Blogotariat

Rising inequality and declining living standards have posed a threat to democracy in several democracies, but so far not in Australia. However, the increasing inequality of wealth, driven by housing becoming unaffordable without rich parents, is a threat.

Michael Keating

Inequality and the future of democracy

President Donald Trump has hinted that US forces could soon move from sea to land operations in Venezuela, expanding what he called “a war on terrorist drug cartels.”Speaking at a Navy anniversary ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia, Trump said American forces had struck another vessel off Venezuela’s coast allegedly carrying narcotics.

Cotality’s daily dwelling values index shows that capital city value growth is tracking at around the fastest pace in two years. This follows a commensurate rise in auction clearance rates, which are also tracking at around a two-year high. Westpac’s latest consumer sentiment survey showed that house price expectations hit a fresh 15-year high in

The post Aussie house price expectations strongest in 15 years appeared first on MacroBusiness.

Old Queenscliff Pier, Victoria     AUD/USD EUR/USD USD/JPY GBP/USD Gold WTI Brent Australia 200 US S&P 500 UK 100 Japan 225   Vids    

The post Macro Afternoon: 7 October 2025 appeared first on MacroBusiness.

A small battery built in 2019 to smooth the output from large South Australia wind farm has finally obtained its generation licence.

Queensland LNP is about to deliver its new energy strategy. It has promised to scrap renewable targets but state consumers - both big and small - love the technology.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has slashed the official cash rate by 2.50% from its July 2024 top of 5.50%: As illustrated below by Justin Fabo from Antipodean Macro, the sharp cut in the cash rate has reduced mortgage rates for new loans back to around pre-pandemic levels: Such a large decline in mortgage

The post New Zealand’s house price crash continues appeared first on MacroBusiness.

After a months-long rebound, Westpac’s monthly consumer sentiment index crashed back to a 6-month low in September as hopes of deep interest rate cuts faded. Westpac’s Head of Australian Macro-Forecasting, Matthew Hassan, explains the results below. Key Points: Westpac Consumer Sentiment Index declines 3.5% to 92.1 in October. Optimism about outlook for family finances fades.

I consider the video-sharing platform YouTube to be one of the most useful and powerful educational tools available. Every day, I utilise YouTube to learn about topics or to troubleshoot problems. My teenage daughter regularly uses YouTube ‘How-to’ videos to learn about arts and crafts, solve math problems, fix computer issues, learn about history, do video

The post YouTube fights back against Aussie eKaren appeared first on MacroBusiness.

A NSW developer is planning to put two gas generators next to 16 data centre buildings on a Moss Vale site in the picturesque Southern Highlands.

Last week, shadow home affairs minister Andrew Hastie resigned from the Coalition’s frontbench following frustration that he would have no input into the party’s immigration policy. Hastie argues that “uncontrolled migration” has been a major contributor to the decline in housing affordability in Australia, alongside infrastructure congestion and other issues. However, shadow housing and productivity

The cost increases means that Snowy 2.0 has gone from bargain of the century to merely a very good technical and economic investment. 

I wrote last week about how the taxation of tobacco is one of Australia’s biggest policy failures. The federal government has repeatedly raised tobacco taxes to discourage smoking. Yet, the Australian Medical Association has warned that the availability of cheaper, illegal tobacco has led to a sharp rise in smoking rates, alongside booming organised crime

The post Australia’s sin taxes have gone too far appeared first on MacroBusiness.