From the AFR:
The Australian sharemarket has finished the financial year by posting its strongest performance in six years, returning 17.29 per cent in the 12 months to June 30, 2013.
The S&P/ASX 200 Index was pushed higher by rising valuations due to continued central bank stimulus, to produce its best performance since 2007, when Australian shares returned 23.75 per cent before the onset of the global financial crisis.
A strong start to the year saw the bourse rise in seven of the first eight months, only to fall in three of the last four months.
The index lost 3.3 per cent in the three months to June 30, 2013, to post its fourth consecutive negative June quarter.
It dropped 2.52 per cent in June to close at 4802.6 points.
And here’s the chart. Notice how the gains came in the first nine months, with the market pulling back over the last quarter:
And while the annual gains were strong, they need to be kept in perspective, with the ASX 200 index still well below its 2007 peak:
