Everything is awesome again as Asian share markets rebound following a fake news rally on Wall Street overnight but looking through the bounceback its more than apparent that everything remains decidedly on edge, particularly with the growing trade war between China and the US. The USD lost ground against all the majors in the correlated
Forget the cost-of-living crisis. Forget the housing crisis. Forget the energy market. The biggest single factor that will determine the upcoming federal election is US President Donald J Trump. President Trump’s posturing has single-handedly rescued Canada’s incumbent Liberal progressive government from electoral annihilation, gifting it an election-winning lead. The Trump effect is also the biggest
This is not about coal or renewables. It is about gas. The Callide B power station in central Queensland will stay open for up to three years longer than its planned closure date and the life of the state’s other coal-fired generators will also be extended under a major policy shift by the Crisafulli government
Over the weekend, Liberal leader Peter Dutton announced that a Coalition government would cap international student numbers to 25% of an individual university’s enrolments if elected. Dutton claims that his changes across universities and VET would slash international student numbers by about 80,000 enrolments, ease the housing crisis, and help regional universities. As expected, the
For the second month in a row stock markets have tumbled in the first week of the month. As such, last month’s performance is far less meaningful than current conditions. Our pitch to investors is that we want to lean into the cycle. Sell some stocks when they seem overvalued, switch into bonds, then buy
By Stephen Saunders Surely, Labor can’t just run on their dismal record. What a tissue of lies. If they keep inciting and exploiting Trump Derangement Syndrome, that might work better. Running Treasury’s line, Albanese Labor’s first-term bedtime-story is oft repeated. Caring-and-sharing Labor stands for budget repair, inflation fighting, the million jobs, growing wages, cost-of-living relief,
The ferrous complex had an unhappy day with steel prices murdered and SGX iron ore down to $94. I liquidated my iron ore shorts yesterday at a tidy profit. The latest CISA data rolled over seasonally and appears poised to drop year on year. Meanwhile, fresh from BHP reading iron ore its last rites by
The Trump administration’s tariffs and the associated stock market rout have had an immediate negative impact on Australian consumer sentiment. Westpac’s Consumer Sentiment Index dropped 6% to 90.1 in April, falling to a six-month low. Sentiment was 10% lower amongst those surveyed following the US tariff announcement. Perversely, consumers were less confident on the prospect
Victoria has the highest per capita state debt and the nation’s lowest (AA+) credit rating. Victoria also has the worst debt trajectory in the nation, according to ratings agency S&P Global. A new report card from the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) has ranked Victoria as the highest taxing state in Australia, with state taxes
Always too hawkish, Wazza McKibbin is too hawkish again today. Modelling by Australian National University economist Warwick McKibbin and KPMG chief economist Brendan Rynne, released separately on Monday, found Trump’s tariffs would cause the Australian dollar to depreciate, sparking a near-term resurgence in inflationary pressures and putting pressure on household budgets. McKibbin, a former Reserve