According to the OECD, Australia has the smallest manufacturing sector relative to its economy in the developed world. As a result, Australia is also the least self-sufficient economy in the developed world. The latest Harvard Atlas of Economic Complexity, which measures the diversity and knowledge intensity of a country’s export mix, ranked Australia 102nd out of
Asian share markets are having a buoyant session across the region on the back of the “just okay” US jobs report from Friday night and some further indication that the Federal Reserve is likely to keep easing while the ECB and BOE look set to finish or have already done so. This has also given
All one really needs to be seen to be smart is Australia’s is to be loudest. That is the repuation at RBA press conferences of Warren Hogan, bullhawk and bullhorn. He has been Australia’s loudest and most persistent bullhawk. Until now. …at the heart of our productivity problem is a collapse in the efficiency of
The waste of space formerly known as the media had a good laugh at your expense over the weekend, that you can still afford or want to pay $7 for a coffee. SMH. Coffee roasters and baristas are the unsung heroes of Sydney hospitality. It takes a special person – part scientist, part artist, and
Friday night saw the release of the latest US jobs print – the non-farm payrolls or NFP for May – which came in on expectations although revisions and internal numbers show building weakness from the start of the year. Wall Street didn’t care and bid across the board mainly due to relief that it wasn’t
The Abanese government this week looked set to make some sensible policy compromises before performing a 180-degree turn and fumbling the ball. Gas Policy: The Rudd/Gillard Labor government in the early 2010s made the fateful decision to approve LNG exports out of Gladstone, QLD, without requiring gas producers to supply the domestic market first. This
The Albanese government has engaged in a full-court press of housing disinformation. Last week, Labor’s new Productivity Minister Andrew Leigh wrote the following spin in The AFR: “The federal government is doing our part. Through the National Housing Accord, we’re working with the states and territories to build 1.2 million homes over five years. We’ve
Picture this. Our world. This is the world that the average Australian lives in. They drive basic cars, they pay rates, registrations, and energy bills, they have kids at schools, and they generally spend disturbingly large chunks of their weekly incomes to service a mortgage or rent. Then they go to a grocery store and
The past few months have seen Australia’s auction market roar back to life. Last week, the national final auction clearance rate recorded its highest level since July 2024, with just over 66% of homes taken to auction selling. The following chart clearly illustrates the bounce in clearance rates, with higher auction clearances typically leading to
DXY held on Friday night. AUD could not break higher. Lead boots still plodding upwards. Gold sagged. Oil bounce looks technical to me. Metals no bueno. Big bear rolls on. EM maybe. Junk meh. Yields up. Stocks upper. The US jobs report was a Goldilocks scenario, so it did not change the trends. Total nonfarm