, in our third article, we look at why more Australian investors are investing in international equities and detail the key risks for any investors who opt to invest solely in their home market. Also see where the Australian share market ranks in terms of size on the list of the world's largest stock exchange operators. Do you have a good investor story to tell? We're especially keen to hear from Vanguard investors who are close to retirement, or already retired. If you're interested in being interviewed for our investor story video series, please send us an email to corpcommsaustralia@vanguard.com.
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