Business
The economy
Short-term pain but economists predict long-term gain for Melbourne CBD
The effects of COVID will linger, according to the City of Melbourne’s latest economic forecast, before a long-term bounce back for the CBD.
- by Noel Towell
Latest
Opinion
Global economy
China’s economy is cooling rapidly and Australia could feel the chill
China’s economy is confronting many challenges, some of its own making. How it deals with them will have flow-on effects to the rest of the world and, most particularly, Australia.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize winners make economics more useful, not a math parlour game
It turns out that, in economics, maths – like technology and much else – can be used for good or ill.
- by Ross Gittins
The world’s rich and powerful are stashing $674b in this unlikely US tax haven
South Dakota is the home of Mount Rushmore and cattle and pigs outnumber the citizens by a factor of six. It is also a favourite place for the wealthy to store their assets.
- by Anders Melin
NSW is on the rebound from lockdown. But how strong will the recovery be?
Sydney marked the end of lockdowns with a blast of consumption. But for some businesses the relief was tinged with caution.
- by Matt Wade and Lucy Cormack
Opinion
Climate policy
The ‘net’ in net zero emissions offers a huge temptation to cheat
We won’t get to zero emissions without the ‘net’, but that’s hard and presents us with a great temptation to turn the whole exercise into a rort.
- by Ross Gittins
China’s spiralling property crisis leaves millions in limbo
As Evergrande’s cranes and hammers stop in cities across China, some 1.6 million homebuyers remain waiting for their apartments.
- by Alexandra Stevenson and Joy Dong
‘It will dwarf coal’: NSW plan seen as a ‘leap forward’ for hydrogen
Australia’s biggest hydrogen developers have thrown their support behind the NSW government’s plan to offer $3 billion in incentives for green hydrogen projects.
- by Nick Toscano and Nick O'Malley
Exclusive
Online shopping
Lockdown boom for online giants as bricks and mortar stores lag
‘Pure play’ online retailers such as Amazon and eBay have been popular with locked-down shoppers in Sydney and Melbourne
- by Matt Wade
Silver medal: Elon Musk trolls Jeff Bezos as his lead builds as the world’s richest person
Elon Musk’s wealth has continued to surge, building his lead over Jeff Bezos as the world’s richest person - and he doesn’t mind reminding his rival about the current standings.
- by Scott Gleeson and USA Today
Opinion
Corporate ethics
How flimflam politicians cultivate a culture of business greed
A culture has developed that business’ contribution to the economy is so heroic that behaving with honour and even obeying penny-fogging laws is optional.
- by Ross Gittins