February
Bullock and the board playing dice with Australia’s economy
The Australian public needs more than a good luck charm to finally tame inflation and our ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Ross Gittins’ rebuke of economics today is wrong, silly and offensive
Ross Gittins is a legend of Australian journalism. But his column on Monday was a shocker. I guess even legends can be wrong.
How Australia’s gas boom turned into a nightmare
Our nation exports gas – but now we’re paying the price as a result of a huge and entirely predictable bipartisan policy failure.
January
Albanese must learn from these 3 mistakes of Bidenomics
If the prime minister doesn’t change his approach quickly he will face the same fate as the outgoing US president. Booted out of office, and with a legacy he’ll regret.
Reserve Bank should not bow to political pressure for February rate cut
Giving in to the pile-on by Labor-aligned commentators calling for cuts would be a bad look and would damage the central bank’s credibility.
No Christmas rate cut because Chalmers fought economic laws and lost
The treasurer made a bet he could spend expansively but still see multiple interest-rate cuts from the Reserve Bank before the next election.
December 2024
No Minister Jones. Big is good for consumers in the digital economy
The default idea that new regulation should aim at reducing the market shares of tech companies is old economy thinking.
Why price discrimination can be a good thing
The online age may make it easier for companies to predict what we’re willing to pay. But it also makes it easier for us to share stories of nasty corporate behaviour.
November 2024
Unlisted assets mask awkward questions about super governance
We need to be sure that on valuations, trustees are not conducting some tick-a-box exercise and playing with the retirement savings of members.
The economics behind ‘credible threats’
Good strategy involves knowing the game, including your opponents, and committing to a strategy.
Campaign finance laws could reduce not increase political competition
The community independents are right that this legislation is too important to be rushed through parliament in the final two sitting weeks.
An OECD global tax deal is close. Australia should jump on board
It wasn’t a good look for Australia to be on the world stage at last month’s IMF meetings as a noted holdout on a crucial international agreement.
Trump’s win shows voters want lower prices at any cost
The hard truth for Labor is that inflation is kryptonite for centre-left governments, and Anthony Albanese’s record on prices is very similar to Joe Biden’s.
How a 5¢ Tesla explains the problem with inflation
A fundamental economic truth explains ever-rising services inflation and why it’s a big problem for governments.
October 2024
Overall, Australia’s COVID management was a huge success
Where we succeeded, it was the result of good institutions and good decision-making. But that’s not to say we didn’t stumble.
Why interest rates will not fall soon – or by much when they do
Rising demand for investment capital to fund things like the green revolution will keep the price of money higher than it was.
The algorithm that decides what uni course you get
Year 12 students applying for university this year will be allocated to courses based on a famous algorithm called “deferred acceptance”.
As Nobel Prize winners prove, strong institutions are good for us
The 2024 gong in economic sciences went to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson. Their studies have vital lessons for today’s democracies.
The best tips for investing in markets (from economists)
Buy stocks when prices are low compared to dividends, and sell them when prices are high compared to dividends. Simple, right? But there’s always room for ambiguity …
September 2024
The answer to our housing crisis is three letters: EBA
For all the focus on the illegal activities of the CFMEU, it’s their legal activities that have played a starring role in our housing affordability crisis.