With the implementation of the Albanese government’s 5% deposit scheme for first home buyers just over a week away, social media is filled with promotional material from the Albanese government crowing about how their achievement will help prospective home buyers. It’s certainly true that some first home buyers will benefit because they will be able
From the Market Ear: Tech spending Without tech spending the US economy would be close/in a recession. DB points out: 1. Good news: The AI super-cycle — with NVIDIA effectively carrying the US economy — is offsetting demand (tariffs) and supply (immigration) shocks. 1. Bad news: The cycle can’t last without parabolic capex. With hyperscaler
The Productivity Commission (PC) released its quarterly Bulletin, which explored the structural decline in Australia’s ‘capital deepening’, which has contributed significantly to the nation’s productivity malaise. “Labour productivity tends to increase when workers have more or better capital (such as computers and buildings) to work with, which is known as ‘capital deepening’”, PC Deputy Chair
Former Labor leader Bill Shorten warned that Australia’s declining economic complexity is the single biggest threat to national security. Shorten noted that the Harvard Kennedy School’s Economic Complexity Index ranked Australia 105th out of 145 nations. “Our near neighbours are Botswana, Panama, Namibia and Togo”, he said. “This is not an academic curiosity; it is
Coastline at 12 Apostles, Victoria AUD/USD EUR/USD USD/JPY GBP/USD Gold WTI Brent Australia 200 US S&P 500 UK 100 Japan 225
The post Macro Afternoon: 23 September 2025 appeared first on MacroBusiness.
After recording stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, it appears that Australia’s economy is stalling once more. Last week, the Westpac–Melbourne Institute Leading Index was released, which fell back to –0.16% in August from +0.11% in July. It was the first below-trend reading since September 2024, suggesting that momentum has slowed. “While the weakness
While the focus of Australia’s political policymakers remains on issues largely external to the nation’s rental crisis, more and more data continues to emerge pointing to the impact of the failure of successive governments, which is worsening circumstances by the day. According to a recent report from News.com.au International students are overwhelming Australia’s asylum system with
Australia’s population ballooned by around 8.5 million (45%) over the first 25 years of this century, easily exceeding the population growth experienced by other advanced nations. Between Q1 2021 and Q1 2025, Australia’s population grew by an astonishing 1.88 million (7.9%)—equivalent to adding an Adelaide and Hobart to the nation’s population. The following chart from
In the final climactic battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Anakin says to Obi-Wan: “You turned her (his wife Padme) against me!” “You have done that yourself!” Obi-Wan replies. As the saga within the Coalition over Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s comments regarding Indian voters and the Albanese government
Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, appeared last week on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing with host Patricia Karvelas, where Leigh stated the following blatant lie about Australia’s immigration numbers: “We’ve reduced migration from the record highs it was under the Coalition, getting it more in line, including working with universities on the