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    Andrew Forrest has scaled back Fortescue’s green hydrogen ambitions.

    Don’t put all energy transition eggs in one green basket

    The energy revolution is producing militant evangelists and sceptics of individual technologies. Andrew Forrest’s hydrogen retreat shows policymakers need to be more open-minded.

    • 24 mins ago
    • The AFR View
    The Albanese government should deregister the CFMEU.

    On CFMEU, Albo must emulate Hawke

    Anthony Albanese has the opportunity to follow the example of Bob Hawke, who knew a thing or two about trade unions and industrial relations, and grasp the nettle of deregistering the corrupt union.

    • 1 hr ago
    • Roger Gyles

    Rate rise chances grow as employment jumps

    The market is pricing in a one-in-five possibility that the RBA will increase the cash rate when it meets next month, after strong jobs numbers in June.

    • Updated
    • Michael Read
    Homeowner pain. About one in 40 owner-occupiers with loan-to-value ratios above 80 per cent were more than 90 days behind on their mortgage in May.

    One in 40 highly indebted homeowners are behind on their mortgage

    Banks expect home loan arrears to increase further as more borrowers struggle to deal with high interest rates and cost-of-living pressures.

    • Updated
    • Michael Read
    The Albanese push to appoint an independent administrator is not a permanent fix.

    CFMEU’s industrial power has corrupted

    The scale of the systemic wrongdoing that has been uncovered demands a fuller judicial inquiry that must also probe the institutional enablers of the CFMEU’s crimes.

    • The AFR View
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    How the RBA became a global outlier in its inflation fight

    This week on The Fin, economics correspondent Michael Read explains why inflation has proved stickier than expected and raised the stakes for the RBA’s big bet.

    Marine Le Pen with Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old who had hoped to be France’s next prime minister.

    Why does France’s far right get stronger with each election?

    The Western nation has not responded well to the challenges of globalisation, which is a problem that also applies to the whole of Europe.

    • Adrian Blundell-Wignall

    This Month

    The IMF’s warning comes as economists await June quarter CPI numbers, which will be decisive in determining whether the RBA raises interest rates in August.

    Interest rates might need to stay high to tame inflation: IMF

    The IMF’s warning comes as economists await June quarter CPI numbers, which will be decisive in determining whether the RBA raises interest rates in August.

    • Michael Read
    Jim Chalmers rubbished Deloitte’s “guessing”. Ten weeks later, he all but confirmed it.

    Deloitte 1, Jim Chalmers 0

    Deloitte is sceptical of the government’s Future Made in Australia policy. Did that lead Jim Chalmers to slap down its economic forecasting too?

    • Updated
    • Myriam Robin
    Novotel Brisbane Southbank Assistant Manager Michaela Barbeler. The hotel is experiencing high demand due to the origin decider taking place in Brisbane this week.

    $2400 a night: Hotel prices soar as Origin fans flock to Brisbane

    A perfect storm for the blockbuster rugby league series decider has sparked a surge in hotel rates across the city.

    • James Hall
    Ever since Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on imports from China, we have been witnessing a broad-based return of protectionism.

    Why Trump and other trends all point to higher inflation

    Societal forces from politics to geopolitics to de-globalisation to ageing and climate change are creating conditions that push towards higher inflation.

    • Raghuram Rajan
    On the day of Sir Robert Menzies’ funeral in Melbourne on May 19, 1978, the chief executive of CRA, Rod Carnegie, hosted Paul Keating for lunch.

    Rod Carnegie’s seminal lunch with Paul Keating

    Paul Keating reveals, for the first time, the pivotal conversation about the Australian economy with Rod Carnegie at lunch in Melbourne almost 50 years ago.

    • Tony Boyd
    A bloodied Mr Trump pumped a fist of defiance as he was whisked off stage to safety

    American democracy dodged a bullet too

    The failed attempt to take out Donald Trump might put him back in the Oval Office.

    • The AFR View
    The empty campaign rally site after the shooting.

    Shooting boosts Trump campaign

    Letters from readers on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, company tax and intergenerational inequality.

    Just counting the number of people looking for work no longer captures labour spare capacity; the number of hours they want to work matters.

    Reserve Bank’s path to a soft landing is very narrow indeed

    Further rate rises would make it harder for the RBA to achieve the trifecta of a small rise in spare labour, with employment still increasing and inflation back at target.

    • Jonathan Kearns
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    BHP’s Nickel West refinery in Kwinana WA will be mothballed in 2027.

    Nickel is a sobering reminder of commodity fortunes

    Australia has been showered with resources export wealth for nearly 20 years. BHP’s nickel operations show we still have to get the basics of cost and productivity right.

    • The AFR View
    Only Colombian businesses face a higher tax rate than Australian firms, prompting economists to warn the uncompetitive tax system is making workers poorer.

    Only one country has a higher company tax rate than Australia

    Economists say the effective average tax rate of 28.5 per cent on company income makes the country uncompetitive against global rivals and workers poorer.

    • Michael Read
    Jerome Powell, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, will have a chance on Tuesday AEST to give his take on the June CPI data.

    US September rate cut comes into sharper focus

    The unexpectedly good US June CPI report has triggered a surge in the probability of a September rate cut to more than 90 per cent.

    • Updated
    • Timothy Moore
    Middle Australia has every opportunity to rise up the income ranks, according to new Productivity Commission analysis.

    Australians need a sharp reminder of how well off they are

    A new study is an objective demonstration of why Australians have no cause to mimic the populist rhetoric that has poisoned politics in the US and Europe.

    • The AFR View

    Shipping shock glimpse of world without rules

    The Houthi missile blockade in the Red Sea driving a new spike in import freight costs shows a global exporter and importer such as Australia has a critical interest in maintaining free and open global trade.

    • The AFR View

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