The economists who cried wolf
Argentina under Milei is a case study in how easily economists' politics can override the lessons of their own discipline.
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Just another TACO Tuesday
Trump chickened out, markets rallied, and global consumers are left footing the bill for a new toll in the Strait of Hormuz.
Free public transport and a puppy
If you wanted to ease pressure on fuel prices, free public transport would be near the bottom of the list.
Albanese's convenient crisis
Albanese is framing a foundational principle of prosperity as a policy failure because it makes a convenient origin story for the intervention he already wanted.
The GST windfall that isn't
State Premiers are performing generosity with a GST windfall that doesn't exist, adding to debt and stoking inflation at the worst possible time.
How much fuel does Australia really have?
Australia's fuel reserves are thin, but they aren't the reason you're paying more at the pump.
There's no shortage of bad ideas in Australia
Almost every proposed response to Australia's fuel crisis would make it worse.
The RBA is losing the war on credibility
The RBA spent 2025 fuelling a fire it now lacks the credibility to extinguish.
The economics of a Liberal bloodbath
When your political strategy relies on a version of the economy that hasn't existed since 1960, a historic bloodbath is the only logical outcome.
Oil is already being rationed
The biggest risk for Australia isn't the oil shock itself but that the urge to "do something" worsens the situation before the crisis is resolved.
The oil shock in context
Australia's current oil crisis is a race between a rapid global supply response and the domestic urge to 'do something' that inevitably makes the situation worse.
The capital gains tax discount is a red herring
The CGT debate is a distraction from a much harder truth: Australia's tax and transfer system is no longer fit for an aging population.
Inflation
Australia's inflation problem is home-grown
Australia's underlying inflation problem was made in Canberra and Martin Place, not Tehran.
Artificial Intelligence
Paul O'Malley's misunderstandings about AI and trade
The risk to Australia isn't using AI built elsewhere but letting domestic incumbents like CBA use 'sovereignty' as a shield for protectionism.
Productivity
Australia's labour market is becoming like its housing market
By treating labour like a durable capital stock, Australia is legislating its workforce into the same rigid corner as its housing market.
Commodities
How not to respond to a supply shock
Allegra Spender's windfall tax idea would blunt price signals at exactly the moment you need them the most.
Inflation
Oil shocks don't cause inflation
The Iran war won't cause inflation unless central banks let it.
Inflation
Australia's cockroach problem
Domestic inflation never came close to target during the RBA's easing cycle, and just like cockroaches, it's back again.
Housing
Housing's favourite villain
Australia is obsessed with taxing the supposed villains of the housing market while ignoring the restrictive zoning laws that actually lock people out.
Infrastructure
Going nowhere, fast
Australia's latest high-speed rail dream is a fast track to fiscal ruin.
Artificial Intelligence
Nobody "trains" a human
Sam Altman's analogy comparing training AI to raising a child tells you more about his business strategy than OpenAI's energy use.
Trade
Another bump on the tariff rollercoaster
The US Supreme court may have struck down Trump's tariffs, but don't expect them to go away.
Inflation
The RBA keeps making the same mistake
From running too tight to cutting too early, the Reserve Bank of Australia keeps making the same monetary mistake.
Politics
Japan's risky bet
Japan's ruling party won a supermajority promising massive stimulus and tax cuts, but the yen's slide to near all-time lows suggests markets are sceptical the debt math works.