Failing US ambassador Kevin Rudd yesterday met with failing foreign affairs minister Penny Wong. Here is the happy couple responsible for a sharp deterioration in the US alliance. A nastier pair of beearches you are unlikely to meet. The failed Rudd now requires the support of the foreign minister to get his job done. Penny
When the word freedom comes to mind in our collective consciousness, it can be interpreted in a number of different ways. It can be an expression of one’s ability to share their ideas or views freely, or it can relate to one’s capability to go about one’s day unimpeded by a Draconian state. But there
In the run up to the latest Australian retail sales data analysts were expecting a sizable +0.4% month on month bounce, after April saw nominal retail sales fall by 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis. In reality, retail sales rose by just 0.18% in May, marking yet another weak report for the nation’s retail economy.
At the recent World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting at Tianjin, China, Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledged that China will become a “consumption powerhouse” capable of fuelling domestic and global growth. “This will make China a mega-sized consumption powerhouse, on top of being a manufacturing powerhouse,” Li said “We are on track to become a
Via the ABS today. Building approvals are still garbage. Total dwellings approved rose 3.2% to 15,212. Private sector houses rose 0.5% to 9,454 and private sector dwellings excluding houses rose 11.3%, to 5,571. The value of total residential building rose 3.6%, to $9.28b. The value of total non-residential building fell 22.4%, to $6.16b. At this
The Market Ear on a down day. Violent moves Under the hood pain is huge today. DeepSeek déjà vu anyone? UBS writes: “There has been a big momentum unwind with the UBS basket (UBPTMOMO) -5.7%, which is the biggest move since January with the long leg selling off (-3.8%) and short leg squeezing (+1.9%). There is
As Australia continues to shed its industrial base, the US is rebuilding. Morgan Stanley with the note. US Reshoring Momentum Is Outpacing Early Expectations Our US Industrials analysts note that May US manufacturing construction starts sustained the strength seen in April, and activity is tracking at ~2x the pre-Covid run rate. The average project size
As the gas cartel unleashes another energy shock… There is nothing it will not destroy in due course. We can no longer make plastics, nor glass, nor many forms of steel. Soon it will be any and every metal processing as well. AFR. The chief executive of Nyrstar Australia says the metal processor urgently needs
DXY eased lower. AUD higher. Lead boots too. Will gold have another crack? Metals paused. EM meh. Junk rejection. Short end sold on the passage of Trump Big Beautifil Bill. Stocks sold in EOFY. Deutsche says the hiccup in US capital flows is very large indeed. The US trade numbers have been very volatile in
Wall Street took a step back after the US Senate passed the Billionaire Tax Bonus Bill while the Trump regime waved off concerns that not even a single nation has done a trade deal coming up to the July 9th deadline. Meanwhile Fed Chair Powell said they would have cut already if not for those