Three weeks ago, the Chinese government and the Trump administration came to a very rough agreement on trade, tariffs, and the supply of vital materials each side respectively controlled. While the agreement was likely more of a temporary ceasefire in the trade rather than a more meaningful long-term armistice, it was meant to restore the
This is ridiculous. The White House has again called on Australia to increase its defence spending, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has again refused to budge. Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trump’s press secretary, said the recent move by NATO member states to raise defence spending to 3.5 per cent of their GDP should be a model for
The gas cartel’s corrupt mouthpiece, the Grattan Institute, is facing more backlash over its idiotic gas ban taken up by an even more stupid Allan government. Thousands of Victorian restaurants are threatening to close their doors for a day to protest the Allan government’s gas reforms, in strike action which would create chaos across the
Treasurer Jim “chicken” Chalmers loves to pose as a reformer of great reknown but is just another cookie-cut Canberra immigration sodomite. Jim Chalmers has issued a plea for a new era of “collaboration and compromise” from politicians, unions and business leaders, declaring a generational approach from all parties is needed to secure economic reforms that
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
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
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
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 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
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