Blogotariat

We had some minor damage to the roof from the cyclone earlier this year, and I put a claim in to our insurers, who’ve been outstanding, including telling us there was a lot more damage from a previous storm up there that we weren't aware of. They said they’d repair that too, because apparently I made a previous claim out of that storm as well. That was nice of them. They could’ve just kept that to themselves.

They've had all sorts of trouble contacting me though, because my phone is now just a giant funnel for scammers trying to extract credit card details, bank login details, whatever and ever amen.

Lifting Australian defence spending is a policy no-brainer. Our security environment is rapidly deteriorating as China turns to bellicose assertion of its interests via a large blue-water navy. Ignoring the recent missile drills by a Chinese nuclear-capable flotilla minutes off Sydney is ridiculous. We need a credible threat to respond to such activity, or every

The post Australia must lift defence spending appeared first on MacroBusiness.

The Market Ear on the inflating bubble. Crazy can get crazier Even at all-time highs, markets still seem to have firepower left. Systematic buyers are stepping in, retail is betting on AI small caps, and hedge fund net length remains below peak. We’re not saying it’s rational—but in the land of melt-ups, “crazy can get

The post The bubble is back appeared first on MacroBusiness.

Earlier this year, the Albanese government pledged more than $800 million in production subsidies for a green hydrogen project in remote Western Australia. This formed part of the federal government’s $8.7 billion war chest to create incentives for green hydrogen. Labor’s Future Made in Australia (FMIA) plan, revealed in 2024, included a $6.7 billion budget

The post Green hydrogen dream turns taxpayer nightmare appeared first on MacroBusiness.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered a fiery address, accusing the West—particularly Germany and the United States—of stoking conflict with Russia through unchecked military support for Ukraine. Speaking during a high-profile interview, Lavrov declared that "Russia is once again forced to fight alone" against a hostile collective West, drawing historical parallels with past invasions by Napoleon and Hitler.

The broken-record business lobby has called on the federal government to lower Australia’s corporate tax rate. Business Council of Australia (BCA) President Geoff Culbert claimed that Australia’s 30% corporate tax rate is the third-highest among wealthy nations in the OECD and has made Australia uncompetitive and lowered invetment and productivity. “Our corporate tax rate is

It was a better day for the ferrous complex as it awaits the July Polibuo meeting, likely on July 31. The underpinnings of demand are still poor. Where official figures can mislead, PBoC surveys are better. Goldman. PBOC released its Q1 and Q2 surveys of bank loan officers, enterprises, and urban depositors on July 25,

The post Iron ore sucked down with Chinese Titanic appeared first on MacroBusiness.

I was on the mat at jujitsu last week, working out a technique with another black belt, learning how to flow from one move to the next. After only two or three minutes of getting into and out of position, up and down, I was puffed. Properly struggling for breath. It was both a bit of a shock and not surprising at all.

A shock because, at 60, I’ve spent years taking my fitness seriously, and I’m in comparatively good shape. But not surprising either, because for the last couple of months, I’ve been constrained in my training—especially cardio—thanks to a bunch of skin cancer treatments.

So says Deutsche. AUD has risen to be the second-best performer in the G10 on a trade-weighted basis since we turned long in the May Blueprint(Figure1). Our more upbeat view has reflected two key factors. 1.Fundamental support was finally turning: the worst had passed for China and broader risk sentiment, and the domestic Australian economy

The post Brakes off the Australian dollar appeared first on MacroBusiness.

Juliette Millbank and Mathew Charles-Jones from Totally Renewable Yackandandah reflect on why batteries are not the best starting point for many communities.

Perhaps Nero didn’t play the fiddle as Rome burned, as it’s often alleged. But he certainly stands as one of the worst Roman emperors.Born in 37 C.E. as Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, Nero rose to power after the death of his stepfather, Claudius, in 54 C.E. It’s been alleged that Nero’s mother, Agrippina the Younger, had a hand in her husband’s death — possibly by feeding him poisoned mushrooms — in order to ensure her son’s ascendency.

The US cannot sell any Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Australia without doubling its production rate, because it is making too few for its own defence, the navy’s nominee for chief of operations has told Congress.

There are “no magic beans” to boosting the US’s sclerotic shipbuilding capacity, Admiral Daryl Caudle said in frank evidence before a Senate committee.