Hi all, A quick note to offer guidance on the new website. As well as the layout changes that make it easier to access content for new readers, it comes with a dramatically improved sign-up and resubscription process, greatly enhanced speed, and a much better mobile experience (since 95% of traffic is now phone!). The
The 2024-25 annual national accounts from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed that the total value of residential land increased by 7.0% over the financial year to a record $8.3 trillion. Total residential land values in Australia have risen from 1.1 times GDP in 1989 to 3.0 times GDP in 2024–25. Land now accounts
With less than five weeks to go until the South Australian election, the Opposition Liberal Party has announced a stamp duty concession to help older homeowners downsize. It is not a full exemption but a one‑off $15,000 discount on stamp duty for eligible buyers. The concessions would be available to South Australians aged 55 and
Australia is experiencing a major economic shift driven by a decade-long surge in federal and state government spending: Economists claim government spending is now structurally reshaping the economy in a way comparable to the early‑2000s mining boom. Alex Joiner, chief economist at IFM Investors, clearly illustrates the shift from the mining boom to the government-spending
Apparently, Lenore Taylor, editor at the fake left Guardian, has jumped off the ship. Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor’s decision to step down this week after almost 10 years in the job wasn’t a shock. But the timing sure was. Announcing it at 5.30pm on a Tuesday? Leaving the business the following day? And staff hearing
The Australian Treasury set aside $35.7 million in contingent liabilities for defaults under the federal government’s 5% deposit scheme for home buyers in the mid-year budget update in December. Under this scheme, the Treasury guarantees 15% of first-home buyer mortgages, allowing homes to be purchased with only a 5% deposit without requiring lenders’ mortgage insurance.
Goldman believes that after accounting for seasonal fluctuations, the weighted average property price in the Chinese primary market decreased by 5.3% on an annualized basis in January, according to NBS 70-city data. Prices varied widely among city tiers. NBS and third-party platforms’ secondary market data indicate price decreases of 10% to 25% throughout the previous
On Thursday, I was interviewed by Mark Levy at Radio 2GB regarding Labor’s changes to the taxation of earnings on large superannuation balances. If passed by the Senate, the tax rate on superannuation accounts with balances between $3 million and $10 million will double to 30% from 1 July 2026. The tax rate on superannuation
NDX in for a test of the trading range. Charts from TME. The Sag7 does not look well. CTA uh oh. Bond volatility is on the rise. Which equities hate. The software route has not followed through on the squeeze. DEspite being cheap, cheap. The example of early AI casualties in India is instructive. No
Following the resignation of former Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley, her rural New South Wales seat of Farrer will go to a byelection. To say the situation is problematic for newly minted Liberal Party leader Angus Taylor would be an understatement. Instead of Ley remaining in parliament to see out her term or waiting until
The new opposition leader, whom we didn’t even bother reporting on, failed day one. “We have to do better, there’s no question about that,” he told Sky News on Sunday, adding in relation to Ley that he “sought to be a supporter of her leadership, every single day”. He said the opposition’s focus in the
The ferrous jaws are all but closed after a Friday flush. CISA early February data was out and was not good. We are well below 2025 output here, though the later CNY is playing a role. Steel inventories climbed 2.7%. As you can see, mills are about to pile it up over the Chinese New
I am an avid follower of leading Sydney auctioneer Tom Panos. I always watch his Saturday auction market report on YouTube for insight into the market’s pulse and developments in the real estate industry. In this weekend’s update, Panos took direct aim at the Albanese government’s rumoured changes to the capital gains tax (CGT) discount,
By Lucinda Jerogin, Associate Economist at CBA RBA appearances last week reinforced the cautious but hawkish leaning nature of the Monetary Policy Board. We continue to expect a 25bp rate hike in May to take the cash rate to 4.10%. The value of new housing loan commitments rose sharply in Q4 25 (+9.5%/qtr), driven higher
This week’s news that Sussan Ley has been rolled by Angus Taylor has largely been met by yawns. Who really cares? Nobody in their right mind thinks the Liberals are anywhere near being able to return as government. They are still redolent of the party in power, which did essentially nothing for three terms while
The latest interest rate hike from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has failed to dampen enthusiasm in the housing market. The final auction results from last week were solid, with 66% of the homes sold and February’s clearance rates rebounding from late last year: The momentum continued this weekend, despite a strong uplift in
For January, the Australian dollar was the key story. At an index level, Australian stocks rose 1.5%, but international stocks (largely due to the Australian dollar) fell 2.5%. Our funds were well-positioned for the change. Our core international fund bucked the trend to rise 1.9% for the month. Not holding as many US stocks helped,
International Reading: How Europe outsmarted US tariffs without escalating the conflict. – Cenrix Cuban Peso Hits Record Low as Life Grinds to a Halt, now trading at 500 peso per US dollar. – Hot Air Trump DOJ Launches Bunk Investigation Of Netflix Merger As a Favor To Larry Ellison – Tech Dirt The 45-year decline
There is a lot of paranoia about AI. And we should be worried about it taking jobs too quickly, worsening inequality and mental health effects. But you also need some perspective. Not everything AI-related is a cause for concern. Water is one. In my view, data centres using water are a local issue; their overall
The ‘Yes in My Backyard’ (YIMBY) movement has long argued that the solution to Australia’s crisis lies in upzoning our cities to permit high-rise apartments in more locations. YIMBYs often point to the Auckland Unitary Plan (AUP), implemented in 2016, which allowed the upzoning of approximately three-quarters of Auckland’s residential land area. The Grattan Institute
According to a recent analysis by social media creator statistics website Feed Spot, which breaks down the number of Only Fans Creators per country, the United States boasts the highest number with 1.1 million. This has led to quite a headline, with 1 in 315 Americans a creator on Only Fans. But when one starts
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday released monthly overseas arrivals and departures data for December, which continued to show strong growth in the number of people arriving and intending to stay in Australia for 12 months or more. In 2025, a net of 480,520 people arrived in Australia on a permanent or long-term
Charts from TME. Tech is in a spot of bother. Tech volatility is trending the wrong way. What is the problem? AI capex is insane. The market is now caught between concerns about the ROI of these hyperscalers and the impact that such capacity will have on all industries that can deploy AI apps. VIX
The Albanese government last year dumped its controversial proposal to tax unrealised gains on superannuation balances above $3 million without indexation. On Wednesday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to amend Division 296 and impose additional taxes on superannuation balances over $3 million, with thresholds indexed to inflation. If passed by the
A number of prominent Chinese economists have argued in favor of loosening restrictions on the movement of money into and out of the country. They argue that a weakening dollar presents a special opportunity to raise the value of the yuan abroad. According to Miao Yanliang and Ju Jiandong, this year and next represent a
I reported on Thursday on the record lift in mortgage commitments for first home buyers in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven by the Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit scheme, which came into effect on October 1, 2025. The December quarter of 2025 saw $19.310 billion in lending to first home buyers, an increase of
