SYDNEY — Australian shares closed out a turbulent trading week Friday with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index shedding just under 1% since Monday, as investors navigated a volatile stretch driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East, rising Australian bond yields and growing expectations of a Reserve Bank interest rate hike later this month.

The week began on a difficult note, with the index sliding sharply Monday and Tuesday amid a global bond market selloff triggered by renewed U.S. military strikes on Iran, which sent oil prices climbing and rattled equity markets worldwide. That pressure continued into Wednesday, extending the ASX 200's losing streak to three consecutive sessions before the market found its footing later in the week.

Thursday brought the week's most significant rebound, with the ASX 200 gaining 42 points, or 0.5%, to close at 9,020, as bargain-hunting investors stepped back into the market following its slide to a four-week low. That decline had been driven in part by June-quarter GDP data that came in hotter than expected, reinforcing market expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia may move to raise interest rates at its meeting later this month. Adding to the concerning economic backdrop, the same GDP figures showed the Australian economy had delivered zero net productivity growth since 2019.

Interest rate markets moved sharply during the week to reflect that shifting outlook, with traders pricing in nearly an 80% probability of an RBA rate increase later in September, a significant jump in hawkish sentiment compared with expectations just days........

© International Business Times