Blogotariat

Oz Blog News Commentary
MacroBusiness Monday, June 30, 2025 - 11:30 Source

As Australia’s mediocre media cheers another entirely predictable “shock” better than expected budget balance, a glance beyond our nose tells us that something much messier is squeezing down the pipe at speed. First, the good news. Westpac. While expenses are lower than profiled, higher than expected tax revenue drove much of the significant improvement in

The post Aussie bedpan economy about to make a big mess appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Your Democracy Monday, June 30, 2025 - 11:08 Source

Australia needs to lift its defence spending so it can be a better ally while pushing back against military actions from China, former prime minister Tony Abbott has urged while expressing hope the economic giant may become the world’s most benign superpower.

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MacroBusiness Monday, June 30, 2025 - 11:00 Source

In recent weeks the issue of AI has been on the Albanese government’s agenda, as the run-up to the government’s “roundtable” on productivity continues. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has thrown his weight behind soft-touch regulation of AI, emphasising that the government’s priority is how it can be used to boost productivity rather than establishing guardrails for

The post AI to decimate Australian jobs by 2030? appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Monday, June 30, 2025 - 10:30 Source

There’s a nice little head and shoulders bottom on iron ore futures that I hope runs for a bit on the broadening melt-up. If we get anywhere near $100, it will be the short of a lifetime. CISA output has well and truly rolled for the year. The base case is for a steep downside

The post Iron ore joins the melt-up appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Monday, June 30, 2025 - 10:00 Source

In an article last Monday for the ABC, Patricia Karvelas made the case that demographic shifts in the nation’s electorate would assist Labor in its efforts to tackle the issue of tax reform. “Labor’s timidity may finally be evaporating. The demographic shifts among Australia’s voting base also help Labor.  With Gen Y and Z now

The post Albo and the dwindling power of Australia’s young appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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xkcd.com Monday, June 30, 2025 - 10:00 Source

It's important for devices to have internet connectivity so the manufacturer can patch remote exploits.

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MacroBusiness Monday, June 30, 2025 - 09:30 Source

The Market Ear with the charts. What a week! “Markets are built to recover, we as humans are built to not trust it”  What a week with NDX up 4%, SPX/RTY +3% while US 10YR eased 10bp. This thanks to a rapidly improving macro backdrop, an increased enthusiasm around AI and light positioning. Any way

The post Stocks only go up appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Monday, June 30, 2025 - 09:00 Source

Stock markets on Friday night pushed to new highs or tried to return to them on both sides of the Atlantic but risk was hit by another Trump temper tantrum as he failed again to actually negotiating a trade deal, this time with the Canadians, still unable to look up the word “concession” in the

The post Macro Morning appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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John Quiggin Monday, June 30, 2025 - 06:49 Source

I’ve held off posting this in the hope of coming up with some kind of positive response, but I haven’t got one.

When I wrote back in November 2024 that Trump’s dictatorship was a fait accompi there was still plenty of room for people to disagree. But (with the exception of an announced state of emergency) it’s turned out far worse than I thought possible.

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John Quiggin Monday, June 30, 2025 - 06:38 Source

Another Monday Message Board. Post comments on any topic. Civil discussion and no coarse language please. Side discussions and idees fixes to the sandpits, please.

I’m now using Substack as a blogging platform, and for my monthly email newsletter. For the moment, I’ll post both at this blog and on Substack. You can also follow me on Mastodon here.

Read more Views: 67
Your Democracy Monday, June 30, 2025 - 06:23 Source

The [UK] government’s plan to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation is a hugely significant step in the steady erosion of civil liberties.

This decline began under Tony Blair’s premiership, was advanced by the last Tory government and is now pursued enthusiastically by Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer.

Read more Views: 64
Your Democracy Monday, June 30, 2025 - 05:44 Source

As the nations bicker, squabble and fight among themselves, their ultimate disintegration becomes more certain and more imminent with each passing day.

Enthralled by the spectacle of leaders of paralysing stupidity disgorging lies, bombs and bombast ad lib, many people seem to have forgotten or chosen to overlook the real monster that is creeping up behind them, sharpening its claws to bring down the entire civilisation.

 

Read more Views: 61
Your Democracy Monday, June 30, 2025 - 05:30 Source

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the lead sponsors of the sanctions bill, stated earlier that the legislation would impose "bone-breaking sanctions" on Russia and its customers.

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Your Democracy Monday, June 30, 2025 - 04:59 Source

 

Actions have causes. That is a fundamental point of philosophy, of life, of reality, of an understanding of the way the world is. Russia’s actions in Ukraine have causes which necessitated those actions. Unbiased observers know what those causes are and why Russia’s special military operation was a necessary consequence.

 

Fascism: Our Common Enemy

Christopher Black

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Your Democracy Monday, June 30, 2025 - 04:44 Source

The Pentagon plans to spend nearly $40 billion from the US budget to strengthen the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region by expanding its military and technical base.

How to Lose Geopolitical Influence in Asia and Sell It as a US National Security Strategy

Rebecca Chan

 

read more

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MacroBusiness Monday, June 30, 2025 - 00:05 Source

Mark Litwin, Head of Investment Sales (NSW) at Knight Frank, penned a report on Sydney’s housing market fundamentals, which are underpinned by “persistent undersupply”. Sydney’s most powerful tailwind remains its chronic housing shortage. Population growth—fuelled by the return of overseas migration—has outpaced dwelling completions for much of the past decade. Detached housing in established suburbs

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Your Democracy Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 16:34 Source

As the Navy embarks on the ambitious AUKUS program, the Auditor-General has handed Defence a ‘C minus’ on the Canberra Class ship-building program. Rex Patrick reports.

Ever since the Navy took possession of the two Canberra-class landing Ships at a cost of $1.5B each, they’ve been mired in controversy about reliability.

 

“Accumulation of defects”. A-G report scathing on Navy shipbuilding

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Renew Economy Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 14:40 Source
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Renew Economy Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 12:15 Source
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Renew Economy Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 12:03 Source
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Your Democracy Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 11:00 Source

Ethics is basically a learned habit of behavior.  —  Aristotle.

Virtue is its own reward.  —  Plato.

Plato:  Welcome, Aristotle!  It’s been a while since I have seen you at the Academy.

Aristotle:  And it is good to see you as well my teacher.  And how have things been?

P:  I hear that you have had the honor of instructing the great Alexander in philosophy and morals.  How has that suited you?

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MacroBusiness Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 09:28 Source

DXY held Friday night, but EUR is a runaway locomotive. AUD fell and is eating European dust. Lead boots were made for climbing. Gold is in a spot of bother; improving geopolitics outweighs a falling DXY. Metals reflation is go. Another chance to short the world’s greatest bear market. EM meh. Junk stalled. As yields

The post Australian dollar the new Euro trash appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Your Democracy Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 08:50 Source

Senate Republicans are racing to pass a budget bill that is pivotal to President Donald Trump's second-term agenda ahead of a self-imposed 4 July deadline.

Party leadership have been twisting arms for an initial vote on the "Big Beautiful Bill" on Saturday, following the release of its latest version - all 940 pages - shortly after midnight.

Read more Views: 71
Your Democracy Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 08:01 Source

A new “water economics” needed to safeguard supplies of domestic water and make it a common good. Australia’s fossil fuels make it a rich “Climate Wrecker”. Carbon capture technologies fail to deliver.

Read more Views: 106
Your Democracy Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 06:03 Source

Four senior executives at Palantir, Meta, and OpenAI have been formally appointed lieutenant colonels in the US Army following the creation of a “special” unit created for rich Big Tech mavens seeking military leadership roles.

 

US Army appoints Palantir, Meta, OpenAI execs as Lt. Colonels

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MacroBusiness Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 05:01 Source

By Lucinda Jerogin, Associate Economist at CBA Australian CPI inflation surprised to the downside at 2.1%/yr in May 2025. The policy relevant trimmed mean measure eased to 2.4%/yr. As a result,we brought forward our expected timing of the next RBA rate cut to July. News offshore was dominated by geopolitical events as hostilities between Israel

The post The economic week ahead appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Saturday, June 28, 2025 - 18:13 Source

Today we have the auction results for the two biggest markets Sydney and Melbourne, but using a bit of a different approach. When Domain, Corelogic or any number of other property data sources produce their preliminary auction results on a Saturday evening, it perhaps isn’t based on what one would think at first glance. Instead

The post Vanishing auction results and a different approach appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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MacroBusiness Saturday, June 28, 2025 - 17:02 Source

  Today we meet Ted.  Almost nobody knows who Ted is. In some ways this is a good thing meaning he can walk down the streets of wherever he lives without having soft fruit thrown at him.  But in other ways this may not be such a good thing, seeing as Ted is your shadow

The post Big Ted O’Brien makes a goose of himself appeared first on MacroBusiness.

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Your Democracy Saturday, June 28, 2025 - 13:49 Source

On June 22, a large portion of the France 2, 8 p.m. newscast, hosted by Laurent Delahousse, was devoted to the US attack on Iran.

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MacroBusiness Saturday, June 28, 2025 - 09:00 Source

In this MacroBusiness podcast, Gunnamatta and Leith van Onselen unpack the budget outlook, the deindustrialisation of Australia, housing policy failures, energy policy failures, and the nation’s falling productivity growth. Highlights: 0:00 Introduction 1:00 Why Australia’s budget finances are unsustainable 10:30 Australia is deindustrialising 12:07 Australia should be the richest nation on earth 17:46 Australia’s energy

Read more Views: 119

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