Insights, 24 Jan 2025

Australia’s Post-Pandemic Job Vacancy High

Spotlight on Australia - January 2025

Vacancies have more than doubled for some Australian industries since just before the pandemic. Companies just can’t get enough workers! This is despite rising interest rates and a slowing economy. The situation is similar in the US, however, ther...

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Insights, 19 Dec 2024

EVs finally taking off in Australia

Spotlight On Australia - December 2024

Australia is a clear leader when it comes to the adoption of rooftop solar, with 1-in-3 homes having installed rooftop solar. However, Australia is lagging when it comes to the adoption of EVs. In 2023, Norway led the world with EVs comprising 93% of al...

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Insights, 02 Dec 2024

Trump Tariffs and Australia

Chart of the Month - November 2024

The world is holding its breath as it waits to see what President-Elect Donald Trump will actually do with tariffs. But we have seen this movie before. Trump introduced tariffs in his first term, on steel, aluminum, solar panels, and washing machines; A...

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Insights, 26 Nov 2024

How Advanced is Australia’s Economy?

Spotlight on Australia - November 2024

Many people believe Australia is rich because it can sell endless amounts of coloured dirt like iron ore and coal. When it comes to trade, there is nothing too complex about what Australia exports. However, Australia is no mining backwater. It has the s...

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Insights, 31 Oct 2024

Australia's Rare-Earth Mineral

Australian Spotlight - October 2024

When you think of Rare-Earth Minerals (REMs), you probably think of China but did you know that Australia ranks 5th in the world for its proven reserves of REMs with over 3x the reserves of the US? These reserves will be critical in meeting rising futur...

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Insights, 19 Sep 2024

Blackstone bets big on Australia

Australian Spotlight - September 2024

When the world’s biggest alternative asset manager, USD 1.1 trillion AUM, makes some big bets on Australia, the world takes notice. Over 13 years, Blackstone has invested USD 17 billion in Australia. However, a single new investment announced ...

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Insights, 05 Sep 2024

Sun Worshippers

Chart of the Month - September 2024

“Sunbaker” Max Dupain’s 1938 photo captures Australians’ love of the sun. But this love affair has a dark side. Australia does not lead the world in terms of solar UV exposure but it does lead the world in the incidence of UV...

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Insights, 26 Aug 2024

Riding the wave of LNG Exports

Australian Spotlight - August 2024

Many see LNG as a bridge to greener energy. Less emissions than coal and more reliable than wind and solar. For Australia it has come out of nowhere to be a golden bridge. But there is debate over how long that bridge will stretch. It may end sooner tha...

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Insights, 21 Aug 2024

Australia's golden moment

Chart of the Month - August 2024

The Red Hot Chilli Peppers grabbed the mic at the handover ceremony marking the end of the Paris Olympics. But Australia is still basking in the glow of its greatest gold medal haul ever. Australia won 18 gold surpassing its previous record of 17 from th...

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Insights, 25 Jul 2024

The ASX 200 breaks the 8,000 barrier

Australian Spotlight - July 2024

At 10:08 am (AEST) on 15 July 2024, the ASX 200 broke the 8,000 barrier for the first time (see chart below). But unlike the breaking of the 7,000 mark in January 2020, it was more of a raspberry than a bugle call. There is too much uncertainty around t...

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Insights, 17 Jul 2024

Lets hear it for R-Star

Chart of the Month - July 2024

No, r-star doesn’t stand for “rock star”! Rather, it is the official cash rate that has a neutral impact on an economy: neither contractionary nor expansionary. It is critical for both central bankers and investors. R-star is the i...

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Insights, 04 Jul 2024

Swimming Nude

Economic Update - June 2024

Tourist and alternative lifestyle mecca Byron Bay may be getting stripped of its nudist beach but it is the RBA that is getting embarrassed by larger than expected figures! Meanwhile, the EU has started cutting, the US remains on course for cuts, Japan ...

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Insights, 01 Jul 2024

Australia’s quantum computing leap

Australian Spotlight - June 2024

ChatGPT is dominating public attention but behind the scenes there is arguably a bigger computer revolution brewing. If the potential of quantum computing is realised, all current cryptography will be made obsolete and meteorological models could dramat...

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Insights, 10 Jun 2024

Australia's new green bonds

Chart of the Month - June 2024

Something new, something green! On June 3, Australia’s federal government issued its first-ever green bond: AUD 7 billion (see chart below). It was oversubscribed three-times over. While it represents a small start compared to total treasury bonds...

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Insights, 04 Jun 2024

Yielding to reality

Economic Update - May 2024

US consumers seem more Garfield than Furiosa at the moment with some good news on the inflation and consumer confidence fronts in May. Inflation may not be so sticky in the US after all? The Fed Reserve is however still talking tough. Inflation is still...

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Insights, 31 May 2024

Australia’s “super” retirement funds

Australian Spotlight -- May 2024

Ageing populations can be a real drag. A drag on government finances, debt, and economic growth. Many countries with fast ageing populations look to the future with foreboding. Australia however is doing better than most. Thanks to government foresight ...

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