Trade
Hot Take: The dumbest trade war in history
Trump's tariffs on Canada and Mexico are a case of self-flagellation—hurting consumers, exporters, and US credibility with no real gains.
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Artificial intelligence
AI's Sputnik moment
Has DeepSeek ignited an AI arms race that will reshape productivity and investment worldwide?
Inflation
Hot Take: Rate cuts are coming soon
The December quarter CPI inflation data were softer than expected.
Industrial policy
Albanese's future, making housing less affordable, King Dollar, the demise of Britain, and there is no AI moat
An Australia-wide long weekend kicks off tomorrow, and between the Perth Rugby Sevens tournament and Australia Day festivities I'm not going to have all that much time for the usual reading and writing. So the next time you'll hear from me will probably be in the
Elections
Hot Take: Trump's first day
US President Donald Trump has already signed a hundred executive orders with wide-ranging implications, including for Australia.
Migration
Striking a balance on immigration
Australia should prioritise skilled migrants by using prices and incentives instead of queues and quotas.
Employment
Hot Take: The labour market keeps on trucking
Strong labour force data in December have all but ruled out a February rate cut.
Barriers to nuclear, the tradie shortage, trade-offs still matter, the deal of the century, and don't fire the bureaucrats
For whatever reason I've read more than the usual amount of interesting content over the past week, so here's another post replete with my thoughts on several topical issues. Nuclear is easier said than done In somewhat of a cautionary tale for Peter Dutton's
Reform
Time for reform, censorship and good intentions, how California mismanaged its fires, and the housing target is a bust
I trust everyone had a lovely weekend, or for those just getting back into the office, a wonderful summer break! The people want reform The Pew Research Centre released the results of its latest survey measuring the "support for changing the current economic system" across 36 countries: "
Tax
Why I'm sour on a sugar tax
A sugary drink tax will do more harm than good.
Inflation
Hot Take: November's inflation and the RBA's dilemma
Inflation cooled in November, with implications for interest rates.
Canada
Hot Take: The end of Trudeau
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has resigned. The Albanese government could learn a thing or two about how it all went so wrong.