Blogotariat

Another Monday Message Board. Post comments on any topic. Civil discussion and no coarse language please. Side discussions and idees fixes to the sandpits, please.

I’m now using Substack as a blogging platform, and for my monthly email newsletter. For the moment, I’ll post both at this blog and on Substack. You can also follow me on Mastodon here.

Wall Street rebounded again on Friday night on renewed hope that the December rate cut maybe in play all due to the comments of Fed NY Chair Williams. This is going to probably lead to a significant lift on Asian share markets this morning, with SPI futures up at least 1% plus increased chances of

The post Macro Morning appeared first on MacroBusiness.

The rorting of Australia’s immigration system seems never-ending. In addition to the widespread rorting of the student and working holiday maker program and the blowout in asylum seeker claims and bridging visas, Australia’s partner visa program is also being ruthlessly rorted. In 2018, Dr Bob Birrell from the Australian Population Research Institute and former immigration

The EU has reportedly rejected the Ukraine peace deal drafted by the White House, putting forward its own set of conditions for a potential agreement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the announcement on Sunday as US officials were discussing Washington’s proposal with EU and Ukrainian representatives in Geneva, Switzerland.

The latest batch of auction and home price data suggests that the steam may be coming out of the nation’s housing market following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) decision to keep interest rates on hold. Cotality’s auction clearance rates have been moderating since September, which historically has been a leading indicator for price growth.

The post Australia’s housing market runs out of puff appeared first on MacroBusiness.

By Ashwin Clarke, Senior Economist at CBA Wages measured by the Wage Price Index rose by 0.8%/qtr held up by strength in state government enterprise agreements, in line with both our, consensus, and the RBA’s expectations. The annual rate remained at 3.4%. The Minutes of the November Monetary Policy Board meeting highlight the key questions

The post The economic week ahead appeared first on MacroBusiness.

Australia has joined a Colombian government initiative to plan a phase out of oil, gas and coal marking the strongest statement the government has made regarding the future of fossil fuels.

Calls for a "Consumer Duty" in Australia's energy market cannot ignore the 15,000 First Nations households who must rely on prepayment electricity meters.

Ukraine said Saturday that its officials will meet US counterparts in Switzerland to discuss Washington’s proposed peace plan. Kyiv will seek to push back against provisions that mirror some of Moscow’s toughest demands, while European leaders said the US plan "is a basis which will require additional work". 

European leaders say US plan for Ukraine 'requires additional work' ahead of Geneva talks

Hosting a UN climate summit should be about global cooperation on combating climate change. Australia’s bid for COP31 reveals how far COP has drifted.

The US is one big grift these days: the Trump Administration, traditional and social media, corporations, crypto, financial markets are all selling some kind of spurious promise. It’s hard to pick the most egregious example. But for me, it’s hard to go past Tesla. Having lost its dominant position in the electric car market, the company ought to be on the edge of delisting. Instead, its current market capitalisation is $US1.33 trillion ($A 2 trillion). Shareholders have just agreed on an incentive deal with Elon Musk, premised on the claim that he can take that number to $8.5 trillion.

Earlier this week, the American people were “reliably” informed by the left-wing press that the full grand jury that indicted disgraced former FBI Director James Comey did not see the final indictment.

As a very difficult decision is looming for Zelenskyy, the weight of history is making the choice for him. Carry on fighting and lose more territory [at a rate of 1,200 DEAD soldiers per day] — or go with Donald Trump 28 points plan for peace and accept the losses. Honest observers and serious military experts cannot expect a return to 1991. According to some expert:

1991 — Ukraine has a population of 55 million

2014 — Ukraine has a population of 44 million