Yesterday
Why the economy needs five things to go right in 2024
From inflation to the stage three tax cuts, there’s a raft of risks ahead in the new year.
- Ronald Mizen
This Month
- Opinion
- Global economy
Three lessons from my 50 years of forecasting
Confession: my crystal ball has been cracked countless times by purportedly unprecedented developments.
- Updated
- Stephen Roach
War, elections and tariffs threaten the global economy in 2024
More than 2 billion people in roughly 50 countries will head to the polls in 2024 amid mounting geopolitical tensions.
- Patricia Cohen
10 long reads for the weekend
Welcome to the weekend. To start off your day, we’ve curated 10 great reads to enjoy.
- Opinion
- Bonds
A Christmas gift from the bond market
There’s no real reason for yields to have plunged since October, argues Paul Krugman: “My guess is that we’re mainly looking at market psychology.”
- Paul Krugman
Fed’s preferred inflation gauges cool, reinforcing rate-cut tilt
The core personal consumption expenditures price index increased 0.1pc from a month earlier; the overall PCE price index declined for the first time since 2020.
- Augusta Saraiva
Wall Street’s economic doomsayers see US recession around corner
Forecasters at Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and Wells Fargo Securities are among those reiterating pessimistic predictions.
- Steve Matthews and Katia Dmitrieva
US inflation report to show Fed’s battle all but complete
A monthly report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis is poised to cement the case for lower interest rates in the coming quarters.
- Matthew Boesler
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Latest legal trial shows Trump still has to be defeated politically
Democrats need to realise that the pursuit of the former president through the courts only serves to fire up his never-say-never base.
- The AFR View
Cost-of-living crunch adds urgency to Christmas charity appeals
Charities are reporting a dip in the number of donations amid a heightened need for support.
- Gus McCubbing
UK inflation slows more than forecast, fuelling rate-cut bets
Consumer prices rose 3.9 per cent from a year earlier, down from 4.6 per cent in October, according to the latest monthly data.
- Tom Rees and Lucy White
Surprise fall in UK services inflation may hold key to rate cuts
Economists expect services inflation to continue subsiding, pushed lower by the drop in energy prices, the weakening jobs market and lacklustre demand.
- Tom Rees
Manufacturing sector mood hits lowest level since the GFC
A net 41 per cent of manufacturers expect conditions to worsen during the next six months, according to the ACCI-Westpac industrial trends survey.
- Michael Read
- Opinion
- Inflation
Beware economists who won’t admit they were wrong
From an economic point of view, 2023 will go down in the record books as one of the best years ever.
- Paul Krugman
RBA warns it may raise rates again, but markets predict cuts
Markets doubt the central bank will deliver any more rate rises, despite warning it may need to deliver another increase if inflation remains high.
- Michael Read
- Opinion
- Australian economy
Tip private schools out of boardrooms for a more productive Australia
Favouring the wealthy over innate talent in the education system is no way to filter what a country’s human capital might have to offer.
- Adrian Blundell-Wignall
Fed officials add to chorus pushing back against rate-cut bets
Chicago Fed president Austan Goolsbee said he was surprised by the outsize market reaction to the Fed’s updated quarterly economic projections last week.
- Catarina Saraiva
Labor starts long-term migration planning amid population boom
The inaugural ministerial migration roundtable comes amid growing concern about record numbers of foreign arrivals.
- Michael Read
- Exclusive
- Health insurance
Labor rejects 6pc rise in health insurance premiums
Health Minister Mark Butler has rejected a request to lift premiums by 4 to 6 per cent, as Labor tries to quell voter discontent over cost of living pressures.
- Updated
- Michael Read
- Exclusive
- Chanticleer CEO poll
CEOs warn red tape, higher rates holding back investment
The country’s top energy and resources leaders say stresses from higher financing costs are being compounded by activism and unfriendly government policies.
- James Thomson and Anthony Macdonald