Commentators like Greg Jericho from The Australia Institute argue that the Howard Government’s decision to halve the rate of capital gains tax (CGT) in 1999 was the primary driver of Australia’s house price boom and affordability crisis: While there are good reasons to reduce the CGT discount on equity and budget sustainability grounds (explained here),
Société Générale uses options markets to read psychological pivots for precious metals. Gold:Fast up, fast down.As we wrote last week, we remain bullish on gold as we believe the fundamental rationale for precious upside remains despite one area of uncertainty being removed–namely lower Fed institutional chaos. We always believe a correction can be very healthy.
We have repeatedly warned that Victoria is headed toward financial ruin. Victoria has the highest per capita debt and the lowest credit rating among the states. In November, the Victorian Auditor-General warned that debt, deficits, and infrastructure cost blowouts pose long-term dangers to the state’s financial viability. Victoria’s liabilities currently surpass $150 billion, with debt
Bondi was horrific, but it was not this. Naveed Akram has appeared in court for the first time since allegedly committing Australia’s worst terror attack. “Australia’s worst terror attack” was the Bali bombings, which took 88 Australian lives and 202 lives altogether. It clearly targeted Australians. This is deliberate misinformation. It’s wrong, politicised, and disrespectful
Following the leadership spill that saw then Opposition Leader Sussan Ley lose the leadership of the Liberal Party and, by extension, the Coalition, there were swift allegations that it was driven by sexism, that it took 80 years for the Liberal Party to have its first leader and that her time came to a rather
China is closed for CNY for a week. SGX is closed for two days. Steel profits have improved, and we will probably see a decent rebound in output post-holiday. However, I expect this will only serve to drive steel prices lower amid stalling (and contracting) steel export growth plus weak domestic demand. On the supply
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