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
In the modern Australian vocabulary, the term “third world” has generally been used with a negative connotation to describe part of the developing world, despite the term’s origin as meaning a nation not allied with the capitalist or communist blocs during the Cold War. Whether you take the term by its original definition or the
Earlier this month, housing minister Clare O’Neil boasted that the government’s expanded 5% deposit scheme, introduced on 1 October 2025, had ‘helped’ more than 100,000 people into the housing market. In reality, the scheme lured 100,000 first home buyers into debt to buy near the top of the market. Buyers have since endured four interest
The federal budget’s changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax (CGT) aimed to reduce investor demand for established housing, lowering prices without harming housing supply. Beginning July 1, 2027, investors can fully negative-gear only newly built homes. Effective July 1, 2027, the 50% CGT discount will be replaced by cost-based indexation (taxing only real
Won’t find a kind word from me about specufestors. But I am now wondering if we need hate speech laws to protect them against the Greens. Victorian landlords would need a license to rent out their homes under a new policy call from the stateās Greens party as an election looms. The party noted it
CBA’s economics team has produced an analysis of the AI data centre boom across Australia, based on the latest construction data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). In the June quarter of 2026 alone, the data centre project pipeline grew by 20.1%. This followed a 62.6% surge in the March quarter and places the
New South Wales can see the writing on the wall. NSW will use a scheme designed to subsidise the development of renewable energy generation to build new gas power plants as early as next year, a decision that puts the countryās largest state at odds with the Albanese governmentās reluctance to underwrite new gas generation.
Financial markets have priced in a one-in-three chance that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will increase the cash rate again in November. This would increase the average mortgage interest rate to about 6.75%. Even if the RBA doesn’t hike in November, financial markets have fully priced in another hike later.Ā Almost half of economists surveyed
TME with the note. The volatility paradox Index volatility is collapsing. Bond volatility is surging. Single-stock dispersion is approaching historic extremes. Yet beneath the surface, positioning is becoming increasingly complicated. Hedge funds remain remarkably underexposed, systematic investors have rebuilt exposure, and demand for upside options is accelerating even as index volatility remains near multi-year lows.
War headlines overnight. Houthis bomb Riyadh again. Air blockade developing. MBS hiding in a bunker. Iran rejects US concessions. The Iranian attack cadence keeps increasing. Windward say a better day as STS flows increase, which makes sense given VLCC ‘s are big fat burning targets. VLCC rates are mad. Shipping crude costs have risen up
In the ongoing debate over the right level of migration into Australia, there have been a great many narratives trotted out in an attempt to make a case that the status quo is perfectly fine. From the arguments based on migrants working in the healthcare and aged/disability sector, to the claimed disproportionate migrant tradies building
Coalition leader Angus Taylor defended the party’s proposed immigration cuts on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, claiming they were necessary to raise productivity and living standards. Taylor argued Australia’s migration system should be focused on attracting workers with skills that increase productivity, rather than relying on population growth to drive economic activity. “We are reducing the
On 1 October, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese boasted on social media that banning card surcharges at stores would save Australians $1.6 billion a year: “Every time you tap, those little surcharges add up. Right now, they’re costing Aussies $1.6 billion each and every year”. “But from today, they’re banned”. Saving you money every time you
Newspoll has dispensed with two-party preferred polling since February this year, nominally owing to the rise of One Nation but probably because the Murdoch press finds it too painful to produce a weekly poll that describes Labour’s one-party state like a metronome. Today’s Newspoll is no different. More than one in two Australians want Anthony
Australia’s immigration system is overwhelmingly geared towards lower-skilled workers. Every skilled permanent visa class allows the primary applicant to include a spouse/partner and dependent children as secondary applicants. Even though they are counted in the skilled stream, secondary applicants do not need a skills assessment, meet occupation list requirements, a points test, or meet minimum
TME has the extremes. Extreme markets: The AI takeover The numbers are becoming extraordinary. AI now dominates US equity returns, earnings growth and investment spending. Meanwhile, most stocks are struggling, active managers face an increasingly difficult benchmark and the broader economy is becoming more dependent on a single investment cycle. But the story is getting
It has been a year since the Albanese government introduced its 5% deposit scheme for first home buyers, which lets them buy a home with only a 5% deposit, with taxpayers guaranteeing 15% of the purchase price and avoiding lendersā mortgage insurance. Housing Minister Clare OāNeil posted a message on social media celebrating that Laborās
Chinese property had a poo-brown holiday. No stimmies. Steel output is eeek. Demand not quite so horrible. The iron ore price appears to be holding the $90 line. But once adjusted for war freight costs, it is at $83.69 and falling daily. In fact, adjusting for grade brings it closer to the budget price forecast.
War headlines today. Iran accelerates Hormuz attacks, crushing oil flows. Trump readies pre-midterm strikes to preempt Iranian preemption. Houthis rain hell on Saudi airports. Yanbu resumes exports to Europe. Russia releases diesel nothingburger. Last week witnessed the largest number of Iranian ship attacks since the war started. Over the weekend, four more occurred, including in
In the commentary from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and other senior members of the government, the idea that the government is doing it tough because of X or Y issues stemming from external factors such as the war in the Middle East is often put forward as to why the economy or
State budgets are the biggest losers from what is shaping up to be the nation’s greatest housing correction in modern history. The biggest impact won’t come from falling dwelling prices but from a collapse in sales volume. According to Cotality, national home sales fell by 17.4% over the three months to September, including: Brisbane: -26.3%
The Reserve Bank’s latest interest rate hike has dealt a hammer blow to the property market. After last week’s final national auction clearance plunged to only 45.4%, the softest result since 19 July 2026, this week’s results are not much better. This weekend’s preliminary clearance rate was only 48.8%, a slight rise from last week
Below is CBA economist Lucinda Jerogin’s round-up of this week’s economic data: Key points: Australian consumer sentiment fell 4.7% in October to be among the weakest level since survey records began in the early 1970s. Building activity data showed residential activity strengthened in Q2 with commencements up 7.0%/qtr and completions rising 5.8% to their highest
For decades, the 60/40 portfolio was one of investing’s simplest solutions. Hold 60% in shares for growth and 40% in bonds for stability. When shares struggled, bonds were often there to cushion the blow. The challenge is that this relationship isn’t guaranteed. Since 2022, investors have had a harsh reminder that shares and bonds can
International Reading: $234 Billion In Student Loans Are Now In Default, And Things Are About To Get Worse – Forbes Inflation on many everyday items was entirely due to tariffs, NY Fed says – CNBC The āAmerican dreamā just hit a staggering new price tag – Fast Company Trump says he doesn’t want Iran deal
The Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) Integrated System Plan (ISP) is supposed to be a long-term roadmap for the National Electricity Market (NEM), outlining the least-cost pathway for generation, storage, and transmission to meet Australiaās energy needs and net zero emissions targets through 2050. The problem is that the ISP is a fantasy document, chock-full
