The market share of Australia’s illegal tobacco trade is estimated to have risen from 29.6% in 2023 to 61% in 2025, according to tobacco industry sources. The growing cost of firebombings and ram-raids targeting tobacconists is reflected in the rising cost of premiums in the retailer sector. Master Grocers Australia’s CEO Martin Stirling notes that
The ferrous complex is struggling to keep its head above water as steel production remains too high, inventories are bulging, and prices keep falling. The market for iron ore is, I suspect, clinging to hope that Beijing will stimulate again. But anti-involution is crashing commodity-intensive capex activity. Only tech is booming. If Beijing sticks to
By Ashwin Clarke and Lucinda Jerogin, economists at CBA: Key Points: The price of gold has surged to new record highs this month, driven by safe-haven demand. Australia is the third largest producer of gold and will be a beneficiary of price improvements. Sustained higher gold prices will stimulate mining investment, as well as boost
The Market Ear on weird everywhere. Expensive BTD Retail has grabbed gold with both hands lately, especially on big down days. All articles on gold and silver from earlier today, here, here and here. Source: GS Upside pain? GS with a gentle reminder: 1. The average S&P 500 return from October 20th to December 31st is +4.16% since 1928.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke front ABC’s Insiders on the weekend, where he admitted that immigration “needed to come down” but lambasted the ‘far right’ for using immigration as a “dog whistle” to destabilise social cohesion. Burke’s salvo followed the release of two opinion polls in the previous week showing, yet again, that Australians do
Critical minerals are very energy-intensive to process. There are different processes using coal, gas, or electricity to roast, calcinate, separate, and leach, but most use gas. Lots of gas. How is Australia going to produce rare earths at scale with our gas prices? The agreement foresees and addresses this problem by creating a price-protected supply
Predictably, the censorship of Hellbourne has begun. There was a time when Melbourne prided itself on being the most liveable city in the world, tolerant, thoughtful, creative and diverse. We wore that badge with pride and spoke of it often with confidence, not arrogance. Ours was a city in which ideas, not ideology, competed. Where
When Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Hastie put out his recent political ad on social media lamenting the loss of Australia’s car industry and broader manufacturing capacity, it prompted a debate over whether or not it was worth pursuing an advanced manufacturing sector as a nation. In some ways, the debate has already been had
Cotality’s latest chart pack reported that the value of Australia’s residential housing stock has risen to $11.8 trillion spread across 11.4 million dwellings. As a result, the average dwelling in Australia is now valued at an extraordinary $1,035.000: Not surprisingly, then, a million-dollar price tag is becoming more common across Australia, with Cotality’s latest Million
Here is the problem. Anthony Albanese has publicly endorsed Kevin Rudd and confirmed Donald Trump told the Australian ambassador “all is forgiven” for the ambassador’s past criticism of the US President. The Prime Minister also confirmed Dr Rudd’s appointment as Ambassador to Washington was for a four-year period, which means he would stay in the