238 Results

The Productivity Commission last week issued the first of what will be an annual examination of our productivity performance, and despite scattered reports about how it has worsened and likely to continue to worsen, the real story from the Commission’s report is that we don’t yet have the real story on this issue.

Forget the problems of a strong currency — suddenly the dollar is a symbol of national economic virility, write Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.

As Europe’s banks have faltered, ours have soared. The Commonwealth Bank briefly became Australia’s biggest company this week — a moment worth reflecting on.

According to the tone of two speeches by RBA officials today, the central bank is happy to keep the cash rate at 3% for the foreseeable future.

Rio Tinto is over-exposed to iron ore prices that have collapsed over the last 12 months — just like the Australian economy. David Llewellyn-Smith of MacroBusiness wonders if there’s any way out.

Uemployment is steady at 5.4%, data out today shows. All eyes are now on the Aussie dollar, to see if it will continue to drift downwards — to the aid of a sluggish economy.

Labor’s commitment to manufacturing differentiates it from the Coalition on economic policy, but both sides will face the same challenge no matter who wins the election. Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer report.

Australians are less pessimistic about the economy than last year, today’s Essential Report finds, but partisanship affects the way we feel — including about Australia Day.

When interest rates are low, it stands to reason, expected growth in the economy is waning. Which doesn’t inspire anyone to take a punt on growth assets, writes market analyst Catherine Cashmore at Property Observer.

The government’s promise to return a surplus this year was silly and made little economic sense, writes economist Professor John Quiggin. There are much more important issues to debate.

The latest OECD report on the Australian economy is positive towards many government policies, but makes some politically unpalatable suggestions about future reform. Is the hand of Treasury at work here?

New data on retail sales and import/export trade are unlikely to affect the Reserve Bank’s thinking ahead of tomorrow’s crucial interest rates meeting.

Ideological warriors accusing the government of mishandling the economy should take a look at the data from recent decades — how do they explain away the apparent good times?

The RBA is now focused on stimulating the economy as the mining investments boom fades over the next two years. Crikey cuts through the commentary for the real clues.

Tony Abbott’s recent rumination on what it would take to fit big Labor spending initiatives into the budget had economists scratching their heads. Crikey’s Get Fact Australia tests his theories.

The OECD overnight delivered a somewhat sober assessment of world economic prospects but the Australian economy again emerged from the review as one of the developed world’s rare economic success stories.