Every era has its key resource. In the Bronze Age it was tin, and in the 20th century it was oil. As we move into the AI era, data centres are emerging as the key resource, and Australia ranks eighth in the world for the number of data centres as of Mar ...
Learn moreGeorge Miller’s Mad Max movies are set in the post-apocalyptic Australian outback. We are thankfully a long way from that dystopia, but the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is starting to affect the Australian economy, from empty petrol stations to ...
Learn morePolitics overshadowed the economy in January. Fears of an AI bubble gave way to fears over Venezuela, Greenland, Iran, and Minnesota. However, economics cannot be ignored, and the month ended with the announcement of a new Fed chair, falling gold and si ...
Learn moreThe RBA raised interest rates by 25 bps to 3.85%. It was a unanimous decision. Recent inflation and employment data were hotter than the surface of the courts at the Australian Open! The RBA had signalled at its last meeting that it might need to ra ...
Learn moreGovernment interest payments on public debt will be a hot topic in 2026. As the income tax cuts from Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act come into force, attention will again turn to the sustainability of US debt. Japanese interest payments will also g ...
Learn moreChina has cornered the critical mineral market. This has sent the US, Europe, and Australia scrambling to secure critical mineral supply and refining. Australia has committed AUD 1.2 billion for a critical minerals strategic reserve and AUD 7 billion fo ...
Learn moreThe RBA kept interest rates unchanged at 3.6%. It was a unanimous decision. And so it came to pass that the last two higher than expected monthly inflation indicators begot a higher than expected September-quarter inflation result. And the RBA gover ...
Learn moreAustralia has found its golden fleece. As the price of gold has increased over 110% over the last five years, the value of Australia’s gold exports has almost tripled. Gold is now Australia’s second-largest export by value. While the val ...
Learn moreThe RBA kept interest rates unchanged at 3.6%. It was a unanimous decision. The RBA gets nervous when data comes in higher or lower than their forecasts. Since the last Monetary Policy Board meeting on 11-12 August, June-quarter GDP, the July monthl ...
Learn moreWhether it be from US pressure, the need to support Ukraine, or a flexing China, western governments are cranking up their defence spending. Australia is no different. Meanwhile, investors sense an opportunity. Stocks such as Germany’s Rheinmetall ...
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